Network - BIM 2

Netwok	Diagram (Image)	Brief description	Main Components	Main difference with the rest	Benefits ( at least 2)
Local area network		A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers (network) in a small area like a home, office, or school. Many computers can be connected to share information and Internet connections. Most LANs use Ethernet to connect together. LAN topologies tell you how network devices are organized. Five common LAN topologies exist: bus, ring, star, tree, and mesh. These topologies are logical architectures. This means that they tell you the directions that signals go between devices, but that the actual cables that connect the devices might not be connected the same way. For example, logical bus and ring topologies are commonly organized physically as a star.	Router   Cable   Modem   Internet   Computers connected to it	Use wireless to connect the computers rto internet	The benefits of LANs are: • Resource sharing capability allows storage space and network peripherals, such as printers, to be shared by workstations, reducing hardware requirement, expenses and improving productivity. • Standard PC hardware is used for network workstations and servers, which provide a great deal of design flexibility, easy maintenance and cost efficiency.
Wireless LANs		For the radio stations in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, see WLAN (AM) and WLAN-FM.   This notebook computer is connected to a wireless access point using a PC card wireless card.   An example of a Wi-Fi network. A wireless local area network (WLAN) links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method (typically spread-spectrum or OFDM radio), and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider Internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network. Most modern WLANs are based on IEEE 802.11 standards, marketed under the Wi-Fi brand name. WLANs were once called LAWNs (for local area wireless network) by the Department of Defense.[1] Wireless LANs have become popular in the home due to ease of installation, and in commercial complexes offering wireless access to their customers; often for free. New York City, for instance, has begun a pilot program to provide city workers in all five boroughs of the city with wireless Internet access.[	Internet   Wireless Acces router   Pocket PC   celphone	It needs wireless but no for a lot of computers	·         People can access the network from where they want; they are no longer limited by the length of the cable ·         Some cities have started to offer Wireless LANs. This means that people can access the internet even outside their normal work environment, for example when they ride the train home. ·         Setting up a wireless LAN can be done with one box (called Access point). This box can handle a varying number of connections at the same time. Wired networks require cables to be laid. This can be difficult for certain places. ·         Access points can serve a varying number of computers.
Personal Area Networks		A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computerized devices, including telephones and personal digital assistants. PANs can be used for communication among the personal devices themselves (intrapersonal communication), or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet (an uplink). A wireless personal area network (WPAN) is a PAN carried over wireless network technologies such as IrDA, Wireless USB, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, ZigBee, or even Body Area Network. The reach of a WPAN varies from a few centimeters to a few meters. A PAN may also be carried over wired computer buses such as USB and FireWire.	Computers   Rized deviceswith internet   Internet   Devices connected	It is for person al use, you can connect to all devices	The biggest initial issue will simply be to equip devices with software to enable the PAN connection. This will occur once technology such as Bluetooth is cost effective and available in large quantities for deployment. One of the biggest issues with PANs is the ability for devices to inter-operate with one another. This is not so much an issue with pre-established networks of devices, which all have the same vendor equipment, but it is a major issue for inter-vendor equipment connections. This is a major factor for unconscious communications. Companies are working to solve these issues with various equipment mediation and interoperability software.
Metropolitan Area Network		A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. A MAN usually interconnects a number of local area networks (LANs) using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links, and provides up-link services to wide area networks (or WAN) and the Internet.	Super computer   Internet   Areas connected	It generally covers a big area of networks	sharing of resources such as printers; hence cost effective. can send local email   The biggest advantage of MANs is the bandwidth (potential speed) of the connecting links. This means that resources (such as databases and files) shared on the network can be accessed extremely quickly
Wide Area Network		A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network that covers a broad area (i.e., any telecommunications network that links across metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries) using private or public network transports. Business and government entities utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations. In essence, this mode of telecommunication allows a business to effectively carry out its daily function regardless of location. The Internet can be considered a WAN as well, and is used by businesses, governments, organizations, and individuals for almost any purpose imaginable.[1] Related terms for other types of networks are personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), campus area networks (CANs), or metropolitan area networks (MANs) which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area (e.g., a city) respectively.	Router   Satellite   Mainframe	It bigger than the metropolitan and cover a more than this	Covers a large geographical area so long distance businesses can connect on the one network Shares software and resources with connecting workstations Messages can be sent very quickly to anyone else on the network. These messages can have pictures, sounds, or data included with them (called attachments). Expensive things (such as printers or phone lines to the internet) can be shared by all the computers on the network without having to buy a different peripheral for each computer. Everyone on the network can use the same data. This avoids problems where some users may have older information than others. Share information/files over a larger area large network cover
Storage Area Network		A storage area network (SAN) is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices to the operating system. A SAN typically has its own network of storage devices that are generally not accessible through the local area network by other devices. The cost and complexity of SANs dropped in the early 2000s to levels allowing wider adoption across both enterprise and small to medium sized business environments.	Hard drive saving info   Computers send info	It is used for storagying your info in a way you can use it all the time	A storage area network can be easier to manage than other storage systems. By consolidating information into one easily accessible place, it becomes easier to access information while also making it simple to increase capacity as and when required. Automation of routine tasks. Routine tasks such as a backup can be automated so that administrators do not have to schedule their own time in order to make sure that backups are completed.
Virtual Private Network		A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across public networks like the Internet. It enables a host computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if they were an integral part of the private network with all the functionality, security and management policies of the private network.[1] This is done by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, encryption, or a combination of the two. The VPN connection across the Internet is technically a wide area network (WAN) link between the sites. From a user perspective, the extended network resources are accessed in the same way as resources available from the private network—hence the name "virtual private network".[2]	VPN SERVER   VPN CLIENT   TUNNEL	Needs more secure network	For an organization looking to provide a secured network infrastructure for its client base, a VPN offers two main advantages over alternative technologies: cost savings, and network scalability. To the clients accessing these networks, VPNs also bring some benefits of ease of use.   A VPN can save an organization money in several situations: ·         eliminating the need for expensive long-distance leased lines ·         reducing long-distance telephone charges ·         offloading support costs
Virtual LAN		In computer networking, a single layer-2 network may be partitioned to create multiple distinct broadcast domains, which are mutually isolated so that packets can only pass between them via one or more routers; such a domain is referred to as a Virtual Local Area Network, Virtual LAN or VLAN. This is usually achieved on switch or router devices. Simpler devices only support partitioning on a port level (if at all), so sharing VLANs across devices requires running dedicated cabling for each VLAN. More sophisticated devices can mark packets through tagging, so that a single interconnect (trunk) may be used to transport data for various VLANs. Grouping hosts with a common set of requirements regardless of their physical location by VLAN can greatly simplify network design. A VLAN has the same attributes as a physical local area network (LAN), but it allows for end stations to be grouped together more easily even if they are not on the same network switch. VLAN membership can be configured through software instead of physically relocating devices or connections. Most enterprise-level networks today use the concept of virtual LANs. Without VLANs, a switch considers all interfaces on the switch to be in the same broadcast domain. To physically replicate the functions of a VLAN would require a separate, parallel collection of network cables and equipment separate from the primary network. However, unlike physically separate networks, VLANs share bandwidth, so VLAN trunks may require aggregated links and/or quality of service priorization.	Network   Internet   Different lan	Different lan connected to a same network	Small business networks don’t have to be basic. In fact, they should apply some advanced networking technologies to their networks to get the same benefits as large enterprises, such as virtual LANs (VLANs). Just like larger companies, smaller businesses can use VLANs to bolster security, increase usability, and improve network performance. And with a wireless VLAN, you can segment wireless traffic on your network into groups that keep certain types of traffic separate from the rest of the traffic on your network   The software in your wireless networking equipment, either a switch or wireless access points (WAPs), is used to configure VLANs. Several of Cisco Small Business products support VLANs, including RV Series Routers and Wireless Access Points.