[Manny Varela]

Can you explain the different classifications of networks and their purpose?

[Trae Johnson]

Local Area network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Personal Area Network (PAN), Campus Area Network (CAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and Storage Area Network (SAN) are the different types of networks. LAN interconnects devices with in a limited areas and these areas can range from residential to large scale universities. WAN expands over vary large areas, facilitating the needs of cities to countries. PAN is a small scale are and is quite literally explained in its name as personal area because it the size of a personal bubble. CAN is utilized as a multiport adapter, it allows multiple networks to connect on a single campus size area. MAN is similar to CAN, with the exception that it can connect all or part of a city wide area. SAN is used to help connect storage space, like cloud back ups to our internal device storage.

[Erin Kesterson]

Hi Trae, I am amazed that you are able to remember the different networks. I struggled to know the 3 or 4 that I do know. Would you happen to know a secret in remembering them that you want to share with me? I have read and reread your responds an I can honestly say that you helped me without even knowing it on how to know which one is for what part of the networking I knew the personal and the local and the wide and after reading your response I think I got a better understanding on the campus and metropolitan and storage but If you do know of a way that can help me, please share.

[Trae Johnson]

Thank you for the compliment, I have multiple web-browsers open and 4 monitors to utilize at the same time. I take advantage of being able to have multiple sources of information material when writing responses. It isn’t that I have the different types memorized, rather that I ama able to read and articulate the information in my own way and I fell people would understand.

[Erin Kesterson]

Thank you for that clarification. I hope that it will profit you and having the resources that having the multiple information material I think is helpful in memorizing the material also without having it I think it would be harder to keep track of all of them. It is for me anyways.

[Jessica Belknap]

Hi Trae,

I have a question: Which would you prefer, hands-on or book learning, to better understand the operating system’s technology? Also, What methods help you learn and remember the process the fastest? And What advice would you give to someone like me who knows about 75% of the operating system?

[Addison West]

Hey, this is great! It sounds like a command line is a powerful tool for managing a computer system. I’m interested to learn more about how it works and how it can be used to troubleshoot problems or make changes to the system.

For example, how would you use the command line to diagnose a network issue? And what are some common commands that every user should know?

[Erin Kesterson]

There is personal which is where it is your own little place to connect your private devices and only yours. There is local network which is where it connects local in an area close to yours all in one place then there is wide network I believe it’s called which allows us to be able to connect to other countries like China and France, the different networks allow us to be able to communicate though out the world in different ways. We can talk to people and accomplish different things with all the ways to connect to the internet. From talking to family and doing systems for a company technology has come so far with all the operating systems and ways that makes it safe for us to learn and use.

[Jessica Belknap]

Hello Erin,

Your thorough explanations of each network, complete with illustrative examples and clear descriptions of their intended functions, are truly helpful and greatly appreciated. Erin, I want to express my gratitude for your clear and understandable post on networking. Your efforts to simplify the content are greatly appreciated.

[Trae Johnson]

Yes, the level of technology is astounding to see. Understanding how all the devices connect and interact across the different networks. It’s like a busy beehive with how active all the network systems work.

[Jessica Belknap]

Networks are classified primarily based on their geographical coverage. Different types of networks serve varying geographic areas. The most common types are PAN (Personal Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), and WAN (Wide Area Network).

PAN (Personal Area Network) connects devices within an individual’s workspace or Personal area. It typically covers a range of up to 10 meters and is commonly used for connecting smartphones, tablets, and other personal devices.

LAN (Local Area Network) connects devices within a limited area, such as a home, school, or office building. They are often used to facilitate communication and resource sharing between connected devices.

MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) covers a larger geographical area, such as a city or a large campus. They connect multiple LANs within a specific region, enabling organizations and individuals to communicate and share resources over a larger area.

A WAN (Wide Area Network) covers a wide geographic area, often spanning cities, countries, or even continents. It facilitates communication and data exchange between far-apart devices, enabling global connectivity and resource sharing. WANs frequently utilize public and private communication infrastructure to connect geographically dispersed locations.

https://www.simplilearn.com

[Trae Johnson]

Dividing the information like this made it easier to locate the differences of each network type and when they are utilized.

[Addison West]

Networks can be classified based on their size, range, and purpose, each serving distinct functions in connecting devices and facilitating communication.

First, we have a Local Area Network (LAN). This type of network is confined to a small geographic area, like a single building or campus. LANs are used to connect computers and other devices within close proximity, allowing for resource sharing such as files, printers, and internet connections. They are essential for businesses, schools, and homes to enable efficient communication and collaboration.

There is also a Wide Area Network (WAN). Spanning larger geographic areas, WANs connect multiple LANs. The internet is the most well-known example of a WAN. These networks are crucial for organizations with multiple locations, enabling them to communicate and share resources across cities, countries, or even continents.

Next is a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). MANs cover a larger area than LANs but are smaller than WANs, typically encompassing a city or a large campus. They are used by organizations that need to connect multiple LANs within a metropolitan area, often providing high-speed connectivity and internet access.

Finally, a Personal Area Network (PAN). These networks are designed for personal use, connecting devices within a very short range, usually within a few meters. Examples include Bluetooth connections between a smartphone and a headset or a laptop and a printer. Each type of network serves a unique purpose, from connecting personal devices to linking global organizations, facilitating communication, resource sharing, and data transfer.

[Latoya Stoudmire]

There are many types of network classifications, each plays a distinctive role in how information is sent and received. The networks also account for the number of devices connected and their locations. Some of the most common networks are PAN personal area networks, WAN wide area networks, and MAN metropolitan area networks.

While researching I noticed some networks that I was not familiar with. one of the networks being GAN global area network. Gan is considered the largest of all the network configurations. GAN allows users to connect to the internet regardless of wherever they are in the world. GAN consists of interconnecting networks like LAN and WAN which allows communication to flow efficiently. GAN is also used for networks like cloud and satellite which requires a global infrastructure. This allows offices that may be in different countries to share information without interruption.

Another network is cloud. A cloud network is a virtual network infrastructure composed of interconnected servers, VMs, storage, applications, and other resources. (Darah, 2024) Cloud networks use 4 main types of computing. The first is Hybrid cloud, this is a mix between public and private cloud. Then there is Virtual Private Cloud. The VPC allows restricted access to files and other information, the last of the cloud networks is multicloud. This network allows companies to use multiple cloud serves

[Addison West]

Hello Latoya,

Thanks for the information you shared about GAN and cloud networks! I’m really interested in how they work. I’m going to do some more research on them. I especially want to learn more about the different types of cloud computing. I think it’s really cool that GAN allows users to connect to the internet regardless of their location. That’s a huge benefit for businesses and individuals. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[Latoya Stoudmire]

Hi Addison,

I think that cloud computing is is very interesting as well. There are multiple avenues to inquire about when looking at cloud information. Once I began doing research on the cloud network I went down the rabbit hole and discovered cloud computing and security. Each level of cloud computing open the door to advanced technology like artificial intelligence.It appears that artificial technology will be a huge part of our future in tech, I believe its valuable to learn as much as we can about the subject.

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