LANs and WANs, client-server and peer-to-peer, the hardware that joins devices together, wired and wireless, and what slows a network down.
What you will learn
- Tell a LAN from a WAN
- Compare client-server and peer-to-peer networks
- Name network hardware and its job
- Explain what affects network performance
Kinds of network
A network is two or more devices connected so they can share data and resources.
Data crosses a network in small pieces called packets.
- LAN (local area network): a small area such as one building; the organisation owns the hardware.
- WAN (wide area network): a large area, linking LANs over lines rented from other companies. The internet is the biggest WAN.
Client-server: a central server stores files, accounts and services; clients request them. Easy to back up and secure centrally, but servers cost money and need managing, and a server failure affects everyone.
Peer-to-peer: every computer is both client and server. Cheap and simple for a few machines, but there is no central backup or security.
The rest of this lesson and its 7 practice questions are locked.
In this lesson
- Kinds of network
- Hardware and media
- Try it: LAN or WAN?
7 practice questions, marked as you go; about 20 minutes in all.
Key terms
Network, Packets, LAN, WAN, Bandwidth, Latency, Performance
In this unit: Networks and protocols
LANs, WANs and PANs, network hardware, star, mesh and bus topologies, the internet and DNS, IP and MAC addresses, protocols and layers, network security, and transfer time calculations.
- Networks and network hardware
- Topologies and the internet
- Protocols, layers and packets
- Network calculations
- Extended answers