A local area network (LAN) supplies networking capability to a group of computers in close proximity to each other such as in an office building, a school, or a home. A LAN is useful for sharing resources like files, printers, games or other applications. A LAN in turn often connects to other LANs, and to the Internet or other WAN.
Most local area networks are built with relatively inexpensive hardware such as Ethernet cables, network adapters, and hubs. Wireless LAN and other more advanced LAN hardware options also exist.
Specialized operating system software may be used to configure a local area network. For example, most flavors of Microsoft Windows provide a software package called Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) that supports controlled access to LAN resources.
The term LAN party refers to a multiplayer gaming event where participants bring their own computers and build a temporary LAN.
Also Known As: local area network
Examples: The most common type of local area network is an Ethernet LAN. The smallest home LAN can have exactly two computers; a large LAN can accommodate many thousands of computers. Many LANs are divided into logical groups called subnets. An Internet Protocol (IP) "Class A" LAN can in theory accommodate more than 16 million devices organized into subnets.
Local Area Network
The Local Area Network (LAN) is by far the most common type of data network. As the name suggests, a LAN serves a local area (typically the area of a floor of a building, but in some cases spanning a distance of several kilometers). Typical installations are in industrial plants, office buildings, college or university campuses, or similar locations. In these locations, it is feasible for the owning Organisation to install high quality, high-speed communication links interconnecting nodes. Typical data transmission speeds are one to 100 megabits per second.
A wide variety of LANs have been built and installed, but a few types have more recently become dominant. The most widely used LAN system is the Ethernet system developed by the Xerox Corporation.
Intermediate nodes (i.e. repeaters, bridges and switches) allow LANs to be connected together to form larger LANs. A LAN may also be connected to another LAN or to WANs and MANs using a "router".
In summary, a LAN is a communications network which is:
local (i.e. one building or group of buildings)
controlled by one administrative authority
assumes other users of the LAN are trusted
usually high speed and is always shared
LANs allow users to share resources on computers within an organisation, and may be used to provide a (shared) access to remote organisations through a router connected to a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN).
