ABSTRACT
In contrast to wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs) operate on smaller geographic distances and support higher data transmission rates. Typically, LANs connect computers that reside in the same building or campus, and are usually limited to a few city blocks. LANs provide connectivity between devices operating on a private network, including file servers, printers, host processors, and personal computers. LANs are commonly used to support a wide range of applications, including client/server
applications, file sharing, and centralized file backup and retrieval.
