Mind map
LAN
Map content
LAN
Requirements
- Network Workstations
- The whole point of a LAN is to have users working together collaboratively, or at least sharing the network's resources, so all of those users need to have a way to access the network.
- That's done through the individual computers, or workstations, that are connected together to make up the LAN.
- Those computers can be pretty much anything. A given office might contain everything from low-end laptops or Chromebooks to high-powered engineering workstations, with plenty of standard-issue machines in between to handle the routine duties of accounting, word processing, point-of-sale and so on.
- That's done through the individual computers, or workstations, that are connected together to make up the LAN.
- The whole point of a LAN is to have users working together collaboratively, or at least sharing the network's resources, so all of those users need to have a way to access the network.
- Networking Operating System (OS)
- Network Interface Cards and Drivers
- Your individual workstations won't be part of the network unless they have some way of communicating with everything else that's on the LAN.
- That requires something called a Network Interface Card, usually shorted to NIC
- This provides a way for your computer to connect to the LAN and exchange information with it. Most computers are built with two kinds of NIC already on board, one that uses Wi-Fi and one that uses an Ethernet connection.
- You can use the built-in NIC to connect with, or you can install a separate specialized card to meet your company's individual needs. You might want a higher-performance card than the one that comes built in, for example, or you might opt to network with fiber optics for a performance upgrade. In those cases, you'll need to buy a separate physical card and install it in the computer.
- The hardware of the NIC also requires a bit of added software to make it run. This is called a "driver," which interprets the commands coming from your operating system into instructions the NIC can recognize and work with.
- Your operating system has drivers built in for most cards, so when you restart your computer it'll just recognize the NIC and work with it
- Sometimes you'll need to get a driver from the card's manufacturer instead, because it provides higher performance, better reliability or just unlocks some key features you wouldn't get with the standard driver.
- Windows updates its own drivers but not third-party drivers, so you'll have to check those periodically and install any updates yourself. If you've installed your driver from an authorized source, Linux will keep track of third-party drivers and update them along with everything else.
- Sometimes you'll need to get a driver from the card's manufacturer instead, because it provides higher performance, better reliability or just unlocks some key features you wouldn't get with the standard driver.
- Your operating system has drivers built in for most cards, so when you restart your computer it'll just recognize the NIC and work with it
- The hardware of the NIC also requires a bit of added software to make it run. This is called a "driver," which interprets the commands coming from your operating system into instructions the NIC can recognize and work with.
- You can use the built-in NIC to connect with, or you can install a separate specialized card to meet your company's individual needs. You might want a higher-performance card than the one that comes built in, for example, or you might opt to network with fiber optics for a performance upgrade. In those cases, you'll need to buy a separate physical card and install it in the computer.
- This provides a way for your computer to connect to the LAN and exchange information with it. Most computers are built with two kinds of NIC already on board, one that uses Wi-Fi and one that uses an Ethernet connection.
- That requires something called a Network Interface Card, usually shorted to NIC
- Your individual workstations won't be part of the network unless they have some way of communicating with everything else that's on the LAN.
- A Communications Medium
- Network-Aware Programs
- Shared Hardware Resources
- There's definitely a cost attached to creating and maintaining a network, but it pays for itself in many ways.
- The most important measure is improved productivity, but the option of sharing resources is the kind of up-front cost saving that any bean-counter can relate to.
- Consider printers, for example. Most of your users probably need the ability to print, but only a few of them will print high volume on a regular basis. Rather than parking a printer on every desk, where most of them will gather dust, you can have everyone else share a small number of networked printers.
- There will always be some situations where you'll need to allocate or "dedicate" a resource to one specific user, or one specific group of users, but that's fine. If you only have one person doing large-scale artwork, or creating oversized drawings and blueprints, there's no need for everyone else to have access to their printer or plotter.
- This part of your LAN also includes all of the hubs, switches and routers that physically connect the cabling between devices across your network, and between your network and the internet or your own company's larger Wide Area Network.
- There will always be some situations where you'll need to allocate or "dedicate" a resource to one specific user, or one specific group of users, but that's fine. If you only have one person doing large-scale artwork, or creating oversized drawings and blueprints, there's no need for everyone else to have access to their printer or plotter.
- Consider printers, for example. Most of your users probably need the ability to print, but only a few of them will print high volume on a regular basis. Rather than parking a printer on every desk, where most of them will gather dust, you can have everyone else share a small number of networked printers.
- The most important measure is improved productivity, but the option of sharing resources is the kind of up-front cost saving that any bean-counter can relate to.
- There's definitely a cost attached to creating and maintaining a network, but it pays for itself in many ways.
- Network Workstations
What is it used for?
- A local-area network (LAN) connects the computer hardware in a localized area such as an office or home.
- Typically, LANs use wired connections to link the computers to each other and to a variety of peripheral devices such as printers.
- Devices connected to a LAN are able to access data from any machine that's connected to the network. LAN users can communicate with each other by chat or email.
- Most popular for PC's
- Typically, LANs use wired connections to link the computers to each other and to a variety of peripheral devices such as printers.
- A local-area network (LAN) connects the computer hardware in a localized area such as an office or home.
Networks
disadvantages
advantages
- sharing
- more range with wifi
- slower data transder speed in comparason to eathernet
- WIFI
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Information
- Description
- Mind Map on LAN, created by Lacey Jones on 13/09/2018.
- Created by
- Lacey Jones · Sep 2018
- Updated
- Oct 2, 2018
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