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A network that links nearby computers to one
another. A local area network (lan) is usually used to connect computers in
the same room or on the same floor of a building, and often forms part of a
much bigger corporate network. Most lans are based on one or more
file servers, which hold centralised applications and files that can be
accessed from the network's constituent workstations. Most lans use
either the Ethernet or Token Ring methods of managing information flow
across the network, alongside network operating system such as
Netware or
windows, which manage users and network resources. Increasingly,
lans use standard internet protocols such as tcp/ ip for
transmitting data rather than proprietary ones, and thus form the underlying
skeleton for an intranet. |
