LOCAL AREA NETWORKA

A computer network within a building, or a campus of adjacent buildings, is called a local area network, or LAN. No specific distance classifies a network as local, but usually as long as it is confined to a radius of three to four miles, it is called a LAN. Local area networks can be hardwired of wireless or a combination of the two, are the most common way to let users share software and hardware resources and to enhance communication among workers.In LANs, one computer is used as a central repository of programs and files that all connected computers can use; this computer is called a server. Connected computers can store documents on their own disks or on the server, can share hardware such as printers, and can exchange e-mail. The server usually has centralized control of communications among the connected computers and between the computers and the server itself.