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    Bandwidth is generally measured in bits per second (bps) or Bytes per second (Bps), Kilobytes
                     per second (KBps) and Megabytes per second (MBps). There can be various types of bandwidths,
                     which are network bandwidth, data bandwidth or digital bandwidth.

                               TYPES OF NETWORKS

                     Networks can be classified based on their size, complexity and the geographical area covered by
                     them. Let us understand these categories in detail.

                     PERSONAL AREA NETWORK (PAN)

                     PAN refers to the privately owned network. PAN is used to
                     establish communication amongst the computers within the
                     range of 20 to 30 feet. This type of network can be wired or
                     wireless.

                                                 LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)
                                    Workstation
                                                 LAN  is a digital communication system that interconnects a larger
                                         Server
                                                 number of computers and other peripheral devices within a radius of
                                                 less than 1 km. This type of network is useful when you want to connect
                                                 two different departments in a building (e.g. an office, a building or
                                                 a factory). The hardware, as well as software resources, are shared
                                                 through LANs. Your school lab is an example of LAN.

                     CAMPUS AREA NETWORK (CAN)
                     CAN connects two or more LANs that are limited to                             Campus

                     specific geographical areas. For example, college                          Network
                                                                                                  Area
                     campus, office building, etc. A campus area network is
                     larger  than  LAN  since  it  may  span  multiple  buildings
                     within a specified area.

                                                           METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN)

                          LAN                 LAN          MAN consists of two or more local area networks or campus
                                                           area networks together that usually spans several buildings
                                                           in the same city or town. It covers an area ranging from 10
                                                           to 100 km. For example, the Internet services provided to
                                                           users in a city or the ATM network system of any area falls
                                    LAN
                                                           under MAN.

                                                                                                  Networking Concepts  13

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