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Appendix B
Technologies
In the last ten years, as communication and business
applications become increasingly complex, computer network
has evolved as a very important part of the enterprise
infrastructure. Communication systems like Local Area Network
(LANs) have grown into a sophisticated, powerful, yet flexible
technology today. Among different types of Local Area Networks,
such as FDDI, ATM, Token Ring and Apple Talk, Ethernet
strikes a good balance between speed, price, ease of installation,
and supportability.
This primer helps to explain this most popular technology and its
associated products such as Ethernet hubs and switches.
LAN
In order to reduce the expense on computer hardware and
software and to easily share information, LAN technologies were
developed for people to share distributed computing resources.
LAN connects independent computers, file servers, printers, etc.
together within a confined geographic area, usually a single
building or a college campus. As LAN expands to link hundreds
and thousands of computers, various network protocols and
media have developed to meet the organization
requirements. At times, multiple LANs that are geographically
dispersed may need to connect together and become so called
Wide Area Network (WAN).
FNSW-8086 / 8088F User's Guide
–
Introduction to LAN & Ethernet
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