People that work in the computer industry have a way of alienating everyday people sometimes
. If you listen to some computer professionals it can almost sound like you are hearing a foreign language or some kind of secret code. There are tons of acronyms that get used on a regular basis by these folks and it can be tricky trying to understand just what is being talked about. You don't need to be a computer genius or take networking classes or courses to understand the basics of networking, you just need to understand a few of the basics.
When networks are being discussed many times you will hear the term LAN. This is simply an acronym for Local Area Network. While setting up and maintaining a LAN is anything but simple, understanding the basics of a local area network is easier than you might think. Remember that computer networks, at their absolute core, are about communications and moving information from one place to another. Perhaps the easiest way to understand what is involved in a local area network is to break down each word in the phrase to see how it relates to the big picture of your company network.
Local Area
A local area network is specific to one geographical location or business entity. You are probably familiar with the Internet. The Internet is a large connection of computers and network equipment that allows people to access the same online resources and communicate with others. The Internet is the largest network in the world. As you begin to zoom in for a closer look at your company's local area network, it is not all that different from the Internet, just smaller in scale.
All of the computers and servers that talk to each other in your office building are on a LAN. All of the computers can communicate with each other and with commonly shared resources, but they are all part of one physical location. In the simplest terms that is what a LAN is. Picture a small company with 10 computers that are connected to each other and to one file server; that is a small picture of a local area network. The computers are all housed in the same physical location and are all connected to each other.
Network
The next piece involved in discussing a local area network is the concept of a network. Think about all of the people you know - from family and friends to acquaintances and co-workers. These people are all part of your network. They are people that you know and how know you. A computer network is comprised of computers, servers and network equipment that are all tied into each other. They all communicate with each other. Now if you think about the earlier example of a local area and combine that with the idea of a network you have the building blocks of a local area network. All the computers that communicate with each other in one geographic location make up a common local area network.
This example is an extremely simplistic picture of a local area network. New technologies have made virtual LANs that might include computers located around the world that are still part of what is considered a logical LAN. Just remember that the local area network that your business uses is crucial to internal business communications.