Networking

A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and peripheral devices that
share a common communications line or wireless link to a server within a distinct
geographic area. A local area network may serve as few as two or three users in a
home office or thousands of users in a corporation's central office. Homeowners
and information technology (IT) administrators set up LANs so that network nodes
can communicate and share resources such as printers or network storage.
LAN networking requires Ethernet cables and Layer 2 switches along with devices
that can connect and communicate using Ethernet. Larger LANs often include Layer
3 switches or routers to streamline traffic flows.
A LAN enables users to connect to internal servers, websites and other LANs that
belong to the same wide area network (WAN). Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two
primary ways to enable LAN connections. Ethernet is an Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) specification that enables computers to communicate
with each other. Wi-Fi uses radio waves in the 2.4 gigahertz and 5 GHz spectrum to
connect computers to the LAN.
There are two primary LAN types: wired LANs and wireless LANs (WLANs). A wired
LAN uses switches and Ethernet cabling to connect endpoints, servers and internet
of things (IoT) devices to the corporate network. For small businesses with only a
handful of devices, a wired LAN can consist of a single unmanaged LAN switch with
enough Ethernet ports to interconnect all devices. But larger LANs that connect
thousands of devices require additional hardware, software and configuration steps
to ensure the network is performing optimally. This is where the concept of virtual
LANs (VLANs) comes into play.