Computer Networks · TEE · papers
Q1(a) · LAN MAN WAN
2024-12-06 · Final 2024-25 / Re-exam 2023-24
Actual paper; 100 marks attempted. Current-syllabus alignment is stated per question.
Q1(a). Describe and differentiate between LAN, MAN, WAN with examples. [5 marks]
Answer
A computer network is a set of interconnected devices that exchange data and share resources using communication protocols. A link carries signals; a protocol defines message format, meaning and timing. Hosts run applications, switches forward local frames and routers connect IP networks.
| Type | Meaning and scope | Example |
|---|---|---|
| PAN | Personal Area Network: a person’s nearby devices | Phone linked to earbuds |
| LAN | Local Area Network: a building or local campus network under local administration | Laboratory Ethernet/Wi-Fi |
| MAN | Metropolitan Area Network: interconnects sites across a town/city | City-wide institutional network |
| WAN | Wide Area Network: connects geographically separated networks over regional/global links | Branches in different cities |
| ARPANET | Historical packet-switched research network; a major predecessor of the Internet | Early interconnected research institutions; not a modern geographic size category |
Classification by geographical scope is descriptive: a fixed kilometre boundary or a guaranteed speed is not part of every definition. Networks can also be classified by wired/wireless medium or by client-server/peer-to-peer organization.
Yaad rakho: PAN personal, LAN local, MAN city, WAN wide.