Network Types
Networks can be classified in a variety of ways:
- Size
- measured as the number of nodes
- Scope
- refers to the area over which nodes sharing the same network address are distributed
- physical distance between components (geographic scope)
- Open and closed
- Topology
Scope
- Personal Area Network (PAN)
- Local Area Network (LAN)
- Wide Area Network (WAN)
- Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Open and Closed Networks
- open network: network’s internal workings are based on designs that are in the public domain
- closed or proprietary networks: network designs owned or controlled by third parties
Communication over the internet is governed by an open collection of standards known as the TCP/IP protocol.
- Anyone is free to use these protocols without paying fees or signing license agreements