Local Area Network (LAN) - CCNA Study Material

Welcome to the Network Engineer Training Tutorials by CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions. Today, I will be discussing Local Area Networks (LANs).

Let me start this tutorial by explaining the LAN.

A Local Area Network (LAN) is a collection of connected devices within a small area. A home network (with one router connected to computers and smartphones) is an example of a LAN.

A LAN facilitates communication between devices in a small area and improves work efficiency in an office environment.

Sharon Joe, a CCNA student, asked, "What type of network belongs to the category of a LAN?"

Questions about LAN technologies are in the CCNA and Juniper JNCIA-Junos examinations.

So, how do we determine if a network is a LAN? In a LAN, all devices are connected and can share data. It typically covers a small area, such as an office building or home.

The media types used to connect devices in a Local Area Network (LAN) include Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring.

Let us now consider the common topologies used in Local Area Networks, as this topic is part of the CCNA exam syllabus.

Laxmi Vinod, a B.Tech (Computer Science) student from Chennai, asked, "Can you explain the concept of LAN topologies?"

CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions classifies topology into two types: physical and logical.

Physical topology refers to the actual layout of devices in a LAN, while logical topology describes how these devices communicate over the network.

1. Point to Point

   If we connect two devices without interference from other devices, that is a Point-To-Point physical topology. In this LAN topology, these two devices can communicate without extra support.

   Wireless Bridge is an example of Wireless Point-to-Point Topology.

2. Bus Topology

   You can say it is an extension of Point-to-Point topology. In Bus topology, we connect all devices in LAN in a single connection.

   Ethernet uses Bus topology.

3. Ring

   If a Local Area Network has Ring Topology, all devices are in a ring form. It means PC 1 connects to PC 2. PC 2 connects to PC 3, and the last device connects to PC 1. So, it forms a ring structure.

   FDDI uses a ring topology.

4. Star Topology

   In start topology, all devices in a LAN have a connection to the central device. An example is all the computers connected to a Switch.

1. Bus Topology

   Ethernet is an example of a LAN technology using a logical bus structure to communicate. To learn more about Ethernet, visit the link below.

   Fundamentals of Ethernet

2. Ring Topology

   Token Ring is a good example that uses ring logical topology to communicate computers connected to the network.

I will complete today's article by explaining the last question asked by a reader on CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions.

Sanal Mohan, a working professional from Bengaluru, asked, "I am planning for a career change. I am about to join a course on Juniper and Cisco products. So that I can become a Network Engineer. My question is about the medium of transmission in local networks."

Here is the list of media of transmission as an answer to his question.

1. Twisted-pair wire

2. Coaxial cables

3. Fiber optic cables

1. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/what-is-a-lan-local-area-network.html
2. https://www.juniper.net/documentation/us/en/software/nce/feature-guide-virtual-private-lan-service/feature-guide-virtual-private-lan-service.pdf
3. https://www.systosys.com/viewtopic.php?t=4
4. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/lan-connectioncommunication-defined/9a4d4605-a0f4-4a07-bbba-beaadca676c1