Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Metropolitan Area Networks in short MAN usually covers the area of a metropolitan city and is a hybrid between LAN and WAN. This type of networks covers a few kilometers. The cable TV network is an example of Metropolitan Area Network. But there is a difference. MAN is a computer network but cable TV connection provides TV broadcast. In a Metropolitan Area Network, two buildings in a city are connected and start data transfer. That means this connect two devices which are located far away but limited to a metropolitan location. It has the size of a metropolitan city. One of the differences between WAN and MAN is the connection speed. WAN offers low to medium connection speed but Metropolitan Area Network offers high-speed connection.

Technologies Used in MAN

1. ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)
   
   
2. FDDI
   
   
3. SMDS
   
   
4. Ethernet-based MAN

Functions of Transport Layer	PING: Transmit failed. General Failure
Destination Net Unreachable	Destination host unreachable
Enable Disabled Adapter	Windows Automatic IP Address
Hard Disk SMART Command Failed	TTL Expired in Transit
Ping Request Couldn't Find Host	Uses of Netstat Command

MAN Standards for Data Communication

Distributed Queue Dual Bus (DQDB) is the Metropolitan Area Network standard for data communication. It is specified in the IEEE 802.6 standard. Using DQDB, networks can be up to 30 miles length and operate at speeds of 34 to 155 Mbit/s.

Devices Provide MAN Connections

Devices used to provide connections here are:

1. ATM
   
   
2. High-end routers
   
   
3. Switches
   
   
4. Optical switches

Other Networks

1. Local Area Networks (LAN)
   
   
2. Wide Area Networks (WAN)
   
   
3. Wireless Networks
   
   
4. OSI Layers