Local area network

A local area network is a digital communication system capable of interconnecting a large number of computers, terminals and other peripheral devices within a limited geographical area. LANs normally operate within a limited area such as an office, building or a campus is owned by using organization. The organization of a LAN can be a star, a ring or simply devices attached along a length of cable. In LAN transmission, channels generally use coaxial or fiber optic cables and special interface units rather than telephone lines and modems. Thus the transmission speed is very high. The attached computers may be of different types and performing a variety of functions such as data processing, word processing and electronic mail.
The two main purposes of the local area network are to link computers within an organization or campus so that they may share expensive peripheral devices, for example high-speed printers or magnetic disks holding the database, and to allow these computers to communicate with each other.