Local Area Networks

• Local Area Networks (LANs) are communication networks for connecting a cluster of computers.
• Design Objectives: LANs should be:
  • well suited for bursty data traffic
  • able to carry high data rates
  • functioning without central equipment
  • simple
• We will see that the most popular and successful LAN of the last 20 years, the Ethernet meets these criteria very well.
• Additionally, we will consider Token Ring local area networks.