Classification Essay Sample on Area Networks

Local Area Network (LAN)

LAN represents a computer network which may either be wired or wireless whereby, the connection between computers and devices exists within a specific geographical location. This type of network is usually represented with specific characteristics which include the higher transfer of data rates, and the limitations that may occur as a result of the geographical range. Furthermore, leased lines may experience limited reliance to allow room for connectivity. Also, a router can be used as a portable device to connect LAN with WAN. In the case of wireless LANs, vulnerabilities tend to occur as a result of the radio frequencies that are used to allow data transmission over the airwaves. The reason for this is because of the lack of prudence which is needed to secure the systems. As a result, this causes uniformities within the user's set up wireless LANs.

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Some of the most common vulnerabilities associated with LAN include limited security which lacks configuration. Poor security tends to exist as a result of dysfunctional authentication and encryption settings. Furthermore, lack of physical boundaries affects wireless access points thus a signal may be lost at some point. Also, insufficient network monitoring can enable hackers or other unwanted users to access the network because of the inability to deploy detection tools. Finally, limited performance of networks tends to have a negative impact towards the network system thus affecting its capacity.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

The main goal of Metropolitan Area Network is to create a communication link within two LAN nodes which may be independent. This type of network is usually composed of an optical fibre. These connections may be in the form of routers, switches or hubs. A switch often handles data filtration in the form of frames. On the other hand, routers assist in the identification of the path which is undertaken by data packets. One of the main benefits of MANs is enhancing the efficiency of data handling to save the attached cost to create a wide area network.

MAN is often associated with connecting two or more local area or campus area networks. This type of network may cover large areas depending on the configuration. A MAN often consists of several LANs which are interconnected to form larger network coverage. MAN often tends to serve an important purpose in acting as an efficient mechanism for the movement of data-oriented traffic in a wider geographical area compared to other networks. Its vulnerabilities tend to be experienced as a result of scalability. For instance, most conventional wireless technologies find it difficult to meet the high capacity demands among users due to the inability to cover such a relatively large range.

Storage Area Network (SAN)

Storage Area Network is a network which is specialized with high-speeds providing block-level data access to storage. SANs contain hosts, switches, storage elements as well as interconnected storage devices. They are mostly used to build storage devices including tape libraries among others which in turn are used to provide access to servers. As a result, the devices may look like locally attached devices within the operating system. SANs are usually equipped with their network of storage devices with limited accessibility by other devices through the LAN.

Storage Area Network risks are mostly associated with encryption authentication and availability or Quality of Service. For instance, most SAN environments tend to lack authentication aspects. These may include Fibre Channel Authentication Protocol, Diffie-Hielman CHAP, and Fibre Channel Security Protocol. Nevertheless, ever since these protocols were implemented, many gaps of authentication have been fulfilled. However, despite their success, most SANs are designed with the belief that authentication occurs elsewhere in the architecture. On the other hand, availability or Quality of Service may be unavailable indirectly in layer 2 Fibre Channel frames due to the error that is commonly experienced in the control fields of the frame. As such, this aspect often enables more QoS aspects in comparison to data availability. If there is inefficient storage data, other networks together with applications may experience shut down rapidly.

Conclusion

The sustainability of network components usually determines the security of the infrastructure. As a result, most network components such as cables, switches, and rooters among others tend to play an important role in improving the performance and security of computer networks. These components are often connected to firewalls and gateways in which communication is maintained through designing networks according to the employed protocols. However, if the security encounters failure, so do the availability of the system. Thus, infrastructure security often plays an important role in providing authorized usage of resources while denying the usage of all unauthorized resources.

Bibliography

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