local area network

Local area networks can be connected together in a ring circuit or in a star arrangement. In the ring arrangement, signals from a terminal or peripheral circulate around the ring to reach the terminal or peripheral addressed. In the star arrangement, signals travel via a central controller. In a bus network all elements are connected off a single cable that is terminated at each end.

In computing, a network restricted to small groups of rooms or buildings. Local area networks may range in size from only a few devices to as many as a few thousand devices, usually personal computers acting as workstations, as well as peripheral devices, such as printers.

Central to the LAN is the file server, which controls user access to the network. The print server processes and controls all print jobs being sent via the network to a connected printer, and a router enables connections to other networks or to the Internet.