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Wide-Area
Network(WAN) A computer network that spans a relatively large geographical area. Typically, a WAN consists of two or more local-area networks (LANs). Computers connected to a wide-area network are often connected through public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected through leased lines or satellites. The largest WAN in existence is the Internet. Bridge
A device that connects two local-area networks (LANs), or two
segments of the same LAN. The
two LANs being connected can be alike or dissimilar. For
example, a bridge can connect an Ethernet with a Token-Ring network.
Unlike routers, bridges are protocol -independent. They simply forward
packets without analyzing and re-routing messages. Consequently,
they're faster than routers, but also
less versatile. Brouter Short for bridge router, and pronounced brau-ter, a device that functions as both a router and a bridge. A brouter understands how to route specific types of packets, such as TCP/IP packets. Any other packets it receives are simply forwarded to other network(s) connected to the device (this is the bridge function). CAN Acronym for campus-area network. An interconnection of local-area networks within a limited geographical space, such as a school campus or a military base. Hub A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets. A passive hub serves simply as a conduit for the data, enabling it to go from one device (or segment) to another. So-called intelligent hubs include additional features that enables an administrator to monitor the traffic passing through the hub and to configure each port in the hub. Intelligent hubs are also called manageable hubs. A third type of hub, called a switching hub, actually reads the destination address of each packet and then forwards the packet to the correct port.
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