Lesson 7: Data Communications Networks
Objectives:
From this lesson you should learn:
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What is a data communications network?
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Local area network (LAN) architectures
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How fiber optics is used in LANs
Networks that allowed computers to communicate
with other computers and peripherals have been around for a long time,
almost as long as the computers themselves. They evolved in two
directions - wide area networks (WANs) using phone lines which then
became the Internet, and local area networks (LANs) where most connected
devices were within a building or campus.
In the early days of computing, data was transferred from computer to
computer on physical storage devices like punchcards, paper tape,
magnetic tape or magnetic disks. Transferring data by carrying cards,
spools of tape or floppy disks between computers became known as
“sneakernet” among computer users, and besides being a joke, the
difficulty of the process did encourage the development of computer
networks.
Student Assignment:
Read either of the references and take the
quiz.
Online FOA Reference:
Data Communications Networks
Book Chapter:
The Fiber Optic Association Guide To Broadband, Chapter 7
(Print Version)
Optional - Extra Credit (and future reference)
You Tube Video: OLANs, Optical LANs
Test Your Knowledge:
- Next:
Lesson 8: The Internet and Data Centers
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