ADVANTAGES
|
DISADVANTAGES
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LOCAL AREA NETWORK
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- Hardware and software can be shared
- All the users work can be stored in a central
place.
- Data can be shared because database files
stored in the server are available to users
around the network.
|
- Printing can be slow, long print queues may
develop.
- A virus can spread easily.
- As data is shared there is a greater need for
security.
|
METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK
|
- MAN can enhance data transfer effiency
because it connects many LANs together
and increases area of coverage.
|
- As the network connects many computers
over many networks, the connection can at
time become quite slow.
|
WIDE AREA NETWORK
|
- Messages can be sent very quickly to anyone
else on the network.
- Sharing of data or information is private and
confidential.
- These are similar to those of LAN's except
the scale of sharing etc. becomes far greater
and can be world-wide.
|
- Again these are similar to those of LAN's
except that issues such as security become
even more important as potential hackers
could break into a computer system from
anywhere in the world rather than having
to physically be in a building.
- Encryption of secure data such as financial
transactions is necessary because it is even
easier to capture data
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