GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC AMBAD

Mhadha Colony, Pachod Road, Ambad, Dist. Jalna (M.S.)

Telephone No. 95-2483-220010 Fax – 02483- 220010
E-mail : gpambad.dte@gmail.com

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING

( “DATA COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER

NETWOK ”)

A MICRO-PROJECT REPORT ON

“Windows Installation And Network”

FOR THE AWARD OF

DIPLOMA IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING

( Computer Engineering -2nd YEAR,SEM 4th )

2020-21
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
Prof. Jangle
SUBMITTED BY
1.Mahesh Bodkhe
2.Suraj Kore
3.Akash Kharat
 CERTIFICATE
GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC AMBAD
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING
(“DC & CN”)

This is to certify that the Micro-project entitled “Significant Figure

Rules & Identification” being submitted herewith for the award of
DIPLOMA IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING of MAHARASHTRA
STATE BOARD&TECHNICAL EDUCATION (MSBTE) is the result
of Micro-project work completed This is to certify that the Micro-project
entitled being submitted herewith by-ROLL NO:- ________ under my

supervision and guidance of prof.Jangle Sir

To the best of my knowledge and belief, the work embodied in this

Micro-project has not formed earlier the basis for the award of any
degree or diploma of this or any other Board or examining body.

Place: Ambad ( Prof. jangle)

Date: Micro-project Guide

 DECLARATION

We, the undesired, hereby declare that the project entitled “Windows

Installation And Network” is written and submitted by us to

Government Polytechnic Ambad during Year 2019-20, 4th SEM for

partial fulfillment of the ‘Micro Project’ requirement of ‘DCC’ subject under

Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education, Mumbai curriculum,

under the guidance of Prof . Jangle Sir is our original work

Name Of Group Member Signature

Mahesh Bodkhe

Suraj Kore

Akash Kharat
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have great pleasure to express my immense gratitude towards a dynamic person

and my project guide Prof. jangle sir Lecturer in Computer Engineering,
Government Polytechnic, Ambad for giving me an opportunity to work on an
interesting topic over one semester. The work presented here could not have been
accomplished without her most competent and inspiring guidance, incessant
encouragement, constructive criticism and constant motivation during all phases of
our group Micro-project work. I am greatly indebted to her.
I am very much thankful to Prof. N.B. JADHAV , Head, Department of
Computer Engineering, all HODs of various departments and Prof. Dr. A. M.
JINTURKAR, Principal, Government Polytechnic, Ambad, for his encouragement
and providing me a motivating environment and project facilities in the Institute to
carry out experiments and complete this Micro-project work.
I would like to extend our thanks to all our professors, staff members and all
our friends who extended their co-operation to complete the project.
I am indeed indebted to my parents and other family members for their
immense help at all levels with moral, social & financial support, care and support
throughout my studies without which my work would not have seen light of the day.
With warm regards,

Yours Sincerely,

1.Mahesh Bodkhe Sign__________________

2.Suraj Kore Sign__________________
3.Akash Kharat Sign__________________

Place: Ambad
Date: ____________
 INTRODUCTION

Windows Installer (previously known as Microsoft Installer, codename Darwin) is

a software component and application programming interface (API) of Microsoft
Windows used for the installation, maintenance, and removal of software. The installation
information, and optionally the files themselves, are packaged in installation packages,
loosely relational databases structured as COM Structured Storages and commonly
known as "MSI files", from their default filename extensions. Windows Installer contains
significant changes from its predecessor, Setup API. New features include
a GUI framework and automatic generation of the uninstallation sequence. Windows
Installer is positioned as an alternative to stand-alone executable installer frameworks
such as older versions of installshield and NSIS.
Before the introduction of Windows Store, Microsoft encouraged third parties to use
Windows Installer as the basis for installation frameworks, so that they synchronize
correctly with other installers and keep the internal database of installed products
consistent. Important features such as rollback and versioning depend on a consistent
internal database for reliable operation. Furthermore, Windows Installer facilitates
the principle of least privilege by performing software installations by proxy for
unprivileged users.

Logical structure of packages

A package describes the installation of one or more full products and is universally
identified by a GUID. A product is made up of components, grouped into features.
Windows Installer does not handle dependencies between products.
Products
A single, installed, working program (or set of programs) is a product. A product is
identified by a unique GUID (the productcode property) providing an authoritative
identity throughout the world. The GUID, in combination with the version number
(productversion property), allows for release management of the product's files and
registry keys.
A package includes the package logic and other metadata that relates to how the package
executes when running. For example, changing an EXE file in the product may require
the productcode or productversion to be changed for the release management. However,
merely changing or adding a launch condition (with the product remaining exactly the
same as the previous version) would still require the packagecode to change for release
management of the MSI file itself.
Features
A feature is a hierarchical group of components. A feature may contain any number of
components and other sub-features. Smaller packages can consist of a single feature.
More complex installers may display a "custom setup" dialog box, from which the user
can select which features to install or remove.
The package author defines the product features. A word processor, for example, might
place the program's core file into one feature, and the program's help files, optional
spelling checker and stationery modules into additional features.
Components
A component is the basic unit of a product. Each component is treated by Windows
Installer as a unit. The installer cannot install just part of a component. Components can
[6]

contain program files, folders, COM components, registry keys, and shortcuts. The user
does not directly interact with components.
Components are identified globally by guids; thus the same component can be shared
among several features of the same package or multiple packages, ideally through the use
of Merge Modules.
Key paths
A key path is a specific file, registry key, or ODBC data source that the package author
specifies as critical for a given component. Because a file is the most common type of key
path, the term key file is commonly used. A component can contain at most one key path;
if a component has no explicit key path, the component's destination folder is taken to be
the key path. When an MSI-based program is launched, Windows Installer checks the
existence of key paths. If there is a mismatch between the current system state and the
value specified in the MSI package (e.g., a key file is missing), the related feature is re-
installed. This process is known as self-healing or self-repair. No two components should
use the same key path.

Setup phases
User interface
The user interface phase typically queries the target system, displays an
installation wizard and enables the user to change various options that will affect the
installation.
However, the user interface sequence should not make any changes to the system, for the
following reasons:

1. A user may install or uninstall an MSI package in passive mode or silent mode, bypassing
this phase entirely. (Passive mode bypasses the user interface phase but shows a
graphical progress bar. Silent mode shows nothing.) During installation, information
gathered in this phase may be supplied beforehand through the command-line interface.
2. The user interface sequence runs with user privileges, and not with the elevated privileges
required during installation.

Execute
When the user clicks the "Install" button in a typical MSI installation wizard, installation
proceeds to the Execute phase, in which software components are actually installed. The
Execute phase makes system changes, but it does not display any user interface elements.
The Execute phase happens in two steps:

 Immediate mode. In this phase, Windows Installer receives instructions, either from a
user or an application, to install or uninstall features of a product. The requests cause the
execution of sequences of actions, which query the installation database to build an
internal script describing the execution phase in detail.
 Deferred mode. In this phase, the script built in immediate mode is executed in the
context of the privileged Windows Installer service. The script must be executed by a
 privileged account because of the heterogeneity of the scenarios in which a setup operation is
initiated. For example, elevated privileges are necessary to serve on-demand installation
requests from non-privileged users. (To run with elevated privileges, however, the package
must be deployed by a local administrator or advertised by a system administrator
using Group Policy.)

Rollback
All installation operations are transactional. In other words, for each operation that
Windows Installer performs, it generates an equivalent undo operation that would revert
the change made to the system. In case any script action fails during deferred execution,
or the operation is cancelled by the user, all the actions performed until that point are
rolled back, restoring the system to its original state. Standard Windows Installer actions
automatically write information into a rollback script; package authors who create custom
actions that change the target system should also create corresponding rollback actions (as
well as uninstall actions and uninstallation-rollback actions). As a design feature, if
applied correctly this mechanism will also roll back a failed uninstall of an application to
a good working state.

Other features
Advertisement
Windows Installer can advertise a product rather than actually install it. The product will
[8]

appear installed to the user, but it will not actually be installed until it is run for the first
time by triggering an entry point (by means of a Start menu shortcut, by opening a
document that the product is configured to handle, or by invoking an
advertised COM class). A package can be advertised by an administrator using Group
Policy or other deployment mechanism, or by running the msiexec executable with the
/jm (for per-machine advertisement) or /ju (for per-user advertisement) switch. Some MSI
packages authored in installshield may prevent the use of these and other native MSI
features.
The user must have administrator privileges to complete the advertised installation.
Installation on demand
Similar to advertising, it installs a feature as soon as the user tries to use it. ]

Administrative installation
An administrative installation creates an uncompressed source image for a product,
typically to be used for installing or running an application from a network location. An
administrative installation is not a typical installation, in that it does not create any
shortcuts, register COM servers, create an Add or Remove Programs entry, and so on.
Often an administrative installation enables a user to install the product in such a way that
its features run from the uncompressed installation source.
Administrative installations are also useful when creating a Windows Installer patch, as
this requires uncompressed images of the earlier and current versions of a product in
order to compute binary file differences. An administrative installation is performed by
running the msiexec executable with the /a switch.
Custom actions
The developer of an installer package may write code to serve their own purpose,
delivered as a DLL, EXE, vbscript or javascript. This can be executed during the
installation sequences, including when the user clicks a button in the user interface, or
during the installexecutesequence. Custom Actions typically validate product license
keys, or initialize more complex services. Developers should normally provide inverse
custom actions for use during uninstall.
Msiexec provides a way to break after loading a specified custom action DLL but before
invoking the action.
Merge modules and nested executables
A Windows Installer package may contain another package to be installed at the same
time. These are ideally provided as a .msm file component, but may also be a separate
executable program which will be unpacked from the installer package during the
installexecutesequence and can be run immediately. The file can then optionally be
deleted before the end of the installexecutesequence, and so is ideal for using with older
installers. .msm file component is called Microsoft Merge Module and is utilized to single
out and integrate common components. It contains images of all tables, which have
relevant information regarding the common components. Ready-made merge modules are
supplied with Visual Studio or can be downloaded from the alternative sources.
Interoperability with Windows features
Windows Installer 4.0, which was shipped with Windows Vista, incorporates capabilities
to take advantage of the User Account Control feature. If an application can install
without elevated privileges, its MSI package can be marked as such, thus allowing install
without prompting the user for Administrator credentials. Windows Installer also works
in conjunction with the Restart Manager; when installing or updating an application or
system component with "full" user interface mode, the user will be displayed a list of
affected applications that can be shut down, and then restarted after files have been
updated. Installer actions running in silent mode perform these application restarts
automatically. System services and tray applications can also be restarted in this manner.

Developing installer packages

Creating an installer package for a new application is not trivial. It is necessary to specify
which files must be installed, to where and with what registry keys. Any non-standard
operations can be done using Custom Actions, which are typically developed in dlls.
There are a number of commercial and freeware products to assist in creating MSI
packages, including Visual Studio (natively up to VS 2010, with an extension on newer
VS versions), installshield and wix. To varying degrees, the user interface and behavior
may be configured for use in less common situations such as unattended installation.
Once prepared, an installer package is "compiled" by reading the instructions and files
from the developer's local machine, and creating the .msi file.
The user interface (dialog boxes) presented at the start of installation can be changed or
configured by the setup engineer developing a new installer. There is a limited language
of buttons, text fields and labels which can be arranged in a sequence of dialogue boxes.
An installer package should be capable of running without any UI, for what is called
"unattended installation".
ICE validation
Microsoft provides a set of Internal Consistency Evaluators (ICE) that can be used to
detect potential problems with an MSI database. The ICE rules are combined into CUB
files, which are stripped-down MSI files containing custom actions that test the target
MSI database's contents for validation warnings and errors. ICE validation can be
performed with the Platform SDK tools Orca and msival2, or with validation tools that
ship with the various authoring environments.
For example, some of the ICE rules are:

 ICE09: Validates that any component destined for the System folder is marked as being
permanent.
 ICE24: Validates that the product code, product version, and product language have
appropriate formats.
 ICE33: Validates that the Registry table is not used for data better suited for another table
(Class, Extension, Verb, and so on).

Addressing ICE validation warnings and errors is an important step in the release process.

Versions

Version Included with Also available for

1.0 Office 2000 N/A

Windows 2000 RTM, SP1, SP2 Windows 95, Windows 98

1.1
Windows NT 4.0
Office XP

1.2 Windows Me N/A

Windows XP RTM, SP1 Windows 9x

2.0 Windows 2000 SP3, SP4 Windows NT 4.0
Windows Server 2003 RTM Windows 2000
Windows 2000
3.0 Windows XP SP2 Windows XP
Windows Server 2003
Windows XP SP3
Windows 2000
Windows Server 2003 SP1, SP2
3.1 Windows XP
Windows XP Professional x64
Windows Server 2003
Edition
Windows Vista RTM, SP1
4.0 N/A
Windows Server 2008 RTM
Windows XP
Windows Server 2003
Windows Vista SP2 Windows XP Professional x64
4.5[17]
Windows Server 2008 SP2 Edition
Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008[18]
Windows 7 and later
5.0 N/A
Windows Server 2008 R2 and later
In October 2018, Microsoft released MSIX Packaging Tool as the successor to MSI.

TOOLS

Lice
Name Publisher Description
nse

GNU
Lesser
Genera
7-Zip is an open-source file archiver utility, and can extract the contents of
7-Zip Igor Pavlov l
MSI files.[19]
Public
Licens
e

EMCO
An installation editor that allows creating new MSI packages and converting
MSI EMCO Sharew
non-silent EXE setups to silent MSI packages for unattended remote
Package Software are
installation.
Builder

Installshield is a software tool for creating installers or software packages

Installsh Flexera Trialw
primarily used for installing software for Microsoft Windows desktop and
ield Software are
server platforms.

Orca is a database table editor for creating and editing Windows Installer Freewa
Orca Microsoft
packages and merge modules. re

Visual Studio 2002 through 2010 is capable of building Windows Installer

Deployment projects that can create installer packages.[20] Microsoft has
dropped support for deployment projects in 2012 and recommends using
Visual wix instead.[13] While not included in the main installation of Visual Studio Sharew
Microsoft
Studio since 2012, Windows Installer Projects are supported in Visual Studio are
2013/2015/2017 by installing an optional VSIX add-ons such
as https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?
Itemname=visualstudioclient.microsoftvisualstudio2017installerprojects.

Wix Outercurve Wix (Windows Installer XML) is a free and open-source set of tools that Comm
Foundation (Mi helps build a Windows Installer packages from an XML document. It can be on
crosoft) either used from command-line or integrated into Microsoft Visual Public
Studio. Sharpdevelop, a free and open-source alternative to Visual Studio, Licens
has adopted wix.[21] e
 Lice
Name Publisher Description
nse

Installing a Network Operating System

In most cases, the best way to install Windows Server 2008 is to perform a new install
directly from the DVD installation media. Although upgrade installs are possible, your server
will be more stable if you perform a new install. (For this reason, most network
administrators avoid upgrading to Windows Server 2008 until it’s time to replace the server
hardware.)

To begin the installation, insert the DVD distribution media in the server’s DVD
drive and then restart the server. This causes the server to boot directly from the distribution
media, which initiates the setup program.

As the setup program proceeds, it leads you through two distinct installation phases:
Collecting Information and Installing Windows. The following sections describe these
installation phases in greater detail.

Phase 1: Collecting Information

In the first installation phase, the setup program asks for the preliminary information that it
needs to begin the installation. A setup wizard prompts you for the following information:

 Language: Select your language, time-zone, and keyboard type.

 Product Key: Enter the 25-character product key that came with the installation
media. If setup says you entered an invalid product key, double-check it carefully.
You probably just typed the key incorrectly.

 Operating System Type: The setup program lets you select Windows Server 2008
Standard Edition or Core. Choose Standard Edition to install the full server operating
system; choose Core if you want to install the new text-only version.
  License Agreement: The official license agreement is displayed. You have to agree
to its terms in order to proceed.

 Install Type: Choose an Upgrade or Clean Install type.

 Disk Location: Choose the partition in which you want to install Windows.

 Upgrade to NTFS: If you want to upgrade a FAT32 system to NTFS, you’ll need to
say so now.

Phase 2: Installing Windows

In this phase, Windows setup begins the actual process of installing Windows. The following
steps are performed in sequence:

 Copying Files: Compressed versions of the installation files are copied to the server
computer.
 Expanding Files: The compressed installation files are expanded.
 Installing Features: Windows server features are installed.
 Installing Updates: The setup program checks Microsoft’s website and downloads
any critical updates to the operating system.
 Completing Installation: When the updates are installed, the setup program reboots so
it can complete the installation.

Configuring Your Server

After you’ve installed Windows Server 2008, the computer automatically reboots, and you’re
presented with the Initial Configuration Tasks Wizard. This wizard guides you through the
most important initial tasks for configuring your new server.
Configuration settings available from this wizard:

 Set the Administrator Password: The very first thing you should do after installing
Windows is set a secure administrator password.

 Set the Time Zone: This is necessary only if the indicated time zone is incorrect.

 Configure Networking: The default network settings are usually appropriate, but
you can use this option to change the defaults if you wish.

 Provide Computer Name and Domain: This option lets you change the server’s
computer name and join a domain.

 Enable Automatic Updating: Use this option if you want to let the server
automatically check for operating system updates.

 Download and Install Updates: Use this option to check for critical operating
system updates.

 Add Roles: This option launches the Add Roles Wizard, which lets you configure
important roles for your server.
  Add Features: This option lets you add more operating system features.

 Enable Remote Desktop: Use this option to enable the Remote Desktop feature,
which lets you administer this server from another computer.

 Configure Windows Firewall: If you want to use the built-in Windows firewall, this
option lets you configure it.

Steps of Windows Installation

Part 1:-
Step 1:

Booting to the Windows 10 Installer

Image titled Burn a DVD Step 10

Make sure your Windows 10 installation media is connected. In order for you to install Windows 10, your
Windows 10 installation file must be loaded onto a disc or flash drive, and the disc or flash drive must be
inserted into your computer.

Step 2:

Open the Start menu. Either click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the ⊞
Win key.

Step 3:

Click the power icon. This is the circle with a line through its top that's in the bottom-left corner of the Start
window.

Step 4:
Click Restart. It's in the pop-up menu above the power icon. Doing so will restart your computer.

Step 5:

Press and hold Del or F2 to enter setup. This key may also be a different key—most computers will display
a message on startup that says "Press [key] to enter setup" or something similar, so look for this message
when your computer restarts to confirm the key you should press to access the BIOS.

Consult your computer's manual or online support page to confirm your computer's BIOS key.
Step 6:

Navigate to the Boot tab. You'll use the arrow keys to select it.

The Boot tab may instead say Boot Options, depending on your computer's manufacturer.

Step 7:

Select a device from which to boot. You have a couple of options here:

For a USB flash drive, select the Removable Devices option.

For a disc installation, select the CD-ROM Drive option.

Step 8:

Press the + key until your boot option is first. Once either Removable Devices or CD-ROM Drive is at the
top of the list, your computer will select your choice as its default boot option.

On some computers, you'll instead press one of the function keys (e.g., F5) to navigate an option up to the
top of the menu. The key will be listed on the right side of the screen.

Step :9

Save your settings. You should see a key prompt (e.g., F10) at the bottom of the screen that correlates to
"Save and Exit"; pressing it should save your settings and restart your computer.

You may have to press ↵ Enter to confirm the changes.

Step 10:

Wait for your computer to restart. Once your computer finishes restarting, you'll see a window here with
your geographical data. You're now ready to begin setting up your Windows 10 installation.

Part 2:-
Installing
Step 1:

Click Next when prompted. You can also change the options on this page (e.g., the setup language) before
continuing if need be.

Step 2:

Click Install Now. It's in the middle of the window.

Step 3:

Enter your Windows 10 key, then click Next. If you don't have a Windows 10 key, instead click Skip in the
bottom-right corner of the screen.
Step 4:

Click the "Accept" box and click Next. This will indicate that you accept the terms of use.

Step 5:

Click Upgrade. It's at the top of the "Which type of installation do you want?" window. This option installs
Windows 10 while preserving your files, apps, and settings.
You can click Custom instead to clean install Windows 10 on your computer. Doing so will prompt you to
select a partition to format before continuing.

Step 6:

Wait for Windows 10 to install. This process may take anywhere from half an hour to several hours,
depending on your computer's previous operating system and processing speed.

If prompted to press a key in order to boot from a CD, do not press a key.
Step 7:

Follow the on-screen setup instructions. Once Windows 10 has been installed on your
computer, you'll be able to customize its settings (e.g., your region, your preferred
language, location settings, etc.). Once you finish this process, you will be taken to your
computer's desktop.

You can also click Express Settings to set up Windows 10 with the recommended settings

11 Types of Networks in Use Today

There are several different types of computer networks. Computer networks can
be characterized by their size as well as their purpose.

 Personal Area Network (PAN)

 Local Area Network (LAN)
 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
 Campus Area Network (CAN)
 5. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 6. Wide Area Network (WAN)
 7. Storage-Area Network (SAN)
 8. System-Area Network (also known as SAN)
 9. Passive Optical Local Area Network (POLAN)
 10. Enterprise Private Network (EPN)
 11. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

1. Personal Area Network (PAN)

The smallest and most basic type of network, a PAN is made up of a wireless modem, a
computer or two, phones, printers, tablets, etc., and revolves around one person in one
building. These types of networks are typically found in small offices or residences, and
are managed by one person or organization from a single device.

A personal area network, or PAN, is a computer network organized around an individual

person within a single building. This could be inside a small office or residence. A typical
PAN would include one or more computers, telephones, peripheral devices, video game
consoles and other personal entertainment devices.

If multiple individuals use the same network within a residence, the network is sometimes
referred to as a home area network, or HAN. In a very typical setup, a residence will have
a single wired Internet connection connected to a modem. This modem then provides both
wired and wireless connections for multiple devices. The network is typically managed
from a single computer but can be accessed from any device.
This type of network provides great flexibility. For example, it allows you to:
 Send a document to the printer in the office upstairs while you are sitting on the
couch with your laptop.
 Upload a photo from your cell phone to your desktop computer.
 Watch movies from an online streaming service to your TV.

If this sounds familiar to you, you likely have a PAN in your house without having called
it by its name.

2. Local Area Network (LAN)

We’re confident that you’ve heard of these types of networks before – LANs are the most
frequently discussed networks, one of the most common, one of the most original and one
of the simplest types of networks. LANs connect groups of computers and low-voltage
devices together across short distances (within a building or between a group of two or
three buildings in close proximity to each other) to share information and resources.
Enterprises typically manage and maintain LANs.

Using routers, LANs can connect to wide area networks (WANs, explained below) to
rapidly and safely transfer data.

A local area network, or LAN, consists of a computer network at a single site, typically
an individual office building. A LAN is very useful for sharing resources, such as data
storage and printers. LANs can be built with relatively inexpensive hardware, such as
hubs, network adapters and Ethernet cables.

The smallest LAN may only use two computers, while larger LANs can accommodate
thousands of computers. A LAN typically relies mostly on wired connections for
increased speed and security, but wireless connections can also be part of a LAN. High
speed and relatively low cost are the defining characteristics of LANs.
LANs are typically used for single sites where people need to share resources among
themselves but not with the rest of the outside world. Think of an office building where
everybody should be able to access files on a central server or be able to print a document
to one or more central printers. Those tasks should be easy for everybody working in the
same office, but you would not want somebody just walking outside to be able to send a
document to the printer from their cell phone! If a local area network, or LAN, is entirely
wireless, it is referred to as a wireless local area network, or WLAN.

3. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

Functioning like a LAN, WLANs make use of wireless network technology, such as
WiFi. Typically seen in the same types of applications as LANs, these types of networks
don’t require that devices rely on physical cables to connect to the network.

4. Campus Area Network (CAN)

Larger than LANs, but smaller than metropolitan area networks (MANs, explained
below), these types of networks are typically seen in universities, large K-12 school
districts or small businesses. They can be spread across several buildings that are fairly
close to each other so users can share resources.

5. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

These types of networks are larger than LANs but smaller than WANs – and incorporate
elements from both types of networks. MANs span an entire geographic area (typically a
town or city, but sometimes a campus). Ownership and maintenance is handled by either
a single person or company (a local council, a large copany, etc.).
A metropolitan area network, or MAN, consists of a computer network across an entire
city, college campus or small region. A MAN is larger than a LAN, which is typically
limited to a single building or site. Depending on the configuration, this type of network
can cover an area from several miles to tens of miles. A MAN is often used to connect
several LANs together to form a bigger network. When this type of network is
specifically designed for a college campus, it is sometimes referred to as a campus area
network,

6. Wide Area Network (WAN)

Slightly more complex than a LAN, a WAN connects computers together across longer
physical distances. This allows computers and low-voltage devices to be remotely
connected to each other over one large network to communicate even when they’re miles
apart.

The Internet is the most basic example of a WAN, connecting all computers together
around the world. Because of a WAN’s vast reach, it is typically owned and maintained
by multiple administrators or the public.

7. Storage-Area Network (SAN)

As a dedicated high-speed network that connects shared pools of storage devices to
several servers, these types of networks don’t rely on a LAN or WAN. Instead, they move
storage resources away from the network and place them into their own high-performance
network. SANs can be accessed in the same fashion as a drive attached to a server. Types
of storage-area networks include converged, virtual and unified SANs.

8. System-Area Network (also known as SAN)

This term is fairly new within the past two decades. It is used to explain a relatively local
network that is designed to provide high-speed connection in server-to-server applications
(cluster environments), storage area networks (called “SANs” as well) and processor-to-
processor applications. The computers connected on a SAN operate as a single system at
very high speeds.

9. Passive Optical Local Area Network (POLAN)

As an alternative to traditional switch-based Ethernet LANs, POLAN technology can be
integrated into structured cabling to overcome concerns about supporting traditional
Ethernet protocols and network applications such as PoE (Power over Ethernet). A point-
to-multipoint LAN architecture, POLAN uses optical splitters to split an optical signal
from one strand of singlemode optical fiber into multiple signals to serve users and
devices.

10. Enterprise Private Network (EPN)

These types of networks are built and owned by businesses that want to securely connect
its various locations to share computer resources.

11. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

By extending a private network across the Internet, a VPN lets its users send and receive
data as if their devices were connected to the private network – even if they’re not.
Through a virtual point-to-point connection, users can access a private network remotely.

If you have questions about which type of network is right for your organization, or want
to learn more about Belden’s network solutions that improve uptime, maintain security,
and help improve user access

There are so many different types of computer networks in existence, it can be hard to
understand the differences between them, particularly the ones with very similar-
sounding names. This lesson explains the structures and functions of some of the most
popular computer networks.