Differences Between LAN, MAN, and WAN

Basis LAN MAN WAN

LAN stands for MAN stands for

WAN stands for
local area metropolitan area
wide area network.
Full-Form network. network.

Operates in small Operates in larger

areas such as the Operates in large areas areas such as
Geographic same building or such as a city. country or
Span campus. continent.

While WAN also

LAN’s ownership MAN’s ownership can be
might not be owned
is private. private or public.
Ownership by one organization.

The transmission While the transmission Whereas the

Transmission speed of a LAN is speed of a MAN is transmission speed
Speed high. average. of a WAN is low.

The propagation There is a Whereas, there is a

Propagation delay is short in a moderate propagation long propagation
delay LAN. delay in a MAN. delay in a WAN.

There is less Whereas there is

While there is more
congestion in more congestion
congestion in MAN.
Congestion LAN. than MAN in WAN.

Whereas WAN’s
LAN’s design and While MAN’s design and design and
maintenance are maintenance are difficult maintenance are
Design & easy. than LAN. also difficult than
Maintenance LAN as well MAN.

There is In WAN, there is

Fault While there is less fault
more fault also less fault
tolerance.
tolerance tolerance in LAN. tolerance.
Differences Between OSI Model and TCP/IP Model

OSI vs TCP/IP
 Parameters OSI Model TCP/IP Model

TCP/IP stands for

OSI stands for Open Systems Transmission Control
Interconnection Protocol/Internet
Full Form Protocol

Layers It has 7 layers It has 4 layers

Usage It is low in usage It is mostly used

It is horizontally
It is vertically approached
Approach approached

Delivery of the package

Delivery of the package is
is not guaranteed in
guaranteed in OSI Model
Delivery TCP/IP Model

Replacing the tools is

Replacement of tools and changes
not easy as it is in OSI
can easily be done in this model
Replacement Model

It is less reliable than TCP/IP It is more reliable than

Reliability Model OSI Model

Not tied to specific protocols, but

examples include HTTP
HTTP, FTP, TCP, UDP,
(Application), SSL/TLS
Protocol IP, Ethernet
(Presentation), TCP (Transport),
Example IP (Network), Ethernet (Data Link)

Error Built into Data Link and Transport Built into protocols like
Handling layers TCP

Both connection-oriented (TCP)

TCP (connection-
and connectionless (UDP)
Connection oriented), UDP
protocols are covered at the
(connectionless)
Orientation Transport layer

differences between TCP and UDP:

 Factor TCP UDP

Connection Requires an established No connection is needed

type connection before to start and end a data
transmitting data transfer

Can sequence data (send in a Cannot sequence or

Data sequence specific order) arrange data

No data retransmitting.
Data Can retransmit data if Lost data can’t be
retransmission packets fail to arrive retrieved

Delivery is not
Delivery Delivery is guaranteed guaranteed
Minimal error-checking
Thorough error-checking covers the basics but
Check for guarantees data arrives in its may not prevent all
errors intended state errors

Broadcasting Not supported Supported

Slow, but complete data Fast, but at risk of

Speed delivery incomplete data delivery
Q. Explain with Diagram

WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network. WLAN is a local area network that
uses radio communication to provide mobility to the network users while maintaining the
connectivity to the wired network. A WLAN basically, extends a wired local area network. WLAN’s
are built by attaching a device called the access point(AP) to the edge of the wired network. Clients
communicate with the AP using a wireless network adapter which is similar in function to an
ethernet adapter. It is also called a LAWN is a Local area wireless network.
A professor at the University of Hawaii who’s name was Norman Abramson, developed the world’s
first wireless computer communication network
WLAN Architecture
Components in Wireless LAN architecture as per IEEE standards are as follows:
Stations: Stations consist of all the equipment that is used to connect all
wireless LANs. Each station has a wireless network controller.
Base Service Set(BSS): It is a group of stations communicating at the
physical layer.
Extended Service Set(ESS): It is a group of connected Base Service Set(BSS).
Distribution Service (DS): It connects all Extended Service Set(ESS).

WLAN Architecture
Types of WLANs
As per IEEE standard WLAN is categorized into two basic modes, which are as
follows:
Infrastructure: In Infrastructure mode, all the endpoints are connected to a
base station and communicate through that; and this can also enable internet
access. A WLAN infrastructure can be set up with: a wireless router (base station)
and an endpoint (computer, mobile phone, etc). An office or home WiFi
connection is an example of Infrastructure mode.
Ad Hoc: In Ad Hoc mode WLAN connects devices without a base station, like a
computer workstation. An Ad Hoc WLAN is easy to set up it provides peer-to-peer
 communication. It requires two or more endpoints with built-in radio
transmission.
Working of WLAN
WLAN transmits data over radio signals and the data is sent in the form of a
packet. Each packet consists of layers, labels, and instructions with unique MAC
addresses assigned to endpoints. This enables routing data packets to correct
locations.

Network Layer Protocols

Last Updated : 24 Jun, 2024

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Network Layer is responsible for the transmission of data or communication from one host to
another host connected in a network. Rather than describing how data is transferred, it implements
the technique for efficient transmission. In order to provide efficient communication protocols are
used at the network layer. The data is being grouped into packets or in the case of extremely large
data it is divided into smaller sub packets. Each protocol used has specific features and advantages.
The below article covers in detail the protocols used at the network layer.
Functions of Network Layer
The network layer is responsible for providing the below-given tasks:
Logical Addressing: Each device on the network needs to be identified uniquely.
Therefore network layer provides an addressing scheme to identify the device. It places the IP
address of every sender and the receiver in the header. This header consists of the network ID and
host ID of the network.
Host-to-host Delivery of Data: The network layer ensures that the packet is
being delivered successfully from the sender to the receiver. This layer makes sure that the packet
reaches the intended recipient only.
Fragmentation: In order to transmit the larger data from sender to receiver, the network
layer fragments it into smaller packets. Fragmentation is required because every node has its own
fixed capacity for receiving data.
Congestion Control: Congestion is defined as a situation where the router is not able
to route the packets property which results in aggregation of packets in the network. Congestion
occurs when a large amount of packets are flooded in the network. Therefore network layer controls
the congestion of data packets in the network.
Routing and Forwarding: Routing is the process that decides the route for
transmission of packets from sender to receiver. It mostly chooses the shortest path between the
sender and the receiver. Routing protocols that are mostly used are path vector, distance vector
routing, link state routing, etc.

Network Layer Protocols

There are various protocols used in the network layer. Each protocol is used for a
different task. Below are the protocols used in the network layer:
1. IP (Internet Protocol)
IP stands for Internet Protocol. Internet Protocol helps to uniquely identify each
device on the network. Internet protocol is responsible for transferring the data
from one node to another node in the network.
IPv4: IPv4 provides with the 32 bit address scheme. IPv4 addressing has four numeric fields and are
separated by dot. IPv4 can be configured either using DHCP or manually. IPv4 does not provide with
more security features as it does not support authentication or encryption techniques. IPv4 is
further divided into five classes as Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D and Class E.
IPv6: IPv6 is the most recent version of IP. If provided with a 128 bit addressing scheme. IP address
has eight fields that are separated by colon, and these fields are alphanumeric. The IPv6 address is
represented in hexadecimal. IPv6 provides with more security features such as authentication and
encryption. IPv6 supports end-to-end connection integrity. IPv6 provides with more range of IP
address as compared to IPv4.

2. ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)

ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. ARP is used to convert the
logical address ie. IP address into physical address ie. MAC address.
While communicating with other nodes, it is necessary to know the MAC
address or physical address of the destination node. If any of the node in
a network wants to know the physical address of another node in the
same network, the host then sends an ARP query packet. This ARP query
packet consists of IP address and MAC address of source host and only
the IP address of destination host.
How Does ARP Work?
 The host broadcasts an ARP inquiry packet containing the IP address
over the network in order to find out the physical address of another
computer on its network.
 The ARP packet is received and processed by all hosts on the network;
however, only the intended recipient can identify the IP address and
reply with the physical address.
 After adding the physical address to the datagram header and cache
memory, the host storing the datagram transmits it back to the sender.
Types of ARP Entries
 Static Entry: This type of entry is created when a user uses the ARP
command utility to manually enter the IP to MAC address association.
 Dynamic Entry: A dynamic entry is one that is automatically formed
when a sender broadcasts their message to the whole network.
Dynamic entries are periodically removed and are not permanent.
3. RARP
RARP stands for Reverse Address Resolution Protocol. RARP works
opposite of ARP. Reverse Address Resolution Protocol is used to convert
MAC address ie. physical address into IP address ie. logical address.
RARP provides with a feature for the systems and applications to get their
own IP address from a DNS( Domain Name System) or router.
4. ICMP
ICMP stands for Internet Control Message Protocol. ICMP is a part of IP
protocol suite. ICMP is an error reporting and network diagnostic protocol.
Feedback in the network is reported to the designated host. Meanwhile, if
any kind of error occur it is then reported to ICMP. ICMP protocol consists
of many error reporting and diagnostic messages. ICMP protocol handles
various kinds of errors such as time exceeded, redirection, source
quench, destination unreachable, parameter problems etc. The messages
in ICMP are divided into two types. They are given below:
 Error Message: Error message states about the issues or problems
that are faced by the host or routers during processing of IP packet.
 Query Message: Query messages are used by the host in order to get
information from a router or another host.
5. IGMP
IGMP stands for Internet Group Message Protocol. IGMP is a multicasting
communication protocol. It utilizes the resources efficiently while
broadcasting the messages and data packets. IGMP is also a protocol
used by TCP/IP. Other hosts connected in the network and routers makes
use of IGMP for multicasting communication that have IP networks. In
many networks multicast routers are used in order to transmit the
messages to all the nodes. Multicast routers therefore receives large
 number of packets that needs to be sent. But to broadcast this packets is
difficult as it would increase the overall network load.

What is Internet? Definition, Uses, Working,

Advantages and Disadvantages
Last Updated : 25 Apr, 2023

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Pre-Requisite: Introduction to Internet

The Internet is the foremost important tool and the prominent
resource that is being used by almost every person across the
globe. It connects millions of computers, webpages, websites, and
servers. Using the internet we can send emails, photos, videos,
and messages to our loved ones. Or in other words, the Internet is
a widespread interconnected network of computers and electronic
devices(that support Internet). It creates a communication
medium to share and get information online. If your device is
connected to the Internet then only you will be able to access all
the applications, websites, social media apps, and many more
services. The Internet nowadays is considered the fastest medium
for sending and receiving information.
History of the Internet
The Internet came in the year 1960 with the creation of the first working
model called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency) . It allowed
multiple computers to work on a single network which was their biggest
achievement at that time. ARPANET uses packet switching to
communicate multiple computer systems under a single network. In
October 1969, using ARPANET first message was transferred from one
computer to another. After that technology continues to grow.
How is the Internet Set Up?
The internet is set up with the help of physical optical fiber data
transmission cables or copper wires and various other networking
mediums like LAN, WAN, MAN, etc. For accessing the Internet even the
2G, 3G, and 4G services and the Wifi require these physical cable setups
to access the Internet. There is an authority named ICANN (Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) located in the USA
which manages the Internet and protocols related to it like IP addresses.
How Does the Internet Work?
The actual working of the internet takes place with the help of clients and
servers. Here the client is a laptop that is directly connected to the internet
and servers are the computers connected indirectly to the Internet and
they are having all the websites stored in those large computers. These
servers are connected to the internet with the help of ISP (Internet Service
Providers) and will be identified with the IP address.

Each website has its Domain name as it is difficult for any person to
always remember the long numbers or strings. So, whenever you search
for any domain name in the search bar of the browser the request will be
sent to the server and that server will try to find the IP address from the
Domain name because it cannot understand the domain name. After
getting the IP address the server will try to search the IP address of the
Domain name in a Huge phone directory that in networking is known as
a DNS server (Domain Name Server) . For example, if we have the name
of a person and we can easily find the Aadhaar number of him/her from
the long directory as simple as that.
So after getting the IP address, the browser will pass on the further
request to the respective server and now the server will process the
request to display the content of the website which the client wants. If you
are using a wireless medium of Internet like 3G and 4G or other mobile
data then the data will start flowing from the optical cables and will first
reach towers from there the signals will reach your cell phones and PCs
through electromagnetic waves and if you are using routers then optical
fiber connecting to your router will help in connecting those light-induced
signals to electrical signals and with the help of ethernet cables internet
reaches your computers and hence the required information.

What is an IP Address?
IP Address stands for Internet Protocol Address. Every PC/Local machine
is having an IP address and that IP address is provided by the Internet
Service Providers (ISPs). These are some sets of rules which govern the
flow of data whenever a device is connected to the Internet. It
differentiates computers, websites, and routers. Just like human
identification cards like Aadhaar cards, Pan cards, or any other unique
identification documents. Every laptop and desktop has its own unique IP
address for identification. It’s an important part of Internet technology. An
IP address is displayed as a set of four-digit like [Link]. Here each
number on the set ranges from 0 to 255. Hence, the total IP address
range from [Link] to [Link].
World Wide Web (WWW)
The world wide web is a collection of all the web pages, and web
documents that you can see on the Internet by searching their URLs
(Uniform Resource Locator) on the Internet. For example,
[Link] is the URL of the GFG website, and all the
content of this site like webpages and all the web documents are stored
on the world wide Web. Or in other words, the world wide web is an
information retrieval service of the web. It provides users with a huge
array of documents that are connected to each other by means of
hypertext or hypermedia links. Here, hyperlinks are known as electronic
connections that link the related data so that users can easily access the
related information hypertext allows the user to pick a word or phrase from
text, and using this keyword or word or phrase can access other
documents that contain additional information related to that word or
keyword or phrase. World wide web is a project which is created by
Timothy Berner’s Lee in 1989, for researchers to work together effectively
at CERN. It is an organization, named World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C), which was developed for further development in the web.
Uses of the Internet
Some of the important usages of the internet are:
 Online Businesses (E-commerce): Online shopping websites have
made our life easier, e-commerce sites like Amazon, Flipkart, and
Myntra are providing very spectacular services with just one click and
this is a great use of the Internet.
 Cashless Transactions: All the merchandising companies are offering
services to their customers to pay the bills of the products online via
various digital payment apps like Paytm, Google Pay, etc. UPI payment
gateway is also increasing day by day. Digital payment industries are
growing at a rate of 50% every year too because of the INTERNET.

Virtual Services
A "virtual service" is a software-based representation of a real service, essentially a simulated
version that mimics the functionality of a live system without requiring the actual physical
infrastructure; it allows developers to test and interact with a service in a controlled environment,
even before the real service is fully developed or readily available.
Key points about virtual services:
Abstraction:
A virtual service hides the underlying complexities of the real service, presenting a simplified
interface to interact with.
Flexibility:
You can easily configure and modify a virtual service to simulate different scenarios, response
times, and error conditions.
Testing benefits:
Developers can use virtual services to thoroughly test their applications by simulating interactions
with dependent services without relying on live systems.

How it works:
1. Client request:
The client application sends a request to the virtual service, just as it would to the real service.
2. Virtual service processing:
The virtual service receives the request and processes it based on its pre-defined
configuration. This might involve simulating specific responses, delays, errors, or data
manipulation.
3. Response to client:
The virtual service sends a response back to the client application, mimicking the behavior of the
actual service.
Use cases for virtual services:
Integration testing:
Test how different components of a system interact with each other by simulating dependent
services.
Performance testing:
Evaluate system performance under varying load conditions by simulating large volumes of traffic
from virtual services.
API development:
Develop and test APIs without needing a fully functional backend system.
DevOps pipelines:
Integrate virtual services into automated testing workflows to catch issues early in the
development cycle.
Important considerations:
Accuracy:
The virtual service needs to accurately represent the behavior of the real service to provide
valuable testing results.
Management complexity:
As the number of virtual services grows, managing their configurations and interactions can
become challenging.