• LAN-LOCAL AREA NETWORK
• MAN-METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK
• WAN-WIDE AREA NETWORK
LAN Applications (1)
• Personal computer LANs
—Low cost
—Limited data rate
• Back end networks
—Interconnecting large systems (mainframes and large
storage devices)
• High data rate
• High speed interface
• Distributed access
• Limited distance
• Limited number of devices
Storage Area Networks
LAN Architecture
• Topologies
• Transmission medium
• Layout
• Medium access control
Topologies
• Tree
• Bus
—Special case of tree
• One trunk, no branches
• Ring
• Star
• MESH
LAN Topologies
NODE1 NODE2
NODE3 NODE4
Bus and Tree
• Multipoint medium
• Transmission propagates throughout medium
• Heard by all stations
— Need to identify target station
• Each station has unique address
• Full duplex connection between station and tap
— Allows for transmission and reception
• Need to regulate transmission
— To avoid collisions
— To avoid hogging
• Data in small blocks - frames
• Terminator absorbs frames at end of medium
Frame
Transmission
on Bus LAN
Ring Topology
• Repeaters joined by point to point links in closed
loop
—Receive data on one link and retransmit on another
—Links unidirectional
—Stations attach to repeaters
• Data in frames
—Circulate past all stations
—Destination recognizes address and copies frame
—Frame circulates back to source where it is removed
• Media access control determines when station
can insert frame
Frame
Transmission
Ring LAN
Star Topology
• Each station connected directly to central node
—Usually via two point to point links
• Central node can broadcast
—Physical star, logical bus
—Only one station can transmit at a time
• Central node can act as frame switch
Choice of Topology
• Reliability
• Expandability
• Performance
• Needs considering in context of:
—Medium
—Wiring layout
—Access control
Bus LAN
Transmission Media (1)
• Twisted pair
—Early LANs used voice grade cable
—Didn’t scale for fast LANs
—Not used in bus LANs now
• Baseband coaxial cable
—Uses digital signalling
—Original Ethernet
Bus LAN
Transmission Media (2)
• Broadband coaxial cable
— As in cable TV systems
— Analog signals at radio frequencies
— Expensive, hard to install and maintain
— No longer used in LANs
• Optical fiber
— Expensive taps
— Better alternatives available
— Not used in bus LANs
• All hard to work with compared with star topology twisted pair
• Coaxial baseband still used but not often in new
installations
Ring and Star Usage
• Ring
—Very high speed links over long distances
—Single link or repeater failure disables network
• Star
—Uses natural layout of wiring in building
—Best for short distances
—High data rates for small number of devices
Choice of Medium
• Constrained by LAN topology
• Capacity
• Reliability
• Types of data supported
• Environmental scope
Bridges
• Ability to expand beyond single LAN
• Provide interconnection to other LANs/WANs
• Use Bridge or router
• Bridge is simpler
—Connects similar LANs
—Identical protocols for physical and link layers
—Minimal processing
• Router more general purpose
—Interconnect various LANs and WANs
—see later
Functions of a Bridge
• Read all frames transmitted on one LAN and
accept those address to any station on the other
LAN
• Using MAC protocol for second LAN, retransmit
each frame
• Do the same the other way round
Bridge Operation
Connection of Two LANs
Hubs
• Active central element of star layout
• Each station connected to hub by two lines
— Transmit and receive
• Hub acts as a repeater
• When single station transmits, hub repeats signal on outgoing line
to each station
• Line consists of two unshielded twisted pairs
• Limited to about 100 m
— High data rate and poor transmission qualities of UTP
• Optical fiber may be used
— Max about 500 m
• Physically star, logically bus
• Transmission from any station received by all other stations
• If two stations transmit at the same time, collision
Two Level Star Topology
Layer 2 Switches
• Central hub acts as switch
• Incoming frame from particular station switched
to appropriate output line
• Unused lines can switch other traffic
• More than one station transmitting at a time
• Multiplying capacity of LAN
Layer 2 Switch Benefits
• No change to attached devices to convert bus LAN or
hub LAN to switched LAN
• For Ethernet LAN, each device uses Ethernet MAC
protocol
• Device has dedicated capacity equal to original LAN
— Assuming switch has sufficient capacity to keep up with all
devices
— For example if switch can sustain throughput of 20 Mbps, each
device appears to have dedicated capacity for either input or
output of 10 Mbps
• Layer 2 switch scales easily
— Additional devices attached to switch by increasing capacity of
layer 2
Problems with Routers
• Routers do all IP-level processing in software
—High-speed LANs and high-performance layer 2
switches pump millions of packets per second
—Software-based router only able to handle well under
a million packets per second
• Solution: layer 3 switches
—Implementpacket-forwarding logic of router in
hardware
• Two categories
—Packet by packet
—Flow based
Typical
Large
LAN
Organization
Diagram