第1章 绪论67154.pptVIP

* IEEE Std 802-2001: 1.2 Key concepts The LANs described herein are distinguished from other types of data networks in that they are optimized for a moderate-sized geographic area, such as a single office building, a warehouse, or a campus. An IEEE 802 LAN is a peer-to-peer communication network that enables stations to communicate directly on a point-to-point, or point-to-multipoint, basis without requiring them to communicate with any intermediate switching nodes. LAN communication takes place at moderate-to-high data rates, and with short transit delays, on the order of a few milliseconds or less. A LAN is generally owned, used, and operated by a single organization. This is in contrast to Wide Area Networks (WANs) that interconnect communication facilities in different parts of a country or are used as a public utility. A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than is a LAN, ranging from several blocks of buildings to entire cities. As with local networks, MANs can also depend on communications channels of moderate-to-high data rates. A MAN might be owned and operated by a single organization, but it usually will be used by many individuals and organizations. MANs might also be owned and operated as public utilities. They will often provide means for internetworking of local networks. Although primarily aimed at deployment on the scale of a large building or a campus, LANs are also frequently applied in smaller areas, such as small offices or single laboratories, and increasingly in homes. At the small-scale application level, a LAN is different from the type of network, such as a data bus or backplane bus, that is optimized for the interconnection of devices on a desktop or of components within a single piece of equipment. However, desktop-scale applications of LANs are also possible, particularly where the nature of the application is more suited to peer-to-peer communication among autonomous components, as opposed to a system structure with more c