What is a LAN? What are the characteristics?

Users questions: Please advise, thank you!
Experts answer: local area network (LocalAreaNetwork) is within a local geographic area (such as a school, factory and organs), the various computers. External devices and databases, interconnected to form of computer communication networks, called LAN. It Data communication network or via dedicated data circuits, and remote LAN, connected to a database or processing center, forming a large-scale information processing systems. LAN has the following characteristics: (1) coverage usually within a few kilometers; (2) using a dedicated transmission medium to form the network transmission speed 1 Mbps to 100 Mbps * seconds * seconds or more; (3) multiple (usually between dozens to hundreds) devices to share a transmission medium; (4) compare the layout of the network rules, generally does not exist within a single LAN switching node and routing problems; (5) the total principal topology Linear and circular. LAN is widely used in office automation, manufacturing automation and information processing systems. Phone line adsl broadband Internet access, on the wide area network, what we call the Internet!
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