Networking Acronyms

Local Area Network (LAN)

A Local Area Network, or LAN, is a network that covers a small geographical area, such as a college campus, a building, or a home. A LAN can be connected through ethernet cables, Wi-Fi, or other types of connections. LANs are commonly used for sharing data, printers, and other resources.

LAN Acronyms

• OSI - Open Systems Interconnection
• TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
• ARP - Address Resolution Protocol
• DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
• DNS - Domain Name System

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A Wide Area Network, or WAN, is a network that covers a large geographical area, such as a city, a country, or even the whole world. WANs are typically used to connect multiple LANs together and allow for communication and data sharing between them. WANs are commonly used for internet access and private networks used by companies.

WAN Acronyms

• VPN - Virtual Private Network
• MPLS - Multiprotocol Label Switching
• ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode
• SD-WAN - Software-defined Networking in a Wide Area Network
• VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A Metropolitan Area Network, or MAN, is a network that covers a large geographical area, typically covering a city or metropolitan area. MANs are commonly used by organizations that have multiple office locations in a city and need to share data between them. MANs are often built using fiber optic cables.

MAN Acronyms

• FDDI - Fiber Distributed Data Interface
• SONET - Synchronous Optical Networking
• DWDM - Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
• MSTP - Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
• ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode