Computers connected by a network across different cities is an example of ______ .

Question

Q. Computers connected by a network across different cities is an example of ___________ .

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2020Subjective· 1mImportance★★★★★

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Concept understanding — Wide Area Network

Imagine you are writing a letter to a friend who lives in another city. You put the letter in an envelope, write the address, and drop it in a post box. The postal system takes care of the rest — it moves your letter from your local post office to a regional hub, then across highways or railways to your friend’s city, and finally to their doorstep. That entire network of post offices, sorting centres, and transport routes is a Wide Area Network — but for computers.

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a computer network that spans a large geographical area, such as a city, a country, or even continents. Unlike a Local Area Network (LAN), which connects computers within a single building or campus (like your school’s computer lab), a WAN connects multiple LANs that are far apart. The most famous example of a WAN is the Internet itself — it is the world’s largest WAN, linking millions of smaller networks across the globe.

Note

Think of a LAN as your neighbourhood’s internal road system, and a WAN as the national highway network that connects different neighbourhoods and cities.

How does a WAN actually work?

A WAN does not own all the cables or satellites it uses. Instead, it leases or borrows transmission lines from telecommunication companies. When you send an email from Delhi to a friend in Mumbai, your message does not travel through a single wire owned by your college. It moves through a series of routers and switches, hopping from one network to another, often using public infrastructure like telephone lines, fibre-optic cables, or even satellite links.

The key point is that a WAN is not a single physical cable stretching across the country. It is a logical connection — a set of technologies and agreements that allow distant networks to talk to each other as if they were in the same room.

Why does a WAN matter for a commerce or humanities student?

You might think networking is only for engineers, but WANs affect almost every part of modern business and society. Here is why you should care:

Global business operations: A company like HDFC Bank has branches in every Indian city. Each branch has its own LAN. A WAN connects all those LANs, so a customer in Chennai can withdraw money from an ATM in Kolkata, and the bank’s central server in Mumbai instantly updates the balance. Without a WAN, banking would be local and slow.
E-commerce and supply chains: When you order a book on Amazon, the order travels across a WAN from your phone to Amazon’s servers (which may be in a different country), then to a warehouse’s LAN, and finally to a delivery partner’s system. The entire process depends on WANs.
Remote work and education: During the pandemic, students attended classes via Zoom or Google Meet. Those video calls travelled over WANs. Your teacher’s computer in one city and your laptop in another were connected through a network that spanned hundreds of kilometres.
Government services: Aadhaar, income tax filings, and railway reservations all rely on WANs to link thousands of local offices to central databases.

Important

The NCERT textbook (Class 12 Informatics Practices, Chapter 1) defines a WAN as a network that covers a large geographical area, often using leased telecommunication lines. It emphasises that the Internet is the largest WAN, and that WANs are slower than LANs because data has to travel longer distances and pass through more checkpoints.

A few key characteristics to remember …

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Computers connected by a network across different cities is an example of a Wide Area Network (WAN).

When we talk about computers communicating with each other, we are essentially discussing networks. These networks allow devices to share resources, exchange information, and collaborate, regardless of their physical location. The scale of these networks can vary dramatically, from a few devices in a single room to millions spread across the globe. The question at hand specifically points to a scenario where computers are connected across different cities, which immediately brings us to the concept of a Wide Area Network.

A Wide Area Network, or WAN, is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographical area. Unlike a Local Area Network (LAN), which typically covers a small area like an office building or a campus, or a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), which spans a city, a WAN is designed to connect computers and local area networks across vast distances. This could mean connecting offices in different cities, states, or even countries.

The fundamental purpose of a WAN is to facilitate communication and resource sharing between geographically dispersed locations. Imagine a large corporation with its headquarters in Mumbai and branch offices in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. For these offices to share data, access central servers, or communicate seamlessly, they need a network that can bridge these significant distances. This is precisely where a WAN comes into play.

Key characteristics of a Wide Area Network include:

Geographical Scope: WANs cover extensive geographical areas, often spanning multiple cities, regions, or even continents. This is their defining feature.
Public Infrastructure: To cover such large distances, WANs typically rely on public telecommunication infrastructure. This includes services provided by telecommunication companies, such as leased lines, satellite links, fiber optic cables, and cellular networks.
Data Transfer Rates: While modern WAN technologies are constantly improving, historically, WANs have offered lower data transfer rates compared to LANs due to the longer distances and the complexity of the underlying infrastructure. However, advancements in fiber optics and other technologies have significantly boosted WAN speeds. …

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CBSE 2020Set 91/D1 mark
$Q. Computers connected by a network across different cities is an example of ___________ .$
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Computers connected by a network across different cities is an example of a Wide Area Network (WAN).

When we talk about computers communicating with each other, we are essentially discussing networks. These networks allow devices to share resources, exchange information, and collaborate, regardless of their physical location. The scale of these networks can vary dramatically, from a few devices in a single room to millions spread across the globe. The question at hand specifically points to a scenario where computers are connected across different cities, which immediately brings us to the concept of a Wide Area Network.

A Wide Area Network, or WAN, is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographical area. Unlike a Local Area Network (LAN), which typically covers a small area like an office building or a campus, or a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), which spans a city, a WAN is designed to connect computers and local area networks across vast distances. This could mean connecting offices in different cities, states, or even countries.

The fundamental purpose of a WAN is to facilitate communication and resource sharing between geographically dispersed locations. Imagine a large corporation with its headquarters in Mumbai and branch offices in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. For these offices to share data, access central servers, or communicate seamlessly, they need a network that can bridge these significant distances. This is precisely where a WAN comes into play.

Key characteristics of a Wide Area Network include:

Geographical Scope: WANs cover extensive geographical areas, often spanning multiple cities, regions, or even continents. This is their defining feature.

Public Infrastructure: To cover such large distances, WANs typically rely on public telecommunication infrastructure. This includes services provided by telecommunication companies, such as leased lines, satellite links, fiber optic cables, and cellular networks.

Data Transfer Rates: While modern WAN technologies are constantly improving, historically, WANs have offered lower data transfer rates compared to LANs due to the longer distances and the complexity of the underlying infrastructure. However, advancements in fiber optics and other technologies have significantly boosted WAN speeds. …
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Q.Computers connected by a network across different cities is an example of ___________ .

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