Most network engineers will cut their teeth supporting an organization's internal network infrastructure. This internal infrastructure will normally take the form of a local area network (LAN). Therefore, it is important to have a good understanding of LAN technologies to provide this support and ensure that the organization can continue to function effectively and efficiently. Any network failures can have results ranging from inconvenience to financial loss.
This chapter focuses on the implementation of LANs in a small office/home office environment. We will discuss the differences between a LAN and a WAN, as well as the use of private IP address ranges. We will identify the key components in both wired and wireless networks, and finish by discussing virtual local area networks (VLANs).
The following topics will be covered in this chapter...