Computer Network ?

We discuss the internet is the network of a group of computer. What is the types of computer network ?
We categorize the computer network based on the scale of

There are five types, Personal area network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Campus Area Network (CAN), Metropolitan area network (MAN), or Wide area network (WAN).


PAN
computer network used for communication among computer devices close to one person.


LAN
A network covering a small geographic area, like a home, office, or building. Current LANs are most likely to be based on Ethernet technology.


CAN
A network that connects two or more LANs but that is limited to a specific and contiguous geographical area such as a college campus, industrial complex, or a military base.


MAN
A Metropolitan Area Network is a network that connects two or more Local Area Networks or Campus Area Networks together but does not extend beyond the boundaries of the immediate town, city, or metropolitan area.


WAN
A WAN is a data communications network that covers a relatively broad geographic area (i.e. one city to another and one country to another country) and that often uses transmission facilities provided by common carriers, such as telephone companies.


note:
there are another types of network scale , Global Area Network

Global area networks (GAN) specifications are in development by several groups, and there is no common definition. In general, however, a GAN is a model for supporting mobile communications across an arbitrary number of wireless LANs, satellite coverage areas, etc.

What is Internet ?

I believe using this post as the first post in this category is most suitable.
Internet, a simple word that always come out from our mouth, but we seldom to understand technically what is Internet.


Actually Internet bring the meaning is just the network that from between one computer to another computer. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of a research computer at one university to be able to "talk to" research computers at other universities. [1]

The Internet is a collection of interconnected computer network, linked by Copper wire, Optical fiber, connections, etc.












[1] http://searchwindevelopment.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid8_gci212370,00.html

[2]