Local Area Networks: New Technologies, Emerging Standards, Essay Example

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the four primary types of LANs described in the textbook

The advantage of the contention bus is that they are easy to install and plan. The disadvantage is that it doesn’t cope too well with heavier traffic. The advantage of the token bus is that it performs very well even when the load is high. The disadvantage is that it is relatively expensive and, therefore, requires repeaters and modems. The advantage of the token ring is that it enables each computer to access resources equally.  It is disadvantaged because failure of one port affects the whole network. The wireless network is advantaged as it enables mobility. The demerit is that it is prone to unauthorized usage and interference (Madron, 2004).

As noted in the text, the most common transmission medium is the twisted pair. Describe the advantages of the medium, and identify at least one application that would not be able to use it.

The advantages of the twisted pair wiring are the fact that the cable is really flexible and thus better to install and work with. It is also very light in weight. In addition to that it is relatively cheap and available readily. The twisted pair transmission is also advantageous because it can carry both digital and analog data and easy to implement it as well as terminate it. This transmission can however not be used with applications that are advanced. Examples of such applications are virtual reality and teleimmersion.

Consider an organization that you are familiar with. Give examples of local, shared, and core data. Why do you categorize the examples you chose into these categories? Does the organization manage data in these three categories as suggested in this chapter? Why or why not? 

In a college, the examples of local data include the vision and mission statements and the courses offered. This data is accessible to the general public and is classified as such because it does not expose any material data concerning the institution. Examples of shared data include staff and student information. This data can only be seen by members of the institution. It is classified as shared because the data is relatively material. Core data in the college includes financial information and is available only to management. This data is highly material and contains information that is used for purposes of decision making among others.  The institution manages the data as said in a bid to make sure that the information is well secured and only accessed by the relevant parties.

Identify and describe at least three categories of physical media in use in telecommunications networks today. Which of these media has the highest bandwidth? Which has the least bandwidth?

Categories of physical media in use today include: copper cable, wireless and fiber optics.  Copper cable consists of the twisted pair transmission and coaxial cable. It has a bandwidth of about 1MHz and performs fairly. The wireless media has a bandwidth of 100GHz and has a relatively good transmission. Examples of wireless media include: radio and satellite. The fiber optics, on the other hand, has great performance with a bandwidth of 1THz. Fiber optics has the highest bandwidth while the copper cable media has the lowest(Madron, 2004).

Identify the difference between analog and digital signals. Provide an example of a digital signal and an analog signal. Which type are you more likely to encounter? Why?

The difference between analog signals and digital is that they are susceptible to deterioration as a result of noise interference while digital signals are not. The main difference is probably in the translation of data. In digital signals, it is translated into a binary format while in analog it is in electric pulses. An example of an analog signal is the signal from a microphone. An example of a digital signal is integrated circuits. You are more likely to encounter the digital signal due to the increasing changes in technology and the need to keep up.

Works Cited

Madron, Thomas W. Local Area Networks: New Technologies, Emerging Standards. New York: Wiley, 2004. Internet resource.