Networking Concepts
Network Environment Design Considerations
Network Environment Design Considerations
Network and internetwork design must take many factors into consideration: the desired physical location of the computers comprising the network, the volume of projected communications traffic between nodes, communications traffic patterns, and the possibility of connections to other types of nodes (such as those in a public data network) are just some of the criteria to consider.
These factors will affect your choice of NS network type (LAN, Token Ring, FDDI,
Line Speed
Line Speed is a measure of the rate at which data is transmitted by a physical link (usually measured in kilobits or megabits per second). The maximum line speed varies among different NS links. Line speed may therefore influence your choice of link. Although line speed does not indicate the exact throughput of a particular link, it can be used on a comparative basis to indicate relative throughput.
In general, an IEEE 802.3/Ethernet LAN or Token Ring network will be faster than a
Consult your
Geographical Location
The geographical location of the computers that will be part of your network or internet will be an important factor in deciding both the physical topology and the link types that you should use.
If all of the nodes you want to connect are located relatively close to each other (in the same building, for example) you might choose to connect them via a LAN, Token Ring link,
Another option for nodes located in the same geographic location is to use hardwired
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