These such network technologies have only been able to produce speeds of between 4 and 16 Megabits per second (Mbps) on today's shared local area networks (LANs). On a wide area network (WAN), speeds peak at around 1.5 Mbps.
The availability of Optical Fibre cabling has increased the capacity of networks to a point way above what could be done on previous cabling such as coax and unshielded twisted pair.
Companies now want a communication network that will provide high-speed transfer of not only data, but also of video, voice and imaging. They also demand features to be included such as fault-tolerance, network management, and increased security. Vendors have been joining forces to provide these services, and this has resulted in many different standards.
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3. High-Speed Networking.
There are a number of areas that are driving the current trends in communication networks. These include:.
Client/Server computing : Mainframe processing is slowly but surely dying off in industry, and is being replaced with de-centralised computer processing.
Multimedia : This area has certainly taken off in recent years, with many businesses now producing applications that combine sound, text, and pictures. Such packages include in-house computer-based training programs for staff, and informational packages such as Tax and Accounting CDs. These packages are made available via a LAN, and then accessed from a PC connected to that LAN. The use of these packages generates major amounts of traffic on a network, which traditional LANs have trouble handling.
Computer Capabilities : Major increases in processing power and storage capacity of personal computers now allow them to handle the increased graphics and sound that many packages provide. This has led to computers that are able to handle more information than a traditional LAN can communicate.
