Figure 3-6. Bulletin board users dialing to connect with their communication network.
local system: peripherals connected directly by cable to one or more CPU(s).
b. Local Area Network (LAN): networks of computers and devices connected
NOTE: The above terms are often used interchangeably.
network: several computers and terminals linked by communication channels
either on a remote or local basis.
c. In a local area network, a single office building, for example, several
computers can be connected to the same master computer at a central location, and
information from one terminal can be directly accessed from another. In a remote
network, the same computers are dispersed geographically to the locations of data
collection or information dispersal to form a distributed system. Railway companies
used sophisticated networks of minicomputers in a distributed approach to control the
goings and comings of trains onto the appropriate tracks. National banks use networks
in a distributed approach to handle branch transactions, both nationally and abroad.
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