Page 1072 - The Mechatronics Handbook

FIGURE 38.3 (a) A typical wide area computer communication network. (b) A typical local/metropolitan area
communication bus network. (c) A typical local/metropolitan area communication ring network.
Wide area computer networks, as the name suggests, span a wider geographical area and essentially
have a global scope. On the other hand, local/metropolitan area networks span a limited distance. Local
area networks are generally confined to an industrial building or an academic institution. Metropolitan
area networks also have limited geographical scope but it is relatively larger than that of the local area
networks [19]. Typical wide and local/metropolitan area networks are shown in Fig. 38.3.
Once a user is connected to a computer network, that user can communicate with any other user also
connected to the network at some point. It is not required for a user to be connected directly to another

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