Differences and similarities of metropolitan area network and a wide area network
In terms of similarities, both the metropolitan area network and the wide area network use the services of the internet and the World Wide Web such as the hypertext transfer protocols, file transfer protocols, and other services. Both the two networks also use other technologies that are used in the Local Area Network (LAN). Both the network can also use either guided (wired) or unguided (wireless) transmission media for relay of data.
Differences: the wide area network covers a wide geographical area or space such as countries or continents by linking computers and other internet working devices such as routers, and gateways. The metropolitan area network on the other hand is a computer network that covers a whole city or suburb. The data transmission speed or rate is relatively slow in wide area network as compared to the metropolitan area network. Unlike metropolitan area network, the wide area network is based on various subnetworks like the packet switched, broadcast and circuit switched network.
Meaning of Metro Ethernet, and how it relate to metropolitan area networks
Metro Ethernet is a network service that offers an interface for Ethernet to a business. This metro Ethernet service can also transmit data and/information at high speed across metropolitan regions. It relates to Metropolitan area network in the sense that both are characterized by high data transmission rates. The Metro Ethernet can also be extended into metropolitan regions, thereby, making Ethernet to appear as wide area network as a number of people might feel within the industry. In terms of advantages, we can say that no network congestion interference will be experienced during communication as long as the circuit is established
Main characteristics of a circuit switched Network, its advantages and disadvantages
A circuit-switched network involves the use of one link known as the dedicated link to connect the sender and the receiver during the communication session. When an individual initiates a call, on say dialed network of telephone, the path within the circuit will be set up or established amid the person who places the call and the receiver of the call. The circuit is only dedicated to a particular call and thus will only be accessed for the duration that the call will take to complete. It has two major limitations. The first limitation is that every circuit can only be dedicated to one link at a time. Next is that the circuit is not used fully during the transfer of data given that the computer data transfer is often irregular (McNamara, 2014).
Main characteristics of a datagram packet-switched network, its advantages and disadvantages
One of the characteristics of datagram packet switched network is that every packet of data or information possibly travels along its own special path via the network cloud. The decision of which course to be taken by the packet is decided after the packet arriving at a given node. This permits more flexibility in the case where the network happens to experience congestion at one point of communication. In this case, the network will always have an alternative of routing the data gram packets along a different path in case the network detects that one path preferred is busy or congested. The disadvantage with datagram approach is that when a large collection of data packets are addressed for the similar destination, the network will have to examine every individual packet and find out the next course for every packet. However, the connection of this network is always available unlike the circuit switched one which is only established when there is a dial up.
What does quality of service has to do with network congestion?
The presence of congestion is a communication network compromises the quality of service. This is because congestion creates delays in the transmission of packets or even postpones the relay of packets. This implies that good quality of service in network communication is attributed to the absence of transmission impairments such as interference, crosstalk, attenuation and the others.
References
McNamara, J. E. (2014). Technical aspects of data communication. Digital Press.
