Question

Difficulty: MediumNetwork Topologies and Types

A university IT department is installing a high-speed fiber-optic backbone to interconnect networking hardware across eight distinct academic buildings situated on a single, contiguous 200-acre property owned by the institution. All cabling and networking hardware are privately owned, operated, and maintained by the university without using public utility lines or third-party service provider leased circuits. Which network classification best describes this geographic deployment?

  1. Campus Area Network (CAN)Answer
  2. B
    Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
  3. C
    Wide Area Network (WAN)
  4. D
    Storage Area Network (SAN)

Answer

Campus Area Network (CAN)
The deployment covers multiple interlinked buildings across a single contiguous 200-acre property using self-owned fiber-optic infrastructure. This precisely defines a Campus Area Network (CAN), which bridges the gap between individual LANs and broader metropolitan/wide area networks without relying on third-party telecommunication providers.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the geographic scope and ownership model described in the scenario.
The infrastructure spans multiple buildings within a single contiguous 200-acre property and relies strictly on self-owned cabling rather than telecommunication service provider leased lines.
Geographic footprint and media ownership are the primary criteria for categorizing network types.
2
Evaluate the defined network types against these properties.
A network encompassing multiple adjacent LANs within a single contiguous property owned by one organization is defined as a Campus Area Network (CAN).
MAN and WAN involve broader geographic spans with service provider media, while SAN is dedicated to storage arrays.

Key Concept

Geographic classifications of networks (LAN, CAN, MAN, WAN, SAN)
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