Local area networks can be connected together to form a wide area network , or WAN . When the connection needs to go off campus, leased telephone lines or satellite links, rather than cables, are involved. The computer on your desk is called a workstation . To enable your connection to the backbone, a network interface card and networking software have been installed on your workstation.
Any computer connected to a network is called a node .
This is especially useful if you ve used a workstation in the SBS computer lab. This means that when we upgrade Microsoft Office to a newer version, only the server software needs to be upgraded. Programs delivered from the server to lab workstations upon request will be the upgraded software. The backbone is our one major electronic highway. LANs connect directly to the backbone through special purpose devices called routers , which handle traffic to and from the backbone.