What are the basic components of LAN?

The following are the general components of a LAN.

Cable
Workstations/servers
Interface cards (NICs)
Hubs/switches/etc.
Network protocols

Cables

The cable is communication media through which information transfers from one network device to another network device. There are several types of cable, which are commonly used with LANs for example twisted pair cable, coaxial cable, fiber optical cable.

File Server

The file server is a location in the network which shares the storage of computer files such as documents, sound files, photographs, etc. The data which are store on the file server can be accessed by the workstations that are attached to the computer network.

Workstation

In the network workstation is an ordinary personal computer running its own disk operating system it’s only needed for a single user to connect to the network. Any user who login through the workstation can access the server such that file server. A workstation has NIC for connection to the network.

Network Interface Card

A network interface card some time called NIC is also commonly referred to as an Ethernet card and a network adapter is an expansion card that enables a computer to connect to a network such as a home network or the internet using an Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector. A computer on a network must have NIC. Network interface cards may be installed in the PCI slot or any other slot or maybe built-in computer motherboard.