MAN full form- What is MAN full form?

MAN full form is Metropolitan Area Network. It is a computer system that links multiple local-area networks (LANs) to form a larger network that allows for sharing of computer resources and information. This sort of network has a wider range of coverage area than a LAN but it is still less than a WAN which is meant to cover a whole city. MAN is specifically made to provide consumers access to high-speed connectivity with a range of Mbps speeds. However, the MAN's intricate architecture details make it difficult to create and keep up with. MAN lies in between WAN and LAN in size. The scope and scale of the various computer designs can be used in networking as a method of classification. Area network types frequently include various types of network such as  LAN, WLAN, WAN, SAN, PAN, CAN, DAN, & MAN.

What is the MAN Full Form?

In computer networking, the MAN full form is Metropolitan Area Network. A MAN could be a single network similar in approach  to the cable television network. 

It generally connects numerous LAN, full form of which is Local Area Network  using high-capacity backbone technologies including fiber-optic cables and offers link services to a WAN. Between five and several hundred miles in length, MAN travels at speeds ranging between 1.5 and 10 Mbps. Examples of MANs include FDDI (Fiber Distribution Data Transfer) and ATM. Read about the Background of MAN, How MAN Networks are constructed, Characteristics and Benefits of MAN below.

Background of MAN

To the innovation of LANs, they were first established in 1994 to allow data connectivity in buildings and offices, the enterprises mostly relied on mobile switching telephone networks. The telephone network, however, could not handle that large amount of traffic. To address this issue, it was suggested that LANs should be linked via single-mode fiber optic lines that create metropolitan area networks (MAN) to connect LANs efficiently. These fiber optic MANs are run and owned by private companies or organizations and they may not have been wholly integrated through gateways with the public wide area network (WAN full form).

How are MAN Networks Constructed?

Just like WANs, a MAN is composed of interconnected LANs. Since data does not need to travel long distances, MANs are generally more efficient than WANs. Instead of being governed by a single organization, MANs frequently combine the networks of different organizations. The majority of MANs connect LANs via fiber optic lines/cables. A MAN frequently uses black fiber which is a traffic-carrying fiber optic cable. Leasing these fiber optic lines from private Internet service providers is an option (ISP is Internet Service Provider). A city government may construct, manage and maintain a metropolitan fiber optic network before leasing dark fiber to private businesses in particular instances.

Characteristics of MAN

MAN has  various characteristics and are widely applicable. Few of the characteristics of MAN include:

• MAN can transport and transfer the information from a collection of buildings to the entire city following a range of about 5 to 50 kilometers.
• The rate of data in MAN for carrying out the work ranges from average to high.
• The most often used media in MAN is optical fibers, allowing for high-speed communication.
• MAN networks have a very low error rate, which makes them highly reliable and are mostly used.

Benefits of MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

In terms of area network coverage and accessibility, MAN outperforms LAN and exists in the middle of LAN and WAN. Let us discuss the benefits of the MAN in more detail. The unique advantages of MAN are as follows:

• MAN provides quick and speedy communication through fiber optic cables and other high-speed carriers.
• It offers increased access to WANs and highly supports the networks of a large size.
• Data transfer in both directions can happen simultaneously due to the presence of dual buses of the MAN network.
• A MAN network in general consists of a city's entirety or specific neighborhoods.

Disadvantages of MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

Each network design has its own advantages and disadvantages. As discussed above, MAN is excellent in the coverage of the entire city and continued network connectivity. Let us now focus on its drawbacks. The disadvantages of using LAN are as follows:

• To build and establish a MAN connection from one location to another, an extra cable is required.
• It is really challenging to make the systems hacker-proof in the MAN network. Therefore, there can be compromise on the security line of MAN.
• When compared to LANs, the data transfer rate in MAN is less satisfactory.

Applications of MAN

MAN is used in various places ranging from personal to the wider range of areas. In the present context, use of MAN has  grown wider as it provides fair network bandwidth and accuracy. Few places where MAN is used are:

• For accessing network on cable TV
• Used by government institutions such as offices or colleges
• MAN is used in college campuses for providing internet services
• MAN is primarily used in cities such as in office building, rooms, schools
• To connect geographically dispersed Local Area Network (LAN), MAN is used
• MAN is also used in large areas with multiple buildings