Local area network

A local area network (LAN) refers to a data communications network which is geographically limited (typically to a 1 km radius) allowing easy interconnection of computers and devices within adjacent buildings. Ethernet is an example of a commonly used LAN standard. Because the network covers a smaller area, such as a home or office, it can be configured to permit data rates up to 10 Gbps.

History
AppleTalk was introduced in 1985 as Apple Computer's first LAN solution, using the built-in serial ports of its early Macintosh computers for LocalTalk networking. In 1986, the introduction of PhoneNET helped to popularize inexpensive LocalTalk networks through the use of ordinary phone lines. LocalTalk was superseded by EtherTalk with the introduction of AAUI Ethernet ports in the Macintosh Quadra series in 1991. As more users became directly connected to the Internet, Apple eventually phased out support for AppleTalk-based protocols by Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).