Hardware and Networking Interview

Questions with Answers...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Explain hidden shares. How do they work?
idden or administrative shares are share names with a
dollar sign ($) appended to their names. Administrative
shares are usually created automatically for the root of
each drive letter. They do not display in the network
browse list.
Name of seven layers in Open System Interconnection
model.
They are Application, Presentation, Session, Transport,
Network, Data link, and Physical.
What is the difference between ARP and RARP?
The address resolution protocol (ARP) is used to associate
the 32 bit IP address with the 48 bit physical address, used
by a host or a router to find the physical address of
another host on its network by sending a ARP uery packet
that includes the IP address of the receiver.
The reverse address resolution protocol (RARP) allows a
host to discover its Internet address when it knows only
its physical address.
What is Client/Server?
Clients and Servers are separate logical entities that work
together over a network to accomplish a task. Many
systems with very different architectures that are
connected together are also called Client/Server.
What is MAC address?

It is the 48 bit hardware address of LAN card. MAC

address is usually stored in ROM on the network adapter
card and it is unique.
What are the perquisites to configure server?

LAN card should be connected:

Root (partition on which window is installed)
should in NTFS
Server should be configured with a static IP address
How we will configure ADS?
Start ==> RUN ==> DCPROMO
How will you test LAN card?
Ping 127.0.0.1
If getting reply its fine

What are the difference between DOMAIN and

WORKGROUP?
Workgroup:(i)Every PC is responsible for its security own.
(ii)No centralize administration
(iii)Main aim to save hardware recourse
(iv)Best suite in school, training institute, cyber caf
Domain: (i)Server is responsible for data safety.
(ii)Centralize administration
(iii)Main aim is to secure data
(iv)Best suite in company environments

Which command is used to check the IP

address of your system?
ipconfig

Which set wizard will run to do peer to peer

networking in XP?
Small home and office setup wizard

Which command is used to check the physical

connectivity between two computers?
Ping

What is map drive?

A special feature that will map network resource to my computer.

What is Proxy Server?

Most large businesses, organizations, and universities these days
use a proxy server. This is a server that all computers on the local
network have to go through before accessing information on the
Internet. By using a proxy server, an organization can improve the
network performance and filter what users connected to the
network can access.

Which folder contains ADS installed on server?

NTDS

What is the full form of Internet?

International Networking

Which are the bootable files of 98 and XP ?

In windows98 it is command.com
In XP it is NTLDR

In which partition Linux is installed ?.

Linux doesnt support windows file system that contain partition
scheme. It (Linux) has its own file system known as ext2, and
ext3. it will install only on it.In linux file system it will install on /
(root) partition.

What is size of SWAP ?

Its the hard disk space that is used as RAM for fast processing.
In window its known as virtual memory and could be set as per
retirement via this path
My Computer ==> properties ==> advance
In Linux its known as SWAP space and generally taken the
double size of physical RAM For example if you have 256 (MB)
DDR physical ram then swap space would be 512 MB.

What is full form of C.M.O.S ?

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor

How will you check ip address without using

network place ?
Start ==> Run ==> Command ==>ipconfig

What is IP?

Internet Protocol (IP) is an unreliable, best effort delivery,

connection-less protocol used for transmitting and receiving data
between hosts in a TCP/IP network

What are the difference between hub and switch?

Hub is a layer 1 device. It will out the signal from all of
its port except the one from where its insert. It is unable to
detect the collision. It works on single collision and single
broadcast domain.
Switch is layer 2 device. It maintains a CAM table that
store the MAC address of devices attached on its port.
CAM table is used to make the forwarding decision. It
works on per port collision and single broadcast domain.
What is layer?
Layer is a completely logical partition of PDU (protocol
data unit) process. That define how the information is
travel form one computer to other over the network.
What is TCP/IP?
It is combination of two protocols TCP and IP. It is used
for reliable data transfer.
What is operating system?
An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is
the program that, after being initially loaded into the
computer by a boot program, manages all the other
programs in a computer. It provides a platform to
application software.
What is package software?
The collection of mostly used software released in
package Form Company. For Example Ms-Office that
contain word, power point, Excel, etc.
Full form of .co.in, .com

COM - ".com" stands for "commercial".

NET - ".net" stands for "network"

ORG - ".org" stands for "organization"

INFO - ".info" stands for "information"

BIZ - ".biz" stands for "business".

IN - 'IN' stands for India. The 'IN' is a 2-letter

country code for India.

What is ring topology?

In a ring topology, device one connects to device two, device two
connects to device three, and so on to the last device, which
connects back to device one.

Which cable is used in LAN?

Generally coaxial and TP media is used in LAN networking.

What are Difference between STP and UTP?

STP cable is mostly used by IBM; it has an extra cover over each
pair.
UTP cable is used in star topology. It has a single cover over all
pair.

Full form of ping.

PING stand for Packet Internet Grouper

What are the minimum requirements for xp

installation?
64MB RAM
1.5GB free HDD space
233MHz minimum processor.

What are 10Base2, 10Base5 and 10BaseT

Ethernet LANs?
10Base2 An Ethernet term meaning a maximum transfer rate of
10 Megabits per second that uses baseband signaling, with a
contiguous cable segment length of 100 meters and a maximum
of 2 segments.
10Base5An Ethernet term meaning a maximum transfer rate of
10 Megabits per second that uses baseband signaling, with 5
continuous segments not exceeding 100 meters per segment.
10BaseTAn Ethernet term meaning a maximum transfer rate of
10 Megabits per second that uses baseband signaling and twisted
pair cabling.

What is the difference between an unspecified

passive open and a fully specified passive
open?
An unspecified passive open has the server waiting for a
connection request from a client.
A fully specified passive open has the server waiting for a
connection from a specific client.

Explain the function of Transmission Control

Block

A TCB is a complex data structure that contains a considerable

amount of information about each connection.

What is a Management Information Base

(MIB)?
A Management Information Base is part of every SNMP-managed
device. Each SNMP agent has the MIB database that contains
information about the device's status, its performance,
connections, and configuration. The MIB is queried by SNMP.

What is anonymous FTP and why would you

use it?
Anonymous FTP enables users to connect to a host without using
a valid login and password. Usually, anonymous FTP uses a login
called anonymous or guest, with the password usually requesting
the user's ID for tracking purposes only. Anonymous FTP is used
to enable a large number of users to access files on the host
without having to go to the trouble of setting up logins for them all.
Anonymous FTP systems usually have strict controls over the
areas an anonymous user can access.

What is a pseudo tty?

A pseudo tty or false terminal enables external machines to
connect through Telnet or rlogin. Without a pseudo tty, no
connection can take place.

What does the Mount protocol do?

The Mount protocol returns a file handle and the name of the file
system in which a requested file resides. The message is sent to
the client from the server after reception of a client's request

What is External Data Representation?

External Data Representation is a method of encoding data within
an RPC message, used to ensure that the data is not systemdependent.

When were OSI model developed and why its

standard called 802.XX and so on?
OSI model was developed in February1980 that why these also
known as 802.XX Standard (Notice 80 means ==> 1980, 2means
==> February)

What is Full form of ADS?

Active Directory Structure

How will you register and activate windows?

If you have not activated windows XP, you can do so at any time
by clicking the windows Activation icon in the system tray to
initiate activation. Once you have activated windows XP, this icon
disappears from the system tray.
For registration
Start ==> Run ==> regwiz /r

Where do we use cross and standard cable?

Computer to computer ==> cross
Switch/hub to switch/hub ==>cross
Computer to switch/hub ==>standard

How many pins do serial ports have?

In computer it's known as com port and could be available in 9pin

or 25 pin. On router it have 60 pins.

How will check ip address on 98?

Start ==> Run ==> command ==> winipcfg

How will you make partition after installing

windows?
My computer ==> right click ==> manage ==> disk management
==>
select free space ==> right click ==> New partition

What is IP?
It's a unique 32 bits software address of a node in a network.

What is private IP?

Three ranges of IP addresses have been reserved for private
address and they are not valid for use on the Internet. If you want
to access internet with these address you must have to use proxy
server or NAT server (on normal cases the role of proxy server is
played by your ISP.).If you do decide to implement a private IP
address range, you can use IP addresses from any of the
following classes:
Class A 10.0.0.0 10.255.255.255
Class B 172.16.0.0 172.31.255.255
Class C 192.168.0.0 192.168.255.255

What is public IP address?

A public IP address is an address leased from an ISP that allows

or enables direct Internet communication.

What's the benefit of subnetting?

Reduce the size of the routing tables.
Reduce network traffic. Broadcast traffic can be isolated within a
single logical network.
Provide a way to secure network traffic by isolating it from the rest
of the network.

What are the differences between static ip

addressing and dynamic ip addressing?
With static IP addressing, a computer (or other device) is
configured to always use the same IP address. With dynamic
addressing, the IP address can change periodically and is
managed by a centralized network service

What is APIPA?
Automatic private IP addressing (APIPA) is a feature mainly found
in Microsoft operating systems. APIPA enables clients to still
communicate with other computers on the same network segment
until an IP address can be obtained from a DHCP server, allowing
the machine to fully participate on the network. The range of
these IP address are the 169.254.0.1 to 169.254.255.254 with a
default Class B subnet mask of 255.255.0.0.

What are the LMHOSTS files?

The LMHOSTS file is a static method of resolving NetBIOS
names to IP addresses in the same way that the HOSTS file is a
static method of resolving domain names into IP addresses. An
LMHOSTS file is a text file that maps NetBIOS names to IP

addresses; it must be manually configured and updated.

What is DHCP scope?

A scope is a range, or pool, of IP addresses that can be leased to
DHCP clients on a given subnet.

What is FQDN?
An FQDN contains (fully qualified domain name) both the
hostname and a domain name. It uniquely identifies a host within
a DNS hierarchy

What is the DNS forwarder?

DNS servers often must communicate with DNS servers outside
of the local network. A forwarder is an entry that is used when a
DNS server receives DNS queries that it cannot resolve locally. It
then forwards those requests to external DNS servers for
resolution.

Which command will you use to find out the

name of the pc in networks?
NSLOOKUP [192.168.0.1]
[Ip of target computer]

How will enable sound service in 2003?

By default this service remain disable to enable this service
Start ==> administrative tools ==> service ==> windows audio
==> start up type ==> automatic

How will enable CD burning service in 2003?

By default this service remain disable to enable this service

Start ==> administrative tools ==> service ==> IMAPI CD burning
com service ==> start up type ==> automatic

What do you need to do that your browser will

point URL www.example.com to the internal IP
address 127.99.11.01?
Make changes in the hosts file in
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc
The Hosts file is looked at first before going out to the DNS
(Domain Name Service) servers. you have to put the following on
new lines at the end of hosts file:
127.99.11.01 example.com
127.99.11.01 www.example.com

What can you suggest to enhance testing

process on windows OS?
Put shortcut to notepad.exe in SendTo folder. It is speed up work
with different files like hosts, configuration files. Location of this
folder is
C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\sendto.
Open it and create shortcut of notpad.exe

What is FTP?
FTP is short for File Transfer Protocol. This is the protocol used
for file transfer over the Internet.

How will you make XP home the client of server

2003?

XP home edition is made only for home purpose so we cant use

it as the client. And same rule apply on windows vista editions
also.

Where do you take back up from?

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to
System Tools, and then click Backup.
Bedside's it?
If OS support then Select Drive ==> properties ==> back up now

What is router?
Router is a device that is used to connect two different networks.

How will you configure ADS?

Start ==> Run ==> DCPROMO
Or
Start==> Configure your server ==> add/Remove a Role

What is ADS?
A central component of the Windows platform, Active Directory
service provides the means to manage the identities and
relationships that make up network environments.

What if this wizard (ADS) is not running?

Check the network cable it should be plugged
Check root partition it should be in NTFS
Check IP of server it should be configured statically

How will you add a client to server? /

Hows the client join a domain?
What are the client configurations?
On Server
Configure ADS (for example its configured with xyz.com)
On Client
Log in form local administrator account
My Computer ==> Properties ==> Computer Name ==> Change
==>Domain ==>xyz.com ==> username Administrator (of
xyz.com)
Password xxxxxxxxxxx (of admin of xyz.com)
Welcome to xyz.com ==> Restart the computer

Does it necessary to use administrator account

to configure the client?
Not every time but you are required a properly configured user
account in domain controller security policy.

ISO stand for?

International standard organization

OSI stand for?

Open System Interconnection

What is full form DHCP and how will you

configure it?
Dynamic host configuration protocol
To configure it on Server

Configure your server ==>Add/Remove a role ==>DHCP server

==>complete the wizard
Start ==> Administrative tools ==> DHCP ==>New scope ==>
Wizard
Now authorized this server and do activate it
On client
Local area network ==> tcp/ip ==> obtain ip automatically
Obtain DNS automatically

What is difference between physical and logical

topology?
A physical topology describes how devices are physically cabled
together.
A logical topology describes how devices communicate across the
physical topology

How many types of topology are available?

A point-to-point topology has a single connection between two
devices.
In a star topology, a central device has many point-to-point
connections to other devices.
A bus topology uses a single connection or wire to connect all
devices.
In a ring topology, device one connects to device two, device
two connects to device three, and so on to the last device, which
connects back to device one.

How many times computer reboot when server

2000 install?
2 times.

How will you remove this error ntldr missing

press any key to reboot the system ?
Reboot the system with XP, ( apply also on server2003,) cd
On setup screen press to R to repair the window
Now provide the administrator password
C:\>cd f:( your cd drive latter, f is taken as the example )
f:\>cd i386
f:\>copy ntldr c:\
f:\>exit
reboot the system

Why do we do networking?
For data sharing
To accumulate hardware resource

What are the benefits of networking?

There are lots of advantages from build up a network, but the
three big facts areFile Sharing
From sharing files you can view, modify, and copy files stored on
a different computer on the network just as easily as if they were
stored on your computer.
Resource Sharing
Resources such as printers, fax machines, Storage Devices
(HDD, FDD and CD Drives), Webcam, Scanners, Modem and
many more devices can be shared.
Program Sharing
Just as you can share files on a network, you can often also share
program on a network. For example, if you have the right type of
software license, you can have a shared copy of Microsoft Office,
or some other program, and keep it on the network server, from
where it is also run

What is network?
A network is basically all of the components (hardware and
software) involved in connecting computers across small and
large distances.

What is networking?
A process that is describes how the network will connect.

What is topology?
A topology defines how the devices are connected. Further it is
divided in physical and logical topology.

What are the differences between FAT and

NTFS ?
FAT
Doesn't provide local security Provide local security
Doesn't provide disk quota Provide disk quota
Doesn't provide file compression Provide file compression
Doesn't provide other security feature Provide other security
feature

Difference between XP home and XP

professional ?
Feature that is not available in XP home edition
Remote Desktop
Off line file and folder
Encrypting file system
Group policy
Roaming profile
Remote installation

Joining Domain
The features listed above are only available in XP professional

Which OSI layer does IP belong?

P belongs to the Network Layer (layer 3) in the OSI model.

What is a subnet mask?

Subnet mask is a 4 byte (32 bit) number used to identify the subnetwork ID and the host ID from an IP address. All the hosts in a
sub-network will have the same subnet mask. E.g. 255.255.255.0,
255.255.127.0, 255.255.0.0

Where are the Windows NT Primary Domain

Controller (PDC) and its Backup Domain Controller
(BDC) in Server 2003?
The scheme of PDC and BDC is replaced by The Active
Directory in server 2000 and further. Now all domain
controllers share a multi master peer-to-peer read and
write relationship that hosts copies of the Active
Directory.
How can group policy be refreshed?
1.

Restart the server

2.

Leave the server ideal for 90 minute

3.

Run ==> gpupdate (server 2003 only)

What is LILO?
LILO stands for Linux boot loader. It will load the MBR,
master boot record, into the memory, and tell the system
which partition and hard drive to boot from.

I can't seem to access the Internet, don't have any

access to the corporate network and on IP
configuration on my address is 169.254.*.*. What
happened?
The 169.254.*.* net mask is assigned to Windows
machines running 98/2000/XP if the DHCP server is not
available. The name for the technology is APIPA
(Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing).

We've installed a new Windows-based DHCP

server, however, the users do not seem to be
getting DHCP leases off of it.
The server must be authorized first with the Active Directory.

What's the difference between local, global and

universal groups?
Domain local groups assign access permissions to domain
groups for local domain resources. Global groups provide access
to resources in entire domains.

What's the major difference between FAT and

NTFS on a local machine?
FAT and FAT32 provide no security over locally logged-on users.
Only native NTFS provides extensive permission control on both
remote and local files.

What is presentation layer and how it is

responsible for in the OSI model?

The presentation layer establishes the data format prior to

passing it along to the network application's interface. TCP/IP
networks perform this task at the application layer

When were OSI model developed and why its

standard called 802.XX and so on?
OSI model was developed in February1980 that why these also
known as 802.XX Standard (Notice 80 means ==> 1980, 2means
==> February)

What is Full form of ADS?

Active Directory Structure

How will you register and activate windows?

If you have not activated windows XP, you can do so at any time
by clicking the windows Activation icon in the system tray to
initiate activation. Once you have activated windows XP, this icon
disappears from the system tray.
For registration
Start ==> Run ==> regwiz /r

Where do we use cross and standard cable?

Computer to computer ==> cross
Switch/hub to switch/hub ==>cross
Computer to switch/hub ==>standard

How many pins do serial ports have?

In computer it's known as com port and could be available in 9pin
or 25 pin. On router it have 60 pins.

How will check ip address on 98?

Start ==> Run ==> command ==> winipcfg

What is source route?

It is a sequence of IP addresses identifying the route a datagram
must follow. A source route may optionally be included in an IP
datagram header.

What is RIP (Routing Information Protocol)?

It is a simple protocol used to exchange information between the
routers.

What is SLIP (Serial Line Interface Protocol)?

It is a simple protocol used for transmission of IP datagrams
across a serial line.

What is Proxy ARP?

It is using a router to answer ARP requests. This will be done
when the originating host believes that a destination is local, when
in fact is lies beyond router.

What is OSPF?
It is an Internet routing protocol that scales well, can route traffic
along multiple paths, and uses knowledge of an Internet's
topology to make accurate routing decisions.

What is Kerberos?

It is an authentication service developed at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology. Kerberos uses encryption to prevent
intruders from discovering passwords and gaining unauthorized
access to files.

What is a Multi-homed Host?

It is a host that has a multiple network interfaces and that requires
multiple IP addresses is called as a Multihomed Host.

What is NVT (Network Virtual Terminal)?

It is a set of rules defining a very simple virtual terminal
interaction. The NVT is used in the start of a Telnet session.

What is Gateway-to-Gateway protocol?

It is a protocol formerly used to exchange routing information
between Internet core routers.

What is BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)?

It is a protocol used to advertise the set of networks that can be
reached with in an autonomous system. BGP enables this
information to be shared with the autonomous system. This is
newer than EGP (Exterior Gateway Protocol).

What is autonomous system?

It is a collection of routers under the control of a single
administrative authority and that uses a common Interior Gateway
Protocol.

What is EGP (Exterior Gateway Protocol)?

t is the protocol the routers in neighboring autonomous systems

use to identify the set of networks that can be reached within or
via each autonomous system.

What is IGP (Interior Gateway Protocol)?

It is any routing protocol used within an autonomous system.

What is Mail Gateway?

It is a system that performs a protocol translation between
different electronic mail delivery protocols.

What is wide-mouth frog?

Wide-mouth frog is the simplest known key distribution center
(KDC) authentication protocol.

What is silly window syndrome?

It is a problem that can ruin TCP performance. This problem
occurs when data are passed to the sending TCP entity in large
blocks, but an interactive application on the receiving side reads 1
byte at a time.

What is region?
When hierarchical routing is used, the routers are divided into
what we call regions, with each router knowing all the details
about how to route packets to destinations within its own region,
but knowing nothing about the internal structure of other regions.

What is multicast routing?

Sending a message to a group is called multicasting, and its

routing algorithm is called multicast routing.

What is traffic shaping?

One of the main causes of congestion is that traffic is often busy.
If hosts could be made to transmit at a uniform rate, congestion
would be less common. Another open loop method to help
manage congestion is forcing the packet to be transmitted at a
more predictable rate. This is called traffic shaping.

What is packet filter?

Packet filter is a standard router equipped with some extra
functionality. The extra functionality allows every incoming or
outgoing packet to be inspected. Packets meeting some criterion
are forwarded normally. Those that fail the test are dropped.

BOOTP helps a diskless workstation boot. How

does it get a message to the network looking for
its IP address and the location of its operating
system boot files?
BOOTP sends a UDP message with a subnet work broadcast
address and waits for a reply from a server that gives it the IP
address. The same message might contain the name of the
machine that has the boot files on it. If the boot image location is
not specified, the workstation sends another UDP message to
query the server.

What is a DNS resource record?

resource record is an entry in a name server's database. There
are several types of resource records used, including name-toaddress resolution information. Resource records are maintained

as ASCII files.

What protocol is used by DNS name servers?

DNS uses UDP for communication between servers. It is a better
choice than TCP because of the improved speed a
connectionless protocol offers. Of course, transmission reliability
suffers with UDP.

What is the difference between interior and

exterior neighbor gateways?
Interior gateways connect LANs of one organization, whereas
exterior gateways connect the organization to the outside world.

What is the HELLO protocol used for?

The HELLO protocol uses time instead of distance to determine
optimal routing. It is an alternative to the Routing Information
Protocol.

What are the three type of routing tables and

What are the advantages and disadvantages of
these?
The three types of routing tables are fixed, dynamic, and fixed
central.
A fixed table must be manually modified every time there is a
change.
A dynamic table changes its information based on network traffic,
reducing the amount of manual maintenance.
A fixed central table lets a manager modify only one table, which
is then read by other devices. The fixed central table reduces the
need to update each machine's table, as with the fixed table.
Usually a dynamic table causes the fewest problems for a

network administrator, although the table's contents can change

without the administrator being aware of the change.

What is MAC address ?

The address for a device as it is identified at the Media Access
Control (MAC) layer in the network architecture. MAC address is
usually stored in ROM on the network adapter card and is unique.

What is attenuation?
The degeneration of a signal over distance on a network cable is
called attenuation.

What is cladding?
A layer of a glass surrounding the center fiber of glass inside a
fiber-optic cable.

What is RAID?
A method for providing fault tolerance by using multiple hard disk
drives.

What is NETBIOS and NETBEUI?

NETBIOS is a programming interface that allows I/O requests to
be sent to and received from a remote computer and it hides the
networking hardware from applications.
NETBEUI is NetBIOS extended user interface. A transport
protocol designed by Microsoft and IBM for the use on small
subnets.

What is redirector?

Redirector is software that intercept

What is Beaconing?
The process that allows a network to self-repair networks
problems. The stations on the network notify the other stations on
the ring when they are not receiving the transmissions. Beaconing
is used in Token ring and FDDI networks.

What is terminal emulation, in which layer it

comes?
Telnet is also called as terminal emulation. It belongs to
application layer.

What is frame relay, in which layer it comes?

Frame relay is a packet switching technology. It will operate in the
data link layer.

What do you meant by "triple X" in Networks?

The function of PAD (Packet Assembler Disassembler) is
described in a document known as X.3. The standard protocol
has been defined between the terminal and the PAD, called X.28;
another standard protocol exists between hte PAD and the
network, called X.29. Together, these three recommendations are
often called "triple X".

What is SAP?
Series of interface points that allow other computers to
communicate with the other layers of network protocol stack.

What is subnet?
A generic term for section of a large networks usually separated
by a bridge or router.

What is subnet mask?

It is a term that makes distinguish between network address and
host address in IP address. Subnet mask value 0 defines host
partition in IP address and value 1 255 defines Network
address.

Describe Various Network Type

Local Area Networks Local area networks (LANs) are used to
connect networking devices that are in a very close geographic
area, such as a floor of a building, a building itself, or a campus
environment.
Wide Area Networks Wide area networks (WANs) are used to
connect LANs together. Typically, WANs are used when the LANs
that must be connected are separated by a large distance.
Metropolitan Area Networks A metropolitan area network (MAN)
is a hybrid between a LAN and a WAN.
Content Networks Content networks (CNs) were developed to
ease users access to Internet resources. Companies deploy
basically two types of CNs:
1.Caching downloaded Internet information
2.Distributing Internet traffic loads across multiple servers
Storage Area Networks Storage area networks (SANs) provide a
high-speed infrastructure to move data between storage devices
and file servers.
Advantage
Performance is fast.
Availability is high because of the redundancy features available.
Distances can span up to 10 kilometers.
Management is easy because of the centralization of data
resources.

Overhead is low (uses a thin protocol).

Disadvantage of SANs is their cost.
Intranet An intranet is basically a network that is local to a
company. In other words, users from within this company can find
all of their resources without having to go outside of the company.
An intranet can include LANs, private WANs and MANs,
Extranet An extranet is an extended intranet, where certain
internal services are made available to known external users or
external business partners at remote locations.
Internet An internet is used when unknown external users need
to access internal resources in your network. In other words, your
company might have a web site that sells various products, and
you want any external user to be able to access this service.
VPN A virtual private network (VPN) is a special type of secured
network. A VPN is used to provide a secure connection across a
public network, such as an internet. Extranets typically use a VPN
to provide a secure connection between a company and its known
external users or offices. Authentication is provided to validate the
identities of the two peers. Confidentiality provides encryption of
the data to keep it private from prying eyes. Integrity is used to
ensure that the data sent between the two devices or sites has
not been tampered with.