เครือข่ายท้องถิ่นแบ่งออกเป็นกี่ประเภท

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�� ͢��ö��ṡ�͡��»��ࡳ�� ¡Ѻ�� ṡ��ͧö¹�� 颹Ҵ��ࡳ�� ö¹�좹Ҵ�� ö�Ժ�� ö� �繵� ��Ͷ��ѡɳС��ҹ��ѡࡳ�� ö��ö��÷ء�Թ�� ö��ǹ�ؤ�� 繵� ��͢��¤��蹡ѹ ��ö��ṡ��Ը� ��Ѻࡳ�� Ҵ �ѡɳС��š��¹��Ţͧ��繵� �·��仡�è�ṡ��ͧ��͢�� 3 �Ըդ��
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�� - LAN (Local Area Network): ��͢��·�ͧ��
�� - WAN (Wide Area Network): ��͢��º��ǳ��ҧ
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�� - Peer-to-Peer Network ��͢��Ẻ��
�� - Client-Server Network ��͢��Ẻ��ԡ��м��ԡ��
��· ��дѺ��ʹ��¢ͧ��ࡳ�� ö��ѧ��
�� - Intranet ��͢��ǹ�ؤ��
�� - Internet ��͢��Ҹ�ó�
�� - Extranet ��͢��

��ͧ��͢��觵��Ҵ�ҧ��ʵ��
�� 颹Ҵ�ҧ��Ҿ��ࡳ�� ͢��ö��͡��ͧ�� LAN �� ͢��·�ͧ�� WAN ��͢��º��ǳ��ҧ LAN ��͢��¢�Ҵ��硷��ͺ��鹷��ǳ�ӡѴ �� ͧ�� Ҥ��˹�� Ҩ�Ф�ͺ��Ҥ�÷��㹺��ǳ��§�ѹ �� Է�� ࢵ�ͧ��Է��«�觺ҧ�ա��¡�� "��͢��Է��ࢵ (Campus�Network)" �ӹǹ�ͧ��͡ѹ� LAN �Ҩ�յ��ͧ ��ͧ仨��֧��¾ѹ��ͧ ��ǹ WAN ��͢�� ͺ��ǳ��ҧ �� 㹾�鹷��ͧ��Ҩ�Ф�ͺ��š�� ͢��Թ��
�� ҧ�ԧ�ҧ�� ͢�� LAN, MAN, WAN �� MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) ��͢��¢�Ҵ��ҧ��ҧ LAN �� WAN ��Ф�ͺ��鹷��ͧ㹪�ǧ��ѧ� ෤� ��շ�� MAN �� ෤��ǡѺ෤��բͧ WAN �ѧ��鹨֧��Ѵ�� MAN ��͢��»�� ǡѹ�Ѻ WAN �ѧ��鹶��˹ѧ��͸Ժ��ǡѺ MAN �� ֧��͢��»�� WAN � Technical Support

��͢��·�ͧ�� (Local Area Network)
�� LAN (Local Area Network) ��ҡ�ҹ�ͧ��͢��¤�� Ǥ�� ͺ�ء� ��͢��µ�ͧ�� LAN ��ͧ��Сͺ ��͢��Ẻ LAN �Ҩ��͢��Ẻ�� դ��ͧ��ͧ�� ѹ��ѭ�ҳ仨��֧��͢��·��Ѻ��͹ �� դ��ͧ��ػ�ó��͢�� ա�ҡ ��ѡɳ��Ӥѭ�ͧ LAN �� ͢��¨Ф�ͺ��鹷��ӡѴ �ٻ��ʴ��͢��·�ͧ��蹷��Сͺ�� ͧ��ͧ �� ͧ��ѹ�� 㹡�èѴ��͢�� ͢��¨� ��ѹ��ͧ��Ժѵԡ��
�� ෤�� LAN ��»�� Ethernet, ATM, Token Ring, FDDI �繵� ��ѹ�ҡ��ش㹻Ѩ�غѹ�� (Ethernet) ��ͧ�ѧ��ṡ�͡��»�� Ѻ�� (Topology) ��ѭ�ҳ�� ෤�� LAN ��л��շ�駢�ʹ� ��·��ᵡ��ҧ�ѹ ��͡��෤��ҹ��СѺ�ѡɳС��ҹ��͢��¢ͧͧ�� 觨��͸Ժ�¢�ʹբ��¢ͧ��л��

��絠��
�� (Ethernet) ��١�Դ�鹢�鹵�� 1970 ��ѧ�� ෤��ժ�鹹Ӣͧ��ע�� ͧ�� 絵��躹�ҵðҹ��觢�� ⵤ�� CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access� with�Collision Detection) ��ⵤ�Ź��ж١��Ѻ��͡�ҧ㹡��ѭ�ҳ��ѹ��ҧʶҹ��˹��ҧ� ��բ�鹵͹�ѧ�� ˹�� ͧ��÷��觢��Ũе�ͧ��¿ѧ��͹ (Carrier Sense) ��˹��蹡��ѧ �觢�� ͨ��ͧ��觢��稡�͹ ��Ǥ��觢�� 㹢�з��ѧ�觢��鹵�ͧ��Ǩ�ͺ��ա�ê��ѹ�ͧ��Դ�� (Collision Detection) ��ա�ê��ѹ�ͧ��Դ��ش�ӡ��觢�� ѹ�� Ǥ��кǹ��觢��ա�� ͧ�ҡ��絨��͡�ҧ ��ѹ ��¡�� "�� (Bus)" �й�鹨֧��˹��觢��˹��
�� 㹢��㴢��˹�� ê��ѹ�ͧ��ŨС��繢��ҹ��ѹ�� ըӹǹ�˹� ��ҡ��鹤��Ҩ��繷��ŨЪ��ѹ��鹵��ӴѺ��ҵðҹ��絨��ѵ�ҡ��觢��ẹ��Ը�� 10 Mbps (�Ժ��ҹ�Ե��Թҷ�) 㹢�з��ʵ�� (Fast Ethernet) �ա�÷ӧҹ�� ѹ ��§��ѵ�Ң��ŷ��٧�� 10 �� 100 Mbps ��ǹ�ԡкԵ�� (Gigabit Ethernet) ��ѵ�Ң��٧�ش�� 1,000 Mbps �� 1 Gbps ��㹢�й��ѧ�ա�þѲ��絷�� 10 Gbps ��¡�� ෹�ԡкԵ�� (10G Ethernet)
�� ͡�ҡ��ᵡ��ҧ��ͧ�ͧ�� ѧ��͡�� (Shared Ethernet) ��Ե�� (Switched Ethernet) ��ա��ǡ�ҧ��ѹ�� Ѻ��Ź ��Ǵѧ��鹨֧��ö��觺��ѹ��㹢��㴢��˹�� 㹤��͢��¡�� 㹢��㴢��˹�觨��ʶҹ��Ƿ��ö�觢�� ػ�ó��͢��·��Ѻ��絤�� Ѻ (Hub) ��ǹ��Ե�� (Switched Ethernet) ��º��Ѻ��Ź �ѧ��鹨֧��ö ��¤ѹ��ö��觺�� ǡѹ ��ǹ�ػ�ó��Ե�� 礧��Ե��ͧ

�ह
�� ͢��Ẻ�ह�ԧ (Token Ring) ��觨��ѡɳС��Ẻǧ��ǹ�� ͢��·��ѧ��ա��ŧ �ह�ԧ��ҡ㹡��ҧ��͢��á� ��ͧ�ҡ��ʹբͧ��觢��͢��Ẻ��ա�ê��ѹ�ͧ�� ͹�Ѻ��͢��Ẻ�� ¢��͢��»��ö㹡�â��͢�� (Scalability) ��С�ú��ШѴ��͢��¨Ф�͹��ҧ�ҡ ��͢��»��ѧ��Ѻ�ػ�ó��ͧ��ѷ IBM ��к��ԹԤ��

ATM
�� ATM ��Ҩҡ "Asynchronous Transfer Mode" ��¶֧�� ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) ��͹�Թʴ�ҡ��Ҥ�� ҧ�յ�� ATM ��͹�Թʴ�Ҩ��͡Ѻ�ٹ��´��к��͢�� ATM �� ATM ��ҵðҹ��Ѻ�觢��ŷ��˹�� ITU-T (Internation Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standard Sector) ��觨��ԡ�õ�ҧ� �� § �Դ��Ҵ��¡ѹ�� (Cell) ��ŷ��բ�Ҵ��Ф�� ͢��·��ͧ�Ѻẹ��Ը��Mbps ��֧ Gbps �Ѩ�غѹ�ѧ�ա�� ATM ��ҡ��ҡѺ�� ATM �Ҩ��ա�ҧ��͡�ա��ҧ˹�觷��͢��͹Ҥ��

��͢��º��ǳ��ҧ (Wide Area Network)
�� ç�ѹ��Ѻ LAN ��͢��º��ǳ��ҧ�� WAN ��͢��·��ͺ��鹷��ǳ��ҧ ��Ҩ�Ф�ͺ��š�� ҧ�� ͢��Թ��絷��ѡ�ѹ�� WAN ��Ѻ��ҧ LAN ��ҧ�šѹ �� ͢��¢ͧ�ӹѡ�ҹ��·��ҧ�šѹ
�� LAN ��෤��Ѻ��͢��Ҥ�� ;�鹷��ջ��ҳ 2-3 �� ǹ WAN ��͢��·��Ѻ�� ͢��ҧ��ͧ ��з�觡��ҧ��ȷ��š ෤��շ��Ѵ��㹻�� WAN �� (Remote Access), ��¤�� (Leased Line), ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network), ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscribe Line), Frame Relay ��к�� 繵�
�� ͢��·��к��Ѿ�� (Dial up) ��ҧ��ö��ҡѺ�ٹ��ҧ��͢�� ͢��ҡѺ�к��Թ��絡��繵��ҧ˹�觢ͧ�� Ǥ�ͼ��ö��Ҷ֧�Թ��¡��ع价�� ISP (Internet Service Provider) ��ҡѺ�Թ�� 躹��͢��·�ͧ��ö��ҡѺ�Թ��¼�ҹ��ҷ��·��͢�� LAN ��ѵ�ҡ��觢��ŷ��٧��͢�� WAN ��ҧ�� ѵ�ҡ��觢��ŷ�� 10 Mbps 㹢�з��٧�ش�ͧ��㹻Ѩ�غѹ�� 56 Kbps ��觹��¡��˹��繵�ͧẹ��Ը�ͧ�� з�觡��Ẻ T-1 �ѧ��ѵ�Ң�� 1.5 Mbps ��ҧ�á��¸��ҵԢͧ��â��ǹ�˭��͢��·�ͧ��