Week 6 Readings

Local area network (Wikipedia)

Though I think I understood the basic premise of the article, which was to describe what a LAN is and its technical aspects, as usual the technical language went over my head.  Basically I understand that a LAN is a small computer network, such as the one within the department where I work at Pitt, that connects those computers together.  For example, in my department my office mate and I are connected to the same printer, but we are also connected to color printers on the same floor in case we need color copies.  This differs from the larger University network in size and scope.

Computer Network (Wikipedia)

I found this article easier to understand.  There was still some technical language that went over my head, but not so much as in the first article about LANs.  I was interested to learn some things that I did not know, such as how the internet got its name (a shortened form of internetwork), and just how types of network there are out there.  I didn't realize that there were so many.  One thing I wasn't clear about was with the Virtual private network (VPN) graphic on page 6.  In the top graphic, the main office is able to connect with the regional offices and the remote/roaming users, and they are able to communicate with the main office, but the regional offices are not able to connect to each other, or to the remote/roaming users.  Also, in the second graphic the regional offices are able to communicate with each other and the main office, but not with the remote/roaming users.  I'm not sure why that is the case.

Managing Technology:  Management of RFID in Libraries

I found this article to be interesting and informative.  I was interested to learn more about RFID and how it works, but it brings up questions about how RFID tags should be used.  Personally, I think that they are a good idea for keeping track of books and deterring theft, but as with all things there is the potential for misuse.