220-1101 Question 160
Single answerNetwork typesA technician is helping a small architectural firm set up connectivity between two office buildings located three blocks apart. The firm wants employees in both buildings to access shared file servers as if they are on the same company network, but the solution must use service provider infrastructure because the buildings are too far apart for the company to cable directly. Which network type best describes this connection?
- A
LAN
- B
PAN
- C
MAN
- D
SAN
- E
WLAN
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The best answer is MAN because the key clues are distance, city-scale coverage, and the use of service provider infrastructure to connect separate office locations. In A+ Core 1, candidates should distinguish network types by scope and purpose: PAN for personal device range, LAN/WLAN for a local site, MAN for metropolitan or city-wide interconnection, and WAN for broader regional, national, or global coverage. A connection spanning a few city blocks is most accurately categorized as a MAN. This aligns with standard networking definitions commonly referenced in CompTIA objectives and networking documentation from vendors such as Cisco and Juniper, which classify MANs as networks that interconnect multiple LANs across a metropolitan area.
- A. Incorrect.
LAN is incorrect. A local area network covers a limited area such as a single home, office, or building. Although each building may have its own LAN internally, the scenario specifically describes connecting multiple buildings across part of a city using provider infrastructure, which goes beyond a typical LAN.
- B. Incorrect.
PAN is incorrect. A personal area network is intended for very short-range connections around an individual, such as Bluetooth devices connected to a phone or laptop. It does not describe linking office buildings together for shared corporate access.
- C. Correct.
MAN is correct. A metropolitan area network connects locations across a city or metropolitan region, often using carrier or service provider infrastructure. In this scenario, linking two office buildings several blocks apart through a provider is a practical example of a MAN.
- D. Incorrect.
SAN is incorrect. A storage area network is a specialized high-speed network used to provide block-level storage access between servers and storage devices, typically inside data centers or enterprise environments. It is not a general network type for connecting office buildings across a city.
- E. Incorrect.
WLAN is incorrect. A wireless local area network refers to local wireless networking, such as Wi-Fi within a building or campus area. Even if Wi-Fi is used inside each office, the scenario focuses on the larger network classification for connecting two buildings over provider infrastructure, which is a MAN.