In the computer world, campus networks have been very beneficial at the enterprise level for many years , as they are very good for speeding up communications in a limited geographical area. That is why they have been used by them for many years.
CAN networks have made many things possible today, especially in the automotive industry, which in fact was the first that implemented it in the mid-80s. Nowadays, it is even very easy to create one without being a professional in the field .
In the following article we will show you all about CAN networks; from its definition and usefulness, to its most important benefits and components. So you understand once and for all what this type of network is for.
Index:
What is a Campus Area Network and what is it for in computing?
A campus area network or CAN (Campus Area Network) refers to a network that connects several LAN networks in a specific geographic space. Its concept is very similar to that of the metropolitan area network, but the latter is much broader.
For you to understand it graphically, imagine the LAN network as a residential complex, the CAN network would be the sector of the city in which it is located and the metropolitan network would be the entire city .
These features give you more control over the information than the MAN network , so it is used to connect equipment in large companies to connect their different departments, university campuses and even military bases. In addition, when creating one you can use a private encryption protocol that does not allow data to leave the nodes that make it up .
Why use a CAN network? Which sectors benefit from it
The CAN network concept can be used basically in any industrial sector, in fact today everyone uses it to manage processes such as production quantification, machinery maintenance times and similar activities .
But this was not always the case since at first there was a lot of taboo about them because they were created in military installations. It was not until 1985 when the automotive industry led by visionary Robert Bosch GmbH , that even devised a protocol to streamline communications between this type of networks called CAN bus.
After that, companies in the field of medicine, transport and metallurgy in general began to apply the idea of Bosch to obtain benefits such as:
- Optimization of internal communication processes .
- Automation of production processes and production management.
- Create applications to synchronize your products.
When the internet began to dominate the world in the middle of the first decade of this century, it was thought that this and all other networks would remain in the past. However, what he did was to enhance them, so that his application could be made more easily and efficiently .
CAN network and CAN bus Are they the same thing?
Many times the CAN network is often confused with the CAN bus thinking that they are the same thing, but the reality is that they are not . The first is a network, while the second is a protocol that works within that network. To understand it graphically, the network is the vehicle, the information through it is the fuel, and the mechanism for said fuel to flow is the bus .
When Bosch decided to start implementing the CAN network for his industry, he realized that the protocol used then was not very efficient, so he created his own protocol based on a bus topology that would be known as the CAN BUS . The differences were evident in relation to the old program, the Bosch bus was providing incontestable benefits such as:
- Optimize self-diagnosis and error repair in datagrams or data packets.
- Facilitates communication between teams of different developers being a standardized protocol.
- Free the host from responsibilities to devote himself to his own functions.
Components of a CAN network What do you need to create one?
A CAN network is still a network, so the components needed to do this are not very different from those needed for the other classifications. That said, the most important components for creating a network are the following :
Hardware
Hardware is all the physical components of a computer network and the different devices that join it. These are divided into two types; those that have user interaction (computers, printers, among others), and the network components (modem, routers and others) , that have no interaction with the user.
Software
The software or network operating system (NOS) is the one that is responsible for managing the information that flows through the network, as well as translating the user’s input information to the computer. It is an essential element since it sets in motion all the processes necessary for communication and connection in the network to be effective. There are many NOS providers such as Microsoft, Linux, Apple, RedHat or FreeBSD.
Protocols
Finally there are the network protocols, which are like the laws by which the processes to transmit and receive information within a network are governed. This is where the CAN Bus comes into play, which is responsible for optimizing this whole process .