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What Is A Heterogeneous Network?

What Is A Heterogeneous Network

Date First Published: 13th June 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Setups

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

Learn more about what a heterogeneous network is in this article.

A heterogeneous network is made up of nodes with a significantly different network architecture, protocols, and operating systems. An example of a heterogeneous network is a LAN that connects Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh computers together, since these are two different operating systems. Because of their complex design, heterogeneous networks are more complex to maintain than homogeneous networks.

Most businesses use heterogeneous networks. An advantage of maintaining a heterogeneous network is that they are much more flexible than homogeneous networks, since those types of networks only connect nodes with the same features. Any chosen product can be connected to the network rather than only being able to connect devices with exactly the same operating systems, protocols, and architecture. In addition, products are constantly evolving and budgets are limited, meaning that it is not always possible or necessary to completely replace the network with something newer.


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