An internetwork is defined as two or more computer network LANs or WAN or computer network segments are connected using devices, and they are configured by a local addressing scheme.

This process is known as internetworking. An interconnection between public, private, commercial, industrial, or government computer networks can also be defined as internetworking.

An internetworking uses the internet protocol. The reference model used for internetworking is Open System Interconnection(OSI).

Types Of Internetwork:

  1. Extranet
  2. Intranet

1. Extranet

An extranet is a communication network based on the internet protocol such as Transmission Control protocol and internet protocol.

It is used for information sharing. The access to the extranet is restricted to only those users who have login credentials.

An extranet is the lowest level of internetworking. It can be categorized as MAN, WAN or other computer networks.

An extranet cannot have a single LAN, at least it must have one connection to the external network.

2. Intranet

An intranet is a private network based on the internet protocol such as Transmission Control protocol and internet protocol. An intranet belongs to an organization which is only accessible by the organization's employee or members.

The main aim of the intranet is to share the information and resources among the organization employees. An intranet provides the facility to work in groups and for teleconferences.

Advantages of Intranet:

1. Communication:

It provides a cheap and easy communication. An employee of the organization can communicate with another employee through email, chat.

2. Time-saving:

Information on the intranet is shared in real time, so it is time-saving.

3. Collaboration:

Collaboration is one of the most important advantage of the intranet. The information is distributed among the employees of the organization and can only be accessed by the authorized user.

4. Platform independency:

It is a neutral architecture as the computer can be connected to another device with different architecture.

5. Cost effective:

People can see the data and documents by using the browser and distributes the duplicate copies over the intranet. This leads to a reduction in the cost.