Fujitsu Siemens Computers Fujitsu-Siemens PC - Manual (Page 47)

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2.9 Wireless LAN (WLAN)
WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network, i.e. a cable-free
network. The IEEE standard 802.11(Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers) for wireless LANs (WLANs) offers two
configuration methods for wireless networks, the ad-hoc mode and
the infrastructure mode.
Ad-hoc mode (peer-to-peer work group)
In an ad-hoc network, individual computers are connected to each
other as required. In other words, there is no fixed structure or
fixed points in the network. As a rule, any node may communicate
with any other node. In this configuration there is no AccessPoint.
This enables a small WLAN work group may be quickly
established. The individual members of the group can exchange
data with each other and share printers, as permitted by the
Microsoft network functions of the various Windows operating
systems. A few providers also refer to an ad-hoc network as a
peer-to-peer network. In this configuration, data packets are
transmitted directly from a transmitting to the corresponding
receiving station. Insofar as the individual stations are located
within its respective range, this is the most simple and least costly
method of establishing a WLAN.