LAN

Local Area Network. A network of computers, generally small in number, whose reach is limited, typically within a building or campus, linked to allow access and sharing of data and computer resources by users. Differentiated from MAN and WAN by the size of the area, LAN is the smallest.

Leased Lines

A line rented from a telephone company by a customer so that s/he may have exclusive rights to it. May also be called a dedicated line.

Lossless

A format of data compression, typically of an order of less than 2:1, in which none of the original data information is lost when the image is reproduced.

Lossy

A process of data compression at a relatively high ratio, which leads to some permanent loss of information upon reconstruction.