Skip to main content

Module 2: WAN Technologies / Overview

Module 2: WAN Technologies/Overview
As the enterprise grows beyond a single location, it is necessary to interconnect the LANs in the various branches to form a wide-area network (WAN). This module examines some of the options available for these interconnections, the hardware needed to implement them, and the terminology used to discuss them.
There are many options currently available today for implementing WAN solutions. They differ in technology, speed, and cost. Familiarity with these technologies is an important part of network design and evaluation.
If all data traffic in an enterprise is within a single building, a LAN meets the needs of the organization. Buildings can be interconnected with high-speed data links to form a campus LAN if data must flow between buildings on a single campus. However, a WAN is needed to carry data if it must be transferred between geographically separate locations. Individual remote access to the LAN and connection of the LAN to the Internet are separate study topics, and will not be considered here.
Most students will not have the opportunity to design a new WAN, but many will be involved in designing additions and upgrades to existing WANs, and will be able to apply the techniques learned in this module.
Students completing this module should be able to:
  • Differentiate between a LAN and WAN
  • Identify the devices used in a WAN
  • List WAN standards
  • Describe WAN encapsulation
  • Classify the various WAN link options
  • Differentiate between packet-switched and circuit-switched WAN technologies
  • Compare and contrast current WAN technologies
  • Describe equipment involved in the implementation of various WAN services
  • Recommend a WAN service to an organization based on its needs
  • Describe DSL and cable modem connectivity basics
  • Describe a methodical procedure for designing WANs
  • Compare and contrast WAN topologies
  • Compare and contrast WAN design models
Recommend a WAN design to an organization based on its needs 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OSI layers / Peer-to-peer communications / TCP/IP model

OSI layers 2.3.4 This page discusses the seven layers of the OSI model. The OSI reference model is a framework that is used to understand how information travels throughout a network. The OSI reference model explains how packets travel through the various layers to another device on a network, even if the sender and destination have different types of network media. In the OSI reference model, there are seven numbered layers, each of which illustrates a particular network function. - Dividing the network into seven layers provides the following advantages: • It breaks network communication into smaller, more manageable parts. • It standardizes network components to allow multiple vendor development and support. • It allows different types of network hardware and software to communicate with each other. • It prevents changes in one layer from affecting other layers. • It divides network communication into smaller parts to make learning it easier to understand. In the foll...
Post a Comment
Read more

PC Basic...

• Backplane – A backplane is an electronic circuit board containing circuitry and sockets into which additional electronic devices on other circuit boards or cards can be plugged; in a computer, generally synonymous with or part of the motherboard. • Network interface card (NIC) – An expansion board inserted into a computer so that the computer can be connected to a network. • Video card – A board that plugs into a PC to give it display capabilities. • Audio card – An expansion board that enables a computer to manipulate and output sounds. • Parallel port – An interface capable of transferring more than one bit simultaneously that is used to connect external devices such as printers. • Serial port – An interface that can be used for serial communication in which only one bit is transmitted at a time. • Mouse port – A port used to connect a mouse to a PC. • USB port – A Universal Serial Bus connector. A USB port connects devices such as a mouse or printer to the computer ...
Post a Comment
Read more

1.2.2 RIP V2 Features

 1.2.2 RIP V2 Features This page will discuss RIP v2, which is an improved version of RIP v1. Both versions of RIP share the following features: It is a distance vector protocol that uses a hop count metric. It uses hold down timers to prevent routing loops – default is 180 seconds. It uses split horizon to prevent routing loops. It uses 16 hops as a metric for infinite distance. RIP v2 provides prefix routing, which allows it to send out subnet mask information with the route update. Therefore, RIP v2 supports the use of classless routing in which different subnets within the same network can use different subnet masks, as in VLSM. RIP v2 provides for authentication in its updates. A set of keys can be used on an interface as an authentication check. RIP v2 allows for a choice of the type of authentication to be used in RIP v2 packets. The choice can be either clear text or Message-Digest 5 (MD5) encryption. Clear text is the default. MD5 can be used t...
Post a Comment
Read more