Business Data Communications and Networking, 13th Edition

CHAPTER 9WIDE AREA NETWORKS

The wide area network (WAN) is a key part of the enterprise edge. Most organizations do not build their own WAN communication circuits, preferring instead to lease them from common carriers or to use the Internet. This chapter focuses on the WAN architectures and telecommunications services offered by common carriers for use in enterprise WANs, not the underlying technology that the carriers use to provide them. We discuss the three principal types of WAN services that are available: dedicated-circuit services, packet-switched services, and virtual private network (VPN) services. We conclude by discussing how to improve WAN performance and how to select services to build WANs.

OBJECTIVES

• Understand dedicated-circuit services and architectures
• Understand packet-switched services and architectures
• Understand Internet-based VPN services and architectures
• Understand the best practice recommendations for WAN design
• Be familiar with how to improve WAN performance

OUTLINE

• 9.1 Introduction
• 9.2 Dedicated-Circuit Networks
  • 9.2.1 Basic Architecture
  • 9.2.2 T-Carrier Services
  • 9.2.3 SONET Services
• 9.3 Packet-Switched Networks
  • 9.3.1 Basic Architecture
  • 9.3.2 Frame Relay Services
  • 9.3.3 IP Services
  • 9.3.4 Ethernet Services
• 9.4 Virtual Private Networks
  • 9.4.1 Basic Architecture
  • 9.4.2 VPN Types
  • 9.4.3 How VPNs Work
• 9.5 The Best Practice WAN Design
• 9.6 Improving WAN Performance
  • 9.6.1 Improving Device Performance
  • 9.6.2 Improving Circuit Capacity
  • 9.6.3 Reducing Network ...