Chapter 1: Making the Wide Area Network (WAN) Wide
In This Chapter
Identifying the differences between WAN types
Introducing routing protocols
This minibook on routing logically begins with where you are likely to use routers. Although some people use routers on the interior of a well-connected network to separate a larger number of users or to aid in implementing a set of security features, most people use routers to connect remote offices that are linked through their telephone company’s network infrastructure.
This chapter looks at the key elements of technologies you can use to make the connections between all your routers. In addition to covering the infrastructure elements, I introduce you to different routing protocols you can implement for your wide area network (WAN).
Identifying Features of a WAN
First, I want to explain what makes up a WAN. Sometimes people want to identify a WAN by the size of the network or by the devices that compose the network, but I disagree with both methods of classification. For example, if your network has 5,000, or even 100,000, devices and you are not using WAN technologies to interconnect them, you do not necessarily have a WAN. If you have a large campus network using routers and dynamic routing protocols and the infrastructure that it ...
