Chapter 7. WANs and Remote Connectivity

After reading this chapter and completing the exercises, you will be able to:

• Identify a variety of uses for WANs

• Explain different WAN topologies, including their advantages and disadvantages

• Compare the characteristics of WAN technologies, including their switching type, throughput, media, security, and reliability

• Describe several WAN transmission and connection methods, including PSTN, ISDN, T-carriers, DSL, broadband cable, ATM, and SONET

• Describe multiple methods for remotely connecting to a network