WAN Concepts

WAN stands for Wide Area Network. It is a type of network that spans over a large geographical area, typically across cities or even countries. A WAN is used to connect multiple LANs or other WANs together, allowing users to communicate and share resources across a large distance. WANs are typically used by organizations that have multiple locations or branches, and need to connect them together.

A WAN can be built using a variety of technologies, including leased lines, Frame Relay, ATM, MPLS, and VPNs. Leased lines are dedicated, point-to-point connections that provide a fixed bandwidth between two locations. Frame Relay is a packet-switched technology that uses virtual circuits to connect multiple locations together. ATM is another packet-switched technology that is optimized for handling real-time traffic such as voice and video. MPLS is a newer technology that is used to build private networks within a larger service provider network. VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, use the public internet to securely connect multiple locations together.

The main challenges in building a WAN include latency, bandwidth limitations, and security. Latency refers to the time it takes for data to travel across the WAN, and can be affected by the distance between the locations, the technology used to build the WAN, and congestion on the network. Bandwidth limitations refer to the amount of data that can be transmitted across the WAN, which can be affected by the technology used, the number of users, and the type of applications being used. Security is also a concern, as data transmitted across a WAN can be intercepted by unauthorized users, or compromised by malware or other attacks.