Connection Technology Options
Several options are available for WAN connectivity:
| Option: | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Bandwidth range | Sample protocols used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leased line | Point-to-Point connection between two computers or Local Area Networks (LANs) | Most secure | Expensive | PPP, HDLC, SDLC, HNAS | |
| Circuit switching | A dedicated circuit path is created between end points. Best example is dialup connections | Less Expensive | Call Setup | 28 - 144 kbit/s | PPP, ISDN |
| Packet switching | Devices transport packets via a shared single point-to-point or point-to-multipoint link across a carrier internetwork. Variable length packets are transmitted over Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVC) or Switched Virtual Circuits (SVC) | Shared media across link | X.25 Frame-Relay | ||
| Cell relay | Similar to packet switching, but uses fixed length cells instead of variable length packets. Data is divided into fixed-length cells and then transported across virtual circuits | Best for simultaneous use of voice and data | Overhead can be considerable | ATM |
Transmission rates usually range from 1200 bit/s to 24 Mbit/s, although some connections such as ATM and Leased lines can reach speeds greater than 156 Mbit/s. Typical communication links used in WANs are telephone lines, microwave links & satellite channels.
Recently with the proliferation of low cost of Internet connectivity many companies and organizations have turned to VPN to interconnect their networks, creating a WAN in that way. Companies such as Citrix, Cisco, New Edge Networks and Check Point offer solutions to create VPN networks.
Read more about this topic: Wide Area Network
Famous quotes containing the words connection and/or technology:
“We live in a world of things, and our only connection with them is that we know how to manipulate or to consume them.”
—Erich Fromm (1900–1980)
“One can prove or refute anything at all with words. Soon people will perfect language technology to such an extent that they’ll be proving with mathematical precision that twice two is seven.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)