By and large, the LAN marketplace is dominated by one technology – Ethernet. When it comes to interconnecting multiple locations, however, a variety of different Wide Area Network technologies are available. The decision to use one of these technologies over another is usually based on a number of factors including cost, performance, reliability, and availability. In some cases, a company’s WAN will not be based on a single technology, but many. For example, an organization may choose to connect some offices in a permanent fashion, while having other offices connect using various dial-up techniques. In this chapter, you’ll take a look at many of the most common WAN technologies that you’ll need to be familiar with for the CCNA and CCDA exams, including those based on point-to-point, circuit switched, and packet-switched connections.
The material to be covered in this chapter includes:
- Introduction to WAN technologies
- High Level Data Link Control Protocol (HDLC)
- Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
- Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
- Frame Relay
