Network Setup and WAN Technologies

Introduction

As the sole IT support specialist at a small company, you have set up a network that initially consisted of a few computers in a single office. To conserve IP addresses, you used nonwritable address space for the internal IPs. You configured a router with Network Address Translation (NAT) to connect the office to the internet provided by an ISP. Additionally, you set up a local DNS server and a DHCP server for network configuration.

Network Expansion

As the company grows, you have plenty of address space for internal IPs. Some salespeople need remote access to resources while on the road, so you configure a VPN server and enable port forwarding. This allows employees from anywhere in the world to connect to the office LAN.

Wide Area Networks (WAN)

With the expansion of the company, a new office is opened in another city. This is where Wide Area Networks (WAN) come into play. Unlike Local Area Networks (LAN), WAN spans across multiple physical locations.

WAN technologies require contracting a link with an ISP to connect the different sites. The ISP handles the data transmission between the sites. Each site has a demarcation point where the ISP's network takes over. The area between the demarcation point and the ISP's core network is called a local loop, which could be a T carrier line or a high-speed optical connection.

From the ISP's regional office, the connection extends to the ISP's core network and the wider internet.

Data Link Layer Protocols in WAN

WANs utilize various protocols at the data link layer to transport data between sites. These protocols differ from the commonly used Ethernet protocols found in LANs. The specific protocols used in WANs and the core internet infrastructure are beyond the scope of this course.

Expand your network and connect multiple locations with WAN technologies! 🌐💼