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Introduction to Wide Area Networks
So what is it that makes something a
wide area network (WAN)
instead of a local area
network (LAN)? Distance is the first thing that comes to mind, but these days, wireless
LANs can cover some serious turf! So is it bandwidth? Here again, in many places really
big pipes can be had for a price, so that’s not it either. Well, what then? Perhaps one of
the best ways to tell a WAN from a LAN is that you generally own a LAN infrastructure
but you lease a WAN infrastructure from a service provider.
The key to understanding WAN technologies is to be familiar with the different WAN
terms and connection types often used by service providers to join your networks together.
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