In this section you will learn the basic overview of the wan networking overview, wide area communication methods, lan, atm, sonets and x.25 protocols.. There are three basic types of computer networking LAN (local area network), MAN (metropolitan area network) and WAN (Wide area network). A wide area network is a geographically dispersed large network. A wide area network can be privately owned or rented. A WAN covers a large geographical area such as a city, province or a country.
A widea area network may consist of a multiple LANs or MANs. The world’s most popular wide arae network in the world is is the internet. WANs are the corporate network that utilizes leased lines.
Wide area networks generally utilize much expensive equipment. The main communication technologies that are included in the WAN are SONET, Frame Relay and ATM. The computers that are connected to the WANs are generally connected through the public networks and they can also be connected through the satellites.
WANs are used to connect the computers in the one part of the world with the other part of the world. So the users and computers from the different parts of the world can communicate with each other. Many WANs are generally built for one organization. Other types of WAN networking are the Internet service providers that connect the LANS or individual computers to the Internet. WAN networks are built using the leased lines and a router is connected to the one end of the WAN and a hub is connected to the other end.
With this hub a number of computers and other hubs and switches are connected. Among the other methods of building the WANs are the circuit switching or packet switching methods. The general protocols and the communication technologies that are involved in the overall wide area networking/communication are TCP/IP, SONET, MPLS, ATM and X.25, which closely works with frame relay. Typical a WAN consists of a number of interconnected switching nodes.