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WAN Concepts

  • Sample Chapter is provided courtesy of Cisco Press.
  • Date: Nov 30, 2017.

Contents

  1. Objectives
  2. Key Terms
  3. Introduction (1.0)
  4. WAN Technologies Overview (1.1)
  5. Selecting a WAN Technology (1.2)
  6. Summary (1.3)
  7. Practice
  8. Check Your Understanding Questions

Chapter Description

What is the purpose of a WAN? In this sample chapter from Connecting Networks v6 Companion Guide, explore how wide-area networks (WANs) operate, what services are available, the differences between private and public WAN technologies, and more.

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Check Your Understanding Questions

Complete all the review questions listed here to test your understanding of the topics and concepts in this chapter. The appendix “Answers to the ‘Check Your Understanding’ Questions” lists the answers.

    1. A small company with 10 employees uses a single LAN to share information between computers. Which type of connection to the Internet would be appropriate for this company?

    1. A broadband service, such as DSL, through the company’s local service provider

    2. A dialup connection that is supplied by the local telephone service provider

    3. Private dedicated lines through the local service provider

    4. A VSAT connection to a service provider

    2. Which network scenario will require the use of a WAN?

    1. Employee workstations need to obtain dynamically assigned IP addresses.

    2. Employees in the branch office need to share files with the headquarters office that is located in a separate building on the same campus network.

    3. Employees need to access web pages that are hosted on the corporate web servers in the DMZ within their building.

    4. Employees need to connect to the corporate email server through a VPN while traveling.

    3. Which statement describes a characteristic of a WAN?

    1. A WAN operates within the same geographic scope of a LAN but has serial links.

    2. A WAN provides end-user network connectivity to the campus backbone.

    3. All serial links are considered WAN connections.

    4. WAN networks are owned by service providers.

    4. Which two devices are needed when a digital leased line is used to provide a connection between the customer and the service provider? (Choose two.)

    1. Access server

    2. CSU

    3. Dialup modem

    4. DSU

    5. Layer 2 switch

    5. What is a requirement of a connectionless packet-switched network?

    1. A virtual circuit is created for the duration of the packet delivery.

    2. Each packet has to carry only an identifier.

    3. Full addressing information must be carried in each data packet.

    4. The network predetermines the route for a packet.

    6. What is an advantage of packet-switched technology over circuit-switched technology?

    1. Packet-switched networks are less susceptible to jitter than circuit-switched networks are.

    2. Packet-switched networks can efficiently use multiple routes inside a service provider network.

    3. Packet-switched networks do not require an expensive permanent connection to each endpoint.

    4. Packet-switched networks usually experience lower latency than circuit-switched networks experience.

    7. What is a long-distance fiber-optic media technology that supports both SONET and SDH, and assigns incoming optical signals to specific wavelengths of light?

    1. ATM

    2. DWDM

    3. ISDN

    4. MPLS

    8. What is the recommended technology to use over a public WAN infrastructure when a branch office is connected to the corporate site?

    1. ATM

    2. ISDN

    3. Municipal Wi-Fi

    4. VPN

    9. What are two common high-bandwidth fiber-optic media standards? (Choose two.)

    1. ANSI

    2. ATM

    3. ITU

    4. SDH

    5. SONET

    10. Which WAN technology establishes a dedicated constant point-to-point connection between two sites?

    1. ATM

    2. Frame Relay

    3. ISDN

    4. Leased lines

    11. A hospital is looking for a solution to connect multiple, newly established remote branch medical offices. Which consideration is important when selecting a private WAN connection rather than a public WAN connection?

    1. Data security and confidentiality during transmission

    2. Higher data transmission rate

    3. Lower cost

    4. Website and file exchange service support

    12. A new corporation needs a data network that must meet certain requirements. The network must provide a low-cost connection to salespeople dispersed over a large geographical area. Which two types of WAN infrastructure would meet the requirements? (Choose two.)

    1. Dedicated

    2. Internet

    3. Private infrastructure

    4. Public infrastructure

    5. Satellite

    13. Which wireless technology provides Internet access through cellular networks?

    1. LTE

    2. Municipal Wi-Fi

    3. Satellite

    4. WiMAX

    14. Which equipment is needed for an ISP to provide Internet connections through cable service?

    1. Access server

    2. CMTS

    3. CSU/DSU

    4. DSLAM

    15. A customer needs a WAN virtual connection that provides high-speed, dedicated bandwidth between two sites. Which type of WAN connection would best fulfill this need?

    1. Circuit-switched network

    2. Ethernet WAN

    3. MPLS

    4. Packet-switched network

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