Chapter 10
Introduction to Wide Area Networks
THE CCENT EXAM TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
- Implement and verify WAN links
- Describe different methods for connecting to a WAN
- Configure and verify a basic WAN serial connection
The Cisco IOS supports many different WAN protocols that can help you extend your LANs to other LANs at remote sites. Connecting company sites together so that information can be exchanged is imperative in today's economy. But it wouldn't exactly be cost-effective to put in your own cable or connections to connect all of your company's remote locations yourself. A better way to go about it is to use service providers that will lease or share connections they already have installed and save you huge amounts of money and time.
I'm not going to cover every type of Cisco WAN support in this chapter—again, this book's purpose is mainly to give you everything you need to pass the exam. For that reason, I'm going to focus on HDLC and PPP, although I'll touch on other technologies, like Frame Relay. But first, I will look at WAN basics, including cabling a WAN.
For more detail on WAN technologies, above and beyond the Cisco ICND1 (CCENT) objectives, please see my CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide, Seventh Edition (Sybex, 2011).
For up-to-the minute updates for this chapter, please see www.lammle.com/forum and/or www.sybex.com/go/ccent2e.