Chapter 14. Network Architecture Introduction


The following topics are covered in this chapter:

  • Network Devices

  • Hierarchical Network Model

  • WAN Oversubscription

Networks can be broken down into four categories, depending on the geographic relation of the network components. These four network categories are as follows:

  • Wide Area Network (WAN) WANs use interconnections that span geographically separate networks. Figure 14-1 illustrates a WAN.

    Figure 14-1. WAN

    graphics/14fig01.gif

  • Campus Area Network (CAN) CANs interconnect local area networks (LANs) within a limited geographical space, such as a school campus or a military base. CANs are illustrated in Figure 14-2.

    Figure 14-2. CAN

    graphics/14fig02.gif

  • Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) MANs are designed for a town or city. MANs are larger than LANs, but smaller than WANs. MAN implementations often involve the deployment of fiber optic facilities, such as Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) to interconnect several buildings within a metropolitan area, as illustrated in Figure 14-3.

    Figure 14-3. MAN

    graphics/14fig03.gif

  • Local Area Network (LAN) LANs span a relatively small area; a LAN is illustrated in Figure 14-4.

    Figure 14-4. LAN

    graphics/14fig04.gif

    Often LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings, creating a CAN. However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via network service provider connections, which in turn creates a WAN.



Network Sales and Services Handbook
Network Sales and Services Handbook (Cisco Press Networking Technology)
ISBN: 1587050900
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 269

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