Beyond Local Networks

Just as talk about backbones leads to talk about the Internet, talk about networks of networks leads inevitably to talk about wide area networks, or WANs. In days of yore, only companies with deep pockets could afford WAN links. Today, with high bandwidth connections to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) becoming increasingly common, small- to medium- sized outfits now have to worry about linking their internetworks to other networks using a variety of long-haul digital links.

For most Windows Server 2003-based networks, understanding how to connect to your local ISP is all the WAN linking you'll ever need to do. Most situations require T1 or slower technologies. In such situations, Windows Server 2003 performs creditably as a router or works admirably with an external routing device to help you make the outside connections your network needs.