Accessing the WAN, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide

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Accessing the WAN, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide is the official supplemental textbook for the Accessing the WAN course in the Cisco Networking Academy CCNA Exploration curriculum version 4. This course discusses the WAN technologies and network services required by converged applications in enterprise networks. The Companion Guide, written and edited by Networking Academy instructors, is designed as a portable desk reference to use anytime, anywhere. The book’s features reinforce the material in the course to help you focus on important concepts and organize your study time for exams.

New and improved features help you study and succeed in this course:

• Chapter objectives: Review core concepts by answering the focus questions listed at the beginning of each chapter.
• Key terms: Refer to the updated lists of networking vocabulary introduced and turn to the highlighted terms in context in each chapter.
• Glossary: Consult the all-new comprehensive glossary with more than 250 terms.
• Check Your Understanding questions and answer key: Evaluate your readiness with the updated end-of-chapter questions that match the style of questions you see on the online course quizzes. The answer key explains each answer.
• Challenge questions and activities: Strive to ace more challenging review questions and activities designed to prepare you for the complex styles of questions you might see on the CCNA exam. The answer key explains each answer.

Bob Vachon is the coordinator of the Computer Systems Technology program and teaches networking infrastructure courses at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Bob has worked and taught in the computer networking and information technology field for 25 years and is a scholar graduate of Cambrian College. 

Rick Graziani teaches computer science and computer networking courses at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. Rick has worked and taught in the computer networking and information technology field for 30 years.

How To: Look for this icon to study the steps that you need to learn to perform certain tasks.

Packet Tracer Activities: Explore networking concepts in activities interspersed throughout some chapters using

Packet Tracer v4.1 developed by Cisco. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM.

Also available for the Accessing the WAN Course

Accessing the WAN,

CCNA Exploration

Labs and Study Guide

ISBN-10: 1-58713-201-X

ISBN-13: 978-1-58713-201-8

Companion CD-ROM

The CD-ROM provides many useful tools and information to support your educa

Table of Contents

&atext-align=left align=left>Chapter 1 Introduction to WANs 1

Objectives 1

Key Terms 1

Introducing Wide-Area Networks (WANs) 3

    What Is a WAN? 3

    Why Are WANs Necessary? 5

    Businesses and Their Networks 5

    Small Office (Single LAN) 6

    Campus (Multiple LANs) 6

    Branch (WAN) 8

    Distributed (Global) 9

    The Hierarchical Design Model 11

    The Enterprise Architecture 13

    WAN Technology Overview 17

    WAN Physical Layer Concepts 18

    WAN Data Link Layer Concepts 23

    WAN Switching Concepts 26

    WAN Link Connection Options 29

    Dedicated Connection Link Options 31

    Circuit-Switched Connection Options 32

    Packet-Switched Connection Options 35

I    nternet Connection Options 38

    Choosing a WAN Link Connection 44

    How Does Serial Communication Work? 56

    Serial Communication Standards 59

    TDM 61

    Demarcation Point 66

    Data Terminal Equipment

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