WAN Networks
Networks can be as simple as two computers connected
together with two Network Interface Cards (NICs), to a network interconnected with Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and
various Wide Area Networks (WANs). To make it interesting you can throw in various Satellite Based Networks (SATNETS).
To be quite honest with you - we have basically just described the "Internet" in a simplistic way. The Internet is often referred to as a "cloud" because by it's very nature it defys finite description. The Internet Cloud is a virtual tangle of interconnected networks that interract with a set of rules (called Protocols). Without a defined set of rules governing interoperability and equipment compatability standards - the Internet as we know it would be impossible to navigate, much less communicate with. The Wide Area Network (WAN)is essentialy defined as a network that is contructed of hardware elements and cabling (be it fiber-optic or copper)installed and configured to cover a defined portion of a given Geographical Area. Note: The major difference between a MAN and A WAN Wide Area Network) is basically sematics. The WAN can cover a large geographical area in any part of the world. The WAN may very well even cover geographical areas in one or more areas of the world. The MAN is generally confined to within a specific geographic region associated with a given Metropolital Area,Town, or City. The Wide Area Network (WAN) may also be comprised of several larger Networks providing the "actual" backbone link to interconnect the dispersed segments of the network. This is essentially the art of "Virtual Networking" at its best. The WAN by definition is "wide area" - therefore in a literal sense the actual Internet may be literally defined as a WAN. |