A WAN network can cover an area from 100 to 1,000 kilometers.
The structure that has a characteristic pattern is called a network . This term, which comes from the Latin word rete , is used in various areas, but it is very common in computing to name the set of computers that are interconnected and share resources .
It is possible to classify a network in different ways according to its scope, the functional relationship of its components and their connection method. The notion of a WAN network is framed in the classification of a network according to its scope.
What is a WAN network
WAN is the acronym for Wide Area Network , an expression in English that can be translated as Wide Area Network . This means that the WAN network is a type of network that covers distances of between about 100 and about 1,000 kilometers, which allows it to provide connectivity to several cities or even an entire country.
WAN networks can be developed by a company or organization for private use, or even by an Internet Service Provider ( ISP ) to provide connectivity to all its customers.
Typically, the WAN network operates point-to-point, so it can be defined as a packet-switched network . These networks, on the other hand, can use radio or satellite communication systems .
WAN networks can be classified differently according to their characteristics.
Components and uses
Among the components of the WAN network are the computers that are dedicated to executing user programs and are called hosts ; routers that specify the division between transmission lines and switching elements; and subnets formed from the interconnection of several hosts.
Its transmission speed is between 1 Mbps and 1 Gbps, although this last limit can change drastically with technological advances. The WAN network is used to establish private communications and the main transmission media on which it is based are fiber optics and telephone cable. It offers great versatility to make modifications to the software and hardware of the equipment it links and also allows connections to be established with other networks.
Advantages of WAN
* allows you to use special software so that mini and mainframe computers coexist among your network elements;
* is not limited to specific geographic spaces;
* offers a wide range of transmission media, such as satellite links.
Its disadvantages
* equipment with a large memory capacity must be used, since this factor has a direct impact on the speed of access to information;
* It is not known for the security it offers to its users. Viruses and program removal are two of the most common problems suffered by the WAN network.
WAN network types
There are several types of WAN networks, and three of them are grouped under the classification of switched networks (in physics, switching consists of changing the destination of a signal or an electrical current):
* By circuits
To establish a communication, this type of WAN network requires a call to be made and only when the connection is made does each user have a direct link.
* By message
Their switches are usually computers that perform the task of accepting traffic from each terminal that is connected to them. These devices evaluate the address found in the header of the messages and can store it for later use. It is worth mentioning that it is also possible to delete, redirect and reply to messages automatically.
* By packages
Each message sent by users is broken up and transformed into a number of small parts called packets, which are put back together once they reach the destination computer, to reconstruct the initial data. These packets move through the network independently, and this has a positive impact on traffic, in addition to facilitating error correction, since in the event of failures, only the affected parts should be forwarded.