ABSTRACT
Every aspect of connecting computers together is encompassed by the communication between two or more networks. Vastly disparate end-system communication requirements are now being supported by LAN/WANs. A LAN/ WAN system requires many protocols and features to permit scalability and manageability without constant manual intervention. Large-scale LAN/WAN systems can consist of the following three distinct components:
1. Campus networks, which consist of locally connected users (LANs) in a building or group of buildings
2. Remote connections, which link branch offices and single users (mobile users or telecommuters) to a local campus or the Internet
3. Wide area networks (WANs), which connect campuses together
According to Cisco, an example of a typical enterprise LAN/WAN system is shown in Exhibit 1.
