Network and Security

Wide Area Networks Wide Area Networks can be seen as connection pipes that interconnect Local Area Networks. Usually WANs in contrast to LANs are not owned by the public; they are owned by service providers and their functionality-infrastructure is leased in order for LANs to be able to extend their expandability and make use of distant-remote services. A number of different WAN connection types exist today. Choosing the right WAN connection type is up to you, but the information in this article will make your decision process much easier. WAN Connection Types Leased Line: This is considered to be a dedicated point-to-point connection type where a permanent communication path exists between a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) on one site and a CPE at the remote site communicating through a Data Communicating Equipment (DCE) within the providers’ site. Synchronous serial lines are used for this connection and the most frequent protocols observed in these lines are HD...

Let’s start with simple explanation of the new format. As you may know, the new-generation-IP talk started in the early 1990s when we were slowly running out of IP addresses. We had quite a few proposals for the new address format but in 1995 IPv6 was selected and the RFCs were officially entered into the RFC repository. IPv6 was created based off of IPv4 with some of the useful IPv4 features carried over to IPv6. There were many changes to the new IP format, however, and I will list some of them here below. Expanded Addressing Capabilities : IPv6 address size increased from 32 bits to 128 bits. Because of the increased size the new address will support a higher number of nodes, more levels of addressing hierarchy, and a much simpler autoconfiguration of addresses for remote users. A new address type was created, called anycast . Header Format Simplification : To simplify the entire IP format, some of the IPv4 header fields were dropped or made optional in IPv6. Fl...

The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite was created by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that communications could survive any conditions and that data integrity wouldn’t be compromised under malicious attacks. The Open Systems Interconnection Basic Reference Model (OSI Model) is an abstract description for network protocol design, developed as an effort to standardize networking. In this article, I will present the differences between the DoD and the OSI models and then provide details about the DoD’s version of TCP/IP. I will also describe the protocols used at the various layers of the DoD model and provide you with the details of TCP and UDP protocols. Throughout this article you will find useful information concerning the protocol suite of the century: TCP/IP. So if you’re preparing for your CCENT or CCNA exams, or if you’re just interested in networking, this is one article you don’t want to miss! Fasten your s...