Explain WANS to me.
Explain WANS to me.
WAN encompasses various network connections beyond just the internet, including T1, T3, DSL, Frame Relay, cable, Ethernet, MPLS, and others. These can link branches to main offices, with traffic directed to the central office before reaching the public internet. Software-defined WANs like SD-WAN and iWAN offer finer control over applications and performance.
WAN in this context simply means linking several sites together, though the phrasing is quite weak. It mainly refers to connecting "Academy" with other places. Likely they're asking why you'd want to connect "Academy" to other schools, which could involve sharing resources like files, communication and teamwork among students, video streaming, etc.
That's correct. They're essentially linking these academies via the internet.
In this context, "Wide Area Network" refers to any network beyond the local area but not necessarily limited to the internet. Many people associate WAN with the internet since a basic router or gateway often connects to an ISP for broader access. As networks become more intricate, WAN can take on different roles. For instance, schools might link using dark fiber, MPLS, or Metro-E connections, or they could establish a secure tunnel like a VPN that routes traffic between them. The combined system through such links can be seen as a WAN because users at both locations can interact as if they were part of one network, even though it operates at a higher layer (L3) rather than the local layer (L2).