Metro Ethernet :: essays research papers

metro EthernetDisclaimer this is intended to be an introductory technical article indisputable details have been excluded in the interests of space and clarity. Network design examples ar presented to illustrate specific technical points and are not intended to amply complete.Historically sicks (Wide airfield Networks) and local area networks (Local Area Networks) have relied on independent technologies. At a physical tier WAN technologies today continue to be based largely on legacy TDM systems that were built initially to support voice, video and early(a) info communications in a reliable fashion. WAN connectivity over outgo often requires the use of regenerators and meet points between multiple Telco suppliers that may span the globe. Without strict adherence to standards, these connections would not function. WAN technologies depend on highly complex and expensive equipment, which can guarantee inter-operability and five 9s reliability required to support the millions of paying customers utilizing the network.Meanwhile, the advent of early PCs and the recognition of the value in networking devices together gave cabbage to Local Area Networks. These LANs were developed from a bloodline customer perspective, which placed more emphasis on costs and facilitate of use over reliability. There were a number of different competing LAN technologies, two of the most common being Token Ring (IBM) and Ethernet (everyone else). The rejoice of Ethernet in the marketplace, to the extent where it is included in every PC, game storage locker and some refrigerators, provides a consistent and relatively inexpensive way to bring in internal networks with relative ease. As the internal PC networks continued to enkindle and thrive a need to connect different facilities together resulted in development of bridges, gateways and ultimately routers for the sole purpose of connecting LANs to other LANs located anywhere from several miles to several thousand miles apart. These devices allow disparate interface types to be connected by performing the necessary modifications to the point and protocols to allow WAN and LAN equipment to understand one another. Because LAN Ethernet and WAN TDM networks were so vastly different in their technical make-up these go-between devices were needed to allow inter-communication to occur. While the benefits of enterprise connectivity are great, they come at the cost of special hardware, software and application complexity as the speed up of the network can change by a factor of degree Celsius between a client and the server (100 Meg bit per aid Ethernet to 1.5 Meg bit per second WAN).