13.1.1 - WAN and the OSI Model

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to Wide Area Networks (WAN) and the OSI Model.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A telecommunications network that extends over a large geographic area for the primary purpose of computer networking.

Enterprise WAN

A WAN that is used and controlled by a single organization.

Public Networks

Networks owned by telecommunications companies that provide WAN services to businesses and households.

Modem

A device that performs modulation of outgoing signals and demodulation of incoming data, working at the Physical layer of the OSI model.

Modulation

The process of transforming an electromagnetic wave to represent information.

Legacy Modems

Modems that perform digital to analog modulation for transmission over voice lines and typically support low bandwidths.

Digital Modems

Modems that transform digital signals received as Ethernet frames for transmission over WAN media.

Data Link Layer

The layer in the OSI model where WANs often use simpler protocols than Ethernet LANs.

Internet Protocol (IP)

The protocol used at the Network layer to address customer and provider sites in WANs.

Customer Edge (CE) Router

The device that connects to a provider edge (PE) in a WAN setup.

Provider Edge (PE)

The point of demarcation between the customer and provider in a WAN.