Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks

TRUE/FALSE
The following are possible True/False questions for tests. The statement is given and the answer is provided in square brackets. The level of difficulty (easy, moderate, difficult) and the page number(s) relevant to the topic are also furnished. 1. In building Wide Area Networks, many organizations do not build their own long distance communication circuits. [True; p. 238] Easy 2. MANs usually span 3 to 30 miles and connect BNs and LANs. [True; p. 238] Easy 3. WANs connect BNs and MANs across distances that can span up to thousands of miles. [True; p. 238] Easy 4. A common carrier, such as AT&T, rents or leases circuits that can be used in MANs and WANS for organizations. [True; p. 238] Easy 5. Today, a common carrier that provides long distance services is typically called a local exchange carrier. [False, it is called an interexchange carrier; p. 239] Easy 6. Circuit switched networks run over the public switched telephone networks operated by the common carriers. [True; p. 239] Easy 7. Cloud (as in cloud architecture) means that the design for the common carriers network comes from satellite networks above the clouds. [False; Cloud means that the design of the common carrier is hidden from view; p. 239] Moderate 8. Another way to refer to dialed services is by the term, plain vanilla telephone service (PVTS). [False, it is POTS, or Plain Old Telephone System; p. 240] Moderate 9. Dial-up is also known as direct dialing. [True; p. 240-241] Easy 10. POTS always uses the came circuit paths each time a number is dialed so that quality and maximum data rate is always the same. [False, different circuit paths are used; p. 241] Easy 11. The original Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is also known as mediumband ISDN. [False; it is known as narrowband ISDN; p. 241] Easy 12. One type of ISDN is BRI (basic rate interface) that is mainly used by commercial customers. [False, BRI is designed for home or small business use; p. 241-242] Easy 13. Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN) uses X.25 to move packets through the network. [False, it uses ATM; p. 242] Moderate

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks

14. A CSU/DSU in a dedicated circuit network is analogous to a NIC in a LAN. [True; p. 243] Moderate 15. An advantage of a ring architecture is that messages take a very short time to travel from the sender to the receiver. [False, messages can take a long time; p. 244] Moderate 16. A WAN with a ring topology can use full or half duplex circuits. [True; p. 244] Moderate 17. A disadvantage of a star architecture is that the failure of one circuit will disrupt the entire network. [False; the failure of one circuit will affect only the computers on that circuit; p. 245] Moderate 18. Full mesh networks are inexpensive. [False, they are extremely expensive; p. 245] Easy 19. Full mesh design networks are more common than partial mesh design networks. [False, partial mesh design networks are more common; p. 245] Moderate 20. T carrier circuits can only be used to transmit voice. [False, they are used to transmit both voice and data; p. 247] Easy 21. The SONET is made up of very high speed dedicated circuits that incorporate inverse multiplexing (IMUX) for all levels above the OC-1 level. [True; p. 248] Moderate 22. To connect into a packet switched network, a network terminator is generally used. [False, a PAD is used; p. 250] Moderate 23. Packet switched networks enable packets from separate messages or separate organizations to be interleaved for transmission. [True; p. 250] Easy 24. Datagrams are connection-oriented. [False, datagrams are connectionless; p. 251] Moderate 25. The committed information rate (CIR) in a permanent virtual circuit is the maximum allowable rate that the network will attempt to provide. [False, it is the data rate the PVC will guarantee to transmit; p. 252] Moderate 26. X.25 is the newest packet switched standard. [False, it is the oldest; p. 252] Easy 27. ATM provides no error control in the network. [True; p. 253] Easy 28. ATM can be scaled into faster ATM circuits. [True; p. 253] Easy

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 29. Frame relay is a reliable packet service. [False, it is unreliable; p. 254-255] Easy 30. Switched Multimegabit Data Service encapsulates incoming packets. [True; p. 255] Easy 31. Ethernet/IP packet networks are not provided by common carriers such as AT&T. [True; p. 255] Easy 32. Virtual private networks permit users to create permanent virtual circuits, or tunnels, through the Internet. [True; p. 256] Easy 33. VPNs operate at layer 4. [False; they operate at either layer 2 or layer 3; p. 257] Easy 34. VPNs offer high security because they operate through the Internet. [False, security is a concern; p. 257] Moderate

MULTIPLE CHOICE
The following are possible multiple-choice questions for tests. The question is posed and the answer is provided under the choices. The level of difficulty (easy, moderate, difficult) and the page number(s) relevant to the topic are also furnished. 1. ____________ are companies that build a data and telecommunications infrastructure from which other companies can lease services for WANs and MANs. a. Common carriers b. Router manufacturers c. Standards organizations d. CSUs e. PUCs Answer: a, Easy; p. 238 2. Each state or Canadian province has its own ___________ to regulate communications within its borders. a. CRTC b. Federal Communications Commission c. common carriers d. public utilities commission e. PTT Answer: d, Easy, p. 239 3. The _________________ is a Canadian government agency that regulates voice and data communication. a. PSTN b. FCC c. CRTC d. CSU e. POTS Answer: c, Moderate, p. 239

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks

4.

Which of the following is not one of the large interexchange carriers operating in North America today? a. Sprint b. DSU c. MCI Worldcom d. AT&T e. none of the above is an IEC Answer: b, Moderate, p. 239 5. ________ is a type of WAN connection that uses the normal voice telephone network. a. ATM b. Dial-up service c. T-Carrier services d. Digital Subscriber Line e. X.25 Answer: b, Easy, p. 240 6. When a person uses a regular modem to make a connection to an Internet service provider through POTS, the data travels over a: a. dedicated circuit b. dialed circuit c. ISDN circuit d. VPN circuit e. T-1 carrier circuit Answer: b, Moderate, p. 241 7. Special rate services that allow dialed circuit calls for both voice communications and data transmission to be purchased in large quantities are known as __________ a. DSL b. RBOC c. ATM d. WATS e. X.25 Answer: d, Easy, p. 241 8. Which of the following is not a problem with dialed circuits? a. Data transmission rates on dialed circuits are relatively low. b. Dialed circuits may vary in quality. c. Transmission rates for dialed circuits can vary with each call. d. It is hard to predict if a given connection will be clear or noisy. e. Use of these circuits is very simple. Answer: e, Moderate, p. 241 9. ISDN (narrowband): a. refers to Interexchange Symmetric Data Network b. has been widely adopted in all parts of North America for more than 40 years c. requires users have special equipment: an ISDN network terminator, and a network interface card in all computers connected to an ISDN network terminator d. can only send data over its circuits e. has had no standardization issues between equipment vendors and common carriers Answer: c, Moderate, p. 241

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 10. Adoption of narrowband ISDN in North America has been: a. fast b. slow c. rapid d. non existent, since it is not offered in North America e. none of the above Answer: b, Moderate, p. 241 11. Basic rate interface: a. is typically offered only to commercial customers b. provides a communications circuit with two 64 Kbps B channels, plus one D channel c. is defined exactly the same way in Europe d. has an upper capacity of 1.544 Mbps e. is comprised of analog circuits only Answer: b, Moderate, p. 241 12. Primary rate interface: a. is typically offered only to commercial customers b. provides a communications circuit with two 64 Kbps B channels, plus one D channel c. is defined exactly the same way in Europe d. has an upper capacity of 128Kbps e. is comprised of analog circuits only Answer: a, Moderate, p. 242 13. One type of Broadband ISDN service is intended to be used for digital broadcast television: a. analog service b. asymmetrical service with two simplex channels c. one full duplex channel operating at 155.52 Mbps d. packet-switched service e. one full duplex channel operating at 622.08 Mbps Answer: b, Moderate, p. 242 14. A ___________ is/are devices that permit a user to connect to a digital T-carrier service. a. modem b. codec c. CSU/DSU d. NIC e. ATM Answer: c, Moderate, p. 243 15. Which of the following is not a basic architecture for dedicated circuit networks? a. ring b. partial mesh c. bus d. star e. fully interconnected mesh Answer: c, Moderate, p. 243 16. A ________ geometric layout connects all computers in a closed loop, with each computer linked to the next usually with a series of point-to-point dedicated circuits. a. bus design b. star design c. full mesh design d. ring design e. partial mesh design Answer: d, Easy, p. 244

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 17. In a ring design WAN, a. messages can take a long time to travel from the sender to the receiver b. a message arrives at all computers on the network simultaneously c. messages always arrive faster than in other types of layouts d. messages are delivered directly from sender to receiver because there is a point-to-point connection directly between each sender and each receiver e. messages always take one second to travel between sender and receiver Answer: a, Moderate, p. 244 18. In a ring design WAN, a. failure in one circuit means that the network can most likely continue to function b. failure in one circuit always means that the network will cease to function c. failure in one computer always means that the network will cease to function d. failure in one circuit means that there will not be any increased traffic delays in the network e. failure in one computer always means that messages will stop at that computer since it would be impossible to re-route traffic Answer: a, Moderate, p. 244 19. A star architecture: a. connects all computers in a closed loop b. connects all computers off a backbone circuit c. connects all computers to one central computer that routes messages to the appropriate computer d. all of the above e. none of the above Answer: c, Easy, p. 245 20. A _______ geometric layout for a WAN connects all computers to one central computer that routes messages to the appropriate computer, usually via a series of point-to-point dedicated circuits. a. ring design b. mesh design c. bus design d. star design e. mesh design Answer: d, Easy, p. 245 21. A star topology is: a. difficult to manage because the central computer receives and routes all messages in the network b. dependent upon the capacity of the central computer for its performance c. always slower than a ring network d. less susceptible to traffic problems than other architectures e. not affected if the central computer fails Answer: b, Moderate, p. 245 22. In ______ geometric layout for a network, every computer is connected to every other computer often by pointto-point dedicated circuits. a. full mesh design b. ring design c. star design d. bus design e. partial mesh design Answer: a, Easy, p. 245

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 23. Mesh networks: a. usually provide relatively long routes through the network (compared to ring networks) b. require more processing by each computer in the network than in star or ring networks c. do not use decentralized routing d. do not have much capacity wasted by network status information e. do not have many possible routes through the network to prevent one circuit from becoming overloaded Answer: b, Moderate, p. 245 24. _____ are dedicated digital circuits that are the most commonly used form of dedicated circuit services in North America today. a. Wideband analog services b. SMDS c. ATM d. T-carrier services e. ISDN Answer: d, Moderate, p. 247 25. The data rate for a T-1 circuit in North America is: a. 1.544 Mbps b. 6.312 Mbps c. 44.376 Mbps d. 274.176 Mbps e. 1.544 Gbps Answer: a, Easy, p. 247 26. SONET: a. is a standard for optical transmission that currently operates at Terabit per second speeds b. is very similar to the ITU-T standard, synchronous digital hierarchy c. uses inverse multiplexing above the OC-1 level d. refers to Sprint Overall Network e. is not currently available, even in large cities Answer: b, Difficult, p. 248 27. A ________________ is one in which the organization establishes network connection points at a variety of locations and uses the carriers network to make temporary connections between the locations as needed. In the network cloud, multiple connections can exist simultaneously between computers over the same physical circuit. a. fractional T-1 network b. dialed T-2 network c. dedicated network d. packet-switched network e. T-3 network Answer: d, Easy, p. 248-249 28. Which of the following is not a benefit of packet switched services? a. The data transmission rates tend to be lower than dial-up or dedicated circuits. b. You dont have to set up dedicated circuits between each end point from and to which you wish to transmit data and/or voice. c. You have the flexibility to send data through a temporary circuit between two connections that will be disconnected as soon as the digital transmission is completed. d. All circuits are less susceptible to a great deal of noise because they are digital. e. You dont have to specify all the interconnecting services you need for your WAN when you buy the service. Answer: a, Moderate, p. 248-252

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 29. A _____________ is a users connection into a packet switched service. a. packet analog/digital device b. packet asynchronous/discrete device c. packet asymmetric/data transmission device d. packet assembly/disassembly device e. packet analyzer/decoder device Answer: d, Moderate, p. 250 30. Which of the following type of networks permit packets from separate messages to be interleaved? a. circuit switched network b. dedicated circuit network c. dial up circuit network d. packet switched network e. Fractional T-1 network Answer: d, Easy, p. 250 31. A _______ is a connectionless method of sending data packets on a packet switched service. a. bursty packet b. virtual circuit c. datagram d. histogram e. permanent virtual circuit Answer: c, Easy, p. 251 32. A _________ is a connection-oriented approach to sending packets on a packet switched service. a. permanent virtual circuit b. datagram c. histogram d. bursty packet e. fractional T-1 network Answer: a, Easy, p. 251 33. In a packet switched network, permanent virtual circuits that look very similar to a _____________ (for hardware-based dedicated circuits) move packets through the network. a. cloud-based ring design b. cloak-based mesh design c. cloud-based mesh design d. common carrier ring design e. common carrier bus design Answer: c, Moderate, p. 252 34. Which of the following is not true about X.25? a. It is the oldest type of packet switched service. b. It offers datagram, switched virtual circuit, and permanent virtual circuit services. c. It uses the LAPB data link layer protocol. d. It is a type of circuit switched service. e. It is not used widely in North America, except by multinational companies. Answer: d, Moderate, p. 252 35. ____________ is a newer type of packet switching technology. a. ATM b. SONET c. ISDN d. ADSL e. X.25 Answer: a, Moderate, p. 252

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks

36. Which of the following is not a difference between ATM and X.25? a. ATM networks do not perform error control at each node, or computer, in the network. b. ATM provides packet switched service. c. ATM is scalable. d. ATM provides quality of service information used for setting different priorities for packet transmission e. ATM has cells that are 53 bytes long. Answer: b, Moderate, p. 252-253 37. Which of the following is a difference between ATM and frame relay? a. Frame relay encapsulates packets. b. Frame relay is an unreliable packet service. c. Frame relay has a maximum CIR speed of up to 45 Mbps. d. Frame relay does not perform error control at each node in the network. e. Frame relay provides packet switched service. Answer: c, Easy, p. 252-255 38. SMDS: a. is not yet a widely accepted standard b. refers to Subscriber Mainframe Digital Subscriber c. performs error checking, unlike frame relay and ATM d. does not encapsulate packets e. is a reliable packet service Answer: a, Moderate, pp. 255 39. Ethernet/IP packet networks: a. are supported with gigabit fiber optic networks in large cities b. are offered only by the common carriers c. use token ring layer 2 media access control d. use IPX/SPX protocols e. provide CIR up to a maximum of 1.544 Mbps Answer: a, Moderate, p. 255 40. A _______________ is particular type of network that uses circuits that run over the Internet but that appears to the user to be a private network. a. local carrier network b. virtual private network c. integrated service digital network d. software defined network e. SONET network Answer: b, Moderate, p. 256 41. With a virtual private network, users create permanent virtual circuits through the Internet called: a. bursts b. cells c. tunnels d. rings e. clouds Answer: c, Moderate, p. 256

Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 42. Which of the following is an advantage of a VPN? a. low cost b. inflexibility c. unpredictable traffic congestion d. security e. complexity to the user Answer: a, Easy, p. 257 43. Which of the following is not a type of VPN? a. intranet VPN b. extranet VPN c. access VPN d. T-1 VPN e. a VPN that enables employees to access an organizations network from a remote location Answer: d, Moderate, p. 258 44. _____________ is an emerging standard for use by layer 2 access VPNs for encapsulation. a. L2TP b. VPN2 c. Encapsule2 d. TCP/IP e. PPP Answer: a, Moderate, p. 258 45. __________ is a term that refers to the speed in converting input packets to output packets. a. Transfer mode b. Latency c. Burstiness d. Cell relay e. Frame relay Answer: b, Moderate, p. 260 46. The performance of MANs and WANs can be improved by: a. upgrading the circuits between the computers b. increasing the demand placed on the network c. downgrading the circuits between the computers d. downgrading the devices that provide access to the circuits e. increasing network traffic Answer: a, Easy, p. 260 47. Dynamic routing: a. imposes an overhead cost by increasing network traffic b. decreases performance in networks which have many possible routes c. decreases performance in networks with bursty traffic d. should be used in 80 to 90 percent of total networks capacity e. is another term for static routing in WANs Answer: a, Moderate, p. 260 48. Which of the following is not a way to reduce network demand? a. shifting network usage from high cost times to lower cost times b. using data compression techniques for all data in the network c. requiring a network impact statement for all application software developed by the organization d. moving data further from the applications and people who use them e. shifting network usage from peak to lower demand times Answer: d, Moderate, p. 261

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Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 49. Which of the following is not a key issue to be considered when selecting a WAN service? a. prestige value of using a particular common carrier b. flexibility c. capacity d. control e. reliability Answer: a, Moderate, p. 261-262 50. If you have a low volume of message traffic on a small WAN or MAN, _________ service is recommended, but if you have a high traffic, large WAN or MAN, __________ service would be more cost effective. a. dedicated, dial-up b. packet, dial-up c. inward, outward d. outward, inward e. dial-up, packet Answer: e, Easy, p. 262

Short Answer Questions

1. Who regulates common carriers and how is it done? Answer: A common carrier is a private company that sells or leases communication services and facilities to the public. Most countries have a federal government agency, such as the FCC in the U.S. that regulates data and voice communications. Each state or province also has its own public utilities commission to regulate communications within its borders. 2. How is a virtual circuit distinguished from other circuits? Answer: A virtual circuit appears to be one end-to-end circuit between sender and receiver. All packets for transmission take the same route over the VC that has been set up for that particular transmission. VCs usually are permanent virtual circuits, defined for frequent and consistent use by the network. They behave like dedicated switches but they are built using software instead of hardware-based dedicated circuits. 3. How does a reliable packet service differ from an unreliable packet service? Answer: A reliable packet service, like X.25, guarantees error detection and delivery of the packets because error control is done at each node in the network. An unreliable packet service, like ATM, does not perform error control, which is left up to the software at the source and destination. 4. How do VPN services differ from common carrier services? Answer: VPNs provide the equivalent of private packet switched networks over the public Internet. You establish a series of PVCs that run over the Internet, so that the network acts like a set of dedicated circuits over a private packet network. The primary advantage of the VPNs is low cost and flexibility. The major cost is Internet access, which is inexpensive compared to the cost of common carrier circuits. Also, they are very fast because you can put a VPN anywhere you can access the Internet. However, traffic on the Internet is unpredictable. Also, security is a major concern. 5. How do datagram services differ from virtual circuit services in a packet switched network?

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Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks Answer: A datagram is a connectionless service. Destination number and sequence number are added to each packet because each packet may follow a different route to the destination. At the destination, the sequence number tells the network how to reassemble the packets into a continuous message. The more common routing method today is a connection-oriented approach called a virtual circuit. The packet switched network establishes what appears to be one end-to-end circuit between the sender and receiver. All packets for that transmission take the same route over the virtual circuit set up for that particular transmission. 6. Under what circumstances would you recommend using dedicated circuit services rather than packet switched services? Answer: A dedicated circuit is a point-to-point circuit available for the exclusive use of the leasing organization that connects two offices. A packet switched service is one in which the organization establishes network connection points at a variety of locations and uses the carriers network to make temporary (switched) connections between locations. The user breaks data transmissions into pre-defined packets that conform to network protocols. With a dedicated circuit, the organization pays a fixed monthly fee, while with packet switched service the organization pays on a per-use basis. A dedicated circuit is leased from the common carrier for exclusive use twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. Faster and more noise-free transmissions are possible, but you must carefully plan the circuits you need because changes can be expensive. Dedicated circuits are less flexible than switched circuits, but can be cheaper if used constantly. Dedicated circuits provide more control over message routing because your computers handle it. With switched services, the service provider is responsible for the routing, and your messages get intermixed with those of other network users. 7. Is a WAN that uses dedicated circuits easier or harder to design than one that used dialed circuits? Answer: Harder. A dial-up network will use different circuit paths each time a number is dialed. As a result, some circuits may have more noise and distortion than others, so the quality and maximum data transmission rate can vary. Also, with a dial-up circuit, you pay per use, so you sacrifice quality and speed for flexibility in design and contractual commitments. On the other hand, a dedicated circuit is a circuit that is leased from a common carrier for exclusive use 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Dedicated circuits are billed at a flat fee per month for unlimited use of the circuit. Once you sign a contract, making changes can be expensive because it means rewiring the buildings and signing a new contract with the carrier. Therefore, dedicated circuits require more care in network design than switched circuits both in terms of locations and the amount of capacity you purchase. 8. How does a T1 circuit differ from an SMDS circuit in terms of speed and the type of MAN/WAN circuit (i.e., dialed, dedicated, circuit switched, packet switched)? Answer: A T1 circuit is a dedicated circuit that offers data rates of 1.544 Mbps. Switched multimegabit data service (SMDS) is a packet switching service that offers data rates up to 44.376 Mbps (depending on the carrier). 9. How does a T1 circuit differ from a SONET OC-3 circuit in terms of speed and the type of MAN/WAN circuit (i.e., dialed, dedicated, circuit switched, packet switched)? Answer: A T1 circuit is a dedicated circuit that offers data rates of 1.544 Mbps. SONET OC-3 is also a dedicated circuit, but uses fiber optics to provide data rates of 155.52 Mbps. 10. Describe two ways in which X.25 differs from frame relay.

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Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks Answer: X.25 and frame relay differ by the data rate available and the data link layer error control. X.25 is an older, traditional service that provides slower service (up to 2 Mbps), but guarantees error-free delivery. X.25 networks perform error checking at each computer in the network. Any errors in transmission are corrected immediately, so that the network layer and application software can assume error-free transmission. However, this error control is one of the most time consuming processes at each computer in a network. Frame relay is a newer packet switching service with higher data rates (up to 45 Mbps) but does not perform error control. Frame relay networks check for errors and simply discard any messages with errors. It is up to the application software at the source and destination to perform error correction and to control for lost messages. 11. Describe one way in which ATM differs from frame relay and one way in which they are the same. Answer: ATM is similar to frame relay. All data are packet-switched, and there is no error control at the intermediate computers within the network; error control is the responsibility of the source and destination (ATM is considered an unreliable packet service). CIR and MAR (which ATM calls available burst rate (ABR)) can be negotiated when circuits are established. ATM has three important differences from frame relay. First, ATM uses fixed-length packets of 53 bytes (5 bytes of overhead and 48 bytes of user data), which is more suitable for voice transmissions. Second, ATM provides extensive quality of service information that enables the setting of very precise priorities among different types of transmissions: high priority for voice and video, lower priority for email. Quality of service is now being implemented in many frame relay and SMDS services, so this difference may disappear. Third, ATM is scaleable; it is easy to multiplex basic ATM circuits into much faster ATM circuits. Most common carriers offer ATM circuits that provide the same data transmission rates as SONET: 51.84 Mbps, 466.56 Mbps, 622.08 Mbps, and so on. New versions called T-1 ATM (1.544 Mbps) and T-3 ATM (45 Mbps) are also available. 12. What is a VPN (Virtual Private Network)? Answer: A new type of VAN, called a virtual private network (VPN) (or sometimes software defined network) has recently emerged. VPNs provide circuits that run over the Internet but appear to the user to be private networks. Internet access is inexpensive compared to the cost of leasing dedicated circuits, circuit switched services, or packet switched services from a common carrier. Different VPNs provide different services, but most offer packet switching hardware that will communicate via the Internet, or VPN services which you lease from the VPN in much the same way as leasing a service from a common carrier. The VPN hardware (or services) take your data, encrypt it, and send it through the Internet through a series of tunnels -- a virtual circuit through the Internet that constrains the source and destination to only those within the VPN. 13. Suppose you are having response time problems in a WAN using dedicated circuits. What would you do? Answer: One can improve network performance by utilizing front-end processors, by improving the speed of the devices themselves, and by using a better routing protocol. Analyzing network usage can show what circuits need to be increased or decreased in capacity, what new circuits need to be leased, and when additional switched circuits may be needed to meet peak demand. Performance may also be improved by reducing network demand by including a network usage analysis in all new application software, using data compression, shifting usage to offpeak times, establishing priorities for some applications, or redesigning the network to move data closer to those who use it. In general, dedicated circuits are much less flexible than switched services. A common strategy is to build new networks with switched services, and monitor the traffic flows. Once the network traffic is somewhat stable, dedicated circuits often replace switched services on high-use circuits, because dedicated circuits are often cheaper when the volume of traffic between two points is fairly constant. Circuit switches services are then used as a secondary service in case demand exceeds the capacity of the dedicated circuits.

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Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks 14. Suppose you are having response time problems in a WAN using packet switched services. What would you do? Answer: One can improve network performance by utilizing front-end processors, by improving the speed of the devices themselves, and by using a better routing protocol. Analyzing network usage can show what circuits need to be increased or decreased in capacity, what new circuits need to be leased, and when additional switched circuits may be needed to meet peak demand. Performance may also be improved by reducing network demand by including a network usage analysis in all new application software, using data compression, shifting usage to offpeak times, establishing priorities for some applications, or redesigning the network to move data closer to those who use it. 15. Thought question: What do you think the future holds for narrowband and broadband ISDN? Answer: Narrowband ISDN has long been more of a concept than a reliable service in North America. It has been available since the late 1970s, although it has not been widely adopted. Its largest problems are a lack of standards and a lack of interest from common carriers. Acceptance of ISDN has also been slowed because equipment vendors and common carriers have conflicting interpretations of the ISDN standards. PRI in Europe is defined differently, making interconnection between America and Europe difficult. Equipment from different vendors that conforms to the ISDN standard wont necessarily work together or with a specific common carrier's ISDN line. Even switching ISDN transmissions between common carriers can be problematic. Vendors and common carriers in North America have worked for years to develop common interpretations of the standards. However, in the past, just as the industry appeared to have resolved its differences, more incompatibilities arose. Therefore, demand for narrowband ISDN will probably diminish. Although not yet widely available, broadband ISDN has the potential to change the future of high-speed networking. On the surface, B-ISDN is an enhancement of narrowband ISDN. However, B-ISDN actually uses ATM to move data from one end point to the other. Unlike narrowband ISDN that simply provides digital circuit through which users send their own packets, B-ISDN encapsulates the users' existing data link layer packets with ATM cells and moves them through an ATM network to the destination, where the ATM cells are removed and the users' packets rebuilt. This process is transparent to the users, so they are unaware that ATM was ever used; to them, it appears as though they have a traditional ISDN circuit switched. B-ISDN is backward compatible with narrowband ISDN, which means it can accept narrowband BRI and PRI transmissions. B-ISDN also provides data rates higher than narrowband ISDN (155 Mbps to 622 Mbps for B-ISDN compared with 128 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps for narrowband ISDN). Therefore, the future for B-ISDN looks promising. 16. Thought question: Explain the two most important issues in selecting WAN services and justify why they are the most important. Answer: A 1995 survey of network managers found that, on average, 45 percent of WAN costs were for network management, especially support staff salaries. On average, 35 percent was spent on services, primarily the cost of leasing circuits from common carriers. Only 20 percent was spent on equipment. There are two important points here: first, the most expensive part of your WAN will be the people required to plan, install, and operate it, so pick the one that is easy to manage. Second, it costs more to lease services from common carriers than to buy hardware, so selection decisions should be driven more by the services than the hardware. Five important factors in selecting WAN services are vendor capabilities, network capacity, flexibility, control, and reliability. The best vendors provide high quality service, quickly respond to network problems, adapt to changing customer needs, and provide useful network management services along with the data transmission services. There are a variety of services available at many different data transmission rates. Try to estimate the general capacity you need at each network site, and be aware that users needs change. In general, dedicated circuits are much less flexible than switched services. Control is another important issue. With dedicated circuits, you have more control over how you messages get routed in the network because your computers do the routing. With switched services, the service provider is responsible for the routing, and, your messages get intermixed with those

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Chapter 8: Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks of other network users. The reliability of a network service both in terms of average error rates and any circuit failures is also important.

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