For all the network gurus out there.

[MacInThebox]

I am wondering what does it take to build up a WAN. I take it that a WAN is not VPN, but rather a private network that spans remote locations. Do WAN providers have to lay wires under the ground everytime they get a new WAN customer?

In short:
What do companies have to do if they need a WAN, and what do WAN providers have to do to build one?

 

[Garion]

When you build a WAN you are, in essence, buying bandwidth from a provider (like your local telco) to get to your remote site. You might do this via point-to-point circuits (which is a dedicated line between the two offices through the telephone company's network) or a shared network like Frame Relay (which is a big shared network that you have a dedicated path through - It looks like a private network but you're sharing the bandwidth with a bunch of other companies).

In short, you get a circuit from point A to point B and put routers on both ends. The routers are programmed to know what traffic goes where and are the real core of the WAN.

In general, nobody has to lay new wires underground, unless you don't have capacity in your building. The telcos have built huge networks which carry your WAN traffic in a variety of ways.

- G