What are common carriers, local exchange carriers, and interexchange carriers?
> Compare and contrast cable modem and DSL.
> What type of circuits are commonly used to build the Internet today? What type of circuits are commonly used to build Internet 2?
> Explain one reason why you might experience long response times in getting a Web page from a server in your own city.
> What is a POP?
> What is an IXP?
> Many experts predicted that small, local ISPs would disappear as regional and national ISPs began offering local access. This hasn’t happened. Why?
> Would you be interested in subscribing to 100 Mbps FTTH for a monthly price of $100? Why or why not?
> Today, there is no clear winner in the competition for Broad-band Internet access. What technology or technologies do you think will dominate in 2 years’ time? Why?
> What is a giga-pop?
> Compare and contrast the application architecture for video conferencing and the architecture for email.
> What is Internet2®?
> Explain how the Internet is a network of networks.
> What is the principal American organization working on the future of the Internet?
> How is the IETF related to the IRTF?
> What are the principal organizations responsible for Internet governance, and what do they do?
> Explain how WiMax works.
> What are some future technologies that might change how we access the Internet?
> Explain how FTTH works.
> Which is better, cable modem or DSL? Explain.
> What is an OE converter? A CMTS?
> Explain how Instant Messaging (IM) works.
> Explain how a cable modem works.
> Explain how ADSL works.
> What is the basic structure of the Internet?
> Describe SONET. How does it differ from SDH?
> Distinguish among T1, T2, T3, and T4 circuits.
> What are the most commonly used T carrier services? What data rates do they provide?
> Compare and contrast ring architecture, star architecture, and mesh architecture.
> Is a WAN that uses dedicated circuits easier or harder to design than one that uses packet-switched circuits? Explain.
> Compare and contrast dedicated-circuit services and packet-switched services.
> How do Ethernet services work in the WAN?
> What is cloud computing?
> It is said that frame relay services and dedicated-circuit services are somewhat similar from the perspective of the network designer. Why?
> Suppose you joined a company that had a WAN composed of SONET, T carrier, and frame relay services, each selected to match a specific network need for a certain set of circuits. Would you say this was a well-designed network? Explain.
> Are there any WAN technologies that you would avoid if you were building a network today? Explain.
> Are Ethernet services a major change in the future of networking or a technology blip?
> Who regulates common carriers and how is it done?
> Describe five important factors in selecting WAN services.
> How can you improve WAN performance?
> Compare the three types of VPN.
> Explain how VPN services work.
> How do VPN services differ from common carrier services?
> What is Telnet, and why is it useful?
> Describe the four basic functions of an application software package.
> Explain the differences between CIR and MAR.
> Which is likely to be the longer-term winner: IP or Ethernet services?
> Compare and contrast frame relay and Ethernet services.
> Where does packetizing take place?
> How do packet-switching services differ from other WAN services?
> Explain how switched backbones work.
> In Figure 8-5, would the network still work if we removed the routers in each building and just had one core router? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this? Figure 8-5: Routed backbone architecture
> Explain how routed backbones work.
> Under what circumstances would you use a VLAN backbone?
> What is a virtual server?
> Under what circumstances would you use a routed backbone?
> Under what circumstances would you use a switched backbone?
> How does a router differ from a VLAN?
> Some experts are predicting that Ethernet will move into the WAN. What do you think?
> How does a layer 2 switch differ from a VLAN?
> What are the preferred architectures used in each part of the backbone?
> Why are broadcast messages important?
> How can you improve the performance of a BN?
> What are the advantages and disadvantages of VLANs?
> What is IEEE 802.1q?
> What are the major parts of an email message?
> Explain how multi switch VLANs work.
> Explain how single-switch VLANs work.
> What is a module and why are modules important?
> Compare and contrast rack-based and chassis-based switched backbones.
> What the key advantages and disadvantages of routed and switched backbones?
> How does a layer 2 switch differ from a router?
> How does wired Ethernet work?
> What does a NOS do? What are the major software parts of a NOS?
> What is a cable plan and why would you want one?
> Compare and contrast category 5 UTP, category 5e UTP, and category 5 STP.
> What roles do SMTP, POP, and IMAP play in sending and receiving email on the Internet?
> What types of cables are commonly used in wired LANs?
> Describe the basic components of a wireless LAN.
> As WLANs become more powerful, what are the implications for networks of the future? Will wired LANS still be common or will we eliminate wired offices?
> Many of the wired and wireless LANs share the same or similar components (e.g., error control). Why?
> Describe the basic components of a wired LAN.
> Describe three ways to improve network performance on circuits.
> Describe three ways to improve network performance on the server.
> What is a bottleneck and how can you locate one?
> What are three special-purpose devices you might find in a data center and what do they do?
> How does the design of the data center differ from the design of the LANs intended to provide user access to the network?
> Describe how mail user agents and mail transfer agents work together to transfer mail messages.
> How do you decide how many APs are needed and where they should be placed for best performance?
> What is a site survey, and why is it important?
> What are the best practice recommendations for WLAN design?
> What are the best practice recommendations for wired LAN design?
> Explain how association works in WLAN.
> Describe at least three types of servers.
> Explain how CSMA/CA PCF works.
> Explain how CSMA/CA DCF works.
> How does Wi-Fi differ from shared Ethernet in terms of topology, media access control, and error control, Ethernet frame?
> How does Wi-Fi perform media access control?
> Can a mail sender use a two-tier architecture to send mail to a receiver using a three-tier architecture? Explain.
> Compare and contrast the two types of antennas.
> Compare and contrast cut-through, store-and-forward, and fragment-free switching.
