Book excerpt: Accessing the WAN CCNA Exploration Companion Guide Bob Vachon Rick Graziani Accessing the WAN, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide is the official supplemental textbook for the Accessing the WAN course in the Cisco Networking Academy CCNA Exploration curriculum version 4. This course discusses the WAN technologies and network services required by converged applications in enterprise networks. The Companion Guide, written and edited by Networking Academy instructors, is designed as a portable desk reference to use anytime, anywhere. The book’s features reinforce the material in the course to help you focus on important concepts and organize your study time for exams. New and improved features help you study and succeed in this course: Chapter objectives: Review core concepts by answering the focus questions listed at the beginning of each chapter. Key terms: Refer to the updated lists of networking vocabulary introduced and turn to the highlighted terms in context in each chapter. Glossary: Consult the all-new comprehensive glossary with more than 250 terms. Check Your Understanding questions and answer key: Evaluate your readiness with the updated end-of-chapter questions that match the style of questions you see on the online course quizzes. The answer key explains each answer. Challenge questions and activities: Strive to ace more challenging review questions and activities designed to prepare you for the complex styles of questions you might see on the CCNA exam. The answer key explains each answer. Bob Vachon is the coordinator of the Computer Systems Technology program and teaches networking infrastructure courses at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Bob has worked and taught in the computer networking and information technology field for 25 years and is a scholar graduate of Cambrian College. Rick Graziani teaches computer science and computer networking courses at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. Rick has worked and taught in the computer networking and information technology field for 30 years. How To: Look for this icon to study the steps that you need to learn to perform certain tasks. Packet Tracer Activities: Explore networking concepts in activities interspersed throughout some chapters using Packet Tracer v4.1 developed by Cisco. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM. Also available for the Accessing the WAN Course Accessing the WAN, CCNA Exploration Labs and Study Guide ISBN-10: 1-58713-201-X ISBN-13: 978-1-58713-201-8 Companion CD-ROM **See instructions within the ebook on how to get access to the files from the CD-ROM that accompanies this print book.** The CD-ROM provides many useful tools and information to support your education: Packet Tracer Activity exercise files A Guide to Using a Networker’s Journal booklet Taking Notes: A .txt file of the chapter objectives More IT Career Information Tips on Lifelong Learning in Networking This book is part of the Cisco Networking Academy Series from Cisco Press. The products in this series support and complement the Cisco Networking Academy online curriculum.