Introduction to TCP/IP and routing : Introduction to IP : IP on different medias ("links")
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1.4. IP on different medias ("links")

As mentioned before, IP is at the center of an hourglass model.

IP can run on different medias, a link, which need not always be physical (e.g.: VPN, tunnel, loopback)

For convenience, we'll separate the medias into two categories:

LAN

Local Area Network -- short to middle range (office, building, campus) networks like Ethernet, Token Ring, wireless LAN, ... These networks usually support a form of broadcast transmission.

WAN

Wide Area Network -- middle to long range (inter-campus, national, transnational) networks like leased lines, Frame Relay, satellite,

ATM seems to fit in both categories -- no one really knows -- and who cares ?

1.4.1. IP addressing <-> link level addressing

1.4.2. IP and point-to-point links


Introduction to TCP/IP and routing : Introduction to IP : IP on different medias ("links")
Previous: Ports, sockets
Next: IP addressing <-> link level addressing