From LAN to WAN 2

[Watts]

I am again looking for concepts here, let me do the research. I have an embedded server that can currently connect to a LAN (local area network) and either have a static IP address or use DHCP to gain an IP address from the router.

My question is: can I take this application and plug it directly into the WAN (wide area network)? Am I going to need routing capabilities in order to connect directly to the WAN?

Any information will probably help and lead me in the right direction. Also can anyone explain what the hell the extranet is? I am familiar with intranet and internet.

 

[Watts]

Nobody know anything abou tthis subject? Please help me out!

 

[jeter]

Are you asking if you can install a WAN connection directly
to your embedded server? What type of WAN connection are you looking at? Please Advise !!!! #-) Jeter@LasVegas.com The best answer I could ever give is the one to maintain my Sanity

 

[Pantman]

There isn't really any difference between connecting your machine to a Lan or a Wan: if your Lan is part of a Wan and this host is allocated (via either method) an IP address then existing Wan infrastructure (i.e. routers) should make this host available (N.B. some configuration would maybe be needed to the routers/ firewalls to allow remote subnets to connect to certain services on your 'server'- but let's take things one at a time). If you are talking about using this device as a router (connecting two interfaces on it to two different subnets) then as Jeter says we'll need more info

 

[Watts]

I don't really understand the concepts and that is what I need help with. The current application can be assigned an IP address and connected to the LAN via ethernet.

The issue is simply this, can the same application connect directly to the WAN without any modfications or do I need some software that will handle routing? Or even this, would there be any benefit to connecting directly to the WAN.

 

[Pantman]

By definition a WAN is a collection of LANs separated geographically and joined together somehow.
In very simple terms (though also true for the majority of cases) a LAN would be defined by an IP subnet and would be connected via a router to another IP subnet(s) forming a WAN (pedants- I know this doesn't necessarily constitute a WAN but let me run with this): a host i.e. a computer, server etc. would gain 'membership' of a LAN by being physically connected via Ethernet and on the same IP subnet: as per the above definition if the LAN were connected to another LAN then it would also form part of A WAN. Connecting your device to the WAN doesn't really make sense and I guess the answer to your question would be that it wouldn't require any modification to connect to a WAN.
What is more relevant here is the configuration of other devices in the LAN/WAN which requires more specific info

 

[Watts]

I think I am getting it now, the only hardware actually connected to the WAN are the routers. Then it branches out into a range of IP addresses from there constituting a LAN. I guess my question really made no sense.

Does the router itself have an IP address?

 

[Pantman]

Yeah- the router will have a LAN IP Address (on it's Ethernet interface) and IP addresses for the other attached interfaces (remember the router is attached to the LAN and The WAN)

 

[Watts]

Another question?

Let's say that my current application when connected to the LAN has a defined IP address and a subnet mask as follows:

192.168.2.109
255.255.255.0

Now I want to connect directly to the WAN. Can I just unplug from the LAN and plug back into the LAN without changing these parameters?

 

[jeter]

192.168.2.109 is a private ip address. It will not work. The thing is you have to get an ip address from your isp via dynamic or static. Now on the other hand you can have the 192.2.x.x on your lan and have say a router ( DSL or isdn )run NAT (network address tranlation). Is this getting
easy yet? There are to many options to choice from. Jeter@LasVegas.com Remember to pass Cisco's CCNA you need at least an 849 to pass!!!

 

[DFRA603]

This is true if you're connecting to the internet. If it's a private WAN there should be no problem as long as your WAN is configured for these addresses. But I don't think your application will care about it's IP own address.
Regards,

David

 

[Watts]

So in other words, if I hand my application off to a network administrator, he should be able to handle it however he wishes. My embedded system should then be able to connect to either the LAN or WAN type configurations. The administrator should know already how to set these configurations up.

 

[Pantman]

Yeah- that's the beauty of the layered approach- as far as you or your application is concerned-e everything is the same (The only exception is performance- remeber WAN links are slower than LAN/ Ethernet)