Characteristics of a WAN link
The most general definition of a Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network that covers a broad area, using public or private network transports. In this chapter, we're going to analyze the scenario of a remote user who needs to access an application published by a XenApp farm located in your datacenter.
The connection between the user and your infrastructure may be on a private link (usually a leased line) or on a public network (usually the Internet). The most important parameters of a link are:
The available bandwidth
The latency
The reliability
A common belief is that bandwidth is the main problem in remote connections; this is usually false. A fast access to the Internet is now available in most countries and also mobile operators can offer high-speed connections (HDSPA, LTE, and so on). Dedicated links can be leased with guaranteed bandwidth and, with technologies such as MPLS, carriers now offer geographic links with high speed.
The latency, on the contrary, depends...
