Lesson 8: WAN Technologies and Cloud Connectivity
Week of Tue, Nov 3 · lesson closes Mon, Nov 9
Take Meerk's quiz for Lesson 8
This lesson's items
Exact due times are in Canvas.
Watch — Professor Messer
Watch — Professor Messer: WAN Technologies (N10-009)
Free, independent educational resource. Not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA. Watch, then read the notes below.
Know these cold
- WAN links: leased line (dedicated T1/E1), MPLS (provider-managed label switching), SD-WAN (software-defined, traffic steering), Metro Ethernet.
- VPN types: Site-to-site (IPsec tunnel, router-to-router), Remote-access (SSL/TLS, client-to-site), DMVPN (hub-and-spoke with dynamic tunnels).
- Cloud connectivity: Direct Connect (AWS dedicated), ExpressRoute (Azure), Private Google Access. More reliable than internet-based VPN for critical workloads.
Meerk's quiz — open the Lesson 8 gate
10 questions, no time limit. 85% on your first attempt in a 24-hour window opens the gate. Retakes inside the window are practice — they help you learn, they don't count. Work alone; the point is to know it, not to have seen it.
Dinner Table Question
Ask at home: If every office now uses cloud apps, do companies even need a WAN anymore?
En español: Si todas las oficinas usan aplicaciones en la nube, ¿las empresas todavía necesitan una WAN?