IntroductionThe goal of this project is to design a WAN (Wide Area Network) using a Cisco Packet Tracer simulation. The step-by-step instructions included in this project are designed to help provide an inside view of how to design any type of network using Cisco Packet Tracer network simulation software. Additionally, I will also review other software similar to Cisco Packet Tracer and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the software. I will also look at the types of network devices needed to design a WAN. Finally, I studied the types of network architecture, network topologies, and security management appropriate for my network design project. Literature Reviews As networks of computing devices became larger and more complex, the need for highly accurate and scalable network simulation technologies became critical. Despite the emergence of large-scale testbeds for networking research, simulation still plays a critical role in terms of scalability (both in size and experimental speed), reproducibility, rapid prototyping and of education. Through simulation-based studies, the approach can be studied in detail at different scales, with various data applications, different field conditions, and will result in reproducible and analyzable results. Gross and Güneş.2010. P31 “The purpose of a network simulation is to help you detail the tasks to build a prototype that verifies and demonstrates the behavior of a network system. A secondary goal is to help you determine how much of a network system should be implemented in a prototype to verify the design.” Oppenheimer, 2010, P355 "A prototype is an initial implementation of a new system that provides a template on which the final implementation will be pat...... middle of paper ...... ensuring connectivity between) specific devices. Devices belonging to the VLAN do not have to be in the same workgroup or connected to the same physical switch. Berkowitz, 1999, P619. PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) is a data link layer protocol that can be used over asynchronous serial (dial-up) or synchronous serial (ISDN) media. Lammle, 2007, P386. “The ACL (access control list) is made up of a series of entries. » Tetz, 2011, P611. "The access list allows or denies instructions that filter traffic based on a packet's source address, destination address, protocol type, and port number." Cannon, Caudle and Chiarella, 2008. P260. “ACLs are one of the most important and widely used features of CiscoIOS. ACLs operate in layers 2, 3, and 4 of the OSI Reference Model and operate similarly to a network firewall.” Angelescu, 2010, P.726.