typical point-to-point link operates through a WAN to a remote network.

Point-to-Point Links

A point-to-point link provides a single, preestablished WAN communications path from the customer premises through a carrier network, such as a telephone company, to a remote network. A point-to-point link is also known as a leased line because its established path is permanent and fixed for each remote network reached through the carrier facilities. The carrier company reserves point-to-point links for the private use of the customer. These links accommodate two types of transmissions: datagram transmissions, which are composed of individually addressed frames, and data-stream transmissions, which are composed of a stream of data for which address checking occurs only once. Figure 3-2 illustrates a typical point-to-point link through a WAN.

Figure 3-2: A typical point-to-point link operates through a WAN to a remote network.