and find out about the different options available through your service pro-
vider, you're then equipped and ready to choose the Cisco product that best
meets your needs.
technologies. But xDSL is the fast becoming the new front-runner and looks
to lead as the fastest, most reliable, cheapest WAN technology. Obviously
it's really important to consider your level of usage before buying and imple-
menting a technology. Think about it... if your users at a remote branch are
connected to the corporate office more than three to four hours a day, then
you need either Frame Relay or a leased line. If they connect infrequently,
then you might get away with ISDN or even dial-up connectivity.
buy a hub, but I guess somebody must be doing this, or they wouldn't be sell-
ing any. And it's true, Cisco really does have a pretty impressive list of hubs.
It's so extensive that it can (and does) trigger some real confusion and an
amazing variety of selection issues.
shared 100Mbps network. The lower-end model of hubs Cisco offers sup-
ports only 10Mbps, while the middle-of-the-road style offers both 10- and
100Mbps auto-sensing ports. The higher-end flavors offer network-
management port and console connections. But seriously, if you're planning
to pony up enough to buy a high-end hub, what not just go for a shiny-new
switch instead? Figure 1.20 shows the various hub products that Cisco
offers, and any of these hubs can be stacked together to give you more port
density.