SOHO Networks

Question 1

Small office/home office (SOHO)

Answer 1

Small office/home office (SOHO) is a category of LAN with a small number of computing hosts that typically rely on a single integrated appliance for local and Internet connectivity.

Question 2

SOHO router

Answer 2

The intermediate system powering SOHO networks and primarily forward traffic between the LAN and the WAN but routing is its only function.

Question 3

public switched telephone network (PSTN).

Answer 3

Most SOHO subscriber Internet access is facilitated via the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The SOHO router is described as customer premises equipment (CPE). More widely, this is any termination and routing equipment placed at the customer site. Some of this equipment may be owned or leased from the telecommunications company (or telco); some may be owned by the customer.

The CPE is connected via its modem and WAN port to the local loop. This is cabling from the customer premises to the local exchange. The point at which the telco’s cabling enters the customer premises is referred to as the demarcation point (often shortened to demarc).

Question 4

Internet Service Providers

Answer 4

The major infrastructure of the Internet consists of high-bandwidth trunks connecting Internet eXchange Points (IXPs). Within an IXP datacenter, ISPs establish links between their networks, using transit and peering arrangements to carry traffic to and from parts of the Internet they do not physically own. There is a tiered hierarchy of ISPs that reflects to what extent they depend on transit arrangements with other ISPs.

Question 5

Internet Standards

Answer 5

Although no single organization owns the Internet or its technologies, several organizations are responsible for the development of the Internet and on the agreement of common standards and protocols.

• Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) (iana.org)—Manages allocation of IP addresses and maintenance of the top-level domain space. IANA is currently run by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). IANA allocates addresses to regional registries that then allocate them to local registries or ISPs.
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) (ietf.org)—Focuses on solutions to Internet problems and the adoption of new standards, published as Requests for Comments (RFCs). Some RFCs describe network services or protocols and their implementation, while others summarize policies. An older RFC is never updated. If changes are required, a new RFC is published with a new number. Not all RFCs describe standards. Some are designated informational, while others are experimental. The official repository for RFCs is at rfc-editor.org.