An overview of metropolitan and enterprise networks - current and future

In this paper, we present an overview of two very crucial parts of today's network systems - the enterprise network and the metropolitan network. The current status of these two networks, the equipment available today, and the development trends are discussed in details. Metropolitan area networks (MANs) are public networks that are targeted to provide high-speed networking over metropolitan area distances. The metro area network is mostly based on SONET, SDH and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technologies at this time, but still far away from being fully developed. Since MANs are still in their initial state of development, we discuss the technologies and equipment that are currently available on the market such as use of resilient packet rings and Ethernet applications. Enterprise network is a multi-layered, cross-platform series of high-tech security network system with the objective of providing the greatest possible protection to the institution. After review of the current status of the enterprise network, we attempt to answer the questions related to the future development of the network