Channel service unit/data service unit (CSU/DSU)

A remote access, multilayer switch used to connect distant networks over WAN links. This is a strange beast of a device in that it creates WANs, but marketers of this device steer clear of the term WAN and use only the terms LAN and extended LAN. The idea behind this device was to make the terminology easier to understand and thus make the device easier to sell than a more conventional WAN device grounded in complex concepts and terms.
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Highspeed switch that forwards packets between datalink segments. Most LAN switches forward traffic based on MAC addresses. This variety of LAN switch is sometimes called a frame switch. LAN switches are often categorized according to the method they use to forward traffic: cutthrough packet switching or storeandforward packet switching. Multilayer switches are an intelligent subset of LAN switches. Compare with multilayer switch. See also cutthrough packet switching, storeandforward packet switching.
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Highspeed, lowerror data network covering a relatively small geographic area (up to a few thousand meters). LANs connect workstations, peripherals, terminals, and other devices in a single building or other geographically limited area. LAN standards specify cabling and signaling at the physical and datalink layers of the OSI model. Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring are widely used LAN technologies. Compare with MAN and WAN.
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An older WAN protocol that uses carrier switching to provide end-to-end connections over a shared network medium. WAN Protocol.
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An ISDN service type that provides two B, or data, channels and one D, or management, channel. Each B channel offers 64 Kbps, and the D channel offers 16 Kbps. Supports a total signaling rate of 144 kbps, which is divided into two B or bearer channels running at 64 kbps, and a D or data channel runing at 16 kbps. The bearer channels carry the actual voice, video, or data information, and the D channel is used for signaling.
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