Introduction The purpose of this project is to design a WAN (wide area network) using a Cisco Packet Tracer simulation. The step-by-step instructions included in this project are designed to help provide an inside look at how to design any type of network using Cisco Packet Tracer network simulation software. Furthermore, I will also review other software similar to Cisco Packet Tracer and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the software. I will also look at the types of networking devices needed to design a WAN. Finally, I delved into the types of network architecture, network topologies, and security management that are right for my network project. Literature Reviews As networks of computing devices have become larger and more complex, the need for highly accurate and scalable network simulation technologies has become critical. Despite the emergence of large-scale testbeds for network research, simulation still plays a vital role in terms of scalability (both in terms of size and experimental speed), reproducibility, rapid prototyping, and training. With simulation-based studies, the approach can be studied in detail at different scales, with different data applications, varying field conditions and will lead to reproducible and analyzable results. Gross and Güneş.2010. P31“The goal of a network simulation is to help you detail the activities to build a prototype that tests and demonstrates the behavior of a network system. A secondary goal is to help determine how much of a network system needs to be implemented in a prototype to verify the design.” Oppenheimer, 2010, P355 “A prototype is the initial implementation of a new system that provides a template upon which the final implementation will be built… middle of paper… will provide connectivity between) specific devices. The devices belonging to the VLAN do not need to be part of the same workgroup or connected to the same physical switch. Berkowitz, 1999, P619. PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) is a data link layer protocol that can be used over asynchronous serial (dial-up) or synchronous serial (ISDN) media. Lammle, 2007, P386. “The ACL (access control list) is made up of a series of entries.” Tetz, 2011, P611. “The access list allows or denies statements that filter traffic based on a packet's source address, destination address, protocol type, and port number.” Cannone, Caudle & Chiarella, 2008. P260. “ACLs are one of the most important and highly used features in CiscoIOS. ACLs function in layers 2, 3 and 4 of the OSI reference model and behave similarly to a network firewall.” Angelescu, 2010, P726.