The Internet is rapidly becoming an electronic agent for commerce, entertainment, communication, and information retrieval. At the same time, new network-enabled intranet applications and powerful desktop computers are driving an exponential increase in network traffic. Its increasing popularity has forced several carriers, competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs), and Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer high-speed dedicated access. Currently the two most popular dedicated access connections are DS0 (transmission speed of 56 Kbps) and T1 (transmission speed of 1.544 Mbps).??Many businesses that use these types of connections to gain access to the Internet are experiencing strains in throughput and slow response times. Network designers are searching for a new networking solution that can satisfy the ever-increasing need for bandwidth and transmission capacity. As a result of this emerging demand, carriers, CLECs, and ISPs are now offering DS3 (45 Mbps) dedicated access co...