Today's enterprise cannot effectively function without a network, and today's enterprise network is almost always based on LAN technology. In a few short years, LANs have become an essential element of today's business environment. This time in the spotlight, while well deserved, has not come without a price. Businesses now insist that LANs deliver vast and ever-increasing quantities of business-critical information and that they do it efficiently, flawlessly, without fail, and most of all, securely. Today's network managers must consistently deliver this level of performance, and must do so while keeping up with ever changing, ever increasing demands without missing a beat. At the same time, today's IT managers must deliver business-critical information systems in an environment that has undergone radical paradigm shifts in such widely varied fields as computer architecture, operating systems, application development, and security. The Local Area Networks Handbook focuses on this collective environment, in which networking and information technology work together to create LAN-based enterprise networks. Topics have been selected and organized with this in mind, providing both depth and breadth of coverage. The handbook will provide you not only an understanding of how LANs work and how to go about selecting and implementing LAN products, but also of how to leverage LAN capabilities for the benefit of your enterprise.

Just a decade ago, many industry luminaries predicted the collapse of the centralized data center and IT structure. In its place would be a more decentralized client/server model built upon the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) networking architecture. However, client/server never fully realized all of its promises, and OSI floundered. Now, instead of client/server and OSI, we have the Web-based model and TCP/IP. Together, Web-oriented technologies (i.e., browsers, web servers, HTML, Java) and TCP/IP are completely changing how the enterprise views its network. Instead of serving as primarily an internal utility, the enterprise network is now a vital means of delivering products and services and of tying an enterprise more closely to its customers, partners and suppliers. The impact to the very structure of the enterprise network could not be more profound. Providing extensive coverage of planning, networking, LANs, systems management, communications issues and trends, Communications Systems Management Handbook, 6th Edition is your most reliable source for solid, dependable solutions to real-world data communications problems. The tips, strategies, and case-studies provided do more than just save you time and money. They also save your data communications network, and with it your professional life. This new edition of the Communications Systems Management Handbook provides you with detailed information on the different facets of change in the enterprise network: Enterprise network architectures LAN and campus networking Remote access WAN Data centers Client and servers Security Network Management What's more, the New Edition is dramatically restructured, providing a more logical grouping of articles into discrete sections that bring focus to a particular enterprise networking topic. In addition, the content of this edition has been substantially updated. Almost three-quarters of the articles are new to this edition. The common theme throughout the handbook is the change that the enterprise network is undergoing and how to manage it. The handbook's generous use of illustrations simplifies the technical workings of networks and communications systems. The comprehensive index makes it easy to find the topics you want and related topics. And because each chapter is written by an expert with first-hand experience in data communications, no other book gives you such a full range of perspectives and explanations of the technical, planning, administrative, personnel, and budget challenges of the communication manager's job. Covering everything from electronic commerce to multimedia, from system design and cost allocation to Ethernet switches and the impact of virtual private networks, this is your one-stop source for the best, most essential data communications expertise to be found anywhere. The Communications Systems Management Handbook serves as an information tool for proven advice and methods on managing network services and costs, creating networking solutions, and preparing for advanced communications network technologies.

Local Area Networks (LANs) play a larger role in our lives today than ever before. For example, LANs provide us with the capability to realize automated banking services, with instant credit checking and numerous other diverse access and manipulation services. Users and developers of LAN products must understand the architecture of the hardware and software mechanisms to effectively design and use such systems. Most gains in LAN productivity will come from future software developments in systems management and applications. This book provides an introduction to the technology associated with Local Area Networks, emphasizing software aspects which have been secondary considerations to hardware in most existing texts. The book also provides a review of the technology needed to realize full service software products, such as computer-aided design and manufacturing systems, large publication systems, and integrated data service networks, and includes an exhaustive review of the products available today.

Today's enterprise cannot effectively function without a network, and today's enterprise network is almost always based on LAN technology. In a few short years, LANs have become an essential element of today's business environment. This time in the spotlight, while well deserved, has not come without a price. Businesses now insist that LANs deliver vast and ever-increasing quantities of business-critical information and that they do it efficiently, flawlessly, without fail, and most of all, securely. Today's network managers must consistently deliver this level of performance, and must do so while keeping up with ever changing, ever increasing demands without missing a beat. At the same time, today's IT managers must deliver business-critical information systems in an environment that has undergone radical paradigm shifts in such widely varied fields as computer architecture, operating systems, application development, and security. The Local Area Networks Handbook focuses on this collective environment, in which networking and information technology work together to create LAN-based enterprise networks. Topics have been selected and organized with this in mind, providing both depth and breadth of coverage. The handbook will provide you not only an understanding of how LANs work and how to go about selecting and implementing LAN products, but also of how to leverage LAN capabilities for the benefit of your enterprise.

The Definitive Telecommunications Reference--Fully Updated Understand cutting-edge telecommunication and networking technologies using this straightforward, real-world implementation guide. Fully revised to cover all of the latest transmission protocols, Voice & Data Communications Handbook, Fifth Edition covers all the bases-from analog transmission, VPNs, and LANs to DSL, CATV, WiFi, VoIP, and GSM. This authoritative volume covers the ins-and-outs of each vital topic, supplies practical examples and solutions, and provides helpful self-tests. You'll also find up-to-date information on regulatory standards, switches, routers, frame relay, and security procedures. Use new wireless technologies Understand the building blocks of analog transmission-bandwith, amplitude, and frequency Provide transparent communications using the OSI model and seven-layer architecture Comply with local and federal regulations and RBOCs Transmit information using routers, SS7, PBX, and KTS switches Send and receive data across TCP/IP, wireless, cellular, and optical systems Create a connection using a modem Connect to multiple VPNs and LANs using frame relay, ATM, and MPLS Deploy high-speed broadband access with cable modems, xDSL, and CATV Get details on VoIP, SIP, and voice over data services Increase bandwidth using IP telephony techniques and PBX equipment

The Definitive Telecommunications Reference--Fully Updated Understand cutting-edge telecommunication and networking technologies using this straightforward, real-world implementation guide. Fully revised to cover all of the latest transmission protocols, Voice & Data Communications Handbook, Fifth Edition covers all the bases-from analog transmission, VPNs, and LANs to DSL, CATV, WiFi, VoIP, and GSM. This authoritative volume covers the ins-and-outs of each vital topic, supplies practical examples and solutions, and provides helpful self-tests. You'll also find up-to-date information on regulatory standards, switches, routers, frame relay, and security procedures. Use new wireless technologies Understand the building blocks of analog transmission-bandwith, amplitude, and frequency Provide transparent communications using the OSI model and seven-layer architecture Comply with local and federal regulations and RBOCs Transmit information using routers, SS7, PBX, and KTS switches Send and receive data across TCP/IP, wireless, cellular, and optical systems Create a connection using a modem Connect to multiple VPNs and LANs using frame relay, ATM, and MPLS Deploy high-speed broadband access with cable modems, xDSL, and CATV Get details on VoIP, SIP, and voice over data services Increase bandwidth using IP telephony techniques and PBX equipment

Filled with tables, graphs, and illustrations, plus the most up-to-date vendor information, this second edition details all the latest enhanced LAN components like hubs, bridges, routers, servers, and gateways, as well as new sophisticated products from Netlabs, H-P, and Cabletron.