Network Design

There are hundreds of technologies and protocols used in telecommunications. They run the full gamut from application level to physical level. It is overwhelming to try to keep track of them. Network Design, Second Edition: Management and Technical Perspectives is a broad survey of the major technologies and networking protocols and how they interrelate, integrate, migrate, substitute, and segregate functionality. It presents fundamental issues that managers and engineers should be focused upon when designing a telecommunications strategy and selecting technologies, and bridges the communication gap that often exists between managers and technical staff involved in the design and implementation of networks.

For managers, this book provides comprehensive technology overviews, case studies, and tools for decision making, requirements analysis, and technology evaluation. It provides guidelines, templates, checklists, and recommendations for technology selection and configuration, outsourcing, disaster recovery, business continuity, and security. The book cites free information so you can keep abreast of important developments.

Engineers benefit from a review of the major technologies and protocols up and down the OSI protocol stack and how they relate to network design strategies. Topics include: Internet standards, protocols, and implementation; client server and distributed networking; value added networking services; disaster recovery and business continuity technologies; legacy IBM mainframe technologies and migration to TCP/IP; and MANs, WANs, and LANs.

For engineers wanting to peek under the technology covers, Network Design provides insights into the mathematical underpinnings and theoretical basis for routing, network design, reliability, and performance analysis. This discussion covers star, tree, backbone, mesh, and access networks. The volume also analyzes the commercial tools and approaches used in network design, planning, and management.