High Performance Networks

In the last few years, the world of information networks has undergone significant changes that may revolutionize the future of communications. Data rates have reached the gigabit per second range. Optical fibers have become the transmission medium of choice. Standardization activities have very aggressively produced a set of well established standard for future LANs, MANs and WANs. It has become very difficult for computer and communications professionals to follow these rapidly evolving technologies and standards. This text provides a technical overview of the start-of-the-art in high performance networking. Chapters cover lightweight protocols, high performance protocol implementation techniques, high speed MAC protocols, optical networks, and emerging standards, including ATM, SMDS, B-ISDN, SONET, FCS and HIPPI. Professionals, engineers, and researchers in communications and computers, who need to understand the underlying technologies of high performance (gigabit) networks, should find this volume a useful reference. The book is also suitable for use as a text for advanced courses on the subject.