Communications Systems Management Handbook, Sixth Edition

Book excerpt: 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.