Fast Ethernet: Dawn of a New Network [Textbook Binding]

Howard Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0133526437 | ISBN-13: 978-0133526431 | Publication Date: September 20, 1995 | Edition: 1st

For Ethernet installers and managers; corporate network strategists; and network sales personnel. 100BASE-T is a new IEEE 802 network standard actively supported by 60 of the biggest names in computer networking that will make Ethernet networks go 10 times faster, boosting network speed to 100 million bits per second. This book provides a well-balanced, vendor-neutral description of the new standard, explains what it means, and shows how to use it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Fast Ethernet is the 100-million-bit-per-second successor to the world's most popular local area network, Ethernet. It resembles 10BASE-T, the most widely deployed form of Ethernet, only it runs ten times faster. Fast Ethernet is the newest and most powerful addition to the Ethernet family of local area network standards.

WHAT YOU WILL GET FROM THIS BOOK

--> If you buy, install, or maintain Ethernet, this book will equip you with penetrating questions to ask your vendor about Fast Ethernet productsthe kind of questions that prevent installation mistakes and save you money.

--> If you set company strategy or plan network growth, the details about future developments will show you where Fast Ethernet technology is going.

--> If you sell (or sell against) Fast Ethernet, the point-by-point analysis of competing high-speed networks will show you which networks best suit which applications.

ORGANIZATION

The chapters are each self-contained and may be read in any order. Each section ends with a summary of its most important tips and hints.

Chapter 1 Origin of 10 Mb/s Ethernet, why it developed, how Fast Ethernet emerged

Chapter 2 Overview of the Fast Ethernet product family, its architecture and applications

Chapter 3 Interpretive guide to the Fast Ethernet standard, with detailed explanations of its options and features

Chapter 4 Introduction to worldwide building wiring standards, and guidelines for wiring a building so it will work with Fast Ethernet

Chapter 5 Compendium of future trends in local area networking, including switching, full duplex, multimedia, flow control, new link transmission technologies, and WAN issues

Chapter 6 Pros and cons of Fast Ethernet versus other networks

Chapter 7 Technical explanation of collision domain timing and its impact on network configuration

Chapter 8 Collected references, including a list of good books, a glossary, instructions for ordering standards, and a catalog of supplements to the Ethernet standard

THANKS TO ALL THE STANDARDS PEOPLE

No treatment of Ethernet would be complete without paying tribute to the many hardworking individuals who created the Ethernet standards. Without open, publicly accessible standards, the networking business would not be where it is today.

NOTE

We have done our best to provide an accurate and complete guide to the Fast Ethernet standard. Still, the fine folks at the IEEE standards office would like to remind you that this book is not an official definition of Fast Ethernet or any other stan dard. To obtain the complete text of the Fast Ethernet standard, or other local area networking standards, please consult the sources included in Chapter 8.

About the Author

Howard W. Johnson is President of Olympic Technology Group, Inc. of Redmond, Washington, a digital electronic design and consulting organization. Working on behalf of 3Com, Apple, ROLM, Tektronix, and other leading companies, Dr. Johnson has played a major role in the development of many high-speed digital products. He is also the author of High-Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic, published by Prentice-Hall.

Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (September 20, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0133526437
• ISBN-13: 978-0133526431
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,963,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, both for the novice and experienced, September 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fast Ethernet: Dawn of a New Network (Textbook Binding)

I've found that this book explains more things better than any other that I have read on the subject. Anyone who is looking to understand the how/why of lower network levels should read this as it not only explains Fast Ethernet, but also provides an excellent history of networking in general. After reading through this book you should have a good understanding not only of fast ethernet, but also networking technologies in general.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent way to get up to speed on Fast Ethernet, October 15, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Fast Ethernet: Dawn of a New Network (Textbook Binding)

I needed to "go to school" on Fast Ethernet quickly. In less than an hour I was up to speed on: routers, switches, repeaters, PHYs, MACs, 100Base-TX, 100Base-T4 and many of the major design choices

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for designers, January 7, 2003

By 

Aloke Bhattacharya (Bangalore,India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fast Ethernet: Dawn of a New Network (Textbook Binding)

I was really disappointed after going through the book. For those of you who are familiar with Dr Johnson's classic "High Speed Digital Design- A handbook of Black Magic", don't expect this book to be of the same quality as the earlier one. This book covers Fast Ethernet mainly from the users and Network Administrators perspective- not from the designer's perspective. For example, nowhere in the book he has described the Ethernet Frame format in detail(I agree the book is about Fast Ethernet, not about Ethernet- but still..)!!.
Regarding the good part of it- chapter3(detailed guide to Fast Ethernet) describes all the 10 clauses of 802.3 specific for Fast Ethernet(clause 21 to 30). So if you want a quick overview of the clauses, this chapter would be helpful. However, even here the depth of technical details is not so much. for example, clause 28 (Autonegotiation) is just 4 pages and much of it is about what all features are supported.
For a more comprehensive study, I would rather recommend "Ethernet: The definitive Guide" by C E Spurgeon.