Like its predecessors, this fully updated Fifth Edition of Local and Metropolitan Area Networks provides a clear, comprehensive presentation of LAN/MAN technology and the many emerging approaches to high-speed local networking. It meets the needs of today's students by emphasizing both the fundamental principles as well as the critical role of performance in driving LAN/MAN design.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Like its predecessors, this fully updated Fifth Edition of Local and Metropolitan Area Networks provides a clear, comprehensive presentation of LAN/MAN technology and the many emerging approaches to high-speed local networking. It meets the needs of today's students by emphasizing both the fundamental principles as well as the critical role of performance in driving LAN/MAN design.
From the Inside Flap
Objectives
This book focuses on the broad and evolving field of local and metropolitan area networks. The aim of the text is to provide a reasoned balance among breadth, depth, and timeliness. The book emphasizes topics of fundamental importance concerning the technology and architecture of these networks. Certain key related areas, such as performance, internetworking, and network management are also treated in some detail.
The book explores the key topics in the field in the following general categories:
*Technology and architecture: There is a small collection of ingredients that serves to characterize and differentiate local and metropolitan area networks, including transmission medium, topology, communication protocols, and switching technique.
*Network type: This book covers the important types of networks, including those defined in the IEEE 802 standards, plus FDDI, Fibre Channel, ATM LANs, and wireless LANs.
*Design approaches: The book examines alternative design choices and assesses their relative merits.
Plan of the Text
The book is organized into four parts:
I. Background. This part provides a preview and context for the remainder of the book.
II. LAN/MAN Architecture. This part examines technology areas common to all LAN and MAN systems. The various topologies and transmission media are discussed; this includes a consideration of cabling types and wiring layout. There is also a discussion of the communications protocol architecture within which LAN/MAN protocols are defined. Finally, Logical Link Control (LLC), which is the common interface to upper-layer protocols, is described.
III. LAN/MAN Systems. The major types of LANs and MANS are covered. These include all of the LANs defined by the IEEE 802 committee, as well as FDDI, Fibre Channel, ATM LANs, and wireless LANs.
IV. Design Issues. This part looks at issues relating to the relative performance of various LAN/MAN approaches. It also covers the use of bridges and routers for network interconnection. Finally, network management and the use of SNMP is covered.
The book includes an extensive glossary, a list of frequently-used acronyms, and a bibliography.
Each chapter includes problems and suggestions for further reading.
Throughout, there is an emphasis on both technology and on standards.
The book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding specific LAN and MAN standards, such as IEEE 802 and FDDI, and the specifications issued by the ATM Forum and the Fibre Channel Association. This emphasis reflects the importance of such standards in defining the available products and future research directions in this field.
Internet Services
An internet mailing list has been set up so that instructors using this book can exchange information, suggestions, and questions with each other and with the author. To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@prenhall.com with a message body of subscribe ws-lan. To post a message, send to ws-lan@prenhall.com.
What's New in the Fifth Edition
In the four years since the fourth edition of this book was published, the field has seen continued innovations and improvements. In this new edition, I try to capture these changes, while maintaining a broad and comprehensive coverage of the entire field. In addition, many users of the fourth edition have made constructive comments that have resulted in a substantial reorganization of the material.
The most obvious change in the fifth edition is the increased emphasis on high-speed networks. A number of trends dictate the rapid move to high-speed technology in the LAN/MAN field: the continued, relentless increase in the speed and capacity of computer systems; the evolution of applications to include greater emphasis on graphic and video; and the increased volume of data generated by the move to client/server computing. The result of these trends has been the introduction in recent years of a number of new schemes for moving large volumes of data at high rates within the local area. These schemes are both complementary and competing, making it difficult for the observer to assess their relative merits and areas of application. This new edition covers these alternative approaches to high-speed local networking and addresses the issues relating to interconnecting these networks with each other and with wide-area networks.
There are a number of new chapters in this edition. In addition, much of the material carried over from the fourth edition has been substantially revised. As in indication of the scope of the revision, over half of the figures (137 of 241) and two-thirds of the tables (46 of 68) are new, 58 references have been added, and 45 new homework problems have been included. Some of the most noteworthy changes are the following:
*Chapter 7 covers the two recent 100-Mbps LANs that have evolved from the original Ethernet: 100BASE-T and 100VG-AnyLAN.
*Chapter 9 covers the Fibre Channel which operates at up to 800 Mbps and, unlike traditional LANs, uses a switched rather than a shared-medium configuration.
*Chapter 10 covers ATM LANs, which carry asynchronous transfer mode technology onto the local premises and provide a seamless integration with wide-area ATM networks.
*Chapter 11 covers the increasingly important area of wireless LANs.
*There is expanded coverage of transmission media, including the important Category 5 unshielded twisted pair specification.
*Structure cabling systems are discussed, including a description of the new EIA-568 standard.
*The discussion of LLC, which is the "glue" that holds together the LAN/MAN protocol architecture, has been significantly expanded.
*TCP/IP, which is the near-universal communications architecture for LANs and MANs, is described.
*The chapter on network management has been completely revised and now includes a discussion of SNMP.
Acknowledgments
This new edition has benefited from review by a number of people, who gave generously of their time and expertise. A number of people reviewed the previous edition and made constructive comments for the new edition, including: Kitel Albertson of the Trondheim College of Engineering; Greg Brewster of DePaul University; and Ravi Sankar of the University of South Florida. The chapter on ATM and ATM LANs was reviewed by Derya Cansever of GTE; Ken Christensen and Bill Ellington of IBM; and Mark McCutcheon, Alimudden Mohammad, and Darren Tsang of the University of British Columbia. Roger Cummings of StorageTek, Gary Stephens of FSI Consulting Services, and Jan Dedek of ANCOT Corporation reviewed the material on Fibre Channel. Bill Bunch of National Semiconductor, Danial Dove of Hewlett Packard, and Ronald Cooper of IBM reviewed the chapter on 100BASE-T and 100VG-AnyLAN. Rajamani Ganesh of the David Sarnoff Research Center and Craig Mathias of Farpoint Group reviewed the material on wireless LANs.
This book focuses on the broad and evolving field of local and metropolitan area networks. The aim of the text is to provide a reasoned balance among breadth, depth, and timeliness. The book emphasizes topics of fundamental importance concerning the technology and architecture of these networks. Certain key related areas, such as performance, internetworking, and network management are also treated in some detail.
The book explores the key topics in the field in the following general categories:
*Technology and architecture: There is a small collection of ingredients that serves to characterize and differentiate local and metropolitan area networks, including transmission medium, topology, communication protocols, and switching technique.
*Network type: This book covers the important types of networks, including those defined in the IEEE 802 standards, plus FDDI, Fibre Channel, ATM LANs, and wireless LANs.
*Design approaches: The book examines alternative design choices and assesses their relative merits.
Plan of the Text
The book is organized into four parts:
I. Background. This part provides a preview and context for the remainder of the book.
II. LAN/MAN Architecture. This part examines technology areas common to all LAN and MAN systems. The various topologies and transmission media are discussed; this includes a consideration of cabling types and wiring layout. There is also a discussion of the communications protocol architecture within which LAN/MAN protocols are defined. Finally, Logical Link Control (LLC), which is the common interface to upper-layer protocols, is described.
III. LAN/MAN Systems. The major types of LANs and MANS are covered. These include all of the LANs defined by the IEEE 802 committee, as well as FDDI, Fibre Channel, ATM LANs, and wireless LANs.
IV. Design Issues. This part looks at issues relating to the relative performance of various LAN/MAN approaches. It also covers the use of bridges and routers for network interconnection. Finally, network management and the use of SNMP is covered.
The book includes an extensive glossary, a list of frequently-used acronyms, and a bibliography.
Each chapter includes problems and suggestions for further reading.
Throughout, there is an emphasis on both technology and on standards.
The book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding specific LAN and MAN standards, such as IEEE 802 and FDDI, and the specifications issued by the ATM Forum and the Fibre Channel Association. This emphasis reflects the importance of such standards in defining the available products and future research directions in this field.
Internet Services
An internet mailing list has been set up so that instructors using this book can exchange information, suggestions, and questions with each other and with the author. To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@prenhall.com with a message body of subscribe ws-lan. To post a message, send to ws-lan@prenhall.com.
What's New in the Fifth Edition
In the four years since the fourth edition of this book was published, the field has seen continued innovations and improvements. In this new edition, I try to capture these changes, while maintaining a broad and comprehensive coverage of the entire field. In addition, many users of the fourth edition have made constructive comments that have resulted in a substantial reorganization of the material.
The most obvious change in the fifth edition is the increased emphasis on high-speed networks. A number of trends dictate the rapid move to high-speed technology in the LAN/MAN field: the continued, relentless increase in the speed and capacity of computer systems; the evolution of applications to include greater emphasis on graphic and video; and the increased volume of data generated by the move to client/server computing. The result of these trends has been the introduction in recent years of a number of new schemes for moving large volumes of data at high rates within the local area. These schemes are both complementary and competing, making it difficult for the observer to assess their relative merits and areas of application. This new edition covers these alternative approaches to high-speed local networking and addresses the issues relating to interconnecting these networks with each other and with wide-area networks.
There are a number of new chapters in this edition. In addition, much of the material carried over from the fourth edition has been substantially revised. As in indication of the scope of the revision, over half of the figures (137 of 241) and two-thirds of the tables (46 of 68) are new, 58 references have been added, and 45 new homework problems have been included. Some of the most noteworthy changes are the following:
*Chapter 7 covers the two recent 100-Mbps LANs that have evolved from the original Ethernet: 100BASE-T and 100VG-AnyLAN.
*Chapter 9 covers the Fibre Channel which operates at up to 800 Mbps and, unlike traditional LANs, uses a switched rather than a shared-medium configuration.
*Chapter 10 covers ATM LANs, which carry asynchronous transfer mode technology onto the local premises and provide a seamless integration with wide-area ATM networks.
*Chapter 11 covers the increasingly important area of wireless LANs.
*There is expanded coverage of transmission media, including the important Category 5 unshielded twisted pair specification.
*Structure cabling systems are discussed, including a description of the new EIA-568 standard.
*The discussion of LLC, which is the "glue" that holds together the LAN/MAN protocol architecture, has been significantly expanded.
*TCP/IP, which is the near-universal communications architecture for LANs and MANs, is described.
*The chapter on network management has been completely revised and now includes a discussion of SNMP.
Acknowledgments
This new edition has benefited from review by a number of people, who gave generously of their time and expertise. A number of people reviewed the previous edition and made constructive comments for the new edition, including: Kitel Albertson of the Trondheim College of Engineering; Greg Brewster of DePaul University; and Ravi Sankar of the University of South Florida. The chapter on ATM and ATM LANs was reviewed by Derya Cansever of GTE; Ken Christensen and Bill Ellington of IBM; and Mark McCutcheon, Alimudden Mohammad, and Darren Tsang of the University of British Columbia. Roger Cummings of StorageTek, Gary Stephens of FSI Consulting Services, and Jan Dedek of ANCOT Corporation reviewed the material on Fibre Channel. Bill Bunch of National Semiconductor, Danial Dove of Hewlett Packard, and Ronald Cooper of IBM reviewed the chapter on 100BASE-T and 100VG-AnyLAN. Rajamani Ganesh of the David Sarnoff Research Center and Craig Mathias of Farpoint Group reviewed the material on wireless LANs.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Whole Lot about Nothing in Particular,
By D.F. Campbell (Rio Claro, SP, Brazil) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (6th Edition) (Paperback)
Recently I purchased William Stallings' Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (6th Edition), published by Prentice Hall, so that I could learn the fundamentals of how networks actually work. At a hefty $, plus express shipping to my home in Brazil, the book totaled $, plus change. It was not money well spent, and I have to say that Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (6th Edition) is probably the all-time worst reference or textbook I have ever encountered. I think it's poorly organized, poorly written, and the material is confusing and poorly presented.If you enjoy a good wild goose chase, scratching your head while flipping endlessly back and forth through pages to check and recheck facts and figures, and if abstract explanations for abstract concepts blow your skirt up, then Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (6th Edition) is for you. However, if clearly explained and solidly demonstrated concepts are important for you to gain an understanding of a complex subject, then run far, far away from this book. It's a whole lot about nothing in particular. While the full-color cover is impressive, the content--printed on thin, cheap black-and-white paper apparently without the benefit of a spellchecker--isn't. After politely emailing the author with corrections for typos in the first chapter (at his request in the Intro), I realized while reading Chapter Two that this was going to be a never-ending chore. Instead of continuing to send the author corrections for each chapter, I decided that it would be to my benefit to recommend that the publishing company supply the author with an editor on the next go-round. Although I know considerably more about networks in general than I did when I started, it's not due to anything I gained from the book. Instead, my knowledge is the result of a continuing and ongoing Internet search in an attempt to clarify and explain the concepts Stallings presents. The book's fifteen chapters cover three major areas: 1)Technical Background, 2)LAN/MAN Architecture, and 3)LAN/MAN systems. Each chapter presents highly technical and hard-to-understand explanations of the topics, and ends with sections on "Recommended Readings and Websites" and "Study Questions." Curiously, the chapters' study questions seem to be related to the chapter material in a strangely abstract way. They're useful only if you think like a rocket scientist. The author sends you on a virtual scavenger hunt in order to solve the problems, and he never provides clear, easily defined examples of the concepts that he attempts to explain. Stallings acknowledges that the material can be confusing and at one point says, incredibly, that it will be explained later. He states that "The preceding discussion has been somewhat abstract and should become clearer as specific techniques are discussed" in a later chapter (p. 131). "SHOULD become," but in my view, nothing is ever clarified. Numerous references throughout the book to other texts to help explain difficult concepts leave me with the feeling that Stallings is aware that much is missing from his explanations and that he simply hopes someone else will do a better job. Additionally, according to the preface, the book focuses on other key areas such as "performance, internetworking, and network management" (Preface). Yet, useful information about these subjects tends to be buried deep within the confusing text. If you're a network expert and like to dazzle yourself by reading printed matter on things familiar, this book should keep you entertained. But if you don't know anything about network systems and want to learn, don't waste your money. You can learn more about basic networking concepts by reading some older books on network security (Maximum Security, by Anonymous, for example), or by searching the Net. But don't use the sites suggested by Stallings. Like much of this poorly researched and apparently hastily written text, the links don't provide information specifically related to the subject at hand and they're often unreliable. Do an Internet search. You'll learn a whole lot more about networks on your own than from this textbook, and at a whole lot better price.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too bad - Stallings has written better...,
By
This review is from: Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (6th Edition) (Paperback)
This book was used as the text for a LAN course I took as part of a Masters degree in Telecommunications and Networking. At first, I was excited, because we had used Stallings text on Cryptography and Network Security and I had learned a good bit from it. He also appears to have a de facto standard text on data communications, which MANY of my peers own (I do not). After working intimately in the networking business for 3-4 years, it was interesting to read Stallings take on things, but there are serious problems with this book:1.) Stallings tends to 'list and explain', i.e. provides a list of concepts and then goes into detail on each piece. This is a fine organizational structure, but tends to give weight to things that aren't necessarily that important - and there are many things in networking that I find gain mention, but aren't used in reality such as infrared wireless networks and LLC. Why does he bother with them? 2.) The cover mentions 'switched ethernet'. It makes NO appearance in the text whatsoever. There is about 1/2 a page on something called 'dedicated token ring' that to the initiated is obviously switched token ring. 3.) The typos - they are truly annoying. 80% are minor - typos, really. Others are serious and not something a beginner is going to catch! Stallings seems to be a 'professional author' considering the number of books he's written. I suspect he pores over references and standards documents and then distills the information into a book like this one. Some of the chapters seem to be pulled from his other books (SNMP and Network Security). You could do the same, but his book would save you time. I would recommend waiting for a later edition and hope that the typos have been caught and corrected. The book would then serve as as good intro to a beginner (although probably only in a classroom environment) or a intermediate. You can then go and start looking at things more in depth by looking at the standards yourself. More specifically: chapter 1-2: basic intro and telecomm topics. No comments Chapter 3-Protocols & the TCP/IP suite. Reasonable treatment, but the appendix on IP, TCP, and UDP is a little too short. IPv6 is only a paragraph? Chapter 4-Topologies and transmission media - Dull, if necessary. Probably too technical to most people (but not THAT technical) compared to other books on network cabling. Again, Stallings is heavier on theory than the practicality. Chapter 5-Protocol Architecture - this is supposed to be an 'intro' to more detailed stuff that comes later, but outlines the issues. Not an organizational technique that everyone cares for. Chapter 6-Logical Link Control - Does anybody REALLY use this?? This deserved its own chapter? Chapter 7-Ethernet LAN's - a good technical treatment of shared ethernet, but where's the switched? Covers (1+ pages) Autonegotiation which I appreciated (hadn't seen it before). Gigabit etherenet gets about 3-1/2 pages (half of which is pictures). Chapter 8-Token Ring Lans & Mans-Good technical information on Token Ring and FDDI (my first exposure to these details. Chapter 9-Fibre Channel - Despite Stallings penchant for deatils there seems to be a lot of details missing here, but I didn't see anything better on the web. FC may still be too new? Chapter 10-Wireless LANS. The covereage of Infrared is a waste of space. Important details about how the frame in 802.11 is used are missing and there is zero mention of 802.11a, which is probably too recent for inclusion. Chapter 11-ATM LANs. I didn't read, but looked like a fine intro. The chapter 11 appendix covers ATM itself and AAL's, but there is no AAL2. That's fine since this is a LAN book, but it says AAL2 hasn't been defined (circa 2000). I don't believe that is true. Chapter 12&13 - Bridges & Internetworking. I didn't read. Again, a short, theory-heavy, intro to the subjects by the look of it. Chapter 14-Network management - Didn't read. Chapter 15-LAN performance. I was most appreciative of this chapter which is hard-to-find information. It wasn't necessarily consistent, pulling info from many places, but I don't think you can find a better intro to the theory of network performance behavior. And, it stresses 'back of the envelope' calculations for performance, which, ironicaly enough is a very practical approach. Too bad about those serious typos on pages 430, 435, 438, and 453 (some in the figures, some in the equations).
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
poorly laid out and written,
By A Customer
This review is from: Local and Metropolitan Area Networks (Hardcover)
I had to use this book as the text for a telecommunications class. I usually am pleased with Stallings' books and learn a lot. But not this time. There are several mistakes, and not enough examples to give one a good thourough understanding the information being discussed
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