Voice & Data Communications Handbook (Paperback)

by Regis J. Bates (Author), Donald W. Gregory (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What's New?--The telecommunications industry is rapidly changing--mergers, consolidations, new products, and innovations occur almost daily. Here's what's new from the last edition: broadband such as xDSL and CATV services for high speed data and Internet access; frame relay with Voice over Frame and a Frame/ATM internetworking section; updated wireless communications; new section dealing with CLEC (local exchange carrier) business and the value of the business market for telecom; new info on signaling systems and the local number portability issues at hand. Illustrated and practical approach--heavily illustrated with key concepts and techniques for doing the job right. Offers a practical approach for using the most advanced telecommunication technologies. Expert author--Bud Bates is a well-respected expert in computing communications, and an instructor for major telecommunication companies such as Nortel, Fujitsu, and others.

From the Back Cover
Voice and data technologies are expanding exponentially! As the world of voice and data begin to merge, networking and telecommunication professionals have a critical need for information and a definitive reference that explains the technology. The new edition of the best-selling Voice and Data Communications Handbook provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and jargon-free reference in this rapidly evolving field.

Clearly written by veteran authors Bud Bates and Donald W. Gregory, this all-inclusive reference includes the latest information on a wide range of topics, such as:

High speed broadband services such as xDSL and CATV Frame relay with voice over frame and frame/ATM internetworking Voice over IP and voice over data services Wireless communications, including digital wireless SONET and wave division multiplexing Competitive Local Exchange Carrier Business Signaling systems and local number portability issues.

For network engineers, administrators, telecommunications engineers, sales and marketing professionals, the Voice and Data Communications Handbook is the most complete and simple and easy-to-understand reference on the most recent advances in the information technologies. It is the blueprint to success for all networking and telecommunications professionals.

You'll find complete coverage of:
PBXs (Private Branch Exchanges) CTI (Computer-to-Telephony Integration Packet Switching Technologies Cellular and Personal Communication Video Conferencing Internet and Intranet And much more!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media.; 3 Sub edition (January 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070402000
• ISBN-13: 978-0072122763
• ASIN: 0072122765
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,589,576 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Keep looking for "the" one-stop, comprehensive telecom book, November 24, 2001

By	Richard Bejtlich "TaoSecurity.com" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Voice & Data Communications Handbook (Standards & Protocols) (Paperback)

I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I bought "Voice and Data Communications Handbook, Fourth Edition" (VADCH:4E) to gain a general understanding of communications technologies beyond the LAN. Although the book mentions all of the systems which interested me, I was not satisfied with the manner in which they were covered. VADCH:4E is better than Ross' "Telecommunications Technologies" but inferior to Green's "Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications." Nevertheless, I'm still looking for an author who delivers the goods on voice and data communications essentials.

VADCH:4E's table of contents is sure to impress; it mentions T carriers, VPNs, X.25, Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, SMDS, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM, DSL, SS7, LNP, Cellular/PCS, WAP, 3G Wireless, SONET/SDH, and other key telecom systems and concepts. Unfortunately, I rarely finished a chapter with a good grasp of the material. I desperately searched for clues to questions I felt were key to understanding each technology. Rather than launching into an extended discussion of each system, I would have preferred hearing exactly how each technology works, with comparison to other technologies. More is not better if the "more" isn't helpful!

VADCH:4E is advertised as being "straightforward and jargon-free." This approach supposedly appeals to management types. In reality, the book swings wildly from mind-numbing grade-school-level analogies to material only understood with outside references. A 1074 page book needs to pick a writing style and stay the course. Otherwise, it alienates both nontechnical and technical readers. (Incidentally, technical readers may wonder why the authors believe Windows screen savers contribute to LAN traffic; see page 674 to read this odd claim.)

On a positive note, VADCH:4E consistently offered useful information on the history and business rationale for many telecom systems. Many of the connectivity diagrams were excellent. (These were usually offset by cheesy "clip-art" type graphics elsewhere, unfortunately.) VADCH:4E also includes descriptions of the framing formats for most telecom transmission systems.

Overall, I don't recommend reading a book this large if it doesn't answer the key questions I expect readers to ask. While I'm more familiar with telecom basics after reading VADCH:4E, I still hope another book makes more sense of the telecommunications environment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good General Information, December 29, 1999

By	"sparkopup" (Manchester, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voice and Data Communications Handbook: Signature Edition (McGraw-Hill Computer Communications Series) (Paperback)

The information was good, but not technical. The section about PBXs discussed cost more then how they work. As a managerial tool, its not bad, but as an engineer, I found it lacking in technical information that I like to have. If you're looking for diagrams and formulas, look for something else.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about voice and data, September 20, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Irving Texas) - See all my reviews

While this is a big fat book< almost a thousand pages, and not many pictures> this was a very easy read. Just about everything was covered in the voice and data world, anyone working in either field would have a good history and working knowledge what where we have been where we are and where we are going. The writing style was enjoyable entertaining and funny while keeping to the point, overviews where given followed by description of the technical with applied examples. Even the person makinf discisions on Voice or data issues would be well served to buy the book for the 1st 7 chapters alone, if you work on the engineering side I am sure you will continue to the end of the book. I liked this book so much I ordered his other book on Broadband.