Browse Books

Reviewer: Frederick Francis Newpeck

If you are a communications engineer and want to brush up on theory this may be a good book, but if you want to learn about data networks this book is not the vehicle. The authors suggest that this is somewhat of a breakthrough book in that it deals with current practice and selected details of the operation of the various existing networks as well as with performance analysis. The examples are from Arpanet, Aloha, and Tymnet (as well as SNA); the theory is somewhat mathematical. This text contains the following chapters: (1) Introduction and Layered Network Architecture (2) Data Link Control and Communication Channels (3) Delay Models in Data Networks (4) Multiaccess Communication (5) Routing in Data Networks (6) Flow Control For someone who wants to learn about data networks, I suggest Data Communications and Distributed Networks [1]. :4T[1]B LACK, U. D. Data communications and distributed networks, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1987.

Reviewer: Bruce Hajek

This unique and delightful book on the theory of computer communication networks deals primarily with physical, data link, and network routing and flow control aspects of networks. The authors explain their view of how networks ought to be constructed and use logical arguments to support their reasoning. They then compare their conceptions to existing networks. A list of the chapter titles follows: (1)Introduction and Layered Network Architecture, (2)Data Link Control and Communication Channels, (3)Delay Models in Data Networks, (4)Multiaccess Communication, (5)Routing in Data Networks, and (6)Flow Control. A summary, a section on notes, sources, and suggested reading, and a set of problems follow each chapter. A list of references and an index are given at the end of the book. The book provides an introduction to queueing theory that makes good use of graphical arguments. The standard z-transform method is not introduced, but nevertheless an elegant, fairly complete description of delay systems is given that ranges from M/M/1 and M/G/1 queues with vacation to priority queueing systems. The authors describe several recent advances in network research in the text. Their descriptions of random access methods, including “splitting” or “tree” type algorithms, and of the theory of routing and flow control, for example, are much more extensive and up to date than those in other networking texts. Material on distributed broadcasting with unreliable links or without the use of sequence numbers and on projection methods for optimal routing appears in book form for the first time. Many popular networks and standards are briefly discussed in the book, including HDLC, X.25, IBM's SNA, TYMNET, ARPANET, and the basic IEEE standards for a bus or ring. These systems are used to illustrate ways to solve particular types of problems. Though the book does not go into much detail when it describes standards or existing systems, it often provides a meaningful comparison between different systems by stressing fundamental differences. Recent standards such as the 100 Mbit token ring and basic ISDN standards are not discussed in the book; neither are schemes for internetworking at the link level using bridges. The book is best used as a text for a first course in networking for students who are able to think clearly, logically, and a bit abstractly. A good background in elementary probability theory would be quite useful to the student. The problems given in the text do not require much background, but are geared toward students who are thoughtful and mature. Most computer science undergraduates lack the reasoning ability and background in probability necessary to appreciate the finer points of the book, while most students in more analytically oriented fields, such as systems theory or operations research, might not be very interested in networking while they are undergraduates. Thus, for either type of student, I think the book is most suitable at the graduate level. It can provide an excellent introduction to networking for analytically oriented students, and an excellent introduction to analytical techniques for computer engineering students. The book requires no knowledge of operating system design or any other aspect of computer architecture or programming. Many computer-oriented students seem to learn most efficiently through interaction with the computer. Having them write and test software for a simple ARQ scheme or some other basic networking task, then, would convince them much more firmly that correct protocols are extremely hard to produce than any amount of abstract reasoning could. If the text is used for an undergraduate computer science course, therefore, I recommend that the instructor supplement the book with reading material or projects that go into more detail on a few selected network topics. The book covers a broad range of topics. This is necessary because the theory of physical, data link, and network layers includes such diverse topics as Fourier analysis, graph algorithms, coding theory, Markov chains, and nonlinear optimization. Nevertheless, the authors' judicious and relatively sparing selection of topics allows them to discuss issues more deeply than other introductory texts in communication networks do. It is refreshing to see a textbook on networks that aims to provide a lasting education.