Publisher's Synopsis
This work examines how groups of LANs can be connected to provide a communications infrastructure, and demonstrates which technology is best suited to support internetworking. The use of the OSI RM acts as the reference point for explaining the different aspects of internetworking. A case study runs throughout the book covering Ethernet, Token Ring and LAN systems. Extensive references, product summaries and a comprehensive bibliography are included in this reference for network managers, engineers and consultants.;Terminology and jargon is explained and put into context; the features and functions of different internetworking relay elements are described, providing an appreciation of the ways best suited to creating external LANs; and the wide range of architectural structures used for interconnecting LANs are discussed, providing design templates for new network architectures.