BKDCADN.RVW 931129 Prentice Hall, Inc./Brady 113 Sylvan Avenue Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (515) 284-6751 FAX (515) 284-2607 11711 N. College Ave. Carmel, IN 46032-9903 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10023 800-428-5331 phyllis@prenhall.com - postmaster "Data Communications and Distributed Networks", Black, U$56, 0-13-203464-6 This is a fairly comprehensive overview of a great many aspects of data communications. As well as the basics of signalling, framing, error detection and recovery, interfaces, and so forth, topics such as data base considerations, frame relay and client/server functions are discussed. That said, there is a wide range in the depth of coverage of a given topic. Cable limitations, modem signalling and telephony aspects receive a great deal of coverage, in detail. When local area networks are discussed, however, signalling and cabling are not mentioned. Nor is there any comparison of traffic analysis between CSMA/CD (Ethernet's "carrier sense multiple access/collision detect) and token ring architectures. It is difficult to find an obvious structure to data communications topics. Many concepts are interrelated, and what may seem a clear design to one could be total chaos to another. Nevertheless, it is very hard to see a plan in topics that jump from framing to component hardware to signalling to packet switching to data bases to errors. In spite of these quirks, the book is a good text for those looking for a basic background in data communications, particularly with extensions into the more recent fields. A more serious shortcoming is the fact that there is no semblance of a bibliography for those who wish to progress in a given area. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKDCADN.RVW 931129 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Oct. '94) Springer-Verlag