Publisher's Synopsis
A wide variety of multi-vendor networks exist in today's organizations, requiring many LAN managers to link their LAN to other, dissimilar systems. This book addresses aspects of LAN and WAN (wide-area network) integrations, detailing the hardware, software, and communication products available. In-depth discussions describe the functions, design, and performance of repeaters, bridges, routers, and gateways. Comunication facilities such as leased lines, T-1 circuits and access to packet switched public data networks (PSPDNs) are compared, helping LAN managers decide which is most viable for their internetwork. Also examined are the X.25, TCP/IP and XNS protocols, as well as the internetworking capabilities of interoperability constraints of the most popular networks including NetWare, LAN server, 3+Open, VINES, and AppleTalk.
