Radia Perlman's Interconnections is recognized as a leading text on networking theory and practice. It provides authoritative and comprehensive information on general networking concepts, routing algorithms and protocols, addressing, and the mechanics of bridges, routers, switches, and hubs. This Second Edition is expanded and updated to cover the newest developments in the field, including advances in switching and bridge technology, VLANs, Fast Ethernet, DHCP, ATM, and IPv6. Additional new topics include IPX, AppleTalk, and DECnet. You will gain a deeper understanding of the range of solutions possible and find valuable information on protocols for which documentation is not readily available elsewhere.
Written by the inventor of many of the algorithms that make switching and routing robust and efficient, Interconnections, Second Edition offers an expert's insight into how and why networks operate as they do. Perlman describes all of the major networking algorithms and protocols in use today in clear and concise terms, while exploring the engineering trade-offs that the different approaches represent.
The book contains extensive coverage of such topics as:
- The spanning tree algorithm
- The differences between bridges, routers, and switches
- Virtual LANs (VLANs) and Fast Ethernet
- Addressing and packet formats for IP, IPv6, IPX, CLNP, AppleTalk, and DECnet
- Autoconfiguration of addresses; strategies in various protocol suites
- Routing protocols, including RIP, IS-IS, OSPF, PNNI, NLSP, and BGP
- Layer 3 multicast protocols, including IGMP, DVMRP, MOSPF, CBT, PIM, BGMP, Simple Multicast, and Express
- Sabotage-proof routing
- Protocol design folklore
About the Author
Radia Perlman's work has had a profound impact on the field of networking. She was recently featured in the 25th anniversary edition of Data Communications magazine as one of the 25 people whose work has most influenced the industry. She is the creator of the spanning tree algorithm upon which bridges (switches) are based, and the algorithms that allow robust and efficient link state routing, upon which all modern link state routing protocols (such as IS-IS, OSPF, and PNNI) are based. Radia designed IS-IS, Simple Multicast, and sabotage-proof routing. She is also co-author of Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World. Both of her books were listed in the top 10 most useful networking reference books in the March, 1988 issue of Network Magazine. She is currently a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems, Inc. She holds about 50 patents and a Ph.D. from M.I.T.