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The switch book: the complete guide to LAN switching technology [Book Review]
Article in IEEE Network · December 2000
DOI: 10.1109/MNET.2000.885663 · Source: IEEE Xplore
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Ioanis Nikolaidis University of Alberta
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NEW BOOKS and MULTIMEDIA
(Continued from page 5) a safe, but influential, distance. The dif-
The Switch Book: The
Complete Guide
toLAN
ferences of switching at Layers 2 , 3 or 4 are briefly discussed in the fourth chap- ter. Rather than hurt the value of the book, the lack of network layer specifics adds to the pleasure ofreading it. Indeed, if you are of the opinion that routing is the crucial techniquebehindnetworking,you will be rightlv immessed bv the oDtions
Switching Technology
Rich Seifert, 2000, John Wile)’ & Sons,
0471-34586-51 698 pages/ hardcover This book by Rich Seifert should not be misunderstood as a routing/switching book. I t is a bridging/routing book, dedicated to MAC protocols, bridges, LANs, VLANs, and so on. IP is kept at
t h a t exilt for r i u t i n g M A C frames.
Seifert’s prose can be light but remains insightfuland attracts thereadertounder- stand concepts and issues behind MAC
protocols and layer 2 switching. For exam- ple, the catchy title “Diary of a Loopy LAN” serves as prelude to the spanning tree protocol. Nonexperts will find it easy to delve into Seifert’s text, whichcom- bines conceptual and technical discussion, sprinkled with quotes of what its author calls “Seifert’s Laws of Networking.”
The first part of the book is a presentation of principles behind the 802 standards, 802 MAC protocols, the definition of bridges, transparent bridges, 802.1D, remote bridges, problems of bridging dissimilar LANs, principles of LAN switching, aswell as two routing issues: loop resolution (hence, spanning tree protocols and span- ning tree Catents) and source routing. The second part of the book, on advanced top- ics, spans from flow control, link aggre- gation, and multicast pruning to virtual LANs, VLAN standards (specifically 802.lQ), priority operation (including 802.lp), andmanagement.Thebookends with an architectural overview of switch design principles and architectures (shared memory, shared bus, crosspoint, input vs. output queuing, and the H O L prob- lem). Seifert stays clear of providing exam- ple configurations of specific products.
Instead, he presents the features expect- ed of products and how they are combined in networks. In summary, the book is a fair- ly comprehensive introduction to bridg- inghwitching tuned to a newcomer t o the area who wishes to find out how to solve (if they can be solved) internet- working problems using br,idges and switches alone. As Seifert’s law of net- working #16 (p. 417) states: “Solutions to network problems usually involve the invention of new protocols.” And, maywe add, invention of a totally new layer too.
EDITOR’S NOTE/cont’d from page 2 (H. Newton and R. Horak, 2000), and Thomas’ Concise Telecom and Network- ing Dictionary (T. M. Thomas 11, 2000).
This may give an indication that the number of acronyms and terms in net- working have saturated and exceeded the capacity of the human brain. Even though I may have come close, so far I have easily resisted the temptation to attach disclaimers alerting readers t o the hazards of choking on the number of acronyms in some articles.
My experience as Editor-in-Chief has been a wonderful one. I hope you have enjoyed the articles in IEEE Net- work that we have published in the last two years, and I hope you will continue t o find o u r magazine t o b e the first address for tutorial and survey articles on hot topics in computer networking.
54 IEEE Network NovemberDecember 2000
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