IP Switching: Protocols and Architectures

As the Internet and intranets sag under the weight of user demand, and accusatory fingers point to routers as the bottleneck culprits, a host of new Internet Protocol (IP) switching technologies have appeared, promising rescue. But what kind of switch can actually deliver the reduced latency, improved QoS (quality of service), and greater bandwidth demanded by services such as videoconferencing, multicasting, and virtual reality? Which switches meet the needs of your network? And, perhaps most importantly, which will keep up with technology that's always on the move? This book, covering both the firmware and software of IP switching, and written by one of the field's foremost experts, has all the answers. It provides the best-ever overview of the entire arena, giving you everything from a nuts-and-bolts explanation of switching technology to a detailed, all-inclusive analysis of vendor offerings. Look for a top-to-bottom survey of switch technology developments; clear contrasts with routing technology; understandable descriptions of how different switches work; detailed comparisons of brand-name switches from ARIS, Ipsilon, Cisco, Toshiba, and more; a full discussion of multicasting; readable explanations of Multiprotocol Over ATM (MPOA), layering, Classical IP, I-PNNI, PAR, and much more; and the latest standards from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the ATM Forum, and the IEEE. Network designers, network managers, Internet service providers, and anyone dealing with the technical aspects of fast data flow, all need IP Switching: Protocols and Architectures. No matter how you look at it, it's the most readable, comprehensive, and authoritative guide to the most sought-after frontier in networking.