High Capacity Local And Metropolitan Area Networks

The main objective of this workshop was to review and discuss the state of the art and the latest advances· in the area of 1-10 Gbit/s throughput for local and metropolitan area networks. The first generation of local area networks had throughputs in the range 1-20 Mbit/s. Well-known examples of this first generation networks are the Ethernet and the Token Ring. The second generation of networks allowed throughputs in the range 100-200 Mbit/s. Representatives of this generation are the FDDI double ring and the DQDB (IEEE 802.6) networks. The third generation networks will have throughputs in the range 1-10 Gbit/s. The rapid development and deployment of fiber optics worldwide, as well as the projected emergence of a market for broadband services, have given rise to the development of broadband ISDN standards. Currently, the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) appears to be a viable solution to broadband networks. The possibility of all-optical networks in the future is being examined. This would allow the tapping of approximately 50 terahertz or so available in the lightwave range of the frequency spectrum. It is envisaged that using such a high-speed network it will be feasible to distribute high-quality video to the home, to carry out rapid retrieval of radiological and other scientific images, and to enable multi-media conferencing between various parties.

The demand for communication networks has increased dramatically in the last few years, creating a need for an intermediate network that operates over a metropolitan area at comparatively high data rates with simple protocols. With some characteristics of local area networks and wide area networks, the metropolitan area network (MAN) technology reflects the best features of both. The motivations for MAN technology include o interconnection of LANs o high-speed services o integrated services. MANs can be used in the following areas: LAN interconnection Filetransfer Distributed processing Remote services Remote login Metropolitan Area Networks provides an introduction to the key concepts of MANs in an easily understood style. Organized into five chapters, this unique book acts as an excellent reference for a beginner as well as for the veteran in the field. Topics include: Introductory and background information about MANs Interworking devices, MAN topologies, and key issues Various popular protocols proposed for MANs Modeling and performance analysis of common MAN topologies Emerging MAN-related technologies such as BISDN, ATM networks, frame relay, cell relay, SONET, and SMDS For a broad understanding of this expanding subject, Metropolitan Area Networks serves as the singular standard in the field.

Like its predecessors, this fully updated Fifth Edition of Local and Metropolitan Area Networks provides a clear, comprehensive presentation of LAN/MAN technology and the many emerging approaches to high-speed local networking. It meets the needs of today's students by emphasizing both the fundamental principles as well as the critical role of performance in driving LAN/MAN design.

We are witnessing an ever-increasing thrust toward the era of multimedia information networks, largely spurred by the U.S. Government's proposal for the National Information Infrastructure in the fall of 1993. While more people are subscribing to the services of narrowband ISDN, the implementation of broadband ISDN by means of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) has accelerated since the formation of the ATM Forum in 1993. In the meantime, frame relay may prevail for inter-LAN connections. In the "upper layer" of the network, commercial use of Internet is rapidly emerging. To ensure the successful development of technology, it is vital to use a judicious approach in assessing the architecture and performance of the systems that implement the technology. It is this spirit that underlies the present conference, which is intended to provide an international forum for the presentation of recent research results in the area of local and metropolitan communication systems. This conference has two sets of predecessors. It is the third in a series of international conferences on Local and Metropolitan Communication Systems -LAN & MAN; the first was held in Toulouse in 1986 and the second in Palma de Mallorca in 1991. It is also the fourth in a triennial series organized by Kyoto University and others on the performance of communication-related systems; the previous ones were held in Tokyo (1985) and Kyoto (1988, 1991).

With the continuing success of Local Area Networks (IANs), there is an increasing demand to extend their capabilities towards higher data rates and wider areas. This, together with the progress in fiber-optic technology, has given rise to the so-called Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). MANs can span much greater distances than current LAN s, and offer data rates on the order of hundreds of Megabits/sec (Mbps). The success of MANs is mainly due to the opportunity they provide to develop new networking products capable of providing high-speed commu nications between applications at competitive prices, which nonetheless give an adequate return on the manufacturers' investments. A major factor in of appropriate networking standards. achieving this goal is the availability Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDl) and Distributed Queue Dual Bus (DQDB) are the two standard technologies for MANs for which industrial products are already available. For this reason, this book focuses mainly on these two standards. Nowadays there are several books dealing with MANs, and these look mainly at FDDI (e.g., [2], [92], [118], [141]). These books focus primarily on the architectures and protocols, whereas they pay little attention to per formance analysis. Due to the capability of MANs to integrate services, a quantitative analysis of the Quality of Service (QoS) provided by these tech nologies is a relevant issue, and is thus covered in depth in this book.

TriComm '92 was the fifth in the series of Research Triangle conferences on Computer Communications. This series emerged from a need to provide a forum for the people who are actively involved in Research and Development in the Research Triangle area in which they could present and discuss new ideas in Computer Communications. TriComm '92 was dedicated to High Speed networks. In particular, the program was developed around the following themes: local ATM, preventive and reactive congestion control. routing. transport protocols. traffic measurements, software engineering for telecommunication systems. and standards. I would like to thank all the speakers who agreed to present a paper. and the members of the program committee who patiently refereed the papers despite their busy schedules. I would also like to thank Mr. Ed Bowen, IBM, Research Triangle Park, for covering the expenses for the preparation of the pre-conference proceedings. and Dr. Raif Onvural. IBM, Research Triangle Park, for overseeing the photocopying of the proceedings. I would also like to thank my "Guardian Angel" Ms. Margaret Hudacko. Center for Communications and Signal Processing. State University, who made all the local arrangements. North Carolina Without her help, this conference would have been a complete disaster. Many thanks also go to Norene Miller. Center for Communications and Signal Processing. North Carolina State University. Finally. I would like to thank Mr. Charles Lord, Eastern NC Chapter of the IEEE Communications SOCiety. for providing us with mailing lists.

Queueing systems and networks are being applied to many areas of technology today, including telecommunications, computers, satellite systems, and traffic processes. This timely book, written by 26 of the most respected and influential researchers in the field, provides an overview of fundamental queueing systems and networks as applied to these technologies. Frontiers in Queueing: Models and Applications in Science and Engineering was written with more of an engineering slant than its predecessor, Advances in Queueing: Theory, Methods, and Open Problems. The earlier book was primarily concerned with methods, and was more theoretically oriented. This new volume, meant to be a sequel to the first book, was written by scientists and queueing theorists whose expertise is in technology and engineering, allowing readers to answer questions regarding the technicalities of related methods from the earlier book. Each chapter in the book surveys the classes of queueing models and networks, or the applied methods in queueing, and is followed by a discussion of open problems and future research directions. The discussion of these future trends is especially important to novice researchers, students, and even their advisors, as it provides the perspectives of eminent scientists in each area, thus showing where research efforts should be focused. Frontiers in Queueing: Models and Applications in Science and Engineering also includes applications to vital areas of engineering and technology, specifically, telecommunications, computers and computer networks, satellite systems, traffic processes, and more applied methods such as simulation, statistics, and numerical methods. All researchers, from students to advanced professionals, can benefit from the sound advice and perspective of the contributors represented in this book.