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Section IV
Interoperability and Standards Issues

Interoperability is one of the most important considerations when designing and expanding a network. By obtaining the ability to use products from different vendors we are able to literally break the umbilical cord which previously tied organizations to a single vendor. By obtaining hardware and software that is interoperable, the ties that previously bound organizations to a single vendor regardless of price, delivery schedule, or performance no longer are applicable. This in turn made the communications industry a more competitive industry, fostering price competition and innovation to the benefit of the end user. Although interoperability is important, it would not be possible without standards. Thus, interoperability and standards go hand in hand, and are the focus of this section.

The first two chapters in this section provide us with detailed information covering two versions of Ethernet that operate at 100 Mbps. In the first chapter, “Introduction to 100BASE-T: Fast (and Faster) Ethernet,” we will become familiar with the four versions of 100BASE-T to include the type of wiring required and their physical layer signaling system. This chapter also introduces us to the auto-negotiation feature of Fast Ethernet which enables us to use 10BASE-T hubs and end stations with a 100BASE-T hub. Although we primarily think of 100BASE-T when we hear the term Fast Ethernet, there are actually two Fast Ethernet standards. The second standard is known as 100VG-AnyLAN and is the focus of the second chapter in this section titled “A Better Fast Ethernet: 100VG-AnyLAN.” In this chapter we will be introduced to the demand priority protocol of 100VG-AnyLAN and why it is better suited for multi-media applications on a LAN than the CSMA/CD access protocol used by 100BASE-T.

Recognizing the importance of Fiber Channel, two chapters in this topic are included in this section. The chapter titled “Applications and Business Issues of Fiber Channel” provides us with an introduction to the economics and technology associated with the use of transport technology. This chapter is followed by the chapter titled “Fiber Channel Architecture, Layers, and Services” which provides us with detailed information covering Fiber Channel’s OSI style layering structure, scalability, and topologies it supports, enabling you to use this networking technology in a variety of networking situations.

The importance of the World Wide Web can be noted by billboard advertisements and TV commercials, with most organizations now including their Web address for viewers to note. In the fifth chapter in this section we turn our attention to the software which enables the Web to function. In the chapter “Linking to the World Wide Web” we are introduced to the HyperText Transmission Protocol which makes Web transmission possible, Universal Resource Identifiers which make hyperlinks possible, and the HyperText Markup Language which enables standardized Web pages to be created.

Along with Web addresses, one’s email address is becoming as prevalent as a person’s telephone number. With email providing near instantaneous delivery of messages at a fraction of the cost of Postal Service mail, literally billions of email messages are transmitted daily. While it may be a simple decision to decide to implement email, there is a considerable debate over the use of different email protocols. In the sixth chapter in this section, “X.400 Vs. SMTP,” we are introduced to the key decision criterions we should consider in selecting an email protocol. In this chapter such issues as functionality, security, systems management, message management, human resources requirements, and performance are compared and contrasted for X.400 and SMTP.

In concluding this section we turn our attention to a topic which every user of the Internet must consider. That topic is the pending use of all available IP addresses under the current version of the Internet Protocol, IPv4. In the chapter “IPv6: The Next Generation Internet Protocol” we are introduced to the features of this new protocol to include its addressing scheme which will enable this new protocol to support communications requirements that could materialize over the next several centuries.


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