Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook

For an accessible and comprehensive survey of telecommunications and data communications technologies and services, consult the Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook, which includes information on origins, evolution and meaningful contemporary applications. Find discussions of technologies set in context, with details on fiber optics, cellular radio, digital carrier systems, TCP/IP, and the Internet. Explore topics like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP); 802.16 & WiMAX; Passive Optical Network (PON); 802.11g & Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) in this easily accessible guide without the burden of technical jargon.

Preface. Acknowledgments. About the Author. 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF THE TECHNOLOGY: CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS. 1.1 Fundamental Definitions. 1.2 Dedicated, Switched, and Virtual Circuits. 1.3 Two-Wire versus Four-Wire Circuits. 1.4 Bandwidth. 1.5 Analog versus Digital. 1.6 Loading Coils, Amplifiers, and Repeaters. 1.7 Conversion Process: Modems and Codecs. 1.8 Multiplexers (Muxes). 1.9 Switches and Switching: The Basics ... and Then Some. 1.10 Signaling and Control. References. 2 FUNDAMENTALS OF TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS: TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS. 2.1 Electromagnetic Spectrum. 2.2 Transmission Media Selection Criteria. 2.3 Twisted Pair: Introduction to Telephone Wire. 2.4 Shielded Copper. 2.5 Coaxial Cable. 2.6 Microwave Radio. 2.7 Satellite Radio. 2.8 Free Space Optics. 2.9 Fiber Optics. 2.10 Powerline Carrier. 2.11 Hybrid Transmission Systems. References. 3 VOICE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS: KTS, PBX, CENTREX, AND ACD. 3.1 Key Telephone Systems. 3.2 Private Branch Exchanges. 3.3 Centrex. 3.4 Automatic Call Distributors. 3.5 Computer Telephony. 3.6 IP Systems. 3.7 Futures. References. 4 MESSAGING SYSTEMS. 4.1 Facsimile (Fax) Systems. 4.2 Voice Processing Systems. 4.3 Electronic Mail (E-Mail). 4.4 Instant Messaging. 4.5 Mobile Messaging: SMS and MMS. 4.6 Unified Messaging and Unified Communications. References. 5 PUBLIC SWITCHED TELEPHONE NETWORK. 5.1 Network Characteristics. 5.2 Numbering Plan Administration. 5.3 Domains. 5.4 Signaling and Control: Expanded View. 5.5 Network Services. 5.6 Portability: A Special Issue. 5.7 Equal Access: Another Special Issue. 5.8 VoIP: Next-Generation PSTN. References. 6 FUNDAMENTALS OF DATA COMMUNICATIONS. 6.1 Functional Domains. 6.2 DCE: Expanded View. 6.3 Protocol Basics. 6.4 Network Architectures. 6.5 Security. References. 7 CONVENTIONAL DIGITAL AND DATA NETWORKS. 7.1 Dataphone Digital Service. 7.2 Switched 56. 7.3 Virtual Private Networks: In the Classic Sense. 7.4 Digital Carrier Systems and Networks. 7.5 X.25 and Packet Switching. 7.6 Integrated Services Digital Network. References. 8 LOCAL AREA NETWORKS: CONNECTIVITY AND INTERNETWORKING. 8.1 LANs Defined. 8.2 LAN Dimensions. 8.3 LAN Equipment. 8.4 LAN Operating Systems. 8.5 Virtual LANs. 8.6 Remote LAN Access. 8.7 LAN Standards and Standards Bodies. 8.8 Life in the Fast LAN: The Need for Speed. 8.9 Wireless LANs. 8.10 Minding Your Ps and Qs. 8.11 IEEE 1394 and FireWire. 8.12 Nonstandard LANs. 8.13 Broadband over Power Line. 8.14 Storage Area Networks. References. 9 BROADBAND NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE. 9.1 Access Technologies. 9.2 SONET/SDH. 9.3 IEEE 802.17, Resilient Packet Ring. References. 10 BROADBAND NETWORK SERVICES. 10.1 Frame Relay. 10.2 Switched Multimegabit Data Service. 10.3 Asynchronous Transfer Mode. 10.4 Metropolitan Ethernet. 10.5 Broadband ISDN. 10.6 Advanced Intelligent Networks (AINs). References. 11 WIRELESS NETWORKING: EMPHASIS ON MOBILITY. 11.1 Wireless Defined. 11.2 Standards and Regulations. 11.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Wireless. 11.4 Cell Concept: Frequency Reuse. 11.5 Multiplexing and Access Techniques. 11.6 Specialized Mobile Radio. 11.7 Paging. 11.8 Cordless Telephony and Wireless Office Telecommunications Systems. 11.9 Cellular Radio. 11.10 Packet Data Radio Networks. 11.11 Satellite Systems: LEOs, MEOs, and GEOs. 11.12 And That's Not All. References. 12 VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA NETWORKING. 12.1 Video Communications: Defined and Evolved. 12.2 Video Basics. 12.3 Analog TV Standards. 12.4 Digital TV and High-Definition TV. 12.5 Bandwidth and Compression. 12.6 Video Standards. 12.7 Internet Protocol TeleVision (IPTV). 12.8 The H.320 Family of Multimedia Standards. 12.9 Session Initiation Protocol. 12.10 H.248: Media Gateway Control. 12.11 Videoconferencing Systems. 12.12 Videoconferencing Equipment. 12.13 WAN Videoconferencing Networks. 12.14 Video over IP. 12.15 Multimedia Conferencing. Applications and Benefits. References. 13 THE INTERNET AND WORLD WIDE WEB. 13.1 The Internet Defined. 13.2 Internet Physical Topology. 13.

Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook...covers the entire telecom landscape, from wireline to wireless, from copper to radio and fiber, from electrical to optical, and from the customer premises to the cloud. It discusses voice, data, fax, video and multimedia technologies, systems, and ap-plications in great detail, and in the LAN, MAN, and WAN domains. The handbook explores every relevant technology, standard, and ap-plication in the telecom and datacom space...It is exceptionally well-written in Horak's plain-English, commonsense style, making it just as helpful to the neophyte and layperson as to the serious student or seasoned IT professional. Horak makes liberal use of well-constructed graphics to illustrate system and network architectures, topologies, and applications. It is hard to make a valid direct comparison to this book. The Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications, by James Harry Green, is good, but less complete, less technical, and drier, if such a combination is possible. The Voice & Data Communications Handbook, by Regis "Bud" Bates, is written at a lower level; and, the Essential Guide to Telecommunications, by Annabel Dodd, at a much lower level. These latter two books are breezy reads and appeal more to a mass market than to a serious student or professional. The Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook compares more correctly to some of the more seminal works of Gilbert Held or James Martin, but covers a much wider range of subject matter and is a much easier and more pleasant read. The Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook is written for the academic and professional community, but is just as relevant to anyone who needs to understand telecommunications system and network technologies and their meaningful applications. It is an exceptional work that should be on every IT professional's bookshelf...when not in his or her hands. -John R. Vacca (The Internet Protocol Journal (Cisco Systems), December 2008, pp. 38-40) There is finally a guide to telecommunications and data communications that non-engineers can understand. Popular author Ray Horak provides comprehensive, up-to-date information in plain English, instead of confusing technotalk...Complete with a discussion of the current regulatory and business environments, including divestiture and revestiture as well as mergers and acquisitions, this is the ideal reference for non-engineering professionals in the end-user, carrier, content or service provider, manufacturing, regulatory, or financial communities. (IEEE Communications Society, August 2008) "...a thoroughly researched and comprehensive survey of telecom and datacom technologies and services, from the most basic to the most complex. Horak sets the technologies in context, providing an excellent level of detail on the origin and evolution of fiber optics, cellular radio, digital carrier systems, TCP/IP, and the Internet, as examples... We think that anyone with a compelling need for a complete and accurate understanding of telecommunications can benefit from it." (ASCDI News) We recently received a copy from Ray Horak of his "Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook" This (literally) weighty tome contains almost 800 pages of current technology, and, maybe more importantly, the historical basis for how we got to where we are today. From frequency division multiplexing to the invention of the Strowger switch by a disgruntled undertaker to the origin of wire "gauge," the book is a great trip down memory lane for us old-timers and a necessary piece of technology background for neophytes. However, the book isn't just history. It's more of an encyclopedia that includes current topics as of the publication date in 2007. As such, is serves as a great foundation for topics like application delivery and virtualization. As we move forward with new ideas, this historical context is mandatory to making sure that the mistakes of the past aren't repe

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