Computer, Network, Software, and Hardware Engineering with Applications

There are many books on computers, networks, and software engineering but none that integrate the three with applications. Integration is important because, increasingly, software dominates the performance, reliability, maintainability, and availability of complex computer and systems. Books on software engineering typically portray software as if it exists in a vacuum with no relationship to the wider system. This is wrong because a system is more than software. It is comprised of people, organizations, processes, hardware, and software. All of these components must be considered in an integrative fashion when designing systems. On the other hand, books on computers and networks do not demonstrate a deep understanding of the intricacies of developing software. In this book you will learn, for example, how to quantitatively analyze the performance, reliability, maintainability, and availability of computers, networks, and software in relation to the total system. Furthermore, you will learn how to evaluate and mitigate the risk of deploying integrated systems. You will learn how to apply many models dealing with the optimization of systems. Numerous quantitative examples are provided to help you understand and interpret model results. This book can be used as a first year graduate course in computer, network, and software engineering; as an on-the-job reference for computer, network, and software engineers; and as a reference for these disciplines.

Norman F. Schneidewind, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Information Sciences and the Software Engineering Group at the Naval Postgraduate School. Dr. Schneidewind is a Fellow of the IEEE, elected in 1992 for his "contributions to software measurement models in reliability and metrics, and for leadership in advancing the field of software maintenance." In 2001, he received the IEEE Reliability Society's Engineer of the Year Award. Dr. Schneidewind was selected for an IEEE-USA Congressional Fellowship in 2005, working with the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on issues of cyber security and privacy.