Written to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of electronic communications systems, data systems, and networks, this text provides extensive coverage of a wide range of data communications and networking issues while offering preliminary information on basic electronic communications and telecommunications systems. Topics explored include wireless and wireline telecommunications systems, basic data communications networks and systems, local area networks, internetworks, and the Internet including TCP/IP protocol suite.

From the Back Cover

This text provides a comprehensive coverage of data communications fundamentals, telephone system operation, local area networks, internetworking, and Internet communications. Each chapter contains numerous examples emphasizing the most important concepts presented. Questions and problems are included at the end of each chapter, and answers to selected problems are provided at the end of the book.

Significant material is provided on the following:

Analog and digital electronic communications systems
Metallic and optical fiber cable systems
Digital transmission and multiplexing
Wireless communications systems, including free-space electromagnetic wave preparation
Wireline, cellular, and PCS telephone theory
Codes, data formats, error detection and correction, modems, UARTs and USARTs, and serial interfaces
Data-link protocols, including XMODEM, YMODEM, KERMIT, SDLC, and HDLC
Transmission formats, LAN topologies, and basic internetworking devices
IEEE 802 Project including access methodologies, and MAC and LLC sublayers
IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and DIX Ethernet II
IP addressing, subnets, supernetworks, and IP classless and classful addressing hierarchies
Layer 3 networking protocols, such as ARP, IPv4, and ICMP; and Layer 4 transport protocols, such as UDP and TCP
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and Internal Control Management Protocol version 6 (ICMPv6)
Configuration and domain name protocols, including DHCP and DNS
Application layer protocols, including Telnet, FTP TFTP, SMTP, POP, and HTTP
Integrated Services Digital Network and Digital Subscriber Loop
Broadband WAN access technologies such as X.25, Frame Relay, and ATM