NETWORK DESIGN IS A COMPLEX PROCESS, requiring knowledge of several disciplines to include engineering, financial analysis, and computer science. Although the network design process was never simple, advances in technology and the introduction of new networking communications facilities and products resulted in a difficult endeavor becoming more difficult. Today the network manager and LAN administrator face many difficult decisions when designing a network. Unlike many occupations where knowledge in one area is sufficient to perform a job, network managers and LAN administrators must be knowledgeable concerning multiple disciplines. For example, it is difficult to interconnect geographically separated LANs without knowledge of how WANs operate and the transmission facilities that can be used to facilitate the interconnection of local area networks.
Recognizing the fact that the search for reference material in itself can be a time consuming project, this handbook was created as a reference to network design principles and applications. As you will note from the contents, this handbook is subdivided into an introduction followed by eight distinct network design related sections. Within each network design related section are a series of section topic related chapters selected to provide you with a firm foundation concerning an important aspect of modern network design.