Introduction

Since the last edition of this book, there have been many changes in the information and other technology sectors. After the downturn in the dot-com industry, it looked as if a career in networking might not be such a good choice after all. In the months leading up to the publication of this book, however, things have started to change. The major baby bells and other large-scale network providers have begun to expand their fiber networks and offer digital services to customers who were not within their reach before. This is being fueled on the assumption that in the near future voice services will be less of a revenue source than newer technologies such as end-to-end IP. XDSL and cable modems have enabled both home users and business customers to connect even faster to the Internet. These large corporations are laying the groundwork for what appears to be a very bright future. If you think that networking and the Internet are futuristic now, just wait to see what will happen tomorrow.

When put into perspective, the IT field grew dramatically leading up to the "year 2000" concerns. And the continued growth of the Internet has been phenomenal ”seemingly indifferent to the economy at this time.

The growth in other IT fields, however, is historically unusual, and thus could not be sustained, from a business standpoint. When investors are willing to throw money at just about any new startup company because it seems like a safe ride, you can expect that there will be a backlash , as has been the case. The downturn in the economy a few years ago forced many large companies to put off purchases of network hardware, and also to lay off many employees . In general, the economy has always been a cyclic one, with a recession followed by a boom market. There is no reason to expect this to change. But the good news is that the worst is probably behind us, and the future is looking bright, especially because vendors have continued to develop new hardware and software, just at a slower place. For example, look at how quickly wireless networking has grown, despite the economy.

The next few years will most likely show a slower growth rate for IT jobs, but it will be a sustainable growth; the future for networking jobs has never been brighter for the long term . Because of my belief in this trend, it was much easier to write this fourth edition of Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing Networks . I was enthusiastic because over time I have been able to add new topics, expand on others, and move some older material (which may still be relevant to your job) to the upgradingandrepairingpcs.com Web site that accompanies this book. I believe that with each new edition of this book, it just gets better and better. And with great development and technical editors at Que helping to make this a better book, I think you will find it the most comprehensive book on networking on the market today.