Preface to the Second Edition

Welcome to the second edition of the popular Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking , the premier resource for network architects, system engineers, network administrators, and IT professionals. The purpose of this Foreword is to briefly describe the new and exciting changes found in this new edition, which can be summarized by the simple word more . Specifically, in this new edition of this encyclopedia you'll find

• More coverage of key networking concepts and technologies . We've added hundreds of new articles covering the latest networking technologies, including wireless networking, 3G cellular communication, broadband Internet access, LAN-host integration, network management, network security, network troubleshooting, disaster recovery, enterprise applications, P2P technologies, virus protection, carriers and service providers, and e-business standards and technologies. In addition, coverage of basic networking standards, protocols, architectures, and technologies has been enhanced and extended throughout the work by including new articles on cabling standards, routing protocols, security protocols, signal encoding methods, encryption schemes, component architectures, WAN services, multilayer switching, tape formats, multiplexing methods, remote access, terminal-
  based computing, Voice over IP, and the organization and operation of the Internet. And that's only scratching the surface!
• More depth of coverage in key articles . Essential technologies and standards, such as 802.11b wireless, ATM, Bluetooth, cellular communications, Classless Interdomain Routing, DSL, DNS, Ethernet, frame relay, Gigabit Ethernet, GSM, and ISDN, are covered in much more detail than they were in the first edition. In addition to a brief definition
  and overview of the subject, longer articles are
  frequently divided into a number of different subsections for greater clarity and more logical treatment of the subject. Headings for these subsections include History, Types, Uses, Comparison, Architecture, Implementation, Examples, Advantages and Disadvantages, Issues, Notes, and For More Information.
• More coverage of key platforms . Coverage of the Microsoft Windows NT platform and applications has been de-emphasized in this edition to make room for coverage of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Microsoft's new .NET framework. In addition, increased coverage of popular UNIX platforms
  and open-source technologies such as Linux and Apache has been included. Overall, this new edition is less Microsoft-centric than the first edition, and instead focuses more on general networking concepts, technologies, and services with fair coverage of competing platforms from many different
  vendors.
• Up-to-date coverage of standards, products, and services . The networking world has changed considerably since the first edition of this encyclopedia came out, with the Application Services Provider marketplace exploding and then imploding, homegrown intranets evolving into powerful Enterprise Knowledge Portals, Token Ring and FDDI going the way of the dinosaur, 3G expectations being replaced by 2.5G realities, XML standards proliferating but failing to displace EDI in the marketplace, and new vendors and service providers appearing, merging, and going bankrupt faster than fruit flies can multiply. As a result of these changes, every article in this work has been thoroughly revised and updated to include the latest and most accurate information possible. In addition, many articles include two special subsections: Marketplace, which provides a snapshot of vendors and products available at the time of writing; and Prospects, which offers our best prediction of how technologies and services will evolve over the next few years.
• Expanded cross-references . The list of cross-
  references at the end of each article has been greatly expanded to enhance the usefulness of this work as the essential reference guide for networking professionals of all levels, ranging from students pursuing their MCSE to senior network architects with years of field experience.
• Revised introduction . The introduction to the book has been revised and updated, and the section called History of Networking has been brought up to date with developments that have taken place since the first edition.

In conclusion, we hope you enjoy using this new edition of the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking as much as we have enjoyed writing it!