Chapter 15: Issues in Computer Networking

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OVERVIEW

With the widespread use of computers in all walks of life, the need arose for making the computers communicate with one another to share data and information. Circuit switching, which works well for voice communication, is inefficient for computer communication, and a radically new approach, called packet switching, was developed. In this chapter, we will study the concept of packet switching, which is fundamental to computer networks. We will also study the various services and applications supported on computer networks.

To make two computers talk to each other is a tough task. The two computers may be running different operating systems, using different data formats, have different speeds, and so on. We need to establish very detailed procedures to make computers exchange information. To tackle this big problem, we divide the problem into small portions and tackle each portion. This philosophy has led to the layered approach to protocol architecture—we will discuss the importance of the layered approach and protocol standards.

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