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Local area network gateways
Standards and the electronic mailbox P A Wilson NCC, UK (1984) £5.00, ISBN 0 85012 437 9, 71 pp There has been a need for some time for an up-to-date report on the state of communications standards and the work of the standards committees. This is now available in the form of this very readable text. Although the treatment is directed towards the developing mailbox standards, the reviewer found this to be one of the clearest statements thus far presented on the general work of these committees and how they interact, providing many clues as to why standards development is such a protracted business. Mailbox standards development is vital to the progress of the valueadded services provided in the UK by British Telecom and Merlin. While its practical application is presently of interest to companies and organizations that have considerable need for intercommunication (usually through their own LANs), public participation should follow if the current economies and efficiencies of message (i.e. letter) transmission continue to deteriorate during the next decade. The falling costs of hardware, the merging of domestic services such as television and telephone, and the increased use of personal computers together with wideband intercity digital communication networks should ensure private digital mail transmission in the not too distant future. The urgency to get the mailbox standards right is therefore a current priority, and the author is to be congratulated for presenting the issues so clearly in this book. An outline of UK and European work in this field is given, particularly the UK's Intercept strategy and the Guilt project funded by the European Community. Although full references are given, it would have been helpful if the author had extended this report to include
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further details of this latter project, which is not widely known to the technical public. The only disappointing feature of this report lies in its brevity. A fuller discussion of the impact of these standards would have been
useful, especially as the report admirably draws together all the strands of current developments. However, this is perhaps understandable in view of the interim state of many of these projects. As a 'state of the art' definition of the aims and accomplishments of current work and a source of further information for the reader, this latest of the series of NCC books on networking is to be warmly recommended.
K G Beauchamp University of Lancaster, UK
Local area network gateways K C E Gee N C C Publications, UK (1983) £7.50, ISBN 0-85012-407-7, 136 pp The National Computing Centre (NCC) has changed the format of its publications. This book is produced on A4 paper with a flimsy (and somewhat dull) paper cover bearing the NCC logo and a window cut in the front to reveal the title on the page inside. If this new publication format keeps down the prices of their books, then NCC will be doing the casual buyer a favour. Libraries, however, will probably have to strengthen the cover at extra cost. The danger with this new format is that its appearance is likely to deter the prospective buyer from looking inside to check the quality of the contents.
In the case of Gee's book, it is well worth doing so. Here is a satisfactory introduction to gateways between local and wide area networks. Included is a primer on local area network technologies, their design issues and some details on implementation strategies. It is a pity that there is not a more comprehensive set of references. This book should appeal to those learning about local networks, or indeed established local network users considering gateway connections for the first time.
D Hutchison University of Lancaster, UK
The executive guide to video teleconferencing R J Bohm and L B Templeton (Eds) Artech House, USA (1984) £41.00, ISBN 0 89006 1483, 150 pp Written by various US and Canadian authors for nontechnical managers, this book details the developments in the general area of teleconferencing, the emphasis being placed on managerial and practical issues. The first of the nine articles it
contains is a review of current trends and technology. As well as video teleconferencing, it also looks briefly at audio and computer teleconferencing (the latter rather like electronic mail). The final article is rather short and looks briefly at
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vol 7 no 6 december 1984
further details of this latter project, which is not widely known to the technical public. The only disappointing feature of this report lies in its brevity. A fuller discussion of the impact of these standards would have been
useful, especially as the report admirably draws together all the strands of current developments. However, this is perhaps understandable in view of the interim state of many of these projects. As a 'state of the art' definition of the aims and accomplishments of current work and a source of further information for the reader, this latest of the series of NCC books on networking is to be warmly recommended.
K G Beauchamp University of Lancaster, UK
Local area network gateways K C E Gee N C C Publications, UK (1983) £7.50, ISBN 0-85012-407-7, 136 pp The National Computing Centre (NCC) has changed the format of its publications. This book is produced on A4 paper with a flimsy (and somewhat dull) paper cover bearing the NCC logo and a window cut in the front to reveal the title on the page inside. If this new publication format keeps down the prices of their books, then NCC will be doing the casual buyer a favour. Libraries, however, will probably have to strengthen the cover at extra cost. The danger with this new format is that its appearance is likely to deter the prospective buyer from looking inside to check the quality of the contents.
In the case of Gee's book, it is well worth doing so. Here is a satisfactory introduction to gateways between local and wide area networks. Included is a primer on local area network technologies, their design issues and some details on implementation strategies. It is a pity that there is not a more comprehensive set of references. This book should appeal to those learning about local networks, or indeed established local network users considering gateway connections for the first time.
D Hutchison University of Lancaster, UK
The executive guide to video teleconferencing R J Bohm and L B Templeton (Eds) Artech House, USA (1984) £41.00, ISBN 0 89006 1483, 150 pp Written by various US and Canadian authors for nontechnical managers, this book details the developments in the general area of teleconferencing, the emphasis being placed on managerial and practical issues. The first of the nine articles it
contains is a review of current trends and technology. As well as video teleconferencing, it also looks briefly at audio and computer teleconferencing (the latter rather like electronic mail). The final article is rather short and looks briefly at
315