Basic Networking Concepts
What is a data network? At its most abstract, a data network is a set of nodes connected by links. In the context of data networks, the nodes are routers, LAN switches, WAN switches, add-drop multiplexers (ADMs), and the like, connected by links from 64 Kb DS0 circuits to OC192 and 10 gigabit Ethernet.
One fundamental property of data networks is multiplexing. Multiplexing allows multiple connections across a network to share the same transmission facilities. Two main types of multiplexing to be concerned with are
Time-division multiplexing (TDM)
Statistical multiplexing (statmux)
Other kinds of multiplexing, such as frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) are not discussed here. ...
Get Traffic Engineering with MPLS now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
