Book Review - FDDI Handboo k FDDI Handbook : High Speed Networking Using Fiber And Other Media, by Raj Jain, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading, Massachusetts, 1994, 560 pages , ISBN 0-201-56376-2, $49 .50, Hardcover . "FDDI Handbook" is a comprehensive treatment o f the key aspects of the Fiber Distributed Data Interfac e standard . It is an invaluable reference material for anyone who designs and manages FDDI networks o r designs FDDI related products . It also includes severa l background chapters on fiber optics, making it useful fo r those interested in other optical networking technologies . As the title indicates, this is a handbook, not a textbook . The chapter titles and overviews provide organization to the text and enable readers to quickl y determine which chapters are the most valuable to them . In the spirit of a handbook, the text also contains a n extensive list of FDDI components, manufacturers an d pointers to standards documents . For the newcomer to optical network architectures , the book includes background information on media access control and data coding in the physical layer . Thi s is followed by a thorough presentation of the issues related to optical communication along with a descriptio n of devices and fiber cable formats . While intended as background material for the discussion of FDDI, thes e $120$ plus pages of optical technology information ar e useful resources in themselves . The heart of the book is the discussion of physical layer framing and MAC ring management in FDDI an d FDDI-II . The author provides a clear, highly readabl e alternative to the standards documents with sufficien t detail for most readers . While someone planning t o develop an FDDI interface would ultimately need to pou r over the standards documents, they may want to star t with this book for the concepts . The text also describes how FDDI interacts with other network technologies including : SONET, TCP/IP an d OSI protocols . For those interested in procuring a ne w FDDI network, there are several chapters devoted to th e background on what to buy vis-a-vis one's needs . Also , an appendix includes an extensive list of vendo r addresses . Finally, the performance of FDDI networks i s addressed with a discussion of issues in FDDI that affec t performance under varying loads and a discussion o f analytical models for FDDI and FDDI-II . A summary of the contents of the book is as follows . Chapter 1 gives an overview of FDDI . Chapter 2 discusses the timed-token protocol, setting transmission priorities, token and frame formats, addressing, toke n creation and reliability, etc . Chapter 3 presents the Medium Independent Physical Layer and includes coding, elasticity buffer, smoother , repeat filter and link-state indication . Chapter 4 is a n interesting aside on the fundamentals of optical communication . Chapter 5 discusses the optical components i n the medium dependent physical layer (PMD) . Topic s include multimode fiber, window of attenuation, fiber specifications, transmitter and receiver specifications , signal-detect timing and connectors . Chapters 6-8 discuss the single mode fiber, low cos t PMD and FDDI on twisted-pair . Chapter 9 addresse s FDDI on top of the Synchronous Optical Networ k (SONET) . A brief but self-contained introduction to th e four SONET layers is given to make the discussio n meaningful . The next three chapters are devoted to managemen t issues : Chapter 10 addresses Station Management, 1 1 addresses Ring and Connection Management, and 1 2 addresses network management (SNMP and FDDI MIB) . Chapters 13-15 address extensions to FDDI fo r telecommunications, the FDDI-II, the MAC-II and th e PHY-II layers . Chapter 16 presents the proposed FDD I follow-on LAN for interconnecting FDDI rings wit h higher transmission rates . Chapters 17-18 present protocol implementatio n issues in order to run on top of FDDI . Included are LLC , TCP/IP and OSI modifications that are necessary . Examples for the ARP and the RIP protocols ar e sketched . Chapters 19-21 address buying and installing fibe r (e .g ., mode, size, bandwidth, attenuation, type of buffer , connectors, etc .), cable plant design and analysi s (includes several example configurations and a cas e study), and buying FDDI products (adapters, concentrators, bridges, routers, network monitors) . Chapters 22-26 present performance and reliabilit y analyses and results for FDDI and FDDI-II . Th e appendices provide useful pointers for more informatio n on the standards and vendors . In conclusion, we found FDDI Handbook to be a masterful blend of concepts and details presented in a n easy-to-understand language . Also, the author's lighthearted writing style made it an enjoyable read . Russell J . Clark and Amarnath Mukherje e College of Computin g Georgia Institute of Technolog y Atlanta, GA 3033 2 ACM SIGCOMM -44 - Computer Communication Review

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