Communications and Networks provides a concise but comprehensive one-stop coverage of the principles, standards and recent developments in data communications. It covers the area from both a computer science and an electrical engineering perspective, enabling students from each discipline to gain a valuable insight into the subject as a whole. A thorough grounding in underlying communication theory is combined with a study of the hardware and software structure of modern computer networks. In discussing communications systems, the Internet model (TCP/IP) is emphasized and comparisons are drawn with the OSI project. As well as the fundamentals of wide and local area networks, the book places in context topical material on such subjects as metropolitan area networks (MANs), satellite networks, ATM, Fast and Gigabit Ethernet, viruses, network security, network file systems, the World Wide Web and the coming battle for the desktop between PCs and Java-based network computers. The book provides historical content, explaining the reasons why some technologies have succeeded when others have not, as well as pointers to the future prospects for those standards still under development.