An authoritative guide to the essentials of networking * Offers readers a solid understanding of the theoretical and practical applications of communication between computer systems or devices * Covers the basics of network administration, such as security, building a network, troubleshooting network problems, and more* Discusses hardware, protocols, and traffic control issues * Addresses plans to integrate digital voice, video, and multimedia protocols Barrie Sosinsky, PhD (Medfield MA), is Chief Analyst and Founder of the Sosinsky Group, a consulting group focusing on network system design, database design, and application development and testing. He has written or contributed to over 35 technical books and 500 articles and is the founding editor of Storage Update newsletter.