Data communications and networking are changing the way we do business and the way we live. Business decisions have to be made ever more quickly, and the decision makers require immediate access to accurate information. Why wait a week for that report from Germany to arrive by mail when it could appear almost instantaneously through computer networks? Businesses today rely on computer networks and internetworks. But before we ask how quickly we can get hooked up, we need to know how networks operate, what types of technologies are available, and which design best fills which set of needs.
The development of the personal computer brought about tremendous changes for business, industry, science, and education. A similar revolution is occurring in data communications and networking. Technological advances are making it possible for communications links to carry more and faster signals. As a result, services are evolving to allow use of this expanded capacity. For example, established telephone services such as conference calling, call waiting, voice mail, and caller ID have been extended.
Research in data communications and networking has resulted in new technolo- gies. One goal is to be able to exchange data such as text, audio, and video from all points in the world. We want to access the Internet to download and upload information quickly and accurately and at any time.