Ethernet-based metro area networks

This year telecom had just started to enjoy ample bandwidth in long-haul networks when it ran head first into bottlenecks in the local segment of the network. Now service providers are stuck with urgent decisions on questions like SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) or Ethernet ? rings or meshes. ATM or point-to-point ? It's all a high-wire act in the absence of any real experience with the new technologies, and today's choices may well determine who gets to stay in business next year. This book sorts out optionsand reviews each likely solution against application requirements. It will provide context for our upcoming books on Metro Area Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Chapter 1: The Metro Access/Metro Core Environment Chapter 2: Gigabit Ethernet and Bridging-Based Architectures Chapter 3: Performance in Ethernet Environments Chapter 4: Virtual LANs and VLAN-Based Architectures Chapter 5: Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol Chapter 6: New-Generation Carriers and the Ethernet LEC Advocacy Chapter 7: Resilient Packet Ring Systems Chapter 8: 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel Chapter 9: IEEE 802.EFM: Ethernet in the First Mile