Handbook of Fiber Optic Data Communication

The Handbook includes chapters on all the major industry standards, quick reference tables, helpful appendices, plus a new glossary and list of acronyms. This practical handbook can stand alone or as a companion volume to DeCusatis: Fiber Optic Data Communication: Technological Advances and Trends (February 2002, ISBN: 0-12-207892-6), which was developed in tandem with this book.

* Includes emerging technologies such as Infiniband, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and MPLS Optical Switching
* Describes leading edge commercial products, including LEAF and MetroCore fibers, dense wavelength multiplexing, and Small Form Factor transceiver packages
* Covers all major industry standards, often written by the same people who designed the standards themselves
* Includes an expanded listing of references on the World Wide Web, plus hard-to-find references for international, homologation, and type approval requirements
* Convenient tables of key optical datacom parameters and glossary with hundreds of definitions and acronyms
* Industry buzzwords explained, including SAN, NAS, and MAN networking
* Datacom market analysis and future projections from industry leading forecasters

This book probably seemed like a very good idea when it was conceived, way back in the pre-dot com bomb era when telecom giants ruled the earth. With Nortel and others now practically penny stocks, a bit of the bloom is off the fiber optic rose. That being said, the fiber-to-your-door world is going to happen, just not until we are a little more ready; and the Handbook of Fiber Optic Data Communication can help us get there a little more quickly.This terrific reference gives a very complete, highly technical overview of the entire field of fiber optic data communication. There are four sections. Part 1, on the technology itself, covers the nitty gritty details of implementing and maintaining fiber optic networks and equipment. Part 2 covers the technicalities of linking your network, including such considerations as budgeting, planning, standards and testing. Part 3 covers applications and part 4, various manufacturing technologies. All these chapters are very detailed and highly technical.It is worth noting that virtually all the authors of the various chapters work in industry rather than academia, giving the book a very applied, engineering feel. This book is for people that want to build something. Fortunately, there is never the feeling that the authors are trying to sell their companies' products. One failing that was noticed, however, is that the editor promises us historical articles in the introduction. This reviewer was quite pleased when he did so, as fast moving fields like this one can seem to pass by in a blur. Unfortunately, no such articles actually made the cut to the final version of the book, which is definitely our loss. On the other hand, one of this book's great strengths is its appendices. In particular, the Data Network Rates was very welcome: finally, a quick reference source for T1, T2, T3, etc. Along with the appendices are included an extensive glossary and acronym list, both very useful in such a book. Every technical book should include such comprehensive, useful and relevant technical reference information. Overall, however, this is an extremely well organized and thorough reference on a subject that will only become more important. While this book is far too technical for a wide audience, it is recommend to any science or engineering library that supports telecommunications study or practice.Reviewer: John Dupuis, Science Librarian, York University Steacie Science Library, jdupuis@yorku.ca Copyright 2003 E-Streams Reviews