Network Systems Architecture

Abstract

Chapter 7 has introduced some basic concepts and a number of differen physical media used in computer networks. This chapter examines the organisation of protocols, end-points, and functionality to provide a general communication service to computer applications. The ISO reference model for Open Systems Interconnection is described in detail, together with the related management architectures. A communications system based on computer networks has certain characteristics, such as throughput and delay, which the user is interested in. The last part of the chapter looks at a computer communications network as a resource-sharing system and deduces some general relationships between resource usage and the system characteristics.