McGraw Hill's Encyclopedia of Networking and Telecommunications [With CDROM]

I picked this volume up at TechEd 2001. The competition with other books in this category brought the race down to "McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Networking & Telecommunications" winning by one length over the "Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking".Tom Sheldon provided the most well-grounded and well-rounded information to fulfill the title of an "encyclopedia of networking" compared to Mitch Tulloch's very good but more Microsofted (I think microsoft as a verb can now come into play) approach to the subject and its fields.Sheldon's book contains a greater variety of entries and their corresponding information (i.e. terms/acronyms like "NSA" & "PKI") instead of a namebrand focused presentation. I would like to see a "Special Characters" index category like Tulloch's book has, but this is not as necessary when using the search capability of the book's CD edition (which is included and loaded with hyperlinks to outside information sources).I highly recommend Tom Sheldon's book. It's useful, it's layout and design is easy on the eyes, and I'm glad to have it at my desk (when I'm able to return it there after tracking down who last borrowed it).

I needed a technology refresh on all the new concepts and terms buzzing around (e.g. SOAP). I was looking for a course or a conference or a good book. Last Sunday I found the Encyclopaedia of Networking & Telecommunications in a Waterstone's Book shop in London. Since then I have been thoroughly enjoying it, jumping from topic to topic, web site to web site. Its just what I needed, new (and old) technology concepts explained at the right level and with plenty of reference details if I need a deeper understanding. I also like the diagrams/illustrations. They simplify the explanations and aid in the rapid understanding of the concepts. All of a sudden I feel on top of the technology maze again. Thanks Tom, for providing a single source where us technology managers can go for a quick but comprehensive information update. Clinton Ritchie Director, Systems Planning & Development Operations & Systems ICO Global Communications, London

This is my first public review of a book, but this book is impressive and truly worth writing about. I was looking for a single reference that would cover a broad range of telecommunications and networking subjects, yet provide enough detail to make those subjects meaningful. My search included the reference books that I could get from my fellow workers, a public library and a technical bookstore. I looked up several test subjects. Some books had more reference headings, but none came close to the number of subjects covered in a meaningful way. For instance, by looking up QAM (which some other references didn't even have), I was given an accurate synopsis modem modulation methods (which I could validate because of my familiarity with the subject). Examining other subjects was an educational experience, as the author brought me up to date with his very readable explanations. The CD-ROM filled in where the alphabetical arrangement and in the index left off. Its search/query function was much more comprehensive than could be expected from a paper index. For instance, it found that the Cable Data Network combines QAM with forward error correction. It also was the means for looking up PSK V.22 and V.92 (other subjects related to modem modulation). Overall, I am highly pleased, both with the book and the included ROM.

Both our firm, and myself personally, over the years have purchased every edition of this outstanding technical resource.They all have provided an effective introductory overview, and summary of the most relevant areas of I.T. Networking and Telecommunications - further enhanced with numerous outside references, and "hot" links to obtain more detailed information as necessary. However, in many cases we have found that details contained in this text are more than sufficient "as is".When our firm's technical staff - at all levels - needs to "quickly" reference "one source" for concise general overviews of specific I.T. and Telecommunications technologies - your book is the only one everyone reaches for.We look forward to future updates, and new editions as appropriate. Bravo, well done - yet again.

From a technical level I am always looking for great reference manuals. From a support standpoint I ma looking for books that I can use to explain to the end-user in a language they can understand. Now I have both with this book. I was amazed what was packed in this 1400 page book, everything from A to Z or should I say from 10BaseT to Z39.50 and everything in between. What the author has done is taken each word or topic and simplified the explanation in short snippets that give you a basic understanding of the material. There are pictures, figures, and web references for related topics, RFCs, tables and diagrams to make it easier to understand certain concepts. The book seems to be up to date and well documented. I have already used it in my job and found that it was easy for the end user to understand. The CD-rom included is the complete book in electronic format making this as portable as possible. The electronic format has web links to site with more information. Overall this combination of book and software make this a very good deal indeed.