BKABCLAN.RVW 930902 Sybex Computer Books 2021 Challenger Drive Alameda, CA 94501 USA 510-523-8233 800-227-2346 Fax: 510-523-2373 or Firefly Books 250 Sparks Avenue Willowdale, Ontario M2H 2S4 416-499-8412 Fax: 416-499-8313 "The ABC's of Lcoal Area Networks", Dortch, 1990, U$19.95/C$25.95 76517.2762@compuserve.com, 599-1288@mcimail.com or dortch@radiomail.net This author's bias is evident almost immediately. His definition includes physical proximity and desktop machines only. This is confirmed by the remainder of chapter one, which admits to large networks, but prefers to talk about the small (very small) business with five or ten micros. This is not necessarily a fault. The view is quite practical, and a refreshing change from those who promise fantastic performance--as long as you are willing to spend a million bucks on a hundred-node LAN. The material does not delve deeply into technical details. It is difficult to judge whether there is *too* little: chapter two deals with LAN components, and discusses cabling and cable choice. Coaxial cable is described, and some of the pro's and con's are cited. However, aside from saying that there are fire- and water-resistant types, there are no details regarding the choice among, say, thick or thin coax, nor where you would need plenum coated (fire- resistant) cable. The "components" spill over into chapter three. While entitled, "The Network Operating System," it also manages to squeeze in some thoughts on standards organizations, uninterruptable power supplies and access methods. (That's access to the wire, not security provisions.) Chapters four and five discuss security and management concerns. Both of these chapters are quite good--but both leave a lot to be desired, as well. Security, for example, deals only with intrusion attempts from outside. The suggestions are positive and practical, and cover many areas too frequently missed. Similarly for management concerns in chapter five, documentation and backups can *never* be overemphasized. While I very much respect Dortch's wish not to become bogged down in specific network operating systems, I feel that some examples of "effective rights" and management of resources would be of great benefit here. (You thought, when reviewing a LAN book, I couldn't talk about viral programs? Dortch does. He seems to consider them a management, rather than security, issue. Quite possibly correct. His suggestions for dealing with them, however, are unimpressive. He denigrates antiviral software and takes the usual "buy commercial; avoid shareware/BBSes" line.) Chapter six goes comparison shopping for LANs. I was rather surprised at how short the chapter was. Still, it covers the basic territory, dividing LAN operating systems, rather arbitrarily, but reasonably functionally, into basic and advanced. A "quick and dirty" overview of the major players is presented. There are many topics missed here, but what is given is likely good enough for the purchaser of a small system. This book is practical. Chapters seven and eight re-examine some of the choices regarding LANs; how to buy, what to buy and, indeed, *whether* to buy. A number of suggestions are offered as to how to *avoid* buying a LAN. Along with some good reasons why not to. Some of the material in chapter seven extends earlier chapters, and fills in some of the gaps. One weakness: the book rightly suggests you be wary of incompetent local suppliers (the current buzzword is "system integrators") but fails to offer suggestions as to how to assess competence. Chapter nine does some forecasting, from a 1990 perspective. Unfortunately, some of the dating shows. Dortch downplays the use of mini and mainframe computers as servers, unaware of the rapid advances that would take place. It is interesting to note, rather sadly, that some of the advances have yet to come, such as communications servers. Still, it is an interesting and thought- provoking section, as intended. There are five appendices, which vary in usefulness. Appendices A and B are fairly useless tips on the DOS backup programs, viral protection and reliability issues. Appendix C is a fairly decent review of cabling concerns (and is reprinted from a vendor's seminar). D is a list of magazines and resources, mostly pretty good. The last is a four-page glossary of networking terms. To paraphrase the carnival barkers, this is only the beginning, folks, only the beginning. However, it is a fairly good beginning. For the user or manager confronting the possibility of purchasing a LAN for the first time, this does provide some of the basic background. If you are looking at more than, say, thirty nodes, or if you need more than one server, or if you need advanced capabilities, you are going to need more information than this book provides. And you are going to want it, remember, *before* you buy. As Dortch points out, LANs acquire an inertia of their own. Trying to retrofit a LAN is a nightmare. For those who are already managing LANs there will be nothing this book can tell you. It might remind you of a few things you should be doing but aren't: you know who you are. For new or prospective managers of small LANs, this book is a good introduction. For those potentially looking at larger LANs, this is still a good introduction, with the caveat that further study will be needed. (In commenting on the draft of this review, Michael Dortch expressed a willingness to try to respond to any comments readers might wish to send to him at the email addresses listed above, or faxed to +1-415-3869854. He is currently a columnist for CommunicationsWeek magazine.) copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKABCLAN.RVW 930902 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Europe: ertel@springer.de)