Circuits, Packets, and Protocols - James L Pelkey

As recently as 1968, computer scientists were uncertain how best to interconnect even two computers. The notion that within a few decades the challenge would be how to interconnect millions of computers around the globe was too far-fetched to contemplate. Yet, by 1988, that is precisely what was happening. The products and devices developed in the intervening years--such as modems, multiplexers, local area networks, and routers--became the linchpins of the global digital society. How did such revolutionary..