The intended reader of this book is a network administrator who is just learning the job, or one who wants to take his or her network to a higher stage of connectivity. The book is not just about Macintoshes and Appletalk; it covers the gamut of relevant network installation topics, from wiring to UNIX NFS daemons.

Beginning with a single Macintosh running System 7 (earlier systems are not mentioned) connected to a Laserwriter, we are conducted step by step through a series of expansions: more Macs on a daisy chain; trunk connections via wall jacks; a building-wide network with active repeaters; file, print, and modem servers; electronic mail; an upgrade to Ethernet, with fiber optics between buildings; and communications with UNIX machines and the Internet. Some of the early decisions, such as the type of interoffice wiring, require forethought about later upgrades.

Expanding a network is a dirty job. The author warns us to take the computer equipment out of the room while using masonry bits to drill the holes in the wall to mount the backboard for the punchdown blocks for cable junctions in the wiring closet. There is a lot to know about wiring techniques; the 68-page chapter on this subject is the longest in the book. The book also contains a hoard of informative details and advice on network administration and server software, protocols, routers, telephone services, and topics such as signal reflections, file backup, troubleshooting, and security.

The style is casual--a narrative rather than the dry compilation of manuals and standards that it could have been. Lots of helpful hints and inside information are included. We follow the career of a friend of the author, placed in a fictional company. Each chapter comes to a resolution with this administrator’s illustrative selections from the array of options that have been presented.

The author tends to wade right into the swamp, with a morass of detail, salted with terminology that is sometimes not explained until a later chapter. The glossary, a treasure trove of mysterious terms and acronyms from AAUI (Apple Attachment Unit Interface) to ZIP (Zone Information Protocol), was a great help. The glossary is 28 pages, with informative, paragraph-long entries; it alone might be worth the price of the book.

The author’s command of this range of material is impressive, though it could be discouraging to a would-be network administrator. The book might have been less daunting with more emphasis on ways to divide up the necessary work and expertise among a team of colleagues, contractors, or both, especially considering the size and complexity of the network installation attained in the latter part of the book.