Stallings is one of the best-known authorities in datacommunications and networking. As part of his continuing effort to keepup with changes in technology, this book is an update and revision ofthe previous edition [1].

The book provides a technical overview of the protocols andarchitectures of ISDN and broadband ISDN (B-ISDN), including a detailedexamination of frame relay and an expanded coverage of asynchronoustransfer mode (ATM). Noteworthy changes from the previous editioninclude coverage of xDSL, a family of digital subscriberline technologies that provide high-speed access to ISDN and other widearea networks over ordinary twisted-pair lines from the network to aresidential subscriber; asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL)technology; and other timely updates.

The book is divided into somewhat independent parts. Depending uponthe reader’s interests and background, parts can be mixed and matched.Part 1 deals with the fundamental technologies used in digital networks.It includes a discussion of digital transmission technology and a reviewof circuit switching and packet switching. Part 2 is devoted to ISDN andexamines the user-network interface architecture, protocols, andservices. This part also describes Signaling System Number 7, a relatedfacility. Part 3 focuses on frame relay technology and protocols andexamines the critical issue of congestion control in frame relaynetworks. Part 4 covers B-ISDN architecture and protocols, while Part 5examines ATM-related protocols and surveys various techniques fortraffic and congestion control in ATM networks.

As in all of Stallings’s books, each chapter ends with a section ofrecommended readings and a set of problems of varying degrees ofdifficulty, making it suitable as an upper-level undergraduate orgraduate text. An instructor’s manual contains solutions to theproblems, and a Web page provides support for students and instructors.The book is well written and, more important, matches the currentemphasis of the data communication industry. I recommend considering itas a text or as a valuable addition to a computer professional’slibrary.