standards - communications & networking

standards - communications & networking

Going online to the Internet is relatively simple. All that is required is a browser and an Internet connection from an ISP. Communications within the enterprise is far more complex. Over the years, organizations have developed islands of computer systems, each with their own networking protocols and access methods. The enterprise has been faced with tying mainframes, midrange systems and desktop computers together for file sharing, electronic mail and routine data processing.

It is a daunting task connecting client machines running Windows and Mac OS with servers that run Linux, Unix, Windows and z/OS via protocols such as TCP/IP and IPX over topologies such as Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI and ATM using devices such as bridges, routers, hubs and switches. Add interfacing between different mail and messaging systems and monitoring and controlling the entire process from a central management console.

To understand the layers of protocols required to transmit a message from one machine to another, review the layers of the OSI model. OSI is a seven-layer reference model for worldwide communications defined by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Originally thought to be the future standard for communications, it was never widely supported. However, it does serve as a teaching model to line up other protocols against. See enterprise networking, client/server and OSI model.