Preface

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What is "A Systems Approach"?

What does the systems approach refer to?
The systems approach refers to the field of design and implementation of computer systems.

Who commonly uses the term "systems approach"?
The term "systems approach" is commonly used by computer science researchers and practitioners who study the issues that arise when building complex computing systems.

What is the key to the systems approach?
The key to the systems approach is to look at how components of a system interact with each other to achieve an overall result rather than simply optimizing each component.

How is the systems approach applied in the context of networks?
In the context of networks, the systems approach is applied by going beyond the traditional layer view to see how an issue is best addressed in a way that might touch multiple layers.

What is a good example of the systems approach in networks and why?
A good example of the systems approach in networks is congestion control because it touches multiple layers and affects both end systems and network devices.

New Material in the Sixth Edition

What chapters and sections were changed in the sixth edition of this book?
The chapters and sections that were changed in the sixth edition of this book include:

  • Chapter 1 - Cloudification theme.
  • Section 2.8 - Access Network, Passive Optical Networks (PON), and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN).
  • Section 3.1 - Switching Basics.
  • Section 3.2 - Switched Ethernet.
  • Section 3.5 - Bare-Metal Switches and Software-Defined Networks (SDN).
  • Chapter 3 - Virtual network overlays, VXLAN, and the role of overlays in the Cloud.
  • Section 4.1 - Global Internet.
  • Section 4.2 - IP Version 6.
  • Chapter 4 - How the Cloud impacts the Internet's structure.
  • Section 5.2 - QUIC.
  • Section 5.3 - gRPC.
  • Section 6.3 and 6.4 - TCP CUBIC, DCTCP, and BBR.
  • Section 6.4 - Active Queue Management (AQM).
  • Section 7.1 - Protocol Buffers.
  • Section 7.2 - HTTP Adaptive Streaming.
  • Section 8.1 - The duality of Threats and Trust.
  • Section 8.3 - Key Predistribution.
  • Section 8.4 - Authentication Protocols.
  • Chapter 8 - The trajectory of network security and asks if security is improving or worsening.
  • Section 9.1 - HTTP/2, REST, gRPC, and Cloud Services.
  • Section 9.3 - Modern Network Management Systems including the use of OpenConfig and gNMI.

Organization

What are the three major parts of the book?
The three major parts of the book are:

  1. Conceptual and foundational material.
  2. Core protocols and algorithms, and how conceptual and foundational material is put into practice.
  3. Advanced material.

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