Handbook of Local Area Networks, 1998 Edition:Applications of LAN Technology Click Here! Search the site:   ITLibrary ITKnowledge EXPERT SEARCH Programming Languages Databases Security Web Services Network Services Middleware Components Operating Systems User Interfaces Groupware & Collaboration Content Management Productivity Applications Hardware Fun & Games EarthWeb sites Crossnodes Datamation Developer.com DICE EarthWeb.com EarthWeb Direct ERP Hub Gamelan GoCertify.com HTMLGoodies Intranet Journal IT Knowledge IT Library JavaGoodies JARS JavaScripts.com open source IT RoadCoders Y2K Info Previous Table of Contents Next Section 5Applications of LAN Technology In the early days of Local Area Networks, the term “LAN application” was synonymous with print sharing and file sharing. Those days are long gone. In today’s environment, it is hard to find any application of information technology that is not supported, either directly or indirectly, by LAN technology. The focus of this section of the Handbook is on leading edge ways to apply LAN technology to make people, and by extension, the business enterprise more effective. At the time LANs were beginning to define themselves, a popular topic of discussion was that of voice and data integration. At that time, the predominant school of thought held the belief that since PBXs were ubiquitous and existing twisted pair wiring had excess capacity, data services should be incorporated into the PBX. That did not happen. However, the concept of voice and data integration is as valid as ever. Unlike the previous concept, today’s concept of voice and data integration has now shifted its focus to the LAN, and has added video to the mix, as well! Our first selection for this section, Chapter 5-1, is entitled “Voice and Video Over the LAN.” In that chapter, attention is paid to the value of incorporating voice and video into the LAN environment, and the author provides a survey of numerous standards and technologies being developed for this purpose. Chapter 5-2, “Videoconferencing over IP Networks,” takes this concept a step further, exploring how videoconferencing can be applied over interconnected LANs, including over the Internet. The chapter provides an in-depth discussion of performance and quality factors, and surveys some of the products currently available in support of this application. Closely related, but considerably less demanding, is the concept of dataconferencing, an extension of audioconferencing to include real-time data sharing among participants. This topic is the subject of Chapter 5-3, “Introduction to Data Conferencing.” This chapter describes the basic concepts of data conferencing and discusses how data conferencing can be implemented in a variety of environments. Shifting the focus somewhat, Chapter 5-4, “The Corporate Intranet,” takes a look at the concept of harnessing the power of the Internet inside the organization to create an intranet. The chapter discusses the rationale behind the intranet concept, and provides concrete steps a company can take to build its own if deemed appropriate. On a very closely related topic, we conclude the section with Chapter 5-5, “Choosing and Equipping an Internet Server.” Referring primarily to the Web, this chapter focuses on the factors one should consider when selecting a server, whether it is intended for use on the Internet or intranet. Beyond the Web, the chapter also discusses some basic issues concerning news and mail software based on Internet technologies. 5-1Voice and Video on the LAN MARTIN TAYLOR Most desktops in enterprises today are equipped with two network connections: a LAN connection to the PC or workstation for data communications, and a phone connection to the PBX for voice communications. The LAN and the PBX exist as two separate networks with little or no connectivity between them. Each has evolved to meet the very specific and differing needs of data and voice communications, respectively. Despite much talk in the industry about the convergence of computers and communications, LANs and PBXs have not really moved any closer together during the last decade. In the mid-1980s, some PBX vendors sought to bring data services to the desktop via ISDN technology, but the advent of PCs requiring far more than 64K-bps communications bandwidth favored the emerging LAN standards of Ethernet and Token Ring. So far, most LAN vendors have not attempted to support voice communications on the LAN. But all this is about to change. There are three key factors at work today that suggest that voice and data convergence in the LAN is about to become a hot topic in the industry: •  The widespread acceptance of advanced LAN switching technologies, including ATM, which makes it possible for the first time to deliver reliable, high-quality, low-delay voice transmissions over the LAN. •  The emergence of the first standard for LAN-based videoconferencing and voice telephony, H.323, which removes objections about the use of proprietary protocols for voice and video over the LAN. •  The deployment of the latest generation of Intel processors, featuring MMX technology, which makes high quality software-based real-time voice and video processing feasible for the first time, and the new PC hardware architectures with Universal Serial Bus that permit voice and video peripherals to be attached without additional hardware inside the PC. This chapter first looks at the business reasons for considering the deployment of voice and video over the LAN, and then discusses the technical issues and requirements. Previous Table of Contents Next Use of this site is subject certain Terms & Conditions. Copyright (c) 1996-1999 EarthWeb, Inc.. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Please read our privacy policy for details.