Design and Implementation of DSL-Based Access Solutions (Cisco Core)

As one of the most cost-effective ways to get large quantities of data across a plain pair of copper strands, digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies have proven popular among service providers. Design and Implementation of DSL-Based Access Solutions explores various flavors of DSL (collectively known as xDSL) as successful broadband service providers typically implement them. The DSL variants are compared and contrasted, and authors Sanjeev Mervana and Chris Le detail the equipment and strategies for implementing each. As you'd expect, emphasis falls on Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs) and other equipment from Cisco Systems--there are more than a few Internetwork Operating System command listings--but the authors' treatment is sufficiently general to be useful in situations that don't involve Cisco gear. Their primer material is notably good, too, so consider this volume if you're interesting in coming up to speed on DSL for the first time.

As is the case with most Cisco Press books, this one has excellent "hockey puck" diagrams that show which bits of a DSL system connect to which others. Also in line with a lot of its series-mates, this book lays the acronyms on thick, and you'll have to consult the index if you don't understand one and don't read straight through (all the terms and acronyms are defined, but usually only once). You'll appreciate the care the authors take in explaining their technologies in terms of real-world requirements (more than a few scenarios described here seem to have been taken from actual service provider design jobs). --David Wall

Topics covered: Digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies, including ADSL, VDSL, IDSL, SDSL, and G.SHDSL, and means of delivering them to customers. Bridging under RFC 1483, Routed Bridge Encapsulation (RBE), PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE), PPP over ATM (PPPoA), and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) as they apply to DSL are all covered. Case studies explore some service provider situations and a virtual private network (VPN) scheme.