The new version (0.91) of Delite is now available for downloading.

As the cost of building and upgrading complex, large-scale networks skyrockets, carefully crafted network designs become critical- a savings of as little as 5% in your network can amount to tens of thousands of dollars per month. Wide Area Network Design: Concepts and Tools for Optimization provides the information you need to tackle the challenges of designing a network that meets your performance goals within the cost constraints of your organization. If you are considering public service alternatives such as frame relay, designing your own network with the tools provided in this book will empower you to estimate cost savings and evaluate bids from competing carriers.

Intended for network designers, planners, and architects, this book enables you to estimate traffic flows and requirements in your network and explains how to use various algorithms to design a network which must meets these requirements. The accompanying design tool, Delite, offers you the opportunity for hands-on experience with the design process.

* Presents underlying design principles to help you understand emerging and future networking protocols and technologies
* Provides cost and traffic generators for estimating these parameters in your network
* Introduces the unique IncreMENTOR algorithm which can help avert disaster when the traffic flows in your network have changed

Average Customer Review: ( 8 customer reviews )
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This book includes more math than practical examples, and is
such more on the theoretical side of network design.

But I think the book is great, and the examples are fruit for
thought, just a pitty some of the other reviewers aren't grown
up so they can recognize it.

I have used it several times for my thesis about IPv6 network design
- even though it doesn't mention IPv6 at all!

Best regards

could be betterSep 28, 2005
By Terry Abbott
This book discusses some detailed design methods for networks. Many of the problems worked through are not described well. Several times the author makes huge jumps in logic that are not explained. Other times formulas are presented without explaination of where they come from. The companion software is very terse and not easy to use. It lacks the simple ability to navigate in the open file dialog box. The approach to network design emphasizes the approach from a mathamatician's point of view and because of its complexity would not be used by most organizations. It's all nice in theory but is not practical to use in the real world.

The author should learn how to write a bookJul 25, 2004
By reader "Reader"
I think that all reviews agree that the book is not written very well and that the software is sub-par. The author should really rewrite this book and correct everything, including showing all of his work for the math problems. I bought this book because of a class that I was taking and the teacher even said that the book was not very useful and did not cover enough material or was not very intuitive. I highly suggest that you do not buy this book. There are plenty of other books that cover the subject in a more complete way. As for the review that stated that one should read the book first, I have and the other reviews were correct. I think that the only good reviews were given by friends of the author in order for him to sell more books.

Try reading the book before reviewingFeb 06, 2003
By C. Watkins "C.P. Watkins"
It is true that if you are brand new to networking, this is not the first book you should purchase. And if you are looking for a "how to" book on programming a particular network device go buy one of those cisco instruction books. BUT, if you are a serious academic and want to understand what networks are REALLY all about (queuing and graph theory, etc.) this is one of the best introductory books on the subject. Cahn's preface speaks volumes about the trend in technology education: if all you've learned was how to work on particular products, when something new comes along, you have to start all over again. But if you gain "design sophistication", you will understand how to use new networking protocols and technologies as they emerge. His book is about the *science* of networks, which is timeless, NOT the technology which is much more fleeting.
If all you want to do is design and operate a network that works "good enough" then you don't need this book. But if you want to understand how to design and optimize a network using theory rather than just throwing money at buying more bandwidth, Cahn's book is where you start. I only give 4 stars because the software that comes with the book only works with Windows 98 and is difficult to manipulate. The book itself is a great resource.

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