jerryd@BRL.ARPA ("Cpt. Jerome A. DiGennaro AV 298-2703") (09/22/86)
A while back I asked this group for information concerning telecommunications
courses. Herewith are the replies I received. My thanks to all who helped.
I will keep the net posted with happenings at this end as they occur.
Jerry DiGennaro
ARPA/BITNET: jerryd@brl.arpa AT&T: (301) 278-2703/5759
UUCP: ...{seismo,unc,decvax,cbosgd}!brl-smoke!jerryd
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 86 05:52:32 edt
From: Charles Hedrick <hedrick@topaz.ARPA>
As far as I know, telecomm courses are still rare, much less degrees
in the subject. There are several good texts. MacNamara is the
classic, but I have seen a more recent one on the shelf in our
telecomm guy's office. You might ask rcrispin@red.rutgers.edu for the
name. The texts typically deal with what I would call "classical
telecommunications", namely modems, rs232, bisync, and various other
synchronous protocols, and all that. Our staff are more heavily
involved with Ethernet and networking of that kind. I haven't seen
any good texts on that subject, though DEC has an intro to networking
put out by their marketing people that might be interesting to look
at. I'd be inclined to require the Ethernet Blue Book as a text in
any course I taught. Ethernet is the prototypical local area net, and
the Blue Book discusses all kinds of issues about configuration rules,
etc. I think it's better to go into one network in detail than to
just teach them buzzwords applying to a variety of them. Similarly,
I'd pick one protocol family and describe it in detail. Pick one you
can talk about. TCP/IP, DECnet, XNS, or even PUP, would all be
perfectly reasonable. If I were doing TCP/IP, I'd make sure they
understand ARP, IP, TCP, and one or two applications, probably telnet
and SMTP. If I had just one semester, I think what I would do is
spend half of it on old-style telecommunications, and the other half
on Ethernet and TCP/IP. Whether you could make this fly in a
community college depends upon how good your students are.
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From: Robert Lenoil <LENOIL%DEEP-THOUGHT@mit-eddie.ARPA>
Stephen Burns teaches a telecommunications seminar every other year
here at MIT. It's not a full-scale course, but perhaps he can give
you some pointers. Tell him a satisfied student sent you.
Robert Lenoil
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Date: Wed, 13 Aug 86 11:12:04 EDT
From: Robert Willis <rwillis@bbn-labs-b.ARPA>
Telecommunications is a large subject area. You did not give any indication
of particular subareas. You also didn't mention the background level of
the students.
Since you said that the course is for a local community college (2 year?),
I assume that you are looking for an introductory survey course for people
interested in computers (e.g., potential C.S/E.E. or management majors).
Andrew Tanenbaum's "Computer Networks" [Prentice-Hall, 1981] covers
the ISO OSI model at a level that can be appreciated by people whose
backgrounds differ widely. It is also humorous at times. By his own words:
"The book is intended as a text for juniors, seniors, and graduate students
in computer science, electrical engineering, and related disciplines.
The only prerequisites are a general familiarity with computer systems
and programming, although a little knowledge of elementary calculus and
elementary probability theory is useful, but not essential."
This book explains *what* a network is, and *how* it logically operates.
Topics include topology design, routing issues, delay and throughput
analysis, layer protocols, packet-switching vs. virtual-circuit
tradeoffs, and network security, to mention just a few. This could
be sufficient for an introductory course.
Other things that might be included in an advanced telecommunications
course are *how* a network physically works (e.g., principles of transmission,
AM/FM theory, modulation, fiber optics), elementary coding and information
theory, and the history, economics and politics of communications (e.g.,
phone company monopoly, deregulation, F.C.C.).
Many of these topics were taught in several graudate telecommunications courses
given at M.I.T. [Hi Marvin!]
Good luck with the course.
Bob
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Date: Tue, 19 Aug 86 17:20:23 edt
From: Marvin Sirbu <sirbu@gauss.ECE.CMU.EDU>
Subject: Course Material
I have been searching for some time for a good text on telecommunications
for IS managers: no such text exists. Among those *acceptable* if not
*good* texts, you should examine:
Telecommunications for Management, Meadow and TEdesco (McGraw Hill, 1985)
Telecommunications Primer, Langley, (Pitman 1983)
Understanding Modern Communications, Dordick (McGraw Hill 1986)
Data Communications, Techo (Plenum 1980)
Understanding Communications Systems, Cannon and Luecke (Texas Instruments,
1984)
Good luck!
Marvin Sirbu
Carnegie Mellon University
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Date: Fri, 22 Aug 86 12:49:40 CDT
From: wucec2!rfh0023@seismo.CSS.GOV (Ramon Fernando Herrera)
Subject: Telecom Colleges
The September 1, 1985 issue of Datamation has an article:
"Who's Teaching Telecom" by David Stamps.
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Date: Thu 14 Aug 86 08:06:07-PDT
From: HECTOR MYERSTON <MYERSTON@SRI-KL.ARPA>
Subject: Telecom Colleges
To: Jerry@BRL.ARPA
cc: telecom@mit-xx.ARPA, myerston@SRI-KL.ARPA
The number of colleges offering some sort of Telecom degree is
growing. Univ of Colorado at Boulder has had a program for quite a while
as does Golden Gate University in SF where I teach. A search of the
recent trades will reveal at least half a dozen more. Golden Gate offers
both an Undergraduate and a Graduate program.
Decision #1. What type of program? There are basically three
approaches: (1) EE level Telecom Engineering
(2) Hands-on Telecom Technology
(3) Telecom Management
Nr (1) produces Engineers who go into research and development and
are seldom heards from again (in the Telecom World).
Nr (2) produces Technicians who are now being called Service Engrs
or Service Managers. No glamor but they make around $40K in this area almost
right off the bat.
Nr (3) produces folks who (should) know how to manage systems with
out being tied by the minutae of cabling, levels etc
Golden Gate is Nr (3)
Question #2. There ARE quite a few good texts as well as some real
clinkers. James Martin has about a dozen on the market which seems to be
a ramdon scramble of the same paragraphs in each. Lee's ABC's of Tel-
communications is nice for anthropologist studying Stroeger Step-by-Step
switching and barbed wire ground-return loops. They were was last updated
after the big war, If a (management) book was written prior to 1985 it is
probably useless
+HECTOR+
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