Networking Explained, Second Edition
An in-depth explanation of all things networking.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Networking Explained, Second Edition
Chapter 17: Network Convergence
Highlights
Network convergence involves the integration of different technologies and applications, which, when combined, create powerful new entities and products. One area of convergence that receives much emphasis today is the merging of data, voice, and video on the network. As we will learn later, network convergence is much more than simply combining these three data types. In this chapter, we introduce the concept of network convergence and address it from several different perspectives. An outline of the major topics we discuss follows:
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Network Convergence Overview (Questions 1 5)
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Impact of Convergence on Network Media (Questions 6 19)
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Network Convergence and Multimedia (Questions 20 26)
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Impact of Convergence on Businesses (Questions 27 41)
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Network Convergence at Home (Question 42)
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Network Convergence and Voice over IP (VoIP) (Questions 43 54)
Network Convergence Overview
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What is network convergence?
Network convergence is a powerful concept and buzzword in networking circles today. Basically, it involves the melding of dissimilar network media, protocols, and applications to provide a network environment dramatically different than what was previously available.
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Can you give me a practical example?
Sure. Did you ever experiment with food combinations when you were growing up and mom wasn't around to control your actions? For example, did you ever put vanilla extract in a cola or mix peanut butter with vanilla ice cream? Even Elvis had a penchant for pea-nut butter-and-banana sandwiches (or "PB and 'nanner sandwich" as he was said to have called it). If you were like most of us, you were working on your own personal...
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