Response to our use of a new printing paper has been very positive, so we will continue to use the uncoated and recycled Exact® paper introduced with our September 2008 issue. We are still interested in hearing your feedback on the paper, as well as any other aspect of this journal. Send your comments to: ipj@cisco.com

The last decade has seen many developments in the area of wireless networking technologies. Wireless Internet access is now available in thousands of locations ranging from private homes to hotels, trains, airplanes, ships at sea, and even entire cities. Wireless systems, specifically Bluetooth, are also used for short-range device connectivity such as between a mobile phone and a headset, while WiMAX systems are being deployed for larger area coverage. In our first article, T. Sridhar gives an overview of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and WiMAX.

As stated in our previous issue, the topic of IP Version 4 address exhaustion and migration to IP Version 6 is being debated in many Internet-related organizations, including the IETF, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). In our last issue, Geoff Huston outlined the history of IPv4 address depletion. This time we bring you the first in a two-part series of articles entitled “The End of Eternity.” The article is by Niall Murphy and David Wilson. Part Two will follow in our March 2009 issue. As you will see from our “Letters to the Editor,” views on the right way to tackle the address exhaustion and protocol migration challenge abound, and I predict we will carry yet more articles on this topic in future issues.

Just over 10 years ago, Jonathan B. Postel, Internet pioneer and a key player in many core Internet activities, passed away. In this issue we bring you a remembrance article written by another Internet pioneer, Vint Cerf. In connection with this anniversary, special events were held in Minneapolis in conjunction with the 73rd meeting of the IETF. The Jonathan B. Postel Service Award for 2008 was awarded to EsLaRed of Venezuela by a committee of former award winners. You will find more information about the award in our “Fragments” section.

Remember to let us know if your mailing address changes and to visit our online companion, The Internet Protocol Forum, where you will find additional articles and other material: http://ipjforum.org

by T. Sridhar, Flextronics

Wireless networks can be classified broadly as Wireless Personal-Area Networks (WPAN), Wireless LANs (WLANs), and Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs). WPANs operate in the range of a few feet, whereas WLANs operate in the range of a few hundred feet and WWANs beyond that. In fact, wireless WANs can operate in a wide range—a metropolitan area, cellular hierarchy, or even on intercity links through microwave relays.

This article examines wireless technologies for the WLAN, WPAN, and WWAN areas, with specific focus on the IEEE 802.11 WLAN (often known as Wi-Fi^®), Bluetooth (BT) in the WPAN, and WiMAX for WWAN as representative technologies. It discusses key aspects of the technology—medium access and connectivity to the wired network—and concludes by listing some common (mis)perceptions about wireless technology. (more…)

Part One: IPv4 Address Exhaustion and Consequences

by Niall Murphy, Google, and David Wilson, HEAnet

Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end,” said Woody Allen^{[22, 23]}, and he was mostly right. The eternity that the 32 bits of IPv4 address space promised is now almost at an end, and we are faced with the task of deciding what to do after the “end of eternity.” (more…)

by Vint Cerf, Google

A decade has passed since Jon Postel left us.[0] It seems timely to look back beyond that decade and to look forward beyond a decade hence. It seems ironic that a man who took special joy in natural surroundings, who hiked the Muir Trail and spent precious time in the high Sierras, was also deeply involved in that most artificial of enterprises, the Internet. As the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)[1] and the Request for Comments (RFC) editor, Jon could hardly have chosen more polar interests. Perhaps the business of the artificial world was precisely what stimulated his interest in the natural one. (more…)

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A Dictionary and a Handbook

Hundreds of telecom books are published each year, but it is unusual to find a really good one. There must have been a blue moon (I’ll have to check my almanac) this month, for I found two new and quite remarkable books by the same author, Ray Horak. One is a dictionary and the other an encyclopedic work, both covering the full range of voice, data, fax, video, and multimedia technologies and applications that comprise contemporary telecommunications. Further, they do so in such a plain-English, commonsense manner that you don’t need to be a serious telecom student or professional to benefit from them—any layperson with a serious need to know will find them to be of great value. Finally (and this is rare in a technical book), both are actually relatively easy and certainly interesting reads, with liberal doses of fascinating historical context. In fact, they are even strong on entertainment value, with humorous observations and quotations sprinkled throughout. Horak has written each book in a different style for a different purpose, so they are best acquired together—as a set. (more…)

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Contents:

From the Editor

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and WiMAX

The End of Eternity

Remembering Jon

Letters to the Editor

Book Reviews

Fragments

Download PDF (PDF – 867KB)

Vol 11, No4 Forum