Information Technology: Structures of Data Essay

The crustal plate knave of the ITPRC meshing direct introduces it as The Information engineering science Professionals Resource Center (ITPRC, 2007). Originally created in 1999, the avowed purpose of the Web site is to provide a one-stop shop for IT overlords for technical instruction on data networking.The purpose is laudable because data networking is a vital function which on a lower floorlies many of the devices and systems that make our modern life convenient and efficient much(prenominal) as computers, ATMs, cell phones, airline reservation systems, and the like. Any resource which aids the understanding by the concern professionals regarding this body of knowledge is beneficial to society as a whole, directly or indirectly. On the different hand, the subject matter of this Web site is so highly technical, extensive and rapidly evolving that it must be really difficult to maintain it and keep it abreast of developments.Comprehensive DiscussionThe ties in the home page are grouped into four main headings (1) Career Management, (2) Technologies, (3) Operations and (4) Others. The ITPRC Web site may thus be considered as a portal that leads to former(a) Web sites which might be of entertain to the network engineer in the areas represented by the headings (Deitel, 2001, pp. 35-37).The meat of this Web portal is the Technologies group of links. downstairs this group the link titles roughly correspond to the OSI reference example for network architectures (Martin, 1988). This is a conceptual model which is well-known to networking professionals and even those at the student level. They are greatly aided by this grouping dodging in organizing their searches for resources on the Internet.For instance, under the heading Technologies, we find the links Physical, Data Link and means Network, while the OSI model has the bottom layers Physical, Data Link and Network. The Technologies Physical link points to Web sites on modems, cabling and other d evices which a network engineer would expect to find under this topic. The other ITPRC links under Technologies roughly correspond to areas covered by the remaining layers in the OSI model, namely the Transport, Session, introduction and Application layers (Martin).The Operations category of links provides information on organizations (business, government or NGO) which run networks, parcel tools for measuring network performance such as response times for messages sent over the Internet, and other software for monitoring security conditions or threats such as repeated hacking attempts.The links classified under Others point to a treasure trove of information in the form of Web sites containing dictionaries, glossaries and FAQs pertaining to computer and networking terms. And if the investigators mind is having difficulties in untangling the complexities of networks, there is the Humor link to Web sites which provide mirthful relief.A Helpful Chain of LinksSuppose I were a have student who sets by to understand the evolution of the Internets TCP/IP message r come forthing techniques. In the ITPRC home page under Technologies I will click on TCP/IP FAQ. This brings up a Web page where I will click on the link Where can I find RFCs?1 That leads me to the page on The Definitive RFC Repository which mentions the URL . When I click on that URL voila out comes the RFC Editor Web site (RFC Editor, n.d.) which includes a search engine for all RFCs, from the earliest RFC dated 1969 to the modish one published in 2009. This is just one example of the richness of information sources that are approachable through the ITPRC portal. One could follow other chains of links to Web sites which eventually lead to the information sought after.A Useful Professional ResourceThe ITPRC has links to Web sites that meet a gigantic variety of the needs of data networking professionals. We have seen earlier how the portal could be useful to a graduate student. For an engineer on the job, it has links for finding information related to workaday matters such as the latest viruses circulating on the Internet.For a technology manager who is about to embark on an upgrade of the enterprise network, the industry news links would be useful starting points for learning about developments that could keep his social club at par with or ahead of its competitors. Thereafter he could direct his staff to conduct in-depth explore on the technology behind the new product offerings and the likelihood that the products have been thoroughly debugged.The network professional looking out for an opportunity to advance his career in another company would find the avocation Databases links invaluable.Other ObservationsThe links to some of the sites are no longer valid. Under the Book Sites link, the very first two Web sites no longer exist. The third Web site, Half Price estimator Books, does not live up to its title. You have to keep on clicking a number of Web sites in suc cession before you come up with any site that offers substantial discounts on computer books. bum LineThe ITPRC site is a very useful portal for the data networking professional in the soul that beginning with just one Web site he is directed to the sources of tons of information in the data networking field.