Computer communication techniques

This paper will take a systems-oriented view of computer communication systems. It will begin with the examination of the concept and relationships of distributed systems and networks. There are many and varied definitions of distributed systems. For purposes of this discussion we will use a simple definition with which a large number of researchers(1) tend to agree. A distributed system is defined to be a system in which a processing load is distributed across a number of processing elements (PES) which are physically interconnected, but allow varying amounts of software intercommunication. Research in the area of distributed processors is proceeding mainly in three areas: network systems(2), special-purpose systerns(3), and high-performance, general-purpose systems(4).