A Packet Radio Network for Library Automation

The progress of libraries towards establishing online databases and automated search and retrieval tools allows them to share their resources and provide access to remote users. Unfortunately, the steady increase in the cost of leased lines makes them very undesirable as the media for access networks for budget-constrained libraries. An alternative approach-a packet switching radio network-is therefore presented here. Low-cost, commercially available radio transceivers and standard personal computers are the hardware building blocks of the system. The resulting network employs a suite of protocols, including channel access, routing, congestion control, and the higher-level TCP/IP. This network, which is planned to cover a large part of northern California, will provide remote access to University of California's automated library online catalog system. It will also support communication between any two end-points, provide for alternative routes in cases of link or nodal failure, and monitor its own performance. This paper, then, presents the network's topology, its architecture, its basic elements, and the functions it performs.