The fourth edition of this popular Handbook continues to provide readers with an easy to use guide to the many exciting new developments in the field of optical fiber data communications. With 90% new content, this edition contains all new material describing the transformation of the modern data communications network, both within the data center and over extended distances between data centers, along with best practices for the design of highly virtualized, converged, energy efficient, secure, and flattened network infrastructures. Key topics include networks for cloud computing, software defined networking, integrated and embedded networking appliances, and low latency networks for financial trading or other time-sensitive applications. Network architectures from the leading vendors are outlined (including Smart Analytic Solutions, Qfabric, FabricPath, Exadata, and more) as well as the latest revisions to industry standards for interoperable networks (including lossless Ethernet, 16G Fiber Channel, RoCE, FCoE, TRILL, IEEE 802.1Qbg, and more). The book also contains the latest on emerging technologies such as silicon photonics, nanophotonics, and high performance parallel optical interconnects. Written for engineers by engineers, this Handbook is an indispensable hands-on reference on data center networking architectures, protocols, applications, and technology for optical networking practitioners, equipment developers, network designers, and installers, as well as anyone looking for insights into the professional practices used in this field. With this book you will learn: The major industry standards (Ethernet, Fiber Channel, SONET/ATM/ Infiniband, FCoE, RoCE, iWarp, JEDEC), and how they have been interpreted by the experts, as well as ad hoc or proprietary solutions Core network design principles in the context of how to apply them Industry trends for integrated networking (vblock, UCS, Smart Analytics, Matrix) How key technologies can be implemented, with design guidelines and trade-offs Industry roadmaps, key problems, and proposed solutions, including evolution of major industry standards, industry trends for integrated networking, and industry trends for fabric design 90% new content in this edition Written by experts from IBM, HP, Dell, Cisco, Ciena, Sun/ Oracle, and more - learn about the standards and technology from the people who created them Case studies and 'How to...' demonstrations on a wide range of topics, including Optical Ethernet, next generation Internet, RDMA and Fiber Channel over Ethernet Quick reference tables of all the key optical network parameters for protocols like ESCON, FICON, SONET/ATM, and a glossary of technical terms and acronyms Companion website features material on concepts of optical communications, hard-to-find references, and key literature; a companion forum provides a portal to the data networking community, with podcasts and links to the latest developments.