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Abstract:
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We seem to recall a time when protocols and standards were two different
things. In the past couple of years, the craze over new protocols has
seemingly breathed new life into library information technology, replacing
the doldrums of standards with the hope of new, universally accepted
protocols. We must admit to being too young to have been there, but we
wonder if things felt like this when MARC and Wireless LAN were poised to
change the world of library automation as also in XML, OpenURL, and the
Open Archives. An increased rate of mobility brought about by the Wireless
LAN break through has given a new dimension to networking capabilities.
The IEEE 802.11 defines standards for both 1-2 Mbps and higher speed
wireless communication. The study of the PHY and the MAC layer as per
the IEEE 802.11 protocols reveal that the issues like security and reliability
of utmost importance in this type of networking. In short if higher speed
networking of this kind can be created then there would be no need for the
conventional physical medium communication. Globalization of this
technology would indeed bring the world closer and bring about a new era of
wireless technology in the Library. |