Preface to the Special Issue

This Special Issue deals with the way computer networks are put together. There are various topics that are covered in this Special Issue. They consist of the systematic portrayal of the way communication network architectures are put together and conclude with an tip-to-date sampling of one of the most active. and exciting research areas in the protocol field today, verifying and directly implementing protocols from a formal specification. Throughout our discussion of the various architectures and protocols, the authors have been at pains to provide a readable description that is both tutorial and, within limits, encyclopedic.