428 Part 2 ½
Regions of Computer Space
Section 5½
Networks
single-channel system constitutes a frilly-connected network allowing direct communication between all nodes. A star configuration can still be imposed by protocol to direct all user traffic through a central node, but is no longer required.
It is important to note that many of the above properties are made feasible by the availability of PCU's at a reasonable cost through microcomputer technology. This raises a related issue: the desirability of distributing presently centralized protocol functions such as flow control among the user nodes. Since we have just begun to gain experience with PCU's in a packet broadcast network, we must leave this as an open question.
References
Abramson [1973a]; Abramson [1973b]; Binder, Lai, and Wilson [1974]; Davidson [1972]; Fralick, Brandin, Kuo, and Harrison [1975]; Frank, Van Slyke, and Gitman [1975]; Heart, Kahn, Ornstein, Crowther, and Walden [1970]; Jackson and Stubbs [19691; Kahn [1975]; Kleinrock and Tobagi [1976]; Lam [1974]; Metcalfe [1973a]; Okumura, Ohmori, Kawano, and Fukuda [1968]; Ornstein, Heart, Crowther, Rising, Russell, and Michel [1972]; Roberts [1973].