ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on several issues, techniques, and approaches related to hardware interface design. Hardware interface design is the physical backbone that supports input, output, database, and software design. The major network platform and associated capabilities are defined first, and the hardware interface design for a local site or a branch is performed in the context of the network. Hardware interface design is the process of determining, specifying, evaluating, and acquiring of a set of hardware building blocks and analyzing their relationships with each other. The rapidly changing nature of information technology has forced the designer to view the process of evaluating and acquiring hardware from a different perspective. The nature of hardware interface design has itself changed, too. The cables used to connect a system’s hardware components must be protected. The principle of redundancy calls for a second set of important hardware components ready to use in the event of a disaster.
