This is a guide to designing and programming embedded systems to com-

municate in local Ethernet networks and on the Internet.

An embedded system is a device that has computer intelligence and is dedi-

cated to performing a single task, or a group of related tasks. Embedded sys-

tems often perform monitoring and control functions such as gathering and

reporting sensor readings or controlling motors and switches. They’re called

embedded systems because the program code is an integral part of, or

embedded in, the devices.