Computer Networks and Internets, Fourth Edition
by Douglas E Comer, Ralph E. Droms
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (28 July, 2003)
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Reviews (19)

Too much prose.
At the first time, I used this book as my reference in my networking area. But later I can not keep up this fully-prosed book anymore. At last, I had to change my reference book to another.

A textbook that doesn't put you to sleep
I'm a CS student taking a Networks course so I could be considered a 'beginner'.This book is easy to read and understand and provides a great overview without being too bogged down in details.The short, concise chapters make it very readable.Great introduction to the subject!

My only gripe in that the file/folder names on the CD are corrupted and there isn't any support on the book's site.

Brief and to the point
I had to use this book for a networking class at my university.It presents a nice overview and goes a little in depth into various aspects of networking.It covers networking from the ground up, explaining each layer of the OSI and the components that compose each layer.I would recommend it to a beginner or amateur to networking. ... Read more

Isbn: 0131433512
Sales Rank: 29040
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Internet - General    6. Internetworking (Telecommunica    7. Internetworking (Telecommunication)    8. Microcomputer Networks    9. Networking - General    10. Computers / Networking / General   

Computer Networks, Fourth Edition
by Andrew S. Tanenbaum
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (09 August, 2002)
list price: $88.00 -- our price: $88.00
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Editorial Review

This is the long-awaited 3rd Edition of Tanenbaum's classic book on computer networking. The finest network engineer I know (who was stolen from my previous employer by developers of IPv6)swears by this book, and it is arguably the best single resource for gaining a good technical understanding of modern networking in the mid 1990s. Very Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (100)

Move around sections con
This is the usual con the student effort.

With the excuse of adding some new material, some sections and the assignments are moved around to make it difficult for the student to use the previous edition.

It is more than overpriced when one considers that it is just a summarization of well documented standards.

Shame on the publisher, shame on the author!!

The most complete reference
On my shelf right now I have exactly 25 books on networking and network programming, covering topics from basic sockets to routing to wireless to hacking to IDS. However, I find myself going back to the Tanenbaum book time and time again, because I *know* it will have the answer I'm looking for.

Rarely will you find a book that covers a topic with such authority and breadth. As compared to the other leading texts (by Comer, Perlman, etc), it's relatively up-to-date, even with a good introduction to wireless (802.11 and other variants).

Note that you won't find any code in this book; for that you'll need a Stevens text.

Summary: If you're looking for a book with a solid discussion of the theory of networking, this is absolutely the book you want to buy.

Computer Networks Critique...
"Computer Networks" by A. S. Tanenbaum is a good primary text for entry to mid-level students of Information Technology or Business Telecommunications. The text is structured in a logical manner with the intention of guiding the reader through successive levels of understanding. The material is presented in a succinct manner, with sufficient depth to provide good comprehension.

The Fourth Edition (reprinted in 2003) presents contemporary relevance in a field that is fluid and evolving. Attention is paid to foundational items salient to the topic of computer networks, with a measure of historical reference to the telecommunications industry in general. Tanenbaum is not cursory in his treatment of history, but he is not pedantic either. There is good balance here. This serves to provide important information concerning the nucleus from which the communications industry began, but not so much information as to cause the reader to lose interest.

The technical aspect of computer networks is quite complex and contains its own unique set of acronyms and techno-jargon. Tanenbaum gives a superlative effort in maintaining the vernacular wherever possible, with concomitant supportive graphics to further enhance delivery and understanding. This is crucial to the learning experience. It is essential that a text form a bridge of facile communication through the use of common language and graphics.

Those who have purchased this text outside of the traditional academic environment as an adjunct reference will be pleased with its logical, organized design. The chapters and sub-divisions facilitate rapid scanning for material of specific interest. The suggested reading list and bibliography satisfies those with a thirst for more, and the index is helpful and thorough.
... Read more

Isbn: 0130661023
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Microcomputer Networks    6. Networking - General    7. Computers / Networking / General   

Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol.1: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture (4th Edition)
by Douglas E. Comer
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (18 January, 2000)
list price: $75.00 -- our price: $75.00
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Editorial Review

The all-time best-selling TCP/IP book, this is still the reference for anyone who wants to learn about or work with the TCP/IP protocol suite. Justly renowned for its clarity and accessibility,this superb text covers wide area Internet backbones as well as local area network technologies like FDDI and Ethernet. This is volume 1 of a 3 part set including Internetworking With TCP/IP (Vol. 2): Design, Implementation, and Internals and Internetworking With TCP/IP (Vol. 3): Client-Server Programming and Applications/BSD Socket Version ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Complex ideas explained in simple terms
I am normally too lazy to write reviews of books that I have read. But this one is different. I truly wants to give credit to the author in whatever way I can. And then I realized I should go to amazon.com and write a review about it if possible. So here I am. If you read same stuff elsewhere (e.g internet articles, other popular books even Stevens ! etc) my experience is they tend to make things a little more complex then they are. Douglas, tells you things that you want to know directly and in simple easy terms.

And he continue to answer all relevent questions that comes to your mind while reading. This way you feel comfortable that yes you have grabbed the crux of the knowledge and feel confident about it.

Even better
This new edition expands and updates the previous one (a true classic). Several parts were rewritten to improve understanding (e.g. RIP solutions) and a lot of modern technologies are now discussed, including Mobile IP, IPsec, VPNs, IP Multicasting, Voice and Video over IP, and IP Telephony.
It is worth every dollar of its price.

This it the bible
I have been doing Internet protocol engineering for 12 years and I can say that people in the industry consider Comer Vol 1 to be the bible for Internetworking reference. The fourth edition is nearly three times as thick as my copy of the first edition. Douglas Comer keeps this book up to date and useful for modern Internet developers. If you're a student, read this book. I've gone through a lot of books that claim to be the same thing as Comer Vol 1 and have found none that really compare. ... Read more

Isbn: 0130183806
Subjects:  1. Client/server computing    2. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    6. Internetworking (Telecommunica    7. Internetworking (Telecommunication)    8. Networking - Internetworking    9. Networking - Network Protocols    10. TCP/IP (Computer network proto    11. TCP/IP (Computer network protocol)    12. Computers / Networking / Network Protocols   

Data and Computer Communications, Seventh Edition
by William Stallings
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (08 May, 2003)
list price: $103.00 -- our price: $103.00
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Reviews (18)

Too many topics too little time
There were a lot of interesting topics covered in this book, but unfortunately because of the volume of material that the author attempted to include, there was little on any one subject.

Also, beware the questions at the end of the chapter if you're using this book for a class.They tend to be rather vague.

Too many acronyms ....
This book was well written and covered a broad range of topics which gives the reader a good general knowledge of how digital and analog signals work and how they are encoded and decoded.The author is very knowledgeable however he needs to realize that his readers are (perhaps) not as smart or experienced in this field as he is.The extensive use of acronyms throughout the text make it difficult at times to fully understand what is being taught.I found myself paging back in the book to look up the acronyms just to understand what I was reading.

It would also be quite helpful if the author offered a study guide to accompany the text containg solutions the questions at the end of the chapter.Practice questions are a lot more helpful if the student actually has some way to verify that they are doing the questions correctly.

Overall the book was well written although the author should concentrate on using full terms instead of stating the term at the beginning of the book and using the acronym through out the rest of the text.

interesting
I found this book interesting. It explores the mathematics behind waves and frequencies and transmissions, encoding, etc... You should have some college calculus to be really comfortable with this book or have a friend who is into math.Probably a good textbook,but may be frustrating if you are self-studying for some reason (if you don't know a lot about math, that is).

But the math concepts are only introduced as they are needed, and you will need to find other places to learn the stuff you need there.I also noticed that some of the questions at the end of the chapters have answers that are nowhere to be found in the book.Strange,that.I guess it assumes you have an internet connection.Much, if not all of the material in this book can be found on the internet in greater detail free of charge. But that still does not mean that the book is useless.It depends on how much the purchase price means to you.

What this book does is gives you a framework that helps you know what to study, and what the major subject categories in this field are. And in some circles, it is very valuable that it also gives you the mathematical background behind what is going on.

I would imagine you could skip this one if you know what you need to learn.If the purchase price is daunting,you would probably be just as well off just using the table of contents of this book as the "list" of things to know about networking.This book appears to be some sort of standard in the colleges around this country and the world.Even though it may not fit your learning style, or you may not be big on math,there are countless folks using this book so it might be helpful in that way.It gives you an overview of the field.A big picture, so to speak.

In a way,this book,like many textbooks, ask the question of how important is your need to understand what other people are doing,even if it is not your specialty or your area of expertise.

This may be an excellent book for a manager of a large organization who wants to get an overview, WITH MATH, of the current networks and communications systems. ... Read more

Isbn: 0131006819
Sales Rank: 65364
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Data Communications    6. Data Transmission Systems - General    7. Data transmission systems    8. Networking - General    9. Computers / Networking / General   

The Protocols (TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1)
by W. Richard Stevens
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (31 December, 1993)
list price: $74.99 -- our price: $58.84
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Editorial Review

TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols is an excellent text that provides encyclopedic coverage of the TCP/IP protocol suite. What sets this book apart from others on this subject is the fact that the author supplements all of the discussion with data collected via diagnostic programs; thus, it is possible to "watch" the protocols in action in a real situation. Also, the diagnostic tools involved are publicly available; the reader has the opportunity to play along at home. This offers the reader an unparalleled opportunity to really get a feel for the behavior of the protocols in day-to-day operation. TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols features clear discussions and well-designed figures.

Volume two of this series, TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2: The Implementation, covers the implementation of TCP/IP. Volume three explores TCP for Transactions, HTTP, NNTP, and the Unix Domain Protocols. ... Read more

Reviews (67)

Classic work - but in series need of updates as time goes on
I cannot fathom a guess as to how many times the books in this series have saved my in project work over the years.The only drawback with this series is that some publisher should endeavor to keep them up to date.Serious Unix system programmers must have copies of the complete series.

Great book despite the old age
This is one of those books that despite the old age (this has been written 10 years ago) can still be considered up-to-date.

For those who want to learn how tcp/ip based networks work or to get more involved with the details this book is a must have in your shelf.

Do you want to know how computers communicate?
There are 64 reviews before this one. Average user review is 5 stars. So, whatever I write here is going to have a small influence on your judgment. Still I will show my presents in this world. I say this book is excellent. Don't waste time trying to find any better book about TCT/IP. Read this book. You'll be happy you did it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201633469
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    4. Data Transmission Systems - General    5. Internet - General    6. Networking - Network Protocols    7. TCP/IP (Computer network proto    8. TCP/IP (Computer network protocol)    9. Computers / Networking / Network Protocols   

UNIX Network Programming
by W. Richard Stevens
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (15 January, 1998)
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Editorial Review

The classic programming text Unix Network Programming has been updated by author W. Richard Stevens to encompass three new volumes. There have been a few changes in the computing world since 1990 (the year the original was published), and Stevens has taken the opportunity to create a complete set of reference manuals for programmers of all skill levels.

The first volume, Networking APIs: Sockets and XTI, covers everything you need to know to make your programs communicate over networks. Stevens covers everything from writing your programs to be compatible with both Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and IPv6, to raw sockets, routing sockets, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), broadcasting/multicasting, routing sockets, server internals, and more, plus a section covering Posix threads.

Stevens also notes compatibility issues with different operating systems so that readers can create code that is more portable, and he offers plenty of advice on how to make code more robust. --Doug Beaver ... Read more

Reviews (46)

It's simply good!
If I want a dog, I won't buy a cat.
The good thing of a cat is, it won't bark.

Boring Dictionary of N/W Programming
Though book is preety straight forward.
It rarely talks about tricks,code is highly redundant in the sense that everywhere error checking is being done.
Which makes it highly boring is thatif you are dealing with some kind of N/W installation or S/W trobuleshooting.
Talks much more on code,

A good reference
The coding examples weren't so hot in my opinion but this book
provided exactly what I needed to jump on the UNIX network programming bandwagon and remains a reference tool. ... Read more

Isbn: 013490012X
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Operating Systems    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Internet programming    6. Microcomputer Networks    7. Networking - General    8. Operating Systems - UNIX    9. UNIX (Computer file)    10. Unix (Operating System)   

The Implementation (TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2)
by Gary R. Wright, W. Richard Stevens
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (31 January, 1995)
list price: $69.99 -- our price: $59.39
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Reviews (11)

Classic work - but in series need of updates as time goes on
I cannot fathom a guess as to how many times the books in this series have saved my in project work over the years.The only drawback with this series is that some publisher should endeavor to keep them up to date.Serious Unix system programmers must have copies of the complete series.

A difficult read but well worth it
I bought this book shortly after finishing Volume 1.With volume 1, I found myself staying up late to read more, but volume 2 gets tiring after a while... it's literally a detailed analysis of every single line of networking code in the BSD 4.3 kernel.Although it's well worth the effort, I found myself reading no more than about 10 pages at a time (constantly flipping back, sometimes almost all the way to the beginning, to re-read something I hadn't quite absorbed the first time).

Difficulty aside, this book alone will honestly make you a TCP/IP guru - now that I've read volumes 1 and 2, the networking administrators where I work come to me with questions about issues they can't resolve.I'm literally comfortable saying that there's nothing I don't know about TCP/IP, and that's not a statement I'd make lightly (feel free to test me).But more than that, I learned a *lot* about writing good, solid code... in learning the networking stack as a whole, I was able to understand some higher-level software engineering concepts that had previously eluded me.

All in all, volume 1 is The Hobbit, and volume 2 is the Lord of the Rings - an oddysey not to be undertaken lightly, but from which you will emerge stronger and more powerful than ever before.

Overview
An elaborate description of network implementation and working of transport layer protocols. Like all of Richard Steven's books, this one too has a large number of code examples to explain the usage of
the data structures and the API used for writing networking applications. The book offers a great index for backreferencing.
Covers all important layer 3 and 4 protocols and the various services offered by them. The code examples provide an excellent first step for starting network programmers and a useful reference for the experienced. ... Read more

Isbn: 020163354X
Sales Rank: 74851
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    4. Networking - Network Protocols    5. Operating Systems - UNIX    6. TCP/IP (Computer network proto    7. TCP/IP (Computer network protocol)    8. Telecommunications    9. Computers / Networking / Network Protocols   

Effective TCP/IP Programming: 44 Tips to Improve Your Network Programs
by Jon C. Snader
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 January, 2000)
list price: $54.99 -- our price: $44.14
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Editorial Review

Many C/C++ programmers know at least the basics of TCP/IP, but becomingan expert network programmer usually requires a lot of experience and sometimeshard-to-find knowledge. Written to give the intermediate or advanced developer aleg up in creating robust network applications using TCP/IP and relatedprotocols, Effective TCP/IP Programming offers a truly valuable reviewand guide to getting the most out of your networked programs that are based onthis popular standard.

This book is packaged as a series of 44 tips for better TCP/IP programs, but itactually does much more. Early sections review the basics of the TCP, UDP and IPprotocols, along with related standards. A winning feature here is the author'scare to distinguish between the well-known BSD (for Unix) and Winsock (forWindows) versions of sockets. (By using macros and "skeleton" programs, hissample C code will run easily on either implementation.)

Besides offering nuts-and-bolts programming advice and plenty of hints forbetter performance, Snader also discusses how IP works under the hood. Standoutsections here include a discussion of the pitfalls of scaling a stand-alone orLAN TCP/IP application to the Internet, as well as what a "reliable" protocollike TCP really means. He shows you how to handle misbehaving servers andclients, and how to use multiple sockets effectively, and he offers severaluseful tips for optimizing data streamed across the wire. Although he doesn'tmention Java here (which offers strong socket support on its own), the authordoes provide Perl examples that work with sockets in order to get you startedwith sockets used within scripting languages.

Because IP is the protocol of choice for the Internet, more and more of us arefaced with becoming socket-programming experts in a hurry. In all, EffectiveTCP/IP Programming offers a good mix of basic and advanced tips on today'sIP and related protocols. It's a valuable resource for any developer whoprograms for the Internet and wants to write better code using sockets.--Richard Dragan

Topics covered: TCP/IP overview and programming tips, Berkeley SocketDistribution (BSD) vs. Winsock/Windows socket implementation issues, connectedand connectionless protocols, network-programming frameworks, UDP vs. TCP,reliable protocols, network programming for single workstations, LANs and WANs;event-driven programming, improving write operations, IP packet layout, byteordering issues, the Nagle and delayed ACK algorithms, using network utilities:inetd, tcpmux, tcpdump, traceroute, ttcp, andnetstat; and resources and hints for improving network-programmingskills. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

buy it even if you own Stevens' book
This book has a perfect balance of brevity and depth.Anything shorter would have been superficial, anything deeper would begin to compete with Stevens' Unix Network Programming (and lose).As is, this book fits very well for developers who do occasional TCP/IP development, but still need to develop reliable, industrial-grade software.

only way for me to learn C/C++ sockets
I couldn't find any good examples or documentation on the web that made sockets easy enough for me to implement in C/C++.But Snader's book explained it thoroughly and moreover simply enough for me to understand and emulate, and lo and behold, I had my first socket program running on windows and *nix in about a week.It also does a great job of introducing protocols and TCP/IP/UDP specifically.I have only read the first half but I am sure the second half is just as good.That is all I needed, since I just needed an understanding of sockets to get going.I highly recommend this book to intermediate programmers who want to get into network programming and networking in general.

Useful book
The only issue is source code style.
I appreciate the pure clear C code or C++ wrappers.
The book contains non user friendly C code:(

The tips are great. I wish all books to be such helpful. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201615894
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    5. Internet programming    6. Networking - Network Protocols    7. Programming - General    8. TCP/IP (Computer network proto    9. TCP/IP (Computer network protocol)    10. Computers / Networking / Network Protocols   

Internetworking with TCP/IP, Vol. III: Client-Server Programming and Applications, Linux/Posix Sockets Version
by Douglas E. Comer, David L. Stevens, Michael Evangelista
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (11 September, 2000)
list price: $78.00 -- our price: $68.22
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Reviews (1)

A perfect book for linux network programming
If you are a linux lover and want to dig intoclient/server (socket) programming , this book is agood choice.

Compared with Steven's Unix Network Programming, this book is more simply and clearly written. Not like Steven who is an expert in explaining details, Comer is good at giving a sound explanation of the network programmingprinciple both in theory and in practice. You will find nice "Algorithm" part in many of the examples which is a good abstraction of the general problem. So after the reading you will feel comfortable because of the gain in not only knowledge but also the kind of insight you could use toward other problems. As a distinguished professor incomputer science, Comer spells out the single word ofengineering ,"Simplicity is beauty", again by presentingthis clearly written TCP/IP programming book.

Also some most exciting stuff like RTP (realtime transport protocol), Web server programming models are also included in this latest edition of his Vol 3.And as you expected, the full source code of all the chapters isavailable online. ... Read more

Isbn: 0130320714
Sales Rank: 382286
Subjects:  1. Client-Server Computing - General    2. Client/server computing    3. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computers    6. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    7. Internetworking (Telecommunica    8. Internetworking (Telecommunication)    9. Networking - Internetworking    10. Networking - Network Protocols    11. Operating Systems - UNIX    12. TCP/IP (Computer network proto    13. TCP/IP (Computer network protocol)    14. Unix (Operating System)    15. Computers / Networking / Network Protocols   

Routing in the Internet (2nd Edition)
by Christian Huitema
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 January, 2000)
list price: $58.99 -- our price: $52.28
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Editorial Review

Routing in the Internet takes a carefully measured, textbook-style approach to a very complex topic, and rewards the attentive reader with a deep knowledge of how packets traverse networks. Author Christian Huitema begins by explaining the mechanics of IP addressing and returns to that theme (as it applies to IPv4 and IPv6) throughout this book.

Once he's laid his addressing groundwork, Huitema sets out to explain interior routing. He begins with the relatively simple (and relatively weak) Routing Information Protocol (RIP), using it as a vehicle for introducing routing terminology and concepts before explaining why RIP is not a good solution for most real-world internetworking problems and moving on to more robust routing algorithms. His coverage of Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) compares favorably to others'--he is careful to explain each aspect of OSPF (including link state databases) thoroughly. Exterior protocols are covered similarly well. Huitema isn't stingy with coverage of special situations, such as those created by mobile IP and IP multicasting.

Huitema's style tends to emphasize the theoretical aspects of the subjects he covers, and he writes with a somewhat academic tone. (You'll appreciate his liberal notes if you want to follow up on particular details of his presentation.) He makes good use of packet and network diagrams. You'll be pleased by the depth and detail of the material in Routing in the Internet and, despite its lack of practical material, will find it useful in real-life router configuration work and in studying for Cisco certification exams. --David Wall

Topics covered: Internet Protocol (IP) addressing (including versions 4 and 6), address resolution, routing metrics, distance vector protocols, and (especially) routing algorithms. Covered interior routing protocols include Routing Information Protocol (RIP, versions 1 and 2) and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), while covered exterior routing protocols include Exterior Gateways Protocol (EGP) and Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR). Futures, especially multicasting, receive attention as well. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A good book re-warmed
This is a good book, but, there is nothing in it that warranted
a second edition.Certain areas, such as multicast and
multi-protocol BGP are due for a complete re-write, but
that is barely reflected in the book.In short, the new edition
is good-- if you need it, buy it.But, if you already have
the first edition, don't bother, or you will be disappointed.

The perfect Big Picture book to get started.
My manager instructed me to learn about BGP. We're talking total novice here. First I tried looking in some CISCO books but they were highly specific towards CISCO products, and that wasn't what I was looking for. Besides, we weren't using CISCO. What I needed to see was the big picture.

This book gives the big picture. Quite honestly I wish there were more books like it.

One reviewer mentioned that the book was rather dry and that he'd "rather read the RFC's". Personally, I find the RFCs much more difficult reading, because they assume prior knowledge.

This book won't give you recipies on how to configure a certain product. Products come and go, new technologies arrive. What this book does give you is a balanced view of the many protocols out there and how they work. It will be on my shelf at work for quite some time to come, while the CISCO books grow old and stale.

The perfect Big Picture book to get started.
My manager instructed me to learn about BGP. We're talking total novice here. First I tried looking in some CISCO books but they were highly specific towards CISCO products, and that wasn't what I was looking for. Besides, we weren't using CISCO. What I needed to see was the big picture.

This book gives the big picture. Quite honestly I wish there were more books like it.

One reviewer mentioned that the book was rather dry and that he'd "rather read the RFC's". Personally, I find the RFCs much more difficult reading, because they assume prior knowledge.

This book won't give you recipies on how to configure a certain product. Products come and go, new technologies arrive. What this book does give you is a balanced view of the many protocols out there and how they work. It will be on my shelf at work for quite some time to come, while the CISCO books grow old and stale. ... Read more

Isbn: 0130226475
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Internet    2. Computer Books: Internet General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer network architectures    5. Computer network protocols    6. Computers    7. Internet    8. Internet - General    9. Networking - Network Protocols    10. Routers (Computer networks)    11. Computers / Networking / General   

Topics covered: Multicast schemes, explained for system administratorsand software developers; multicast routing (including DVMRP, multicast OSPF, andPIM); how to guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) for conferencing and other mediathat have high bandwidth requirements; implementation of multicasting acrossseveral transport protocols (including UDP, XTP, and MTP); and the functioningof the Mbone and its most popular applications. ... Read more

Isbn: 1558606459
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    6. Information Storage & Retrieval    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Internet    9. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    10. Multicasting (Computer network    11. Multicasting (Computer networks)    12. Networking - General    13. Networking - Network Protocols    14. Programming - Software Development    15. Computers / Networking / General   

Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition)
by Radia Perlman
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (14 September, 1999)
list price: $69.99 -- our price: $54.69
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Editorial Review

This latest release of Interconnections is a competent update of a networking classic. Radia Perlman explains hundreds of details about getting computers--and computer networks--to talk to one another smoothly, accurately, and efficiently. Perlman, inventor of the spanning-tree bridging algorithm, covers the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, bridges, switches, hubs, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), plus connection-based and connectionless networks. She also does a great job of explaining the underpinnings of internetworking protocols, including packet format, addressing, routing (both generically and in terms of RIP, RTMP, OSPF, and other protocols), and security. There's plenty of IPv6 information here, mostly from a theoretical vantage point.

The best parts of Perlman's approach to her subject are the little thought experiments that explain why various aspects of internetworking behave the way they do. For example, Perlman talks about Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) discovery by presenting four different hypotheses for figuring out MTU. For each possible solution, she discusses strengths, weaknesses, and real-life considerations. She applies this method to dozens of other problems and phenomena, making Interconnections a very close approximation of learning by experiment. --David Wall

Topics covered: Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, bridges, switches, hubs, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), and internetworking protocols. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

a must have book
This cover and explain the details about Network

The Other Great Networking Book
The networking universe is not purely TCP/IP.There is a ton of wacky stuff out there that even your friendly Cisco instructor likes to gloss over.Who uses CLNP or DECnet, anyway?And Ethernet just works, doesn't it?

Well, people do use them, Ethernet doesn't just work and one day you'll need to know what the hell is happening on your multi-vendor multi-protocol network, whereupon Radia Perlman will save your hide.

When I was recently posted abroad I had to decide which technical books to put in storage until my return and which to bring with me.I had about 150 such books, but I could take three at most.I took two: Perlman and Stevens TCP/IP vol 1.I've not missed the others yet.

Readable networking?!
Perlman does a fantastic job of writing about a topic she's obviously passionate about.Her ability to convey complex networking topics simply makes this book an excellent introduction to the subject, a great guide for people who don't need to be experts (i.e. marketing folks), and a technical text book.This book is both incredibly informative and entertaining, spiced with some of her own views, annecdotes, and history of networking.A great read, can you believe I would say that about a networking text? ... Read more

Isbn: 0201634481
Subjects:  1. Bridges (Computer networks)    2. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Networks    5. Computer network protocols    6. Computers    7. Local area networks (Computer    8. Local area networks (Computer networks)    9. Networking - General    10. Routers (Computer networks)    11. Computers / Networking / General   

Understanding SNMP MIBs
by David T. Perkins, Evan McGinnis
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (03 December, 1996)
list price: $74.00 -- our price: $74.00
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Reviews (23)

A good reference manual
Let's not kid ourselves, SNMP MIBs are messy and needlessly confusing.Most of this confusion stems from the fact that there are many ways to do the same thing.This book helps you identify the various ways of doing something so that you can make informed decisions.

I find this book to be a well organized reference about MIB design and SNMP at the protocol level.It assumes the reader already has some understanding of the topic.

If you are new to MIB design, I suggest that you check the web first to get a basic understanding.Note that this book is not geared toward SNMP network administration.

SNMP MIBs is an essential reference work
As co-chair of the IETF's SNMPv3 working group (the group that defines SNMP), I am constantly asked questions about how to implement some detail of a MIB, or to act as the authority in settling a dispute over the way somebody has implemented a MIB, ot to guide the empoyees in my company about organizing our enterprise MIB. This book, more than any other book I own, provides me with solid reference material about MIBs and SMIv2, and it is the first book I use to find the answers I need.

Waste of money
I bought this book based on information provided by the reviews here.To be honest, this book is outdated, confusing, and probably a sales pitch for the so-called SMICng tool the authors had developed.I wish I could return the book and spend the money somewhere else. ... Read more

Isbn: 0134377087
Sales Rank: 260025
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Internet    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Network Management    4. Computer networks    5. Computers    6. Internet - General    7. Management    8. Networking - General    9. Simple Network Management Prot    10. Simple Network Management Protocol (Computer network protocol)    11. Standards    12. Computers / Networking / General   

SNMP, SNMPv2, SNMPv3, and RMON 1 and 2 (3rd Edition)
by William Stallings
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (22 December, 1998)
list price: $64.99 -- our price: $50.50
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Editorial Review

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and the related Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) standards make it possible for network administrators to control and monitor even the most complicated networks. In a textbook-style treatment, William Stallings's SNMP, SNMPv2, SNMPv3, and RMON 1 and 2 explains what's behind this family of popular networking standards.

The book begins with some theory about what tasks network administrators need to do, such as monitoring performance, faults, and accounting, along with configuration and security control. The guide then describes SNMP--which was introduced in 1989--as a successful solution to the basic problems of network administration. (One of the strengths of SNMP is that it allows administrators to work with disparate networks running on TCP/IP.) The author details how an SNMP Management Information Base (MIB), which stores network information, is organized and also how the protocol works to collect and store network information.

The RMON standard actually uses SNMP with its own MIB format to collect statistics about a network. The author provides detailed descriptions of this information, along with RMON filters and alarms, which can be used to troubleshoot a network.

New and improved standards RMONv2, SNMPv2, and SNMPv3 comprise the remainder of this book. RMONv2 allows network administration of more kinds of networks and devices. SNMPv2 provides enhanced administration capabilities, while SNMPv3 adds the security and encryption that was lacking in earlier versions of the protocol.

This textbook is crammed with tables and statistics, and shows off the author's command of the relevant networking standards. Much more readable than the Request for Comments (RFC) documents that describe these standards, this title provides a comprehensive reference work on SNMP and RMON for the working Internet professional. --Richard Dragan ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Good for developpers - bad for systems administrators
This book is deep down description of all the OIDs and structure of SNMP.
If you want to know how the messages get through (SNMP get and other commands) in a developer's point of view, and you want a full dump of all the leafs and OIDs in the MIB structure, then this book is for you.
If you are a systems administrator looking for a practical way to understand how to use SNMP to manage your network devices, then look elsewhere (Essential SNMP, for instance).

Excellent Book
This is the best book I found on SNMP.I found Essential SNMP to be lacking in detail and the descriptions in Managing Internetworks with SNMP were not so clear.So far it has been able to answer every question I have had regarding SNMP.

Worst Book Yet
I had to buy this book as part of a Network Management class and have found it to be utterly useless during and afterwards. It is definatly the worse book that I have ever had to buy. First, it was mighty expensive for the quality of the writing/material. Second, the material within the book could have covered in a much better way. It was very difficult to understand because it travelled much to far into SNMP/RMON. I found it almost useless as a reference, because it did not cover anything in a way that was pertinant to actually using SNMP/RMON on a network. I believe that Stallings definatly complicates SNMP beyond all reconition, FUBAR even. It lacked real world examples and uses. Perhaps this book would be great for someone who develops apps based on SNMP, but for someone who wants to learn about using it, its a massive waste of time. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201485346
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Network Management    4. Computer network protocols    5. Computer networks    6. Computers    7. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    8. Management    9. Networking - General    10. Networking - Network Protocols    11. Simple Network Management Prot    12. Simple Network Management Protocol (Computer network protocol)    13. Standards    14. Computers / Operating Systems / UNIX   

SSL and TLS: Designing and Building Secure Systems
by Eric Rescorla
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (13 October, 2000)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $32.99
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Reviews (17)

Great reference book
This is a great book. Well written, good diagrams, very good overview as well as detailed data dump of the protocol. I highly recommend.

if you're doing SSL development, you need this
simply put there is no finer book on the subject. this is to SSL and TLS what TCP/IP illustrated is to Ip networking.

you wont learn much about crytography here (you'll definitely want a book on that, too), but you will learn the nuances of how SSL and TLS work. this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first such attempt at this kind of handbook. and i find it succeeds very well. rescorla's attention to detail shows in everything, and that's exatcly what a book like this needs.

reccomended ...

SSL and TLS
"SSL and TLS" was a fantastic book.It covers all the
levels necessary for one to understand the basics and
then get into the details.I strongly recommend this book
for any SSL beginner and beyond. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201615983
Sales Rank: 75854
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computer Data Security    4. Computer network protocols    5. Computer networks    6. Computers    7. Networking - Network Protocols    8. Security    9. Security measures    10. World Wide Web    11. Computers / Internet / Security   

Web Protocols and Practice: HTTP/1.1, Networking Protocols, Caching, and Traffic Measurement
by Balachander Krishnamurthy, Jennifer Rexford
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (04 May, 2001)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $43.08
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Editorial Review

Carefully prepared content gets all the glory, but the job of delivering multimedia information to the people and machines who require it falls to a set of protocols. Web Protocols and Practice explains how resources locate one another on the constantly changing Internet, how they ask for other resources, and how those documents and media are delivered. This comprehensive document does more than any other book around to eliminate vague hand-waving and actually explain how the Internet works. Anyone who's heard explanations along the lines of, "The Domain Name Service resolves the machine name to an IP address" or "The browser makes a POST request" and wanted to scream "But HOW?" will love what Balachander Krishnamurthy and Jennifer Rexford have done in these pages.

The authors approach HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the other protocols covered from an engineering perspective, which is to say that they outline the problems the protocols are meant to solve before going into detail about what the protocols do. They also explain the evolution of protocols over time, and call attention to the shortcomings of protocols and their likely evolutionary paths. Nearly all of the explanatory material takes the form of bright, carefully considered text that's supplemented by message listings ("The server could reply with...") and a handful of conceptual diagrams. Later chapters transcend the protocols themselves to focus on questions of reliability, traffic measurement, and efficient caching. --David Wall

Topics covered: The protocols that underpin transactions on the Internet and other networks that employ Internet communications standards. Detailed coverage goes to the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) versions 1.0 and 1.1, the Internet Protocol addressing scheme, and the Transmission Control Protocol specification. Design of Web servers, cache servers, and proxy servers gets much attention, as do site workload and traffic metrics. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

"The" book of the web
Protocol and practice.... unlike 21 days in HTML, the authors teach me something big...

It's not an exciting read...
...but it is very thorough.

Understand WebPerformance
You've built a B2C or B2B web service.You get great response time from your office, but there are times when your customers across the country report poor performance.

This book with help you understand the entire path between browser and web server and how Internet latency and intermediaries like Proxy servers add to transaction delay. This is the only source that I've seen that a) Defines HTTP 1.1 and b) describes the relationship between HTTP and the TCP/IP protocol stack, making recommendations on how to tune the stack to reduce the effect of latency.

You'll learn that many of TCP's flow control mechanisms were designed for FTP, Telnet and Rlogin and some default settings are not optimized, or even appropriate for HTTP. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201710889
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer network protocols    4. Computer programs    5. Computers    6. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    7. Internet - General    8. Networking - Network Protocols    9. Web servers    10. Web site development    11. Computers / Internet / General   

The Fax Modem Sourcebook
by AndrewMargolis
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (29 November, 1995)
list price: $95.00 -- our price: $62.70
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Reviews (6)

Excellent Book.
This book is like a bible for Fascimile technology. Which includes complete code to drive your class 1 and 2 modems. I found just one bug in making my intel modem work. I have never seen such a comprehensive book. kudos to the author.

This is a must fax resource
This is a great book.
Very well written.
The source code works great.

Complete fax development book
I needed information how to develope a fax sending program for a fax modem, but it was hard to get the information. But this book solved all my problem. ... Read more

Isbn: 0471950726
Sales Rank: 593130
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Data Transmission Systems    3. Facsimile Transmission Technology    4. Facsimile transmission    5. Modems    6. Networking - General    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Telecommunications    10. Business information systems    11. Computer Communications & Networking    12. Office systems & equipment    13. Technology / Telecommunications   

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition
by BruceSchneier
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (18 October, 1995)
list price: $60.00 -- our price: $37.80
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Editorial Review

Cryptographic techniques have applications far beyond the obvious uses of encoding and decoding information. For Internet developers who need to know about capabilities, such as digital signatures, that depend on cryptographic techniques, there's no better overview than Applied Cryptography, the definitive book on the subject. Bruce Schneier covers general classes of cryptographic protocols and then specific techniques, detailing the inner workings of real-world cryptographic algorithms including the Data Encryption Standard and RSA public-key cryptosystems. The book includes source-code listings and extensive advice on the practical aspects of cryptography implementation, such as the importance of generating truly random numbers and of keeping keys secure. ... Read more

Reviews (91)

The Bible of the Crypto-world
For anyone working or studying the crypto-world (IT Security, Cryptographer, Cryptologists, PKI/PGP/SecureID Technologists, etc.) this is a must read.

For the fascinating world of Cryptography (the practical application of Cryptology) this is an essential textbook that any graduate course of digital security and cryptology should include.It is inteded as a reference book as well as a practical book to have handy for the working professional.

It's no wonder the NSA had asked the author not to publish this book.It leaves the Crypto-world naked to the average viewer/reader.

Excellent Text - Not Too Mathematical
This book provides excellent coverage of the mayor cryptography algorithms.It is a must have (for academic study or implementation), if only for the completeness of coverage and the comprehensive references.The C code provided is adequate, but reasonable programming skills are assumed.The book is not overly mathematical (which many of the other cryptography texts are - this is great for me, as I am more intereseted in practice).There is also good information on assessing / comparing the merits of different algorithms.Great for the practictioner or student taking a first course (it's still not bedtime reading).Mathematicians will look for more ......

Essential reference for any programmer
Over the long term, this is the applied math book that I come back to most often.

The first quarter of the book may come as a surprise. It's not about encryption, it's about secure protocols. This is great stuff. It includes secure key exchange, where you and I can agree on an encryption key in a public conversation, but none of the other listeners know what we agreed on. It includes zero-knowledge proofs, ways of establishing authorization without releasing your identity. It includes lots more, as well. The next brief section discusses different modes for using encryption algorithms, key management, and other logistics.

The third section is what you might have expected: detailed descriptions of many encryption schemes, taking up at least half the book. That includes public key schemes, private key codes, secure hashing algorithms, and all the other details needed for implementing the algorithms. One of the most useful subsections here is a set of pseudorandom number generators. It's not exhaustive, by any means - it omits the Mersenne Twister, for example. Still, it gives a fair set of algorithms, some of which are "cryptographically secure". That means the generator's output strongly resists attempts to find regularities, just the way a truly random sequence would.

The last two chapters give a brief summary of the practice, legalities, and even culture around cryptography.

This won't make you into a crypto professional. Despite its600+ pages, it barely introduces the world of crypto and certainly doesn't release anything from the "closed" world of government agencies. It will, however, give you useful algorithms, a basic background, and an appreciation of just what real crypto is about. That last may be the most important part. Too many people think inventing a good code is like making love: anyone can do it, and they instinctively do it better than most people. Wrong! Real crypto is not for dabblers, and this book gives some sense of what is involved.

The first edition of "Applied Cryptography" was a landmark text, but the second edition is even better. It's so much better that, if you just have the first edition, you really should upgrade to the second, and I've never said that about any other book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0471117099
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer security    4. Cryptography    5. Discrete Mathematics    6. Programming Languages - General    7. Security    8. Security measures    9. Telecommunication    10. Computers / Security    11. Data security & data encryption   

Handbook of Applied Cryptography
by Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. Van Oorschot, Scott A. Vanstone
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (16 October, 1996)
list price: $99.95 -- our price: $87.31
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Reviews (16)

Advanced Crypto for the college mind.
This very detailed work is not for the light hearted. It's an in depth look at the mathmatics behind cryptography. If you're looking for a book to help you program then look for Applied Cryptography by Bruce the crypto king instead. If you're looking for something to help you learn cryptoanalysis and how to break codes then this is the first step.

Fantastic traditional reference
The Chapter 14 - Efficient Implementation - shows several multiple precision algorithms. They are very easy to understand and implement under any microprocessor. It is a very good complement to the book set written by Donald Knuth (The Art of Computer Programming, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set), another fantastic traditional reference.

A very detailed book, but not for everyone.
This is a fairly strong book on crypto, with heavy detail on the math involved.The upside is that the second chapter is devoted to most of the important mathematical theory you'll need to understand for the rest of the book.The downside?That chapter tries to cover just about the same breadth of information as a semester long course in Number Theory.

If you don't have a ton of mathematical background and are scared of having to take a crash course in number theory, or are looking for a higher level view of things, I'd suggest something more along the lines of Bruce Schneier's 'Applied Cryptography' (ASIN 0471117099). If you have some mathematical background, but want to get into things in detail, this is probably for you.

If you're not sure whether you'll like the book, you should definitely take a look at it. While Amazon currently doesn't have sample pages, if you do a Web Search on "Handbook of Applied Cryptography", you can find Sample Chapters hosted online to give you a good feel for the book's style. ... Read more

Isbn: 0849385237
Sales Rank: 118544
Subjects:  1. Access control    2. Algorithms (Computer Programming)    3. Computer Bks - General Information    4. Computers    5. Cryptography    6. Cryptography/Access Control    7. Discrete Mathematics    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. Reference    10. Security