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Computer Networking: Internet Protocols in Action

April 24th, 2008

Computer Networking: Internet Protocols in Action Hands-on networking experience, without the lab!
The best way to learn about network protocols is to see them in action. But that doesn’t mean that you need a lab full of networking equipment. This revolutionary text and its accompanying CD give readers realistic hands-on experience working with network protocols, without requiring all the routers, switches, hubs, and PCs of an actual network.
Computer Networking: Internet Protocols in Action provides packet traces of real network activity on CD. Readers open the trace files using Ethereal, an open source network protocol analyzer, and follow the text to perform the exercises, gaining a thorough understanding of the material by seeing it in action.
Features
* Practicality: Readers are able to learn by doing, without having to use actual networks. Instructors can add an active learning component to their course without the overhead of collecting the materials.
* Flexibility: This approach has been used successfully with students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Appropriate for courses regardless of whether the instructor uses a bottom-up or a top-down approach.
* Completeness: The exercises take the reader from the basics of examining quiet and busy networks through application, transport, network, and link layers to the crucial issues of network security.
Customer Review: Great book for the basic understanding of networking protocols
Like Richard Bejtlich I agree this book is excellent. I got this book based on his review.

I bought also “Practical Packet Analysis: Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems”. Both as reference books. The book “Network Analysis and Troubleshooting” by J. Scott Haugdahl is one on my wishlist.

Indeed this book is thorough and yet easy to read. It can be used as an intro but also for reference. The explanation of ethereal (wireshark) is very welcome in this perspective and lacks the errors we can find in the other book “practical packet analysis”, I mentioned before (see also my review on that). Maybe in the next version we can find information on AirPcap, excellent in sniffing and supporting WiFi network t-shooting. Network Monitor 3.1 from Microsoft is a freely available solution in this perspective that also can be used and supports native WiFi cards and sniffing packets. So far a great book and certainly worth buying!

Rob Faber [CISSP, CEH, MCSE]
The Netherlands
Customer Review: Best value, practical introduction to networking
As Associate Professor with several years of experience teaching Computer Networking to undergraduate and graduate students, i think practical exercises are crucial for students to really understand this field.

Jeanna Matthews does a very good job introducing featured aspects of computer networks. The book follows a tipical top-down approach, which has proven to be the most reasonable option for practical networking (specially at the introductory level). Each chapter begins with a brief theoretic introduction (in the style of ‘basic concepts about TCP’, and then presents the rest of the practical topics in a ‘learn by example practice’ way.

Another great point is the CD included with all the network traffic traces you need to follow each example. The book also includes a brief introduction to Ethereal (now renamed as Wireshark).

Super-recommended to students and self-learning people that really want to understand TCP/IP in practice from the ground up. It is also useful as a guide for a lab-based computer networking course (introductory level), along with ‘TCP/IP essentials’ by Panwar (if you want to cover more advanced topics).

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Entry Filed under: Computers Internet