Upgrading and Troubleshooting Networks: The Complete Reference (Book/CD-ROM package)

Craig Zacker knocks the seven-layer protocol stack out of the park in Upgrading & Troubleshooting Networks: The Complete Reference. Although not all books in this series are as complete as their titles would lead you to believe, this one lives up to the claims of its cover and delivers a lifetime's worth of information about how computers talk to one another. Read this one if you're new to data communications, seeking any of several professional certifications that have to do with computer connectivity, or even if you've established yourself as a networking pro and want a solid reference on hand. This book generally deals with network equipment and protocols in a platform-independent way, although it dips into the specifics of Novell NetWare and (especially) Microsoft Windows networking after the foundation is laid.

Zacker is nothing if not patient, and he takes plenty of time to explain important concepts--such as standards documents--without seeming condescending, by using conceptual diagrams that usually are clear and helpful. He's not as quick to express opinions about which is the best of several ways to do a particular task, and instead explains everything and leaves it up to the reader to decide. --David Wall

Topics covered: Local and wide area networking for personal computers, both generically and as implemented under Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Novell NetWare. Hardware and architecture coverage is followed by a detailed discussion of protocols, naming schemes and name-allocation services, directory services (notably Novell Directory Services and Active Directory), and Internet services.