Network Architecture & Design "A Field Guide for IT Professionals"

A treatment of data networking concepts, implementations, and history, Network Architecture and Design will prove interesting to readers who are just beginning to explore data networking and would like to make a living in the field. In this book, J.F. DiMarzio reveals technologies--including everything from simple single-segment Ethernet local area networks (LANs) to Frame Relay wide area networks (WANs) and virtual private networks (VPNs)--with an emphasis on working with them on customers' sites as a consultant. There's really no cutting-edge stuff here, and indeed anyone with even a little network administration experience will find a lot of DiMarzio's material old hat. But he covers the consultant's bread-and-butter jobs well.

The author's writing style may disagree with some readers. He has a habit of opening paragraphs with questions, and using an extremely casual, conversational style that sometimes makes it hard to determine his meaning. He's also put a lot of emphasis on Microsoft Windows NT, a technology that most organizations are phasing out. Further, he tends to introduce very big concepts--such as the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol--and then provide an awkward smattering of technical details about them (it would have been better if he'd left all details to specialized texts). Despite these shortcomings, DiMarzio's book will help a rookie network consultant shepherd a project through to completion. --David Wall

Topics covered: Fundamentals of data networking, oriented toward analyzing customer requirements, designing a network to suit them, and managing a project that implements the plan.