Computer Networking Essentials (Cisco Press Core Series)

When it comes to computer networking, there are two kinds of knowledge. The first has to do with the specifics of the equipment and software you're interconnecting (such as how to enable TCP/IP routing on Windows 2000, or how to configure access lists on Cisco equipment). The second is background knowledge. You need a fair bit of it to feel confident that you're making the right architectural decisions, and Computer Networking Essentials can help you gain that knowledge. It's useful as a test-prep tool--several professional certifications include an element on general networking knowledge--but readers will find Debra Littlejohn Shinder's work helpful even if they have no certification ambitions.

Reading this volume is like sitting in a university lecture. A typical section includes quite a bit of text explaining what problem the technology at hand solves and how, plus the historical context of the technology and its future prospects. Almost every page includes a nugget of information--a definition, a network diagram, a table, or a packet diagram--that helps clarify concepts that don't come across well in prose. Each chapter concludes with references to books and online materials, as well as with a multiple-choice quiz. Answers to the quiz questions--annotated extensively, to the author's credit--appear in an appendix. --David Wall

Topics covered: Fundamental principles of computer networking over local and wide area networks (LANs and WANs), including topologies, addressing, protocols, routing, and security. Coverage is well suited to general networking certification tests, though no specific test is focused on.