Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (Hardcover)

The authors, for the most part, shun the well-known seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocol stack in favor of their own five-layer (application, transport, network, link, and physical) model. It's an effective approach that helps clear away some of the hand waving traditionally associated with the more obtuse layers in the OSI model. The approach is definitely theoretical--don't look here for instructions on configuring Windows 2000 or a Cisco router--but it's relevant to reality, and should help anyone who needs to understand networking as a programmer, system architect, or even administration guru.

The treatment of the network layer, at which routing takes place, is typical of the overall style. In discussing routing, authors James Kurose and Keith Ross explain (by way of lots of clear, definition-packed text) what routing protocols need to do: find the best route to a destination. Then they present the mathematics that determine the best path, show some code that implements those algorithms, and illustrate the logic by using excellent conceptual diagrams. Real-life implementations of the algorithms--including Internet Protocol (both IPv4 and IPv6) and several popular IP routing protocols--help you to make the transition from pure theory to networking technologies. --David Wall

Topics covered: The theory behind data networks, with thorough discussion of the problems that are posed at each level (the application layer gets plenty of attention). For each layer, there's academic coverage of networking problems and solutions, followed by discussion of real technologies. Special sections deal with network security and transmission of digital multimedia. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Computer Networking provides a top-down approach to this study by beginning with applications-level protocols and then working down the protocol stack. Focuses on a specific motivating example of a network-the Internet-as well as introducing students to protocols in a more theoretical context. New short "interlude" on "putting it all together" that follows the coverage of application, transport, network, and datalink layers ties together the various components of the Internet architecture and identifying aspects of the architecture that have made the Internet so successful. A new chapter covers wireless and mobile networking, including in-depth coverage of Wi-Fi, Mobile IP and GSM. Also included is expanded coverage on BGP, wireless security and DNS. This book is designed for readers who need to learn the fundamentals of computer networking. It also has extensive material, on the very latest technology, making it of great interest to networking professionals.