The Network Security. Org

The TCP/IP Guide

Like most Wire readers, I've read plenty of technical books in order to understand network administration. So let's be honest: too many technical authors write in ponderous, dry, academic sentences, stuffed with self-importance. Worse, they give you the airy-fairy theory of how things are supposed to work, not the practical version everyone actually lives by. So when No Starch Press claimed that their 1600-page encyclopedic reference, The TCP/IP Guide, would be "comprehensive" yet "personal" and "user-friendly," I felt both interested and skeptical.

Now that I have spent two weeks perusing this massive doorstop, I'm here to tell you: this book is the Real Deal. It surpasses the old standard, TCP/IP Illustrated, to become the new Gold Standard. It is All That and a Bag of Chips. Super-sized. Did I mention, I love this book? Let me count the ways.

The scope of The TCP/IP Guide staggers the imagination, offering full coverage of PPP, ARP, IP, IPv6, IP NAT, IPSec, Mobile IP, ICMP, RIP, BGP, TCP, UDP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, FTP, SMTP, NNTP, HTTP, Telnet, and much more. Yet somehow author Charles M. Kozierok has carefully organized this mass of material in clear, logical fashion. His methodical narration builds the tower of TCP/IP in your mind brick by brick, without a slip or a stumble, much less even one exasperated "WTF?"

Two stand-out aspects of this guide instantly place it a cut above other TCP/IP books. First, Kozierok really does write in a personable, conversational style that transforms this work from a mere reference book to a fascinating chat with a very informed buddy. I'm flabbergasted to encounter any personality and heart in a reference book about networking protocols, much less Kozierok's appealing just-folks, self-effacing style. Second, besides displaying the solid depth of research you rightfully expect from a reference work, Kozierok consistently goes beyond the RFCs to tell you how people generally use (or abuse) the terminology or concept in real life. This keeps the book grounded and abundantly practical. WatchGuard Wire: RSS Feed | WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.

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