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TCP/IP Essentials: A Lab-Based Approach

by Shivendra S. Panwar, Shiwen Mao, Jeong-dong Ryoo, Yihan Li
University of Cambridge Press, New York, 2004
284 pp. illus. Paper, $39.99
ISBN: 052160124X.

Reviewed by Rob Harle (Australia)

harle@dodo.com.au

Ever wondered why when you send an email and download a web site, it doesn't result in terminal electronic gridlock? Ever wondered what TCP/IP or SMTP means when you're setting up your home computer to connect to the Internet? This book reveals all. It does so in a logical, straightforward easy to read manner.

The book is primarily intended for electrical engineering, computer science and computer engineering students and, as such, is specialised and, at times, highly technical. It presumes a background in networking as a prerequisite to undertake the course offered in the book. I really enjoyed reading TCP/IP Essentials: A Lab-Based Approach mainly because it answered many questions I'd been wondering about. Millions of us use the Internet, as well as networked computers almost every day, and we haven't got a clue what happens after we hit the Send Button.

The book is not simply a dry textbook, but as the title suggests, a lab-based approach to understanding networks, internet protocols and data transmission. Each section contains specific details so students can set-up experiments to test the theories explained on relatively inexpensive equipment. As the authors suggest, " . . . only the most Scrooge-like University administrator would raise an eyebrow over the cost of the lab equipment . . . " (p. xiii).

The book has nine chapters together with various appendices. Chapter 0 is an overview of TCP/IP, which acts as a framework for the rest of the book. Chapters 1 to 9 provide introductory explanatory material, suitable for lecture presentation, followed by details of the associated lab experiments. The experiments are based on courses taught at the Polytechnic University over eight years. Whilst Solaris commands are included in the book, the main operating system discussed and used is Linux. The four authors are all senior research associates at various universities, except for Shivendra Panwar who is also Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY.

As the preface suggests, this book uses a minimalist approach to teaching the essentials of networking and is not intended as a comprehensive reference text on the subject. Appendix A is a fairly comprehensive Instructor's Guide, which includes lab equipment required, software installation and router configuration and set-up. Appendix B covers initial router configuration, and Appendix C provides Source Code applicable to the experiments. This book is well illustrated with numerous diagrams and flow charts to visually explain the theories and experiments involved.

The book clearly explains that the secret of avoiding electronic gridlock or contaminated data lies in the layered hierarchical arrangement of the various protocols involved. Each layer controls certain aspects of the transmission, and then reports back to the layer above which can then perform its function within the stack. The whole process involves a great deal of forward and reverse checking and sending data in discrete stages or hops. I remember a few years ago a little program available for home computers that traced your email message. It was truly astounding to see the hops from one server to the next, sometimes going around the world to end up back in the next state to which it was sent from!

As mentioned the book is intended for serious networking students and qualified engineers seeking networking certification. However, I think it is also suitable for those computer "nerds" amongst us that just like to know how things work. As a matter of interest TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol and IP stands for, strangely enough, Internet Protocol. These seemingly simple letters are actually the basis of the whole internet data flow management and control. A soundly researched and very well presented technical manual.

 

 




Updated 1st December 2005


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