Rating: 
Summary: Too Confusing
Review: This book is designed for someone who has prior knowledge with the underlying systems of a computer network. It is fairly in-depth, and explains a lot, but I think that for a true beginner it is hard to comprehend. I am working on a degree in Computer Science, so it wasn't like I was new to the idea of networking, but I found it hard to digest a lot of the technical aspects of this book. Some things could have been made to be more of an overview, rather than in-depth explanation of how something works at a bit level. I am now taking CCNA training, and some of the things talked about in this book do not relate at all to what someone needs to understand a working network.
Rating: 
Summary: Great--if you already know a little
Review: This book is ideal for people who know a little bit about networking. If you have studied from Stallings and/or Tanenbaum, then you will appreciate it even more. For a beginner, this might look difficult. But persistence will pay off handsomely.The book explains how real world networks are built. Both software and hardware issues are discussed nicely. I can think of no better book that talks about the entire field of networking in general and yet manages to give a good amount of information of the real world. Go get it NOW!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Overview; Poor Quantitative Examples
Review: This book presents a good, functional overview of networking and current technologies. However is does a very poor job of providing any quantitative examples in the chapters. As a result, the exercises at the end of each section are near impossible, and require a good amount of guess work. There are also several typos in the book.
Rating:
Summary: A book with all the fundamentals explained very well
Review: This book should be on your shelf if you intend to study networking in the near future. It covers the fundamentals of networking real well. The bonus, of course are working examples written in C.
The book deals extensively on the design of a network. It tells us the desirable features a network should have and goes on to real world examples of the implementation of these ideas. This is another really good thing about the book. It forces you to think along the lines of a network designer and makes you realize the importance and effort put into different networks and protocols.
The working C code is also a really nice feature. This gives you a jumpstart in case you arent much into design as much as you are into coding. The good thing about the programs are that they are extesible, meaning that they can be extended to whatever levels required. Overall, its a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have
Review: This is a must-have volume for anyone working in networking. While it is designed for the student, it can be read at many levels, and will be useful for researchers, systems designers, consultants, LAN administrators, and the sophisticated salesperson. It is beautifully written, is jargon-free, and the diagrams are excellent. It clarrifies a lot of common misconceptions, and has helpful discussions of both basic and advanced topics. Any manager who does not want to be bamboozled by the techies needs this book.
Rating:
Summary: Too light and confusing
Review: This review is for the 3rd edition. I haven't finished reading this book, but I'm really impressed with it. Obviously, computer networking is a huge topic area, and no one book can be all things to all people. But if you're looking for an introductory book that provides a solid foundation of networking concepts and theory, then I strongly recommend this text! No one area is covered in exceptional detail. Instead, it starts from the ground up in easy to read chunks that manages not to talk down to the reader, covering a wide range of topics in enough detail to allow the interested reader to further his/her studies with more advanced (and focused) material later on. Contents: 1. Foundation
- Applications
- Requirements
- Network Architecture
- Implementing Network Software
- Performance
- Summary
2. Direct Link Networks
- Hardware Building Blocks
- Encoding (NRZ, NRZI, Manchester, 4B/5B)
- Framing
- Error Detection
- Reliable Transmission
- Ethernet (802.3)
- Token Rings (802.5, FDDI)
- Wireless (802.11)
- Network Adaptors
- Summary
3. Packet Switching
- Switching and Forwarding
- Bridges and LAN Switches
- Cell Switching (ATM)
- Implementation and Performance
- Summary
4. Internetworking
- Simple Internetworking (IP)
- Routing
- Global Internet
- Multicast
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
- Summary
5. End-to-End Protocols
- Simple Demultiplexer (UDP)
- Reliable Byte Stream (TCP)
- Remote Procedure Call
- Performance
- Summary
6. Congestion Control and Resource Allocation
- Issues in Resource Allocation
- Queueing Disciplines
- TCP Congestion Control
- Congestion-Avoidance Mechanisms
- Quality of Service
- Summary
7. End-to-End Data
- Presentation Formatting
- Data Compression
- Summary
8. Network Security
- Cryptographic Algorithms
- Security Mechanisms
- Example Systems
- Firewalls
- Summary
9. Applications
- Name Service (DNS)
- Traditional Applications
- Multimedia Applications
- Overlay Networks
- Summary It also includes a 23 page bibliography.
Rating:
Summary: Provides excellent networking foundation
Review: This review is for the 3rd edition. I haven't finished reading this book, but I'm really impressed with it. Obviously, computer networking is a huge topic area, and no one book can be all things to all people. But if you're looking for an introductory book that provides a solid foundation of networking concepts and theory, then I strongly recommend this text! No one area is covered in exceptional detail. Instead, it starts from the ground up in easy to read chunks that manages not to talk down to the reader, covering a wide range of topics in enough detail to allow the interested reader to further his/her studies with more advanced (and focused) material later on. Contents: 1. Foundation
- Applications
- Requirements
- Network Architecture
- Implementing Network Software
- Performance
- Summary
2. Direct Link Networks
- Hardware Building Blocks
- Encoding (NRZ, NRZI, Manchester, 4B/5B)
- Framing
- Error Detection
- Reliable Transmission
- Ethernet (802.3)
- Token Rings (802.5, FDDI)
- Wireless (802.11)
- Network Adaptors
- Summary
3. Packet Switching
- Switching and Forwarding
- Bridges and LAN Switches
- Cell Switching (ATM)
- Implementation and Performance
- Summary
4. Internetworking
- Simple Internetworking (IP)
- Routing
- Global Internet
- Multicast
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
- Summary
5. End-to-End Protocols
- Simple Demultiplexer (UDP)
- Reliable Byte Stream (TCP)
- Remote Procedure Call
- Performance
- Summary
6. Congestion Control and Resource Allocation
- Issues in Resource Allocation
- Queueing Disciplines
- TCP Congestion Control
- Congestion-Avoidance Mechanisms
- Quality of Service
- Summary
7. End-to-End Data
- Presentation Formatting
- Data Compression
- Summary
8. Network Security
- Cryptographic Algorithms
- Security Mechanisms
- Example Systems
- Firewalls
- Summary
9. Applications
- Name Service (DNS)
- Traditional Applications
- Multimedia Applications
- Overlay Networks
- Summary It also includes a 23 page bibliography.
Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: Though this book was not prescribed,i studied it for our course and with the confidence it gave me(our professor was also very good),i got an A in the course Communication Networks in our School.My favourite section in the book is on RED(Random Early Drop) and he has cleared most of my concepts on Congestion Control.I just started reading the book from the library and it took me into it and I went on to complete most of it.I think its a must-read book for anyone interested in learning what networking is all about in today's complex world!!!!hehehehe!!! Too strong huh!but its a really good book in my view.
Rating: 
Summary: Good introductory text
Review: We use this book in an introductory communications course at the University of Oslo. The book is great for beginners - easy to read, with good examples and lots of informative illustrations. Some prior knowledge of C programming is recommended however, as many of the practical examples are written in C. If you want to know a little about everything in the field of communications, then this book is a must have. If you primarily want to make network applications then you will find the book lacking in detail and will be needing additional information.
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