Rating: 
Summary: Covers the entire Ethernet system
Review: (This review is written by the author of the book, to help clarify the subject matter and intended audience of the book.)Ethernet: the Definitive Guide, is written for anyone who needs to know how Ethernet functions, and how to install, manage and troubleshoot an Ethernet system. The book covers the complete Ethernet system, including half-duplex and full-duplex operational modes, the Auto-Negotiation system, the twisted-pair and fiber optic media systems, switches and repeaters, cabling systems, network management, troubleshooting and more. The book is focused on a single topic: Ethernet. Ethernet is a link layer network technology which is designed to carry any and all high-level protocol packets between computers. However, the Ethernet system is completely separate from the various high-level data protocols and applications. Ethernet is the trucking system for data transmission; it doesn't care what high-level protocol packets may be inside the data packages it is carrying. The Ethernet standard and the operation of the Ethernet system does not include TCP/IP, ARP, or any other high-level protocol packets. For that reason, there is no significant coverage of the TCP/IP protocol suite in this book. This is intentional, since the book's focus is the complete Ethernet system, including all of the widely used Ethernet media systems. To that end, the book provides 498 pages of solid Ethernet information. There are a number of books that cover the TCP/IP system of protocols and applications, and anyone interested in these topics should find and read one of these books. However, you don't need any in-depth knowledge of TCP/IP to understand Ethernet. Nor do you need any in-depth knowledge about Ethernet, or any other link layer network technology, to understand TCP/IP protocols...
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Ethernet Overview
Review: Anyone who has ever worked in the field of computing networking will tell you that ethernet is something very important to learn because it is the standard networking medium people use. A thorough knowledge of ethernet is needed if you want to pursue a career in this field, and by far the best starting point to learn about ethernet is Mr. Spurgeon's book. 30 years of experience working with ethernet is clearly reflected in this book. What you will find when reading this book is a very thorough treatment of the topic. YOu will learn everything from the structure of ethernet datagrams, to building your own ethernet cable. Each chapter is very relevant to the topic, and surprisingly flows well for such a large book. As Mr. Spurgeon points out in the introduction, after reading this book, you will find yourself very familiar with networking terminology and how it all works. For someone like me, who started a new job and needed to learn this topic fast, this book was a life saver. It is a book you should definitely read. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Every network admin must read this book!
Review: Anyone who has ever worked in the field of computing networking will tell you that ethernet is something very important to learn because it is the standard networking medium people use. A thorough knowledge of ethernet is needed if you want to pursue a career in this field, and by far the best starting point to learn about ethernet is Mr. Spurgeon's book. 30 years of experience working with ethernet is clearly reflected in this book. What you will find when reading this book is a very thorough treatment of the topic. YOu will learn everything from the structure of ethernet datagrams, to building your own ethernet cable. Each chapter is very relevant to the topic, and surprisingly flows well for such a large book. As Mr. Spurgeon points out in the introduction, after reading this book, you will find yourself very familiar with networking terminology and how it all works. For someone like me, who started a new job and needed to learn this topic fast, this book was a life saver. It is a book you should definitely read. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but needs editing
Review: Complete, well written, and extremely useful reference. But only 4-star in my opinion because... Some points are repeated over and over ad nauseum, where once would really be enough. A good editing job is needed, with the focus on removing repetition. That would thin the book considerably without any loss of information. Also a handful of factual errors need correcting, particularly relating to the electrical signalling. (The author confuses the concept -ve and +ve signal polarities in a differential pair with actual absolute voltage measurements.) I would have liked to see more detail on encoding schemes and electrical/optical signalling.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have!
Review: Excelent and up-to-date, this book show everything you must know about Ethernet networks (for those who don't know, this is the most used local area networks architecture). One cool thing about this book is that the author explains many interpretation mistakes of the Ethernet standard. If you work with networking or is studying the subject, you must buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Ethernet Book!
Review: I have read many books and articules on Ethernet, and this one is by far the best! This book is well worth reading and keeping as a resource guide. The book is easy to read, but provides good technical information. If you support an Ethernet network, this book is a must!
Rating:
Summary: A nice book for novice to experience poeple ONLY
Review: I own several O'Reilly publishing's books including this one. Based on what I owned, I see that the O'Reilly tends to make books for novice to intermediate (experienced) poeple. I think O'Reilly's books fit for end users and early programmers or early system administrators. The books I think also fit for someone with computer science background who needs to learn more about LAN, WAN, and telecommunication network or protocols. Therefore, the topics covered are in mild. They are not too basic, but also not too advanced. The topics are also explained in wide area. This way, the reader (novice/experienced reader) would get the concepts from a several point of view; which led to more understanding on the topics. This "Ethernet: Definitive Guide" I think likewise fits the description. It is a nice introduction to Ethernet. It is also a nice introduction coverage for someone who needs to deploy, install, and maintain Ethernet LAN. This book covers basic IP addressing and routing, Ethernet cabling, and a little background on what makes Ethernet popular. Those who understand more advanced IP routing or LAN cabling, will find this book is too straightforward and "not really helping" to understand more about Ethernet. I agree with previous commentator that the title "The Definitive Guide" is quite misleading, especially for more advanced reader. Here is my suggestion to the "expert". For the cabling people, I recommend "Communications Cabling" by James Abruzzino or "LAN Wiring" by James Trulove. For the routing people who need to know the frames and packets, I suggest "TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols" by Richard Stevens. If you think you have a little or no prior knowledge on TCP/IP; before you read this book "Ethernet: The Definitive Guide", I recommend you to read first "Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. 1: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture" by Douglas Comer. Without a sufficient background on TCP/IP, reading this Ethernet book would be confusing/misleading or at least gaining improper understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough coverage from an Expert
Review: If you've read an introductory book, and hunger for the REAL details, this is the Ethernet book for you! I loved this book, because it covers everything the introductory and certification books can't. You get a thorough discussion of the MAC protocol - learning such details as slot-time and why the standards are set the way they are. The author speaks from experience, has in-depth knowledge of past, present, and ongoing technology. Anyone aiming to be a professional Network Engineer, do yourself a favor and snatch this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: Lacks detail on frame formats and frame types. For example, ARP is not covered in detail. You're not going to find out what the ARP frame type is or how long an ARP frame is by reading this book. Not a good book if you're looking to understand what is going on in a trace. Somehow Mr. Spurgeon managed to write a "definitive guide" without having to mention RFC once. If does contain a lot of physical layer info though.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Ethernet Reference
Review: Mr. Spurgeon has created an excellent Ethernet reference. This book covers Ethernet technology very thoroughly and precisely. If you are considering buying one book on Ethernet technology, this is the one.
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