The Linux TCP/IP Stack: Networking for Embedded Systems (Networking Series)

Rating:
Summary: detailed but not easy to read and follow
Review: I have not finished reading the whole book yet so the review is based on the first a hundred pages I read.

The author apparently has plenty of knowledge about networking and Linux and his description about networking code in Linux (like device drivers in first part of the book) is generally very detailed. It covers almost all Linux tcp/ip related design and implementation so the book is good enough to give you an overall picture of what the book claims to do: tcp/ip stack and how it is implemented in Linux.

But the main issue with the book is that it is not easy to read and follow. When the author throw out some new concept/variable/function/usage/etc., he not necessary gives enough explanation on them. Sometimes there is no explanation at all. This makes you have more questions when you read on. Eventually these more questions overwhelm you and make you stop and start thinking how/why all these things work. I really like the writing style of two other books in Linux: Robert Love's Linux Kernel Development and Rubini/Corbet's Linux Device Drivers. Any new topic/concept/variable is accompanied with notes/explanations/usage on how/why such is such. This difference makes this one a 4-star, instead of 5-star.

By all means, read the above two books (and maybe other books on Linux kernels) before reading this one. Read this one when you feel you are comfortable with device driver, kernel development
and tcp/ip protocol. Otherwise you make feel disappointed or confused.

Rating:
Summary: very detailed under the hood type of book
Review: Mr. Herbert has disected the LINUX TCP/IP stack using the source code. In this book he presents what he has discovered. The book goes through a lot of the source code and has good explanations of what it does. It is better than a lot of LINUX books where only the source code is listed with few explanations. The book also discusses the RFC's and how they are implemented in the stack. The source code for the LINUX TCP/IP stack is fairly large. The book does not cover all of it, but it does cover the main paths packets take through the stack. Having read the book, I found it easier to read the LINUX TCP/IP source code myself.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Introduction for an Engineer
Review: This is an in-depth guide to implementing and using the Linux TCP/IP stack. It begins with a general overview of TCP/IP networking, with background information on applicable networking standards. From there, it details the TCP/IP implementation in Linux by following a pack of data as it flows through the stack from the sending system, out the wire, and back through the input side of the stack in the receiving machine. This unique approach gives programmers an inside look at the entire process.

The book is aimed at th engineers and programmers implementing dedicated or embedded systems including sockets, network interfaces, application protocols and practical considerations.

The CD included with the book includes the source code developed in the book, much of which can be modified to fit many quasi-standard applications, and a considerable amount of additional technical information on Linux and the particular aspects of TCP/IP.