Rating: 
Summary: It lives up to its promises
Review: On its back cover, TCP/IP JumpStart promises to demystify "TCP/IP's complex topics" and give budding IT professionals the tools they need to build their careers "on a solid foundation". Unlike many computer books in print, this one actually delivers.The first few chapters of the book contain exactly what anyone reading this might expect to find in a book about TCP/IP: the nuclear threat history, the OSI and DOD models, the essentials of IP addressing, and so on. These lessons are written in a clear and easy to follow (if unexceptional) way, punctuated by useful illustrations done in the hackneyed style popular in computer books from the mid-to-late 1980s. (This is not meant to be harsh criticism... I've just read way too many computer books). Then, unexpectedly, somewhere around chapter seven, something magical happens. Chapter 8: a discussion of subnet masks that explains the subject as effortlessly as my favorite professor. Chapter 9: a brilliant summary of name resolution. 10, 11, DNS, WINS... I'm starting to like the cartoons... OH, OK, NOW I GET IT! The book ends with an excellent chapter on IPng, which outlines the essentials of 128-bit addressing better than anything I've ever read (I only wish more was said on how proxies and NAT are effectively postponing the inevitable). In summary, anyone considering a career in networking should get a copy of this book, be they a Cisco Academy student or a hardware tech that only gets to bring the sysadmin his coffee. My only complaint (and the reason for my four-star rating) is that there were a few errors in the answers to the review questions; this is an unforgivable sin for any book designed to eliminate the need for classroom instruction. (To Mr. Blank's and Sybex's credit, there is errata online at sybex.com - search for 2644). When this book gets reprinted, I'll give it six stars!
Rating:
Summary: It lives up to its promises
Review: On its back cover, TCP/IP JumpStart promises to demystify "TCP/IP's complex topics" and give budding IT professionals the tools they need to build their careers "on a solid foundation". Unlike many computer books in print, this one actually delivers. The first few chapters of the book contain exactly what anyone reading this might expect to find in a book about TCP/IP: the nuclear threat history, the OSI and DOD models, the essentials of IP addressing, and so on. These lessons are written in a clear and easy to follow (if unexceptional) way, punctuated by useful illustrations done in the hackneyed style popular in computer books from the mid-to-late 1980s. (This is not meant to be harsh criticism... I've just read way too many computer books). Then, unexpectedly, somewhere around chapter seven, something magical happens. Chapter 8: a discussion of subnet masks that explains the subject as effortlessly as my favorite professor. Chapter 9: a brilliant summary of name resolution. 10, 11, DNS, WINS... I'm starting to like the cartoons... OH, OK, NOW I GET IT! The book ends with an excellent chapter on IPng, which outlines the essentials of 128-bit addressing better than anything I've ever read (I only wish more was said on how proxies and NAT are effectively postponing the inevitable). In summary, anyone considering a career in networking should get a copy of this book, be they a Cisco Academy student or a hardware tech that only gets to bring the sysadmin his coffee. My only complaint (and the reason for my four-star rating) is that there were a few errors in the answers to the review questions; this is an unforgivable sin for any book designed to eliminate the need for classroom instruction. (To Mr. Blank's and Sybex's credit, there is errata online at sybex.com - search for 2644). When this book gets reprinted, I'll give it six stars!
Rating: 
Summary: TCP/IP Greatness
Review: Tcp/Ip JumpStart is a GREAT book for the beginning IT specialist.Andrew Blank has a very good way of presenting the facts in a very basic, but intricate way. The explanations and examples make this book not just fun to read but also very educational.TCP/IP JumpStart is not only for those who have little experience, but also for those who have intermediate experience.Once your done with this book see your questions will be answered and feeling very comfortable with the topics.This is a must have book
Rating:
Summary: Good Description of Subnetting, Silly Analogies
Review: This book is great if you are looking for an explanation of subnetting, something which is hard to find. If you are looking for such an explanation, BUY THIS BOOK!
Since I'm not a complete novice in the networking world, I found most of this book to be "fluff", but there was some useful information. If you prefer a book that is to the point, without silly analogies, this is not the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs to calculator
Review: When it came to explaining things, I liked the book. I though it did a very good job of making complicated concepts very basic and easy to understand. Unfortunate, what I gained in clarity in the author's analogies was lost when he started to give actual examples with numbers in them. For example, page 161 where he is giving an example on sub net masks. The example starts by stating "10001001101 is the binary representation of 1,102 = 11 bits are needed in the subnet mask." That is not correct 1,102 = 10001001110. So does that mean since the last bit is zero that only 10 bits are needed? - or do we still need 11 bits? - examples should help clarify the point, not add to the confusion. Another example is on page 97. It gives a formula to figure out the number of available networks in a network class - and using this formula it would mean a Class A network would have 2^7 networks (8 bits minus 1 because the first bit is zero to designate it a Class A) which equals 128. But his summary chart on that same page says 126 - and just a few pages before (page 93) he walks you through an detailed example of how many networks are in a class A, but he gives you an answer of 127. So what is right? 126, 127 or 128? Are you confused, because by the time I was done reading just two chapters I was. Unfortunately, the book is riddled with these inconsistencies. If you are new to TCP IP, have a need to understand network addressing and are only going to get one book, this is not the one.
| 
