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Rating: 
Summary: This book is mostly CIPU.
Review: "Clear if previously understood." In that sense, it's an excellent reference book, but mostly fails as a tutorial. If you already know a lot about TCP/IP, you will enjoy this book. But if you are just learning, you will need something more basic.Reading about TCP/IP is about as exciting as watching paint drying on the wall. And Casad does not help that any with his very accurate, but highly technical style. The author seems to know his stuff, for sure. But getting it across to the average reader is another story. What this book really needs is a classroom instructor to go with it. The material is just too obtuse to be mastered by a simple reading of the text. I'll give the book two stars, only because the second half does become more readable as the author discusses more generic issues of the Internet, like email, security and HTML. As instructional material in a classroom setting, I would retitle this book "Teach Yourself TCP/IP In One Semester." Again, it makes for a good reference book, not a tutorial.
Rating: 
Summary: I got more than I bargained for!!
Review: At first I was disappointed. I expected this book to follow the customary Teach Yourself format, which includes lots of hands-on exercises. But this book is for reading, not for sitting at your computer and doing some TCP/IP utilities. I realized that Casad was truly an expert (12 books on networking) and that I had a very nice, accurate, 414-page overview of TCP/IP (broadly defined): network access layer, Internet Layer, Transport Layer, and applications layer (HTTP, HTML, SMTP, SNMP). So the book served me well. I have a very broad technology background including system administation and software development and have set up Windows 2000 networks from scratch including Active Directory and DNS. Now, if I need a quick refresher, I have a good reference that explains the TCP/IP basics. The book will stay on my shelf for a long time. This is one of three or four books that nearly all system administrators and developers working with TCP/IP platforms should read. Very experienced architects and developers will not find this too easy. For network professionals of course this is only a primer.
Rating:
Summary: Great intro to TCP/IP that is easy to understand
Review: FIVE STARS AS AN INTRO BOOK TO TCP/IP Before going to any class, or reading any Cisco book or the like, I'd suggest buying this book. If you want to learn about TCP/IP quickly to prepare yourself for greater things this is it. Looking for a first book on TCP/IP - this is it! I have been a network manager for 16 years and this is the book I suggest as the "getting you started book". Actually, if you learn what is is this book in 24 hours of time spent you will sound smarter than many already!!! It gets to the point and quickly. It is a pleasure to read and an easy book to read too. The author purposely does not go in too deep or off to tangents, keeping to the goal of the book - get you started fast. So, as I said, if you looking for your first TCP/IP book buy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A way to learn an essential skill quickly
Review: I firmly believe that no web designer can be considered educated until they know something about the protocols that are used to transfer data. The protocols form the foundation of all that is done and are one of the greatest success stories in technology. Those of us who were around before the Internet became popular remember some of the gyrations we went through trying to transfer data from one type of computer to another. There was a time in my life where if I was told that someday it would be possible to seamlessly send data from my computer to any other without the slightest concern about portability I would have been incredulous. The glue that makes all of this work in modern networks is the protocols, the stuff that makes the data go round.
Despite all that they allow us to do, the TCP/IP protocols are easy to understand and this book will teach you all of the fundamentals in a short time. Furthermore, the examination is not restricted to just the Internet. The author also spends a great deal of time going over how the protocols allow data to be passed on local networks as well. Topics such as routing, name resolution and dynamic host configuration protocol are phrases that are heard regularly and ones that everyone in computing should have at least some understanding of. An hour is also devoted to the IPv6 protocols that are slowly being phased in.
This book is an excellent beginning resource for anyone with the need or desire to learn the basics of network protocols. Without them, networked computers could not exist and very few computers today are not networked in some way. In many ways, knowledge of Internet protocols is now the most fundamental skill of computing.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book for all ages
Review: Im 16 and an obsessive compulsive computer hobbyist, my friends keep bugging me to teach them about computers but I wasn't quite sure how. I just told them all to read so they bought books too advanced for them. I was in B&N and found this book, covers protocals, the TCP/IP layers, different kinds of servers (DNS, MX, NS etc.), heirarchial IP addresses and domains. Tells exactly how computers communicate in fairly easy to understand terms. A few typos but an excellent book. My friends dont bother me anymore, they know where to go on their own from here =)
Rating: 
Summary: A good solid primer, but...
Review: Mr. Casad has written a fine book on TCP/IP. It is evident that he tried to make an arcane and boring subject more lively (as all technical writers should do), and his expertise is also apparent. All the topics you would expect to see covered here have been (quite well, in fact): the ARPA and OSI models, DNS, DHCP, client configuration, security, and so forth. There's just one thing keeping me from giving this a five star review: market forces - that is, other books. TCP/IP has existed for around half a century - geologic time in information technology - and quite a few excellent texts have been penned by venerable pioneers. Interest and demand have soared because of the dot-coms and Y2K, and millions of trees have given their lives to teach the world how to subnet and route. With almost limitless options available, is this really the TCP/IP book for you? Engineers and admins would probably get more out of Cisco books, while programmers should stick to the classics (like Stevens' _Illustrated_). Newcomers to the industry need a book like this, but they tend to focus on certification specifics, and this book is broad and platform neutral. Fans of the Teach Yourself series with an interest in TCP/IP should certainly get this book - are you one of them? Probably the best test to see if this book "fits" is to locate a copy (at a brick & mortar or online) and read Hour 24. If you do not understand it but you laugh at the jokes, buy a copy. Otherwise, consider other options.
Rating:
Summary: Good Overview
Review: The author spent a good amount of time with the second edition of this book. He covers the major aspects of TCP/IP which anyone in the computer related field would need to know. Whether it's a network engineer, system administrator, database administrator, programmer, technical manager...all of these individuals should have a grasp of how TCP/IP works and the way that computers are networked together. It's a relatively short book to read because it hits on what you need to know. I've read another book on computer networking but this is SPECIFICALLY for the TCP/IP protocol. Some mentions are given to other protocols such as UDP however. I would definitley recommend it to get a better understanding of how computers are networked and what issues arise when doing network programming via TCP/IP connections. To the author: Great job!
Rating:
Summary: Good Overview
Review: The author spent a good amount of time with the second edition of this book. He covers the major aspects of TCP/IP which anyone in the computer related field would need to know. Whether it's a network engineer, system administrator, database administrator, programmer, technical manager...all of these individuals should have a grasp of how TCP/IP works and the way that computers are networked together. It's a relatively short book to read because it hits on what you need to know. I've read another book on computer networking but this is SPECIFICALLY for the TCP/IP protocol. Some mentions are given to other protocols such as UDP however. I would definitley recommend it to get a better understanding of how computers are networked and what issues arise when doing network programming via TCP/IP connections. To the author: Great job!
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