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Rating: 
Summary: Great companion to Stevens ...
Review: As the author mentions in his preface, Richard W. Stevens (may his soul rest in peace -- I was so looking forward to his third volume of Unix Network programming) TCP/IP Illustrated Vol. 1 is a little outdated in these days. This book fills in the practical details using real-world examples. The concentration is on Linux and Windows NT. It would have been nice if the book used Windows 2000 but almost everything mentioned for NT applies to that OS too. Starting with a small network of two machines and various traces from tcpdump/ethereal/Windows Network monitor, the author explains all the TCP/IP protocols. The discussion is to the point with no header details. For such details he refers you to Stevens. Given this the title is most appropriate. The trick he uses to make us understand active and passive mode ftp transfers (using two telnet sessions for passive mode and one telnet/one netcat session for active mode) is the best I have seen so far ! Highly recommend this. Worth every penny (pence ?!).
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Summary: Practical TCP/IP...Linux and Windows
Review: DO NOT PURCHASE...Q/A failed the publisher on this one...it is missing chapters 19 and 20 (pages 549-580) are repeated twice. Still attempting to get in touch with Addison-Wesley...
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Summary: Relies on outdated Windows NT 4
Review: I am truly mystified as to the reason why a book published for teaching networking to beginners in 2003 would use Windows NT 4 Server as the network operating software and where Win 2000 and Win XP are mentioned only in passing and relegated mostly to the book's incomplete website (which I had to find through a search engine since the publisher's website for this book does not even make reference to the book's website). So forget about using the trial editions of Windows 2000 or 2003 Server (the latter can be downloaded freely from MS) that comes with most of Microsoft's MCSE books (and some other publishers) available from Amazon. Put off buying this book until the author updates (in a 2nd edition, perhaps) to using the latest software.
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Summary: Practical and comprehensive - a must-have
Review: This book has been touted as the 21st-century upgrade to the classic TCP/IP Illustrated (by Richard W. Stevens), a series which has held a prominent place on the shelves of many a network administrator for the last decade. These are big boots to fill, but Practical TCP/IP does an impressive job. In over 800 pages of well-organized and well-illustrated text, there is no fat, but rather a lean and -- yes -- practical treatment of every major TCP/IP networking concept. It cannot be emphasized enough that this is a hands-on book, not just a paper tiger. The key difference between it and TCP/IP Illustrated is that Practical TCP/IP walks the reader through detailed exercises at every step of the way. It shows real tools in use, making it easy for the beginner and even the experienced reader to learn new techniques quickly and interactively. Topics are presented in a building-block fashion, so that sequential progress through the book guarantees the reader will understand each new concept as it is introduced. Those who choose to browse, however, are not left hanging. The author should be commended on an excellent standard of references within each section, pointing ahead, back, or even outside the text to supporting information. It is possible to drop into an advanced topic and still find all the supporting material needed to make sense of it. Because the book speaks both Windows and Linux fluently, it is hard to conceive a network environment that could not benefit from having it on hand. It's an ideal book for beginners, probably the only one needed for the first and second semesters of a university networking course. Its exercises start with the simplest networking concepts and work up to some of the most complex of the mainstream network topics. But it is not a book just for beginners. In a straw poll of our network colleagues, everyone found clear treatment of information they had not yet mastered. This is true in particular for the Windows networkers, because much of Windows networking is hidden by simplified user interfaces in the Microsoft tools. These tools work well when everything operates as expected, but when the network is broken, Windows network troubleshooting is daunting. Even the UNIX / Linux professionals found a trove of useful information, particularly in the use of common (free) tools to pick apart network activity and identify problems both glaring and obscure. Practical TCP/IP can be unreservedly recommended for anyone planning, operating, or debugging a TCP/IP network. It is a major work and easily lives up to its billing as the next TCP/IP Illustrated. (Note: one Amazon reviewer mentioned a printing error that duplicated some pages and dropped others. We have not experienced this, but you may want to check your copy before buying.)
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Summary: The "Go To" Book on computer networking.
Review: This book is an excellent book for taking your computer
networking career from mediocre to top notch. Excellent advice
on designing, using and troubleshooting TCP/IP networks.
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Summary: Relies on outdated Windows NT 4
Review: This book provides a great base knowledge, in the practical understanding of TCP/IP structure. It quickly builds on basic IP addressing concepts, and ties in Subnets, and DNS information very, very well. Thank you for a GREAT book and lifetime reference. One of the books core points that 90 to 95% of networking issues are caused by IP problems, will allow you to solve many of your issues, through focusing on this book.
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Summary: Plain & Simple but VERY POWERFUL
Review: This book provides a great base knowledge, in the practical understanding of TCP/IP structure. It quickly builds on basic IP addressing concepts, and ties in Subnets, and DNS information very, very well. Thank you for a GREAT book and lifetime reference. One of the books core points that 90 to 95% of networking issues are caused by IP problems, will allow you to solve many of your issues, through focusing on this book.
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Summary: You won't find a better TCP/IP book!
Review: This is a remarkably comprehensive book - a benchmark by which I measure others. I studied CompSci about ten years ago and have been working in the industry ever since. Networking was a topic that I wasn't comfortable with from the start antil very recently. Then I saw this book at www.bookware.com.au I have to say that this text covers TCP/IP and networking in general tremendously. The beginning of each chapter can be read by a newbie/undergraduate very easily, and by the ends of chapters you are treated to rocket science. Just stop readinf when you can't take any more in. And the second time you read it further develop your knowledge. Other networking texts are either aimed at the dummest of dummies or at hardcore network software developers. I guess this book works like this: 20% content for newstarters, 50% solid material for intermediate-level readers (final year college, postgrads, junior professionals, anyone with a brain), and 30% for the gods, as well as supplying useful references for further reading. And yes, "Practical" is an apt title. If you have a Windows box and a UNIX box sitting next to you, you can just about type commands and scripts from the book and witness the result. Accuracy is superb - written by someone obviously knowledgable in the subject, and able to communicate this knowledge extremely effectively. And please disregard the critic of WinNT's inclusion over Win2k/XP. There is virtually NO difference of any substance from a TCP/IP perspective between them. In fact the author makes a statement to this effect fairly early on. Thank you, Mr Mansfield, for scratching a long-enduring itch. Brilliant piece of work - a classic in the making.
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