Network Protocol Handbook

Rating:
Summary: Poorly written
Review: In general, the book is very poorly written. There is no style or organization. The author did not seem to care about editing and proof-reading. He fails to explain things clearly. There are numerous typos. Here are some examples. He twice made simple arithmatic errors, for example: 2^7-2=125, on pages 412 & 416. On page 409, the author claims 'VLSMs were explained in detail in the OSPF section.' The fact is that there was a brief description of OSPF on p.361 but VLSM was not mentioned there. OSPF is described in greater detail on pp.458-474 but VLSM was not mentioned there either! The author keeps referring to that mysterious OSPF section on p.414: 'This (the longest match rule) is also discussed in the OSPF section of the book.' I cannot find where it is discussed in the 'OSPF section' on pp.458-474. And he does not really discusses what VLSM is. He simply said 'We can move the mask around the simple network ID.' (p.413) Well, how to 'move around'? He then said 'VLSM can get very, very confusing.' (p.413) I guess it is indeed confusing - to him. I am not sure if he understands it himself. On p.418 he talks about some 'contigous, common prefix'. There is simply no such thing. For example, 001 is the common prefix of 0010, 0011 and 00111 but 001 cannot be contiguous with itself. 0011 and 0010 are contiguous but they are not common. As you can see, the author has some problem with the English language. And the example he gives on p.418 is simply wrong: those addresses are not contiguous, for example, what if somebody else is using 20.127.1.33? I urge readers to consider buying some other books, like those authored by university professors, who tend to be more careful in what they are saying. (The author of this book is the 'Director of Engineering' of a company in North Carolina.)

Rating:
Summary: A Textbook For The Network Analyst
Review: Optimized Engineering Corporation reviewed a large number of textbooks before selecting "Network Protocols" for use in the Technology, Engineering, and Networking Remote Education Workshop program, leading to CNX certification in network protocol analysis. Naugle has pulled together a broad base of technology and focused it on just what the title says, "network protocols". As a company that focuses on consulting and training in the protocol analysis realm, we're always being asked, "What's a good book to read to help me understand my protocol analyzer?" - this is our answer.

Rating:
Summary: A Textbook For The Network Analyst
Review: Optimized Engineering Corporation reviewed a large number of textbooks before selecting "Network Protocols" for use in the Technology, Engineering, and Networking Remote Education Workshop program, leading to CNX certification in network protocol analysis. Naugle has pulled together a broad base of technology and focused it on just what the title says, "network protocols". As a company that focuses on consulting and training in the protocol analysis realm, we're always being asked, "What's a good book to read to help me understand my protocol analyzer?" - this is our answer.

Rating:
Summary: A Kind of Network Protocol Bible.......
Review: This book gives a detailed but consise overview of all the major protocols such as TCP/IP, Novell IPX/SPX, LLC, Apple, XNS etc. It also gives a overview of Ethernet, IEEE-802.3 and IEEE-802.5. This book is considered by many including myself to be a kind of Network Protocol Bible. It gives enough detailed information so that you can obtain a general understanding of each of the protocols examined. If a more through understanding of a particular protocol is the objective, you'll have to look elsewhere. I highly recommend this book as a Network Protocol Reference. It has been invaluable as a reference for the work that I do.