Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. III, Client-Server Programming and Applications--BSD Socket Version

I want to set the expectations straight. This is not the best Winsock programming book. This book address higher level issues with network programming and it does a very good job at it. It is going to presents the different options for writing a server such as concurrent vs iterative or single thread vs multithread and explains carefully the tradeoff of each option. In my opinion that is the strength and the originality of the book. Another favorite part of the book is the presentation of the complete implementation of a telnet client where the author leads you through all the design and implementation process by explaining you the reasoning behind each decision. What I did not like about the book is that like the volume 1, too many topics are covered so in many chapters the author barely touch the topic without going in depth into it and I am questioning the value of these chapters as reference.

This is a great book and I see why some teachers chose it for grad students. I didn't do well in networks last semester because I had to learn BSD TCP/IP sockets from sources like book snippets my teacher gave me, man pages, and various Internet sources. The textbook I had to buy for class has almost no C code or any explanations about BSD sockets. So, I invested into this and the Richard Stevens (UNIX Network Programming) book. Both are excellent assests. Pro (This book): I like how it explained what each important function did (like read/write) Con: The example code could be a little better. This book is well-written and will be a good reference once I'm through with my class. I bought all 3 volumes since I could get them at a great price. What especially helped: sometimes books would take up to 50 pages explaining a topic. The "Internetworking with TCP/IP" series are excellent at giving the bottom line and at times makes it easier to understand the details within the longer-winded pages of other books. In a way, to me, it's like a set of cliff notes to my textbook. If you're baffled about network programming, these books might be worth a try.

If you are a linux lover and want to dig into client/server (socket) programming , this book is a good choice. Compared with Steven's Unix Network Programming, this book is more simply and clearly written. Not like Steven who is an expert in explaining details, Comer is good at giving a sound explanation of the network programming principle both in theory and in practice. You will find nice "Algorithm" part in many of the examples which is a good abstraction of the general problem. So after the reading you will feel comfortable because of the gain in not only knowledge but also the kind of insight you could use toward other problems. As a distinguished professor in computer science, Comer spells out the single word of engineering ,"Simplicity is beauty", again by presenting this clearly written TCP/IP programming book. Also some most exciting stuff like RTP (realtime transport protocol), Web server programming models are also included in this latest edition of his Vol 3. And as you expected, the full source code of all the chapters is available online.

Get all three volumes. There is no better way to learn TCP/IP. The read is excellent. The examples are very excellent. Definiirly, a classic for years to come.

Volume 2 goes into greater detail than volume 1 and gives the reader a more complete understanding of TCP/IP. The text is readable and functions as an excellent reference on the interworkings of TCP/IP. I strongly recommend it to anyone working with TCP/IP.