Internetworking with TCP/IP, Vol 1

I have been doing Internet protocol engineering for 12 years and I can say that people in the industry consider Comer Vol 1 to be the bible for Internetworking reference. The fourth edition is nearly three times as thick as my copy of the first edition. Douglas Comer keeps this book up to date and useful for modern Internet developers. If you're a student, read this book. I've gone through a lot of books that claim to be the same thing as Comer Vol 1 and have found none that really compare.

There are numerous TCP/IP books out there but this book stands out amongst the rest in that it explains the various aspects of the technology well. Many books are just scratching the surface to provide an illusion of explaining TCP/IP well. This book is no kids' book; it delves into well into the principles, protocols and architectures,... and even when these can be rather daunting, the explanation is as good as it can be. Few experts can explain/impart their knowledge as well as the author.It also provides rich info on the future TCP/IP (IPv6) and a brief overview (about 10 pages) of HTTP.If you are a computer professional who is serious about learning about TCP/IP, this book is highly recommended.I am glad to have bought this book.

There are several "bibles" of TCP/IP floating around. This is one of them. Comer takes a more academic and theoretical approach to the topic of TCP/IP with this book than TCP/IP Illustrated Vol 1 by Richard Stevens. I believe that a person interested in this topic should read the Stevens book first, then read this one to further extend her knowledge. Both books are excellent companions to your library and you really can't go wrong with either.

To learn about TCP-IP there are three aspects you should consider: TCP-IP standards, TCP-IP implementation and TCP-IP programming. Are you looking for a good intro about TCP-IP Standards? This is surely the best. This book isn't about TCP-IP programming or implementation; I would say that it is an organized, gentle and concise presentation of the Internet documentation known as RFC ( request for comments ). After reading this book you should try "TCP-IP Illustrated, Vol. 1" by Richard Stevens, because it offers a more practical approach describing a real TCP-IP Internet "on the fly". After these two books you have a good background to read the Internet RFCs and more specific books about routing, firewalls, proxys, Internet high-level protocols and applications ( http, ftp, telnet, smtp, pop, etc ... ). After the basics you should read a book about a particular implementation of TCP-IP for the OS you are using. A nice intro about TCP-IP for Unix is "TCP-IP Network Administration" by Craig Hunt. Three other O'Reilly's books about specific topics on TCP-IP Administration for Unix are "DNS and Bind" , "Sendmail" and "Managing NFS and NIS".If you are interested in Unix TCP-IP programming there is still a quite long way, because you should know "C" language, basic Unix programing and Unix network programming. For this herculean task, I highly recommend "Advanced Programming in Unix Environment" by Richard Stevens for basic Unix programming and "Unix Network Programming Vol. 1" also by Richard Stevens for TCP-IP programming. These are the best books on basic and network programming for Unix OS.By the way, You don't need the Volumes 2 and 3 of this book. This Volume 1 is the only one you should buy.

This book is a must for all in the networking world. It is known as the Bible of TCP/IP. It is great reading for beginners and for the most advanced reader. The whole vol. set is a great investment as a resource.With this book and Interconnection by Radia Perlman (which is quite good but dry). They will define the industry, as it is today and break down the RFC's to a readable level. To continue I would suggest "Internet Core Protocols: the Definitive Guide" (comes with sniffer software).. It will help tie Comer's and Perlman's books together...