Networking

[patlajan]

I need a crash course in networking. When I used to do light web programming, the network was the ISP's damn propblem. I need our forum techies to recommend some starter reading material. Thanks....

[Siggie]

I don't know about books, but here's a good web resource.

https://www.experts-exchange.com

[anileve]

Depends how much information you want. I find this book great for its brief and to the point format, I am not sure how you'll find it. You seem pretty comfortable with computers so I don't think you'll have an issue grasping everything.

Network+ Exam Cram 2 (Exam Cram N10-002)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789728656/103-0200094-9871048?v=glance

This is another book, I personally have never read it, but it might be worth a look.

Networking Explained.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1555582524/qid=1089736653/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/103-0200094-9871048?v=glance&s=books

[patlajan]

Depends how much information you want. I find this book great for its brief and to the point format, I am not sure how you'll find it. You seem pretty comfortable with computers so I don't think you'll have an issue grasping everything.

Network+ Exam Cram 2 (Exam Cram N10-002)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789728656/103-0200094-9871048?v=glance

This is another book, I personally have never read it, but it might be worth a look.

Networking Explained.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Thanks anileve. Is this book geared more towards the test or is it also good as a reference?

[anileve]

Network+ is geared towards an exam, but it’s sort of networking in a nutshell. For someone who doesn’t understand anything about networking or is not familiar with the terms it might be a bit complex. I like it because it is a quick reference without the elaborate history and without the dissection of the theory. I would suggest for you to take a trip to B&N and look at a few books, jot down the titles and order them online for half the price.

If you want a better understanding of the networking concept in a clear and simple format you might want to look into Networking Explained or Networking for Dummies.

Also you can download an ebook from this link.

http://www.click-now.net/ebooks02.htm

You’ll need to download an UltimateZip program to unzip the .rar file. It can be downloaded here.

http://www.ultimatezip.com/download.htm

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BTW Are you learning any programming languages? I think I am going to take up JAVA. I did a search on hotjobs.com for java and it returned over a 400 job listings. I am also considering Visual C++.

[Sip]

I just so happen to know that the Computer Engineering department at UW Madison teaches their undergrad/grad intro to networking course based around "Communication Networks 2nd Ed." by Leon-Garcia and Widjaja. When I took my first networking class back in UCLA, we used "Computer Networks" by Tanenbaum which is now in 4th edition.

The Garcia book is alright and covers a lot of things ... it is not very organized however as they circle around a bunch of topics and get very wordy at times so some students complain that it's hard to follow. However, I've heard the teacher there is really cool so that may make up a lot for the stuff the book is lacking. The latest Tanenbaum book I'm not too sure about but the older one (not sure which edition it was) did a good job I think.

I noticed UCLA is now teaching the course using Kurose's book called "Computer Networking (3rd) : Top Down" which I have heard good things about but haven't actually seen myself.

If it's a real textbook on communication networks you want, any of these three is as good a start as any.

[anileve]

"Communication Networks 2nd Ed." by Leon-Garcia and Widjaja.

FYI

This book is designed for introductory one-semester or one-year courses in communications networks in upper-level undergraduate programs. The second half of the book can be used in more advanced courses. As pre-requisites the book assumes a general knowledge of computer systems and programming, and elementary calculus. The second edition expands on the success of the first edition by updating on technological changes in networks and responding to comprehensive market feedback.

Personally I don't like textbooks when I am studying something on my own. They are meant to be accompanied with an instructor who can provide solutions and clarify complexities. In cases of the textbooks, problems are given without solutions so the only way for one to check is by asking a professional. It's another thing if you have taken the course and plan on using the book as a reference.

[Sip]

As far as pre-reqs ... basic understanding of computer systems is definitely there. Programming knowledge is not required unless you want to dabble with TCP/IP programming. Calculus would be needed for understanding some of the mathematical parts for example signal propagation and analog/digital transmission. Probability and queuing theory would be required to understand the parts about network traffic, reliability, and performance analysis.

For example, you don't need to understand the physics of RF signal propagation in space (very complicated math) to have an understanding of how 802.11b LANs operate which use RF signals to communicate.

Any of the textbooks above provide enough background information to be self contained as introductory texts on networking for someone who wants to get started. You can skip the parts that are beyond your understanding and still learn the basics without an instructor.

It all depends on what is meant by "learning about networking"... of course if you want to go into deep details it might take years and years but to get the basics down and have a solid understanding of how networking is done, it's not difficult.

[anileve]

You are absolutely right, I surrender. The book you've suggested is clearly the best choice. And by the way where have you been grandpa, it's 802.11G now, we're moving on up.

[Sip]

Same thing as 11b just a different name if you ask me (still in the 2.4Ghz) and it's even backward compatible with b ... it's all about 802.11a and the 5Ghz band now ... I'm still sticking to 11b since it's everywhere.

About "books", I personally can't stand them. I'd say if you really want to learn something, especially computer related, just search google and in a couple of hours you should pretty much know all there is to know