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The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference
The TCP/IP Guide is both an encyclopedic and comprehensible guide to the TCP/IP protocol suite that will appeal to newcomers and the seasoned professional. It details the core protocols that make TCP/IP internetworks function, and the most important classical TCP/IP applications. Its personal, easy-going writing style lets anyone understand the dozens of protocols and technologies that run the Internet, with full coverage of PPP, ARP, IP, IPv6, IP NAT, IPSec, Mobile IP, ICMP, RIP, BGP, TCP, UDP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, FTP, SMTP, NNTP, HTTP, Telnet and much more. The author offers not only a detailed view of the TCP/IP protocol suite, but also describes networking fundamentals and the important OSI Reference Model.
1616 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2005
135 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 18, 2017
Could be more concise. Instead, the author decides to explain everything like to a 5-year-old.
April 26, 2020
This was a surprisingly enjoyable read. I picked up the PDF with a bunch of other books in a 'humble bundle'. I started glancing at it, but got engrossed and blazed through the first half or so. I finally picked it back up this week and finished.
A few things:
1) It's 15 years old. Some of it is out of date, but TCP/IP still is the protocol suite that rules the web. In some ways, reading this 15 year old book was like catching up on reading from before.
2) It's billed as reference book, but it's extremely readable. The style is easygoing, understandable, and Kozierok brings in examples and metaphors when they're helpful. I really feel like I understand this stuff a lot better now. But also because it's a reference book, it's something I can look back at, maybe double check them against more recent specs.
3) I glossed over some of the more "referency" sections, but they're there. The explanations and history parts of each chapter are super interesting.
A few things:
1) It's 15 years old. Some of it is out of date, but TCP/IP still is the protocol suite that rules the web. In some ways, reading this 15 year old book was like catching up on reading from before.
2) It's billed as reference book, but it's extremely readable. The style is easygoing, understandable, and Kozierok brings in examples and metaphors when they're helpful. I really feel like I understand this stuff a lot better now. But also because it's a reference book, it's something I can look back at, maybe double check them against more recent specs.
3) I glossed over some of the more "referency" sections, but they're there. The explanations and history parts of each chapter are super interesting.
May 23, 2013
I definitely didn't make it through the whole book as a lot of the information isn't super relevant to me (at least I know where to look if I do need to know it some day), but this book is super well-written and informative. It keeps its cookies on the lower shelf, which is nice for someone like me that isn't super technical.
All technical works should be written this well.
All technical works should be written this well.
April 19, 2014
A most excellent overview of TCP protocols. I picked this up to do some review for an interview, and did some bouncing around the chapters accordingly, but found it very readable and easy to navigate to the relevant sections. I'd highly recommend having this one in your arsenal as a networking reference.
April 17, 2021
This is a great book. It's as exciting as a book on this topic could get. I like the way the author writes, and it makes sense. Complex topics, but split apart in reasonable chunks. I read about 300 pages of it, but it is a LONG resource book. Learned a lot, and will have to come back to it some day in the future to learn more about the internet.
November 26, 2021
one of the best book about tcp/ip
September 8, 2022
This is available on the internet for free from the author's website, but having a copy is great. This isn't a book you sit down and read cover to cover; you keep it handy for reference.
May 4, 2025
feel like i have a better understanding of networking than my university class provided. Skipped around a bit but found the explanations very digestible and feel like I have a better overview of the how the internet works and the different protocols involved
November 14, 2014
It is a very complete book about the theme. It still contains a lot of useful content for today's internet, taking into account the year of publication, even if it skips some information regarding the physical layer signals. I'm keeping it as a reference work because of what I just said, and also because it has a progressive approach to the matters that makes you understand the material, starting from the simpler overview until it gets to the heart of the subject (and yes, if you know something of the subject, it can be a bit annoying, but I think it's a good choice by the author).
April 8, 2015
The book contains information about tcp/ip protocol suite including popular protocols of application layer.
In most cases it is detailed: starting from overview and historical context down to low-level details like message formats.
It is all about theory - it doesn't contain information about network administration or about networks design.
The guide is well structured and everything is well explained. Often it seems to be too verbose and repetetive though - it could be shorter without loss of content.
In most cases it is detailed: starting from overview and historical context down to low-level details like message formats.
It is all about theory - it doesn't contain information about network administration or about networks design.
The guide is well structured and everything is well explained. Often it seems to be too verbose and repetetive though - it could be shorter without loss of content.
March 18, 2013
I will admit I only got about 1000 pages into it, but the book was really great. I learned so much about how the internet works and I barely knew anything about it before. A very interesting and enjoyable read.
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February 22, 2014Yup. Read the *entire* thing to prep for interview for my current job. Amazing text, eminently readable, with good diagrams and explanations. It does not feel as heavy as it weighs, useful and worth a yearly refresher.
June 11, 2011
Outstanding book. I written a couple of packet resequencers over the recent years, and the descriptions in this book are nearly good enough to write code from.
November 26, 2012
Best educational book I read so far. Detailed description on Network Protocols. Goodread for Students involved in Network Sciences.
August 31, 2020
You can't build anything on the internet without understanding how it works
December 4, 2015
Comprehensive, the amount of detail is astonishing. Useful. It could be shorter and more focused.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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