Second Edition
Sams Publishing
So you've just been told you are on a TCP/IP network, you are the new TCP/IP system administrator, or you have to install a TCP/IP system. But you don't know very much about TCP/IP. That's where this book comes in. You don't need any programming skills, and familiarity with operating systems is assumed. Even if you've never touched a computer before, you should be able to follow the material.
This book is intended for beginning through intermediate users and covers all the protocols involved in TCP/IP. Each protocol is examined in a fair level of detail to show how it works and how it interacts with the other protocols in the TCP/IP family. Along the way, this book shows you the basic tools required to install, configure, and maintain a TCP/IP network. It also shows you most of the user utilities that are available.
Because of the complex nature of TCP/IP and the lack of a friendly user interface, there is a lot of information to look at. Throughout the book, the role of each protocol is shown separately, as is the way it works on networks of all sizes. The relationship with large internetworks (like the Internet) is also covered.
Each chapter in the book adds to the complexity of the system, building on the material in the earlier chapters. Although some chapters seem to be unrelated to TCP/IP at first glance, all the material is involved in an integral manner with the TCP/IP protocol family. The last few chapters cover the installation and troubleshooting of a network.
By the time you finish this book, you will understand the different components of a TCP/IP system, as well as the complex acronym-heavy jargon used. Following the examples presented, you should be able to install and configure a complete TCP/IP network for any operating system and hardware platform.