Computer Networking First-Step

Himanshu Rath writes "Computer Networking First-Step by Wendell Odom fills a long standing void for a truly introductory book which can be read and understood by anyone in less than a month. There are other excellent publications in Computer Networking (e.g. classics by Kurose and Ross, Stevens, Tannenbaum, Comer, and Cisco Press CCNA and CCNP companions, etc.) but they all embody different degrees of complexities and typically need at least one college semester to go over. What about those who do not have the time or inclination to spend a semester in a computer science class? Odom's book might be the answer." Read on for the rest of Rath's review.

Computer Networking First-Step
author	Wendell Odom
pages	515
publisher	Cisco Press
rating	8
reviewer	Himanshu Rath
ISBN	1587201011
summary	A beginner's - no experience needed- guide to computer networking

When I am sitting in front of a computer in San Francisco and exchanging email with a friend in New Delhi, or we are chatting using MSN or the Yahoo! Messenger program, there is a mind-boggling array of data transformation between the sender and the receiver. All our analog data (speech, type face, etc) is transformed to digital data (binary digits of 0 and 1.) We are analog creatures, but the infrastructure for computer communication on which we are so hopelessly dependent is strictly digital. This infrastructure is responsible for various layers of encapsulation/decapsulations, encoding/decoding, etc to move the data through a 'cloud' of intermediary hubs, switches, and routers (the 'cloud' is a black box to us) and establish communication between the end users. The rules (or protocols) at different layers are complex enough, and to make matters worse, the rules inside a Telco network through which our data travels can be very different from the rules in our LAN data network (the Telco network is usually a black box to the data communication folks). Breaking this highly complex phenomenon into smaller, simpler constituent parts is what this book is about.

This book is 515 pages long and is divided into 18 chapters. Odom starts by defining a network in terms of its constituent elements, and goes on to explain how three blind guys -- the Server Guy, the Cabling Guy, and the Network Guy -- perceive the Network 'Elephant.' The authors and the editors have tried hard to explain abstract concepts with real life examples; for example, they tell us how to how to eat a dinosaur (OSI 7-layer model) versus how to eat an elephant (TCP/IP 4 layer model). The whole narration takes place in terms of the human experience of fictitious characters named Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty, Keith, Conner, Larry, Archie, Bob, Hannah (etc.), who internalize the electronic data communication protocols into their own behavioral model. This tactic makes for easy reading by helping us understand the unfamiliar in terms of the familiar. Many newcomers to networking get discouraged by the learning curves for OSI and TCP/IP, and quit before getting to LAN and WAN. The author addresses this concern by strictly focusing on the concepts and leaving the details out for another day.

Odom's description of LAN as roadway and sharing of the local roadway through hub to find destinations is easy to follow. The rules to follow on the roadway cover wrecks, and also how to recover from the wrecks. His description of WAN as leasing hundreds of miles of network cable drives home the basic concepts. The hosts file is explained as a phone book, and AAA as a means to allow the right people and keep out the wrong people. Under the veneer of lightheartedness Odom manages to sneak in the concepts ranging from 4-wire WAN circuit to 802.1Q trunking, VLAN to VPN.

This book introduces many contemporary networking concepts, and would have been more complete with a chapter on wireless networking and VOIP. The diagrams are uncluttered and easy to follow for reinforcing the concepts. The index is manageably short but to the point. The best thing going for the book is its relaxed, you-can-do-it tone. However, this is not for everyone, certainly not enough for anyone seeking IT certifications. If you are looking for a conceptual understanding of computer networking to untangle the underlying mystery, read this book. I think this is a great text for high school students, home computer users, and even computer professionals who do not deal with networking in their daily work. If you are looking for details about networking standards (necessary for any certification test), find a more advanced text.

---

You can purchase Computer Networking First-Step from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

Re:computer networking first step?

[orac2]

Actually, pedant boy, the IEEE 802.3 standard better known as Ethernet, specifies both the physical layer and the transport layer [wikipedia.org]. So to say "Ethernet cable" is perfectly correct, both from the standpoint of commonly accepted usage [google.com] and the standpoint of people who actually know what they're talking about.

Re:computer networking first step?

[Taladar]

Since this is a modern book:
1. get a wireless lan cable

Re:computer networking first step?

[orac2]

Where are you getting your definition of Ethernet? You're not allowed to redefine it to "the definition that makes me right" The actual standard [ieee.org] includes the physical layer specifications.

Here's the abstract for 802.3 aka, Ethernet (if you care to bother, you can download the full standard for free, and I've added emphasis here):

IEEE Std 802.3: CSMA/CD Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications. Abstract: The media access control characteristics for the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) access method for shared medium local area networks are described. The control characteristics for full duplex dedicated channel use are also described. Specifications are provided for MAU types 1BASE5 at 1 Mb/s; Attachment Unit Interface (AUI) and MAU types 10BASE5, 10BASE2, FOIRL (fiber optic inter-repeater link), 10BROAD36, 10BASE-T, 10BASE-FL, 10BASE-FB, and 10BASE-FP at 10 Mb/s; Media Independent Interface (MII) and PHY types 100BASE-T4, 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-FX, and 100BASE-T2 at 100 Mb/s; and the Gigabit MII (GMII) and 1000BASE-X PHY types, 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX, and 1000BASE-CX, which operate at 1000 Mb/s (Gigabit Ethernet) as well as PHY type 1000BASE-T. Repeater specifications are provided at each speed. Full duplex specifications are provided at the Physical Layer for 10BASE-T, 10BASE-FL, 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-FX, 100BASE-T2, and Gigabit Ethernet. System considerations for multisegment networks at each speed and management information base (MIB) specifications and additions to support Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks (VLANs) as specified in IEEE P802.1Q are also provided. Also specified is an optional Link Aggregation sublayer which multiple physical links to be aggregated together to form a single logical link.

Thus, just as a protocol which fits the specifications in 802.3 is known as an "Ethernet protocol", a physical cable which also meets the given specs is correctly known as an "Ethernet cable." Ethernet can not run on "any type of cable" and still be Ethernet. To quote the standard: communication by way of the ISO/IEC 8802-3 [IEEE Std 802.3] Local Area Network requires complete compatibility at the Physical Medium interface (that is, the physical cable interface). The standard describes a number of ways of physical cabling a network together (co-ax, twisted pair, fibre optic), but these must all meet the specs and so be "Ethernet cables."

Now, if you can quote something more authorative than the standard, I love to see it.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion