An Essential TCP/IP Networking Bibliography. ------------------------------------------- last update: Mon Sep 20 11:13:05 PDT 2004 A few books ... Stars indicate an opinion. ===================================================================== TCP/IP overview (intro to net) books: ------------------------------------- Books on the TCP/IP stack, and network application programming. 1. TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1. The Protocols. W. Richard Stevens. ISBN 0-201-63346-9. 1994. Addison-Wesley. ***** (3 book series) summary: intro to TCP/IP, protocol focus + traceroute snapshots Generally better than Comer vol. 1. due to the packet trace pictures. E.g., brief explanations of ppp/slip, bgp, cidr, are given. Coverage of all-important TCP protocol is good. Use of BSD commands like tcpdump for packet traces is also extremely useful and informative. 5 stars. Unfortunately Steven's passed away. People think this book needs to be updated. That is debateable, although a little work with new twists in TCP wouldn't hurt. Some IPV6 coverage would be good too. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Internetworking with TCP/IP. Douglas Comer. Prentice-Hall. 2000. ISBN 0130183806; 4th edition. *** for volume 1. (3++ book series). volume 1: tcp/ip intro volume 2: network stack internals volume 3: network application programming, UNIX and winsock versions both exist. summary: intro to TCP/IP I still regard Steven's book (above) as much better, but Comer's latest edition is a vastly needed improvement. It may be a toss up. He now has information on IPSEC, IPv6, RED, diffserve, etc., etc. which are new routing technologies. Perhaps we have 4 fundamental TCP/IP books (Comer, vol. 1, Stevens vol. 1, Steven's UNIX Network Programming, Huitema's IP routing book). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Unix Network Programming. W. R. Stevens, 2nd edition. ISBN 0-13-490012-X. Prentice-Hall. 1998. (Useful for information on programming BSD sockets, in particular see chapters 4-6, 8, 9). ***** summary: how to program sockets Application network programming on Unix. Not internals, but externals. How to do application socket programming. Plenty of programming examples. Excellent book. 2nd edition is out. 3rd edition is coming out apparently with Addison-Wesley this time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. TCP/IP Protocol Suite. Behrouz A. Forouzan, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-246060-1. 2003. Newer. Getting Better. Might switch to it eventually! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Steven's had a 3rd book out: in the TCP/IP illustrated series: TCP for Transactions, HTTP, NNTP, and the UNIX(R) Domain Protocols (TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 3) Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201634953; 1st edition (January 19, 1996) So both Comer/Stevens have/had 3 volume series. ======================================================================== TCP/IP stacks in O.S. ========================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 2. "The Implementation". Gary R. Wright and W. Richard Stevens. ISBN 0-201-63354-X. ***** summary: kernel internals for BSD, TCP/IP stack If you liked Volume 1 above, you might like Volume 2. Basically it discusses the internals of a TCP/IP stack from the o.s. point of view. The o.s. in question is the current (and last?) BSD stack from the 4.4 implementation. The newer BSD TCP/IP stack has some important features and innovations including a much improved routing algorithm based on "Patricia Trees". Such BSD stacks can be found in netbsd/freebsd/and the BSDI pc variations of Berkeley UNIX. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System. Leffler, McKusick, Karels, Quarterman. Addison-Wesley. 1989. ISBN 0-201-06196-1. ***** summary: kernel internals for BSD, TCP/IP stack (and the rest too) Details of 4.3 BSD system (Vax); i.e., Unix system internals. Good reference book for o.s. practitioners. Good discussion of architectural tradeoffs. Fair amount of information on sockets and network internals; especially TCP. Better to spend your money (for stack internals) on Steven's book ("The Implementation") above. Still this book is important in the history of operating systems and the 1st book attempt that I know of that tried to document a network stack. Note that the 4.4 version is out now and that is the one you want. 4.4 ISBN is: 0-201-54979-4. It also appears that a FreeBSD version is on the way or just out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. linux tcp/ip kernel internals New book out here that may be of interest. Looks promising. ======================================================================= System-Administration: ========================= 1. O'Reilly TCP/IP network administration. Craig Hunt O'Reilly & Associates; ISBN: 0596002971; 3rd edition (April 2002) 2. Evi Nemeth: Long succession of UNIX sys. admin books. typically include these authors: by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Scott Seebass, Trent R. Hein summary: network admin info is good Good coverage of Unix Sys Admin topics. More BSD oriented than System V. Topics include uucp, mail/sendmail, network admin., news, kernel configuration, and other sys. admin. chores. Network administration coverage is good. What I have liked about Nemeth's books is that she has coverage for hardware topics like serial cables and network stuff too (good for hw idiots) (SA) **** ======================================================================= General Communications/Networking books ========================= 1. Computer Networks. Tanenbaum, Andrew S. Nth edition ** summary: intro to communications Costs big bucks. And still is the big picture for both acronyms (:->) and theory. Typically used as textbook for Intro to Networking courses around the country. Haven't looked at it for awhile. Used to have not enough TCP/IP and too much OSI. Discusses WAN/LAN hw architectures. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Computer Networks, Peterson and Davie, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc. ISBN 1-55860-514-2. 2000. 2nd edition. This is not TCP/IP oriented and is more a general/theory text for data networks. More layer 1 and layer 2 info. No coverage of telephony, unlike Tanenbaum/ IMHO better than Tanenbaum as a basic intro to networking, but your mileage may vary. summary: intro to communications ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. RFC's - Internet Engineering Task Force "Requests For Comment". Standards, discussion, (sometimes poetry) on or about IETF protocols. Also internet drafts. (rfc wannabes). "running code and rough consensus"... See required/recommended rfclist. Will discuss details for obtaining rfcs in class. ftp access ds.internet.net and other places. email access to rfc servers. Examples: Hitchhiker's Guide - 1118 The Helminthiasis of the Internet - 1135 summary: entire history of Internet, protocol descriptions (good, used, abandoned, ignored ...) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. IEEE specifications. Some are now available on-line for free. Used to (and still does) cost money. Format is generally pdf. May be too big to print easily. E.g., 802.11 spec is available. The following url MAY be helpful (subject to change) http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. William Stallings N volumes on various networking topics: Handbook of Computer-Communications Standards Vol. 3. The TCP/IP Protocol Suite, 1990. William Stallings. ISBN 0-672-22696-0. Stevens is better for TCP. Stallings has good books about hardware or other networking technologies; e.g., ISDN. SNMP book is very good. summary: ... you could own a fleet of his books ===================================================================== routing See: http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~jrb/routing/intro/routingbibio.txt