Internet architectures

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1. rramadassJan 2024
   There is tons to study here but you have to get your fundamentals right else you will completely get overwhelmed/confused by the cacophony of jargon/acronyms/devices. The following lay the foundations;

   1. An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking : ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network by S.Keshav

   2. Foundations of Modern Networking: SDN, NFV, QoE, IoT, and Cloud by William Stallings.

   3. The TCP/IP Guide by Charles Kozierok - http://www.tcpipguide.com/

   4. Hands-On Network Programming with C: Learn socket programming in C and write secure and optimized network code by Lewis Van Winkle.

   5. The All-New Switch Book: The Complete Guide to LAN Switching Technology by Rich Seifert and James Edwards.

   To get an idea of the overall Internet Architecture/Layouts, i also recommend the following two old books to get the background information. Things have changed a lot now but are almost always built/modified on the bedrock described here.

   a. Internet System Handbook by David Lynch and Marshall Rose.

   b. Internet Architectures by Daniel Minoli and Andrew Schmidt.

   Finally, you should look at all the configuration parameters of your home router (wan+lan+wifi), go through their documentation/google as necessary and make sure you understand what they are and how they are used. This is where the theory read from the above books meets practice in the real world.

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2. rramadassSep 2022
   You may find the following useful;

   1) Internet System Handbook by Daniel Lynch and Marshall Rose - Classic oldie laying out the protocol foundations of the Internet.

   2) Internet Architectures by Daniel Minoli and Andrew Schmidt - Another oldie laying out the operational framework of the Internet.

   3) The Intelligent Web: Search, smart algorithms, and big data by Gautam Shroff - This is the closest to what you are looking for. For most people the Internet has become synonymous with the Applications (explicit or implicit) running on the Web and hence this book focuses on its current state and future possibilities.

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3. NrsolisApr 2011
   Full Disclosure: I earned my bachelor's degree (an ALB) via the Extension School (HES) and graduated in 2009.

   I'm disappointed in your comment. Firstly, it reflects an almost complete disconnect between what HES's stated mission is and what a lot of students at the College believe it to be. I'm often shocked by how /little/ the College students know about HES.

   First and foremost, HES has been around for 100 years. It's changed over the years but its mission is essentially the same: provide an education for those whose life circumstances/obligations preclude them from committing to full-time study at a residential school.

   You might disagree, but I took a lot of the EXACT same CS courses from the EXACT same professors that the College students took, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the engagement of my younger peers. My impression of many of them was one of "putting in time." I was often more engaged than my classmates and one of my professors was quite happy to allow me to sit in class alongside them. I wasn't near the top of the class but I certainly didn't bring up the rear either. I also had the opportunity to take a lot of classes that aren't necessarily part of the "core" program required of HC students and expand the boundaries of my academic career.

   Second, the article title is more than a bit misleading. You can't earn a degree from Harvard completely online AT ALL. For the ALM/IT, you're going to have to spend a decent chunk of your time in Cambridge attending classes. At substantial portion of that time will be spent working on a thesis which is nearly equivalent to a full Ph.D dissertation by some accounts.

   Finally, never forget that nearly all of the HES students are holding down a full career while pursuing their studies. I worked a full week and commuted to Cambridge (from DC) once a week to attend my two classes. A third I pursued via distance-ed during that same semesters. In some semesters, all of my classes were distance ed; in others, none.

   It took me 4 years to complete the 2 years of school I needed to complete a degree I abandoned to chase my fortunes in the Internet industry. It was hard hard work and I'm very happy I did it. You should be thankful for the fellow alums who enrich your student body with their years of experience in industry.

   BTW, I also too CSCI E-131b (ommunication Protocols and Internet Architectures). Didn't study. Didn't read the book. Earned an A. In at least one case, a particular networking technology we were discussing in class was developed and deployed by one of my colleagues.

   One more thing for the rest of the HN community: if you think you're programming hot-stuff, you should take Mitzenmacher's "Introduction to Algorithms" class. I did and it was a real wakeup call. You might find yourself humbled.

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