Name: The TCP/IP Guide
ISBN: 9781593270476

The TCP/IP Guide

From Charles M. Kozierok, the creator of the highly regarded www.pcguide.com, comes The TCP/IP Guide. This completely up-to-date, encyclopedic reference on the TCP/IP protocol suite will appeal to newcomers and the seasoned professional alike. Kozierok details the core protocols that make TCP/IP internetworks function and the most important classic TCP/IP applications, integrating IPv6 coverage throughout. Over 350 illustrations and hundreds of tables help to explain the finer points of this complex topic. The book’s personal, user-friendly writing style lets readers of all levels 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 TCP/IP Guide is a must-have addition to the libraries of internetworking students, educators, networking professionals, and those working toward certification.

What Hacker News says

skydhashJul 2026

I’m fine with old books. Just bought a bunch including “The TCP/IP Guide” and “The Linux Programming Interface”, which are more than a decade old. The oldest is “ The Design and Implementation of the 4.4Bsd Operating System” (30 years).

It’s better starting from an old books and retrace the updates from that. And with the benefits of hindsight, you can get truly good ones cheaply.

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skydhashMay 2026

You can still do it too, but you need to see through the fad and not go for the shiniest technology out there. I've been reading "The Design and Implementation of the 4.4BSD Operating System" because it's basically the best explanation about OpenBSD as it (and NetBSD) still follow the same general architecture.

Another book that's worth its weight is "The Linux Programming Interface" and "The TCP/IP Guide". Also you can probably buy "The Go Programming Language", "Programming Erlang", and "Programming Clojure" and still come ahead. As long as you choose to learn technologies that have thoughtful design, or has a standard (even a de-facto one), you're golden.

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onbegrensdMay 2024

Hi everyone, I teach Sysadmin and managing databases to 16-18 year olds. I try to keep myself up to date on what is happening in these spaces, but I often feel like my knowledge (I'm very familiar with the internet knowledge rabbit hole) is hampering my ability to simplify complicated systems for the younger generation who grew up being always online.

My own experience is with books like 'Computer Networking: A top down approach', ''Network Know-How', 'The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference'. These are great repositories of knowledge that go in depth on the topics, but are not suitable for students of a my age bracket.

Currently I'm guiding my students through the OSI reference model and focussing on network communication protocols. Are there even decent textbooks on the matter for this age category?

My ASK HN: Any advice on finding modern resources that keep everything that can serve as an introduction to networking? My preference would be books, blogs, magazines, YouTube or other video format, podcasts, ...

I don't mind making my own syllabus and course with proper bibliography, but a decent starting point would help. This will be my big summer holiday project.

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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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cutlerSep 2022

I consider 3 books essential reading for system administration. "UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook" by Nemeth & Snyder, "Essential System Administration" by Aeleen Frisch and "TCP/IP Guide" by Kozierok. Yes, they're quite old but the expertise of these authors can't really be dated. Craig Hunt's "TCP/IP Network Administration" (2002) is also still worth reading. As The Cloud becomes the only system new devs come into contact with genuine system administrators are likely to decline in numbers but may become that much more valuable as specialists.

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nf-xSep 2022

I’m always more thrilled on physical paper book falling on my face, when I fall asleep, just to remind me to put it on the night table and turn off the lights. Like “Fluent Python” or “TCP/IP Guide”.

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