Book for Basics?

I have bought and read "Networking and System Integration for Dummies."
But even this book will have things like a topic on DHCP as a possible
strategy against static IPs--but without ever saying how one is even
supposed to go about setting a static IP. (I know that they should all
be in the range 10.0.0.0 -> 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 -
172.31.255.255, or 192.168.0.0 -> 192.168.255.255, yet nothing says
what you are supposed to do with the number you have chosen to apply it
to an actual machine.)

I have read how TCP/IP works many many times (and the OSI stack), and
how collisions can slow down an ethernet so it is best to split things
where there might be issues, but have yet to see anything which will
tell me that between a switch, router, hub, patch panel (?), computer,
and who knows what else, what order everything is supposed to go in to
actually create an ethernet and then connect that to a T1 or other
outside line.

There seems to be this very thin layer of basic knowledge that all
resources seem to assume you already know--or that it is all plug n'
play so there is no need to know it (in the case of a home network.)

Please if anyone knows of any book which actually lays out these basic
core items, please tell me the title. Ideally I would be able to
understand a full corporation networking system to a level that I would
know enough to be able to understand why say a UPnPing network camera
will not be visible to the outside world (simply a matter of tracking
down what the outbound port is and asking our network guys to open
perhaps?) or being able to design a secure network for a web
application package without having to ask someone else whether or not
the relationships between the servers I would hope for are possible.
Thank you,
Chris Williams

My networking textbook from my university days is as follows:

Computer Networks and Internets, Second Editionm 1999
Douglas E. Comer
Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-083617-6

It goes into a lot of detail about everything, including network
algorithms, topology, hardware, etc. The Dummy's book is a good
starting point, and don't forget it was designed for dummys - people
that have no clue what they're doing, and it sounds like you do. So, if
you really want to know about networks, go to your local Chapters
bookstore (do they have those in the US?) and take a browse through it.

BTW, just noticed a URL on the cover (silly cover is white text on a
white background :P) http://netbook.cs.purdue.edu Hey, that web site is
really handy, check it out.

Hope this helps.

Paul Mak

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> I have bought and read "Networking and System Integration for Dummies."
> But even this book will have things like a topic on DHCP as a possible
> strategy against static IPs--but without ever saying how one is even
> supposed to go about setting a static IP. (I know that they should all
> be in the range 10.0.0.0 -> 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 -
> 172.31.255.255, or 192.168.0.0 -> 192.168.255.255, yet nothing says
> what you are supposed to do with the number you have chosen to apply it
> to an actual machine.)
>
> I have read how TCP/IP works many many times (and the OSI stack), and
> how collisions can slow down an ethernet so it is best to split things
> where there might be issues, but have yet to see anything which will
> tell me that between a switch, router, hub, patch panel (?), computer,
> and who knows what else, what order everything is supposed to go in to
> actually create an ethernet and then connect that to a T1 or other
> outside line.
>
> There seems to be this very thin layer of basic knowledge that all
> resources seem to assume you already know--or that it is all plug n'
> play so there is no need to know it (in the case of a home network.)
>
> Please if anyone knows of any book which actually lays out these basic
> core items, please tell me the title. Ideally I would be able to
> understand a full corporation networking system to a level that I would
> know enough to be able to understand why say a UPnPing network camera
> will not be visible to the outside world (simply a matter of tracking
> down what the outbound port is and asking our network guys to open
> perhaps?) or being able to design a secure network for a web
> application package without having to ask someone else whether or not
> the relationships between the servers I would hope for are possible.
> Thank you,
> Chris Williams
>

Unfortunately, I am living in Tokyo so the best I can do is order from
Amazon and hope that what I ordered actually has the information. Makes
it very annoying to pay $20 for shipping on a $50 book just to have it
repeat the same information I already know while still skipping over
these fundamental items.

Just browsing the internet I am getting:

"You will need the following information: domain name or workgroup, IP
address for each computer (unless you have a DHCP device in your
network) and a subnet mask. [...] If you do not purchase a device such
as those mentioned above, you will likely need to configure static IP
addresses for each machine."

But how do I configure...?!!!! Grrrr
Lol

Ah well,
Am looking at that site now.

There's really nothing magical about configuring static IP. Unless I am not
understanding some meaning in your words and you are trying to do something
more exotic than just that. What specifically are you having trouble with?

In regards to your OP and question, I'm afraid I don't really have an
answer. I've gotten rid of most of my books in a recent move and usually
search Google for most questions I have. If I can recall or find any good
books on the subject I'll be sure to let you know.

Richard

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> Unfortunately, I am living in Tokyo so the best I can do is order from
> Amazon and hope that what I ordered actually has the information. Makes
> it very annoying to pay $20 for shipping on a $50 book just to have it
> repeat the same information I already know while still skipping over
> these fundamental items.
>
> Just browsing the internet I am getting:
>
> "You will need the following information: domain name or workgroup, IP
> address for each computer (unless you have a DHCP device in your
> network) and a subnet mask. [...] If you do not purchase a device such
> as those mentioned above, you will likely need to configure static IP
> addresses for each machine."
>
> But how do I configure...?!!!! Grrrr
> Lol
>
> Ah well,
> Am looking at that site now.
>



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I have actually figured out how to configure an IP (TCP/IP properties
on the connection in Windows), I am just commenting on how wide-spread
I have found this tendency for several just plain-old nuts and bolts
stuff seems to be conspicuously missing from even sources that should
have it. If my Dummies book just says, "Configure it", without saying
where or how, this does me little good in various instances. For a true
dummy who knows nothing, it could have been configured anywhere from
the machine itself to having to set it on every other machine, to
setting it in the router--until someone writes it down someplace for
beginners to read, they have no idea where to start looking.
Similarly, it seems that almost all books cover the same topics as one
another but will skip entire subjects. So, for instance, I have a very
good understanding of TCP/IP but couldn't tell you why NAT makes FTP go
bad--and in fact only know of NAT and that NAT and FTP are incompatible
because I cornered a network guy and got some info out of him. =\ But
doing a complete search of all of the Table of Contents on Amazon and
O'Reilly turned up amazingly sparse on this one subject. I finally
turned up

IP Addressing and Subnetting, Including IPv6
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

which looks good from the Table of Contents and has an entire chapter
just for NAT.
So I think that essentially I am looking for books that are willing to
talk about things beyond the big topics (TCP/IP, DHCP, UDP, OSI, etc.)
and will discuss these things in a real world sense (i.e. now that you
know how it works, here's how you actually do it on this machine and
configure it properly.) I suspect that this may entail buying
individual books for separate topics (like a UPnP book for UPnP), but
at the moment I don't even know which acronyms to look for. My dummies
book doesn't even mention NAT.

Thank you,
Chris

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> I have bought and read "Networking and System Integration for Dummies."
> But even this book will have things like a topic on DHCP as a possible
> strategy against static IPs--but without ever saying how one is even
> supposed to go about setting a static IP. (I know that they should all
>
>>>>>snip<<<<<

I found this tutorial on IP adressing and subnets on the web:

http://www.ralphb.net/IPSubnet/

On 20 Dec 2004 18:20:27 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>I have bought and read "Networking and System Integration for Dummies."


waddup Chris/ have you tried Nortons guide to networking. It was the
book I read before getting any certifications. It gave me the
knowledge to carry on into more vendor specific areas. It covers
basics and fundamentals, but also relates them to real world network
situations, and gives examples. After reading Norton's guide to
networking, I moved straight over to the ccna for dummies book, and
passed that test with no problem. Then I got a Nortel cert, a Sniffer
cert, and my MCSE just for fun. I'm currently focusing on more
advanced Nortel certifications, just cause Nortel rox, but I started
with Norton's book. Sorry I don't have a number for the book, but it's
worth looking up.
Peace.

How to configure manually? In windows it is donne thought
controlpanel/networksettings and put in the static ip/subnetmask and
router gateway addr (if needed) and you should be ready to go. and dhcp
is normally included of any consumer grade router on the market, linksys
comes to mind.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> Unfortunately, I am living in Tokyo so the best I can do is order from
> Amazon and hope that what I ordered actually has the information. Makes
> it very annoying to pay $20 for shipping on a $50 book just to have it
> repeat the same information I already know while still skipping over
> these fundamental items.
>
> Just browsing the internet I am getting:
>
> "You will need the following information: domain name or workgroup, IP
> address for each computer (unless you have a DHCP device in your
> network) and a subnet mask. [...] If you do not purchase a device such
> as those mentioned above, you will likely need to configure static IP
> addresses for each machine."
>
> But how do I configure...?!!!! Grrrr
> Lol
>
> Ah well,
> Am looking at that site now.
>