Browse Books

Reviewer: George Michael White

In comparison with other texts on this subject, this book emphasizes a unified systems approach, downplaying the separate layered model based on the ISO reference model. The sequence of chapters follows the traditional bottom-up approach, but the treatment of the material about the separate layers is linked together more tightly than usual. The software required to implement each layer is discussed in some detail, and some examples are given in C. The first example, a simplified talk program, is implemented usi ng Unix sockets. One striking feature of the book is an almost total absence of mathematical descriptions. There are no real discussions of the quantitative aspects of performance, flowthrough, utilization, efficiency, bandwidth, or similar subjects that are usually found in other texts. This absence will greatly please some readers and vex others. These items are discussed in various places, but mostly in qualitative terms; although some numbers are given, there is no attempt to show derivations, nor is there any probabilistic analysis of the material. As befits a book with a year 2000 copyright, the material is up to date. Along with the traditional subjects, there are sections on wireless protocols (IEEE 802.11), ATM, IPv6, protocol independent multicasting, JPEG, MPEG, MP3, and, finally, a chapter on network security. Even Bluetooth gets a short mention. A section is devoted to the World Wide Web protocol, HTTP. The book is well written. The jargon of the field is handled well, with each acronym explained the first time it appears. The text flows well. This book is most suitable for software engineers, application programmers, and others interested in the qualitative aspects of computer networks.