Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet [Hardcover]

James F. Kurose (Author), Keith W. Ross (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321227352 | ISBN-13: 978-0321227355 | Publication Date: May 23, 2004 | Edition: Third

Computer Networking provides a top-down approach to this study by beginning with applications-level protocols and then working down the protocol stack. Focuses on a specific motivating example of a network-the Internet-as well as introducing students to protocols in a more theoretical context. New short "interlude" on "putting it all together" that follows the coverage of application, transport, network, and datalink layers ties together the various components of the Internet architecture and identifying aspects of the architecture that have made the Internet so successful. A new chapter covers wireless and mobile networking, including in-depth coverage of Wi-Fi, Mobile IP and GSM. Also included is expanded coverage on BGP, wireless security and DNS. This book is designed for readers who need to learn the fundamentals of computer networking. It also has extensive material, on the very latest technology, making it of great interest to networking professionals.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 848 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; Third edition (May 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321227352
• ISBN-13: 978-0321227355
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #548,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on computer networks, May 23, 2007

By 

Jahanzeb Farooq (Denmark) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (Hardcover)

Certainly the best INTRODUCTORY book on computer networks. And ONE of the two best books on computer networks (the other being Computer Networks by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, however the two are written in a very different style.)

Brilliant work! The book describes computer networks in an very very interesting manner, with practical real world scenarios and examples, explaining how things works in real world with examples of internet, together with very interesting notes on great events in the computer networks field. The fundamental networking concepts are described and explained in a great way. The figures are outstanding helping in understanding the thoery even more. As the title suggests the chapters discuss network stack layers top to down, i.e., the first chapter dicusses the Application layer, and so on.

However regarding the contents, I think Andrew S. Tanenbaum's book covers more which is also due to the fact that this book is written with Internet as an example, therefore it mostly covers the major topics in the computer networks.

The topics are explained in very much detail. However for this reason, this book may not be ideal for someone who wants a quick revision of the network concepts.

In a way, a negative point of the book is that sometimes it is overloaded with too much unnecessary information.

Very highly recommended! Dont think, go for it, especially it if it is your first book on computer networks.

16 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Filled with a lot of useless information, March 16, 2006

By 

Goose - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (Hardcover)

I used this book for a networks class in college. It does cover all the material that we went over in class. Although this book does contain a lot of useful information, it is also stuffed full of some complete nonsense. There's a lot of stupid stupid examples when they try to describe something technical with real world situtations. Sometimes the examples don't even relate well but are just in there because the authors felt they had to force an example into the book. Because we had to read the book for class I spent a bunch of hours reading through 500 pages of text with only 200 pages of real information. The main problem with this book is that it's really a 200 page book expanded out to 700-800 pages and I really can't appreciate that cause I have to read so much more.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily Understandable, February 18, 2006

By 

H. Hwa (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (Hardcover)

Of all the CS textbooks I've read in college in these 2 and a half years, this is perhaps the only book that I can understand the content in the first time reading it.

You know how some textbooks (particularly math and physics) are written in a way that it may be difficult to understand? This book is definitely not one of those. Yet it still covers the material throughly, from general ideas to technical details. I am glad that my school chooses this book as the textbook for my networking class, instead of some random book that is impossible to understand.