Customer Reviews

Computer Networks (4th Edition)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Computer Networks are a wide and fastly growing subject. Finding a textbook that covers all of the topics in a detailed way is simply impossible. Perhaps for this reason good textbook authors have, in a probably implicit way, established two possible approaches: the Engineers' and the (mostly Software) Developers'. Once again Tanenbaum has done a great job with this book (and its updated-more-than-revised 4th edition), which takes the former approach.

The book presents general issues and impacts (on technology as well on the society) of Computer Networks in the first chapter, and then move in a detailed exposition of the lower layers of a general network architecture (similar to the OSI one). The great value of the books stems from the clarity and thoroughness of the exposition. Indeed, it presents all of the most known technologies and algorithms (both today's and historical) from physical mediums to algorithms for routing, congestion and flow control and so on. Plenty of details are provided at the level of mathematical performance analysis for some algorithms like those presented in the Medium Access Sublayer chapter (e.g. ALOHA and CSMAs).

The "tone" of prof. Tanenbaum is an added values as well. He rarely becomes boring and sometimes results hilarious in his comments of famous anecdotes that led to the born of this technology or that algorithm (have you ever heard how automatic phone calls switching was born ?). I never underestimate the value of an easy exposition, as sometimes studying is already hard enough to cope also with a overwhelmingly boring book.

Enough for the lower layers/protocols so far. About the upper ones the book actually does not spend too much emphasis on network applications nor on the high level tools for building network applications (e.g. there are a very few pages for sockets, but no more). Indeed, this area is more properly in the competence of the second kind of books (Developer's) as noted at the beginning of the review. However, there's one (unsurprising but happy) exception: as already done in his "Modern Operating Systems, 2e", Tanenbaum has put a detailed and rigorous treatment of the Security issue (Network Security in this case).

About editions, the third was already a very good book. Reasons for considering the fourth edition are the inclusion of updated technologies like ADSL, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, JavaScript, XHTML or XML, etc. More than this, however, technologies like fiber optic were on the wave of great improvements in 1996 when the third edition was published (and deformation due to day-night thermal excursions were not cited) so that now the treatment is more reliable (in terms of updates, not in technicalities).

All in all, given that imho there's no serious "complete bible" (or the like) book on computer networks, this book is a full five-stars one if the Engineers' perspective is that of interest. If one is more interested in the Developers' perspective (take again the sockets example), then a good choice would be Douglas Comer's "Computer Networks". For TCP/IP fans, my best choices would be the more focused Comer's "Internetworking with TCP/IP, vol. I" (1/3 Engineer's, 2/3 Developers') or Stevens' "TCP/IP Illustrated. vol I" (1/5 Engineer's, 4/5 Developers').

On my shelf right now I have exactly 25 books on networking and network programming, covering topics from basic sockets to routing to wireless to hacking to IDS. However, I find myself going back to the Tanenbaum book time and time again, because I *know* it will have the answer I'm looking for.

Rarely will you find a book that covers a topic with such authority and breadth. As compared to the other leading texts (by Comer, Perlman, etc), it's relatively up-to-date, even with a good introduction to wireless (802.11 and other variants).

Note that you won't find any code in this book; for that you'll need a Stevens text.

Summary: If you're looking for a book with a solid discussion of the theory of networking, this is absolutely the book you want to buy.

First of all, the fourth edition was published in 2002, so all reviews prior to that date are about a previous edition of this book. This is a classic textbook on computer networking from an academic viewpoint. Do not expect to ever be able to fix a specific network problem or become a CCNE by reading this book. However, doing either of those tasks rests on a firm foundation of the theory found in this book. From the beginning, the author points out that there is some confusion about what a computer network is - a collection of autonomous computers connected by a single technology. He then points out that actually neither the world wide web nor the internet are computer networks. The book goes on to explain networks in terms of a 5 layer system rather than the classic 7 layer OSI model, which is the same as in the previous edition. However, much has been added and much deleted based on the rapidly changing technology involved. For example, the chapter on the physical layer has been completely rewritten. The previous edition focused that chapter on ISDN, ATM and cellular radio. The current edition omits references to that technology and discusses the mobile telephone system and cable television instead. As would be expected, the other section of the book that had the biggest revision was the chapter on the application layer. Gone is the obsolete subject of USENET news, multimedia has changed completely, and the network security section now has its own chapter due to the importance that field has taken on. Finally, the chapter on further reading, which had good comments to go with the suggested reading, was always one of my favorites because it told you why you should read something in addition to showing you what to read, plus the bibliography is divided by network layer. Now, of course, the 3rd edition bibliography section reads like the roll call for a computer book museum. Thus, the new 4th edition chapter on suggested reading is a welcome update. Remember that this book is ultimately about good network design decisions as well as a tutorial on architectures, thus math is inevitable. In fact, most of the chapter-end problems involve mathematics. The math required is not complex, but it will require careful reasoning on your part, much like the numerical problems in Hennessy's "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach". A good companion to this book is "Computer Networking : A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (3rd Edition)" by Kurose. That book also uses a 5 layer model, but starts from the application layer and works its way down. Also, Kurose's book is more applied, with Java examples and programming labs and projects included.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a firm foundation in the theory of computer networking, as well as a survey of the current networking technologies and how they work.

This book is a "must read" for anyone starting out developing networking products, whether hardware, software or both. It is required reading for our Network Product Development Group. We do outsourced System on Chip (SoC) design for the leading networking companies. The sections on IP, TCP, UDP and Ethernet are well organized for first time reading and as a reference. Thumbs up !

For those of you interested in a lucid summary of the principles of networking. Tanenbaum summarises well the concepts behind the Internet Protocol, and the various stacks/layers. This is an easy book to shed some light onto topical buzzwords like CDMA, CSMA, TCP/IP, 802.11b (WiFi), 802.15, 3G, WAP, broadband wireless, i-mode...

He gives enough details that can be understood by a reader with the equivalent of a sophomore level in science or engineering. The amount of maths needed is minimal. Some calculus and Fourier analysis and simple probability theory.

Each chapter has an extensive problem set. My only quibble is that perhaps the problems could have been harder. A lot are simple plug-into-equation types.

Back in 1993, during my senior year at school, I had to learn computer networks. Back then, the only decent book available was Prof Tanenbaum's 2ed. I had found that book boring because it covered every possible networking algorithm and technique in the world without any references to real-world networks.

Recently, after spending 12 years working on various protocols and networking devices (from DSL modems to core routers), I realized that I had lost touch with the larger world of networking. I had no clue about WiMax, Content Networks, etc. So, I started looking around for a simple to read book that would give me good enough perspective on these new technologies. And I happen to find Tanenbaum's newest 4ed book on Computer Networks.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Prof Tanenbaum explains the concepts very well. He also throws in a piece of his mind here-n-there throughout the book. Almost all of his observations are hilarious. The book is huge, but, with all the funnies thrown in, it is easy to read and understand.

My only complaint would be that some of the material needs to be rearranged to better suit the evolving networking technology world. But, even as it is, the book is a great, easy read for one and all, whether you are a student of computer science, computer engineering, or a manager wanting to brush up on the latest technologies, you will find all the know-how here in this book.

This review compares the following four books:
Computer Networks by Peterson and Davie (P & D)
Computer Networks by Tanenbaum
Computer Networks by Comer / Internetworking with TCP/IP
Computer Networking by Kurose and Ross (K & R)

By far the best book in the list is "Computer Networking" by Kurose and Ross. This book covers all of the essential material that is in the other books but manages to do so in a relevant and entertaining way. This book is very up to date as seen by the release of the 5th Ed when the 4th Ed is barely two years old. There are lots of practical exercises using wireshark and the companion website is actually useful and relevant. The attitude of this book with regard to teaching networking concepts could be summed up as "try it out and see for yourself". One interesting thing to note is that the socket programming example are all in Java.

Next up is the Peterson and Davie book which covers everything that Kurose and Ross discuss but is slightly more mathematical in how it goes about things. There are a lot more numerical examples and defining of formulas in this book which is fine by me and in no way detracts from the book. Also the socket programming examples are in C which is a little more traditional. The points where this text loses ground to K & R is that it doesn't have the practical application exercises that K & R has and it also doesn't extend the basic networking theory that is covered to modern protocols like K & R.

The two Comer books come next. Comer's "Computer Networks" book is probably the most introductory book out of this whole list and is more of a survey of networking topics that doesn't cover anything in any real depth. Still, this is an excellent book in that it is a quick clear read that is very lucid in its explanations and you can't help feeling that you understand everything that is covered in the book. Comer's TCP/IP book is the equivalent of the other authors' computer network books and in that respect it is pretty average. It covers all of the relevant material and in a manner which is more than readable but that is all. There is nothing exceptional about the book which stands out from the rest.

Last comes Tanenbaum's book from the author who is probably most famous for his OS books. This is probably the most technical and detailed of the books with lots of sample C code belying is experience with operating systems and their network stack code. The weak point of this book is that all of the code and technical minutia might prevent the reader from seeing the forest for the trees. Unless you are trying to learn how to program your own network stack for a Unix/Linux system, then I would get either the K & R book or the P & D book to learn networking for the first time. This book would best be served as a reference in which case the technical nature of the book becomes a benefit rather than detracting from the text.

"Computer Networks" by A. S. Tanenbaum is a good primary text for entry to mid-level students of Information Technology or Business Telecommunications. The text is structured in a logical manner with the intention of guiding the reader through successive levels of understanding. The material is presented in a succinct manner, with sufficient depth to provide good comprehension.

The Fourth Edition (reprinted in 2003) presents contemporary relevance in a field that is fluid and evolving. Attention is paid to foundational items salient to the topic of computer networks, with a measure of historical reference to the telecommunications industry in general. Tanenbaum is not cursory in his treatment of history, but he is not pedantic either. There is good balance here. This serves to provide important information concerning the nucleus from which the communications industry began, but not so much information as to cause the reader to lose interest.

The technical aspect of computer networks is quite complex and contains its own unique set of acronyms and techno-jargon. Tanenbaum gives a superlative effort in maintaining the vernacular wherever possible, with concomitant supportive graphics to further enhance delivery and understanding. This is crucial to the learning experience. It is essential that a text form a bridge of facile communication through the use of common language and graphics.

Those who have purchased this text outside of the traditional academic environment as an adjunct reference will be pleased with its logical, organized design. The chapters and sub-divisions facilitate rapid scanning for material of specific interest. The suggested reading list and bibliography satisfies those with a thirst for more, and the index is helpful and thorough.

I'm going to buy this because I learnt so much from the 3rd edition.

The book works systematically through the various layers of the network stack and presents the major services and issues which occur at each layer. The emphasis is theoretical - but in a very practical sense: Tanenbaum explains the major principles which any competent network engineer must rely on for implementation and configuration.

This book contains an enormous amount of information on a complex subject. While Tanenbaum makes every effort to present it clearly, it still requires study. This is no 'Become a network guru in 15 mins' type of book, and you won't find details about how to configure Windows or Linux networking. However, it will give you the background to understand what you are doing and why, and give you the insight needed to solve practical problems.

A reviewer below complains that the previous edition of the book came out in 1996. Well sir, here's its replacement - now what's the problem??? I found it a very clear, very easy read. Where its difficult going is where the material itself is involved - so you do have make some effort. Tanenbaum has prepared an excellent meal - just don't expect him to spoonfeed you as well.

The number one place to start if you are planning on getting into a networking career. The author clearly states and explains all the basics of networking. No other book covers all the basics better than this one.

This is mostly a book for beginners and intermediate networking people. But it definetely wouldn't hurt to have it on the bookshelf even for the experienced person.

Starters should be aware that this book is not directed towards any vendor specific networking.