The Definitive Guide to Linux Network Programming (Expert's Voice) (Paperback)

by Keir Davis (Author), John Turner (Author), Nathan Yocom (Author)
Key Phrases: networked application, socket programming, address family constants, Case Study, Client-Server Architecture, Securing Network Communication (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book is…one nice and convenient package that I will keep on the shelf as a reference manual.</a></p> </blockquote> <p id="quoteAuthor">&#8212; Derek Anderson, JavaRanch GreenHorn</p></div>

<p><i>The Definitive Guide to Linux Network Programming</i> offers a clear, concise treatment of creating clients and servers under the Linux operating system. This book assumes that you know C and have experience developing code on Linux, but it provides everything else you'll need as a programmer for real-world network programming.</p>

<p>Whether you're a Windows developer looking to expand to Linux, or you're a proficient Linux developer looking to incorporate client-server programming into your applications, this book has a wealth of invaluable information to suit your needs. </p>

<p>This book covers design, implementation, debugging, and security. You'll also learn about the many kinds of socket types, sessioned versus sessionless protocols, and encryption, as well as how to build a custom protocol, how to use SSL, and how to tunnel data. </p>

About the Author
Keir Davis was first exposed to programming at the age of 12, when his father brought home a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A. Keir has been programming ever since and now holds a master's degree in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.Recently married, Keir and his wife, Jennifer, live with their two dogs, Tess and Maggie, in North Carolina. When not sitting in front of a computer, Keir enjoys playing racquetball.

John Turner is an application developer and systems administrator in Detroit, Michigan, supporting the advertising and marketing campaigns of Fortune 50 clients. With over two decades of computer experience, John has designed and administered high-availability and fault-tolerant systems for the automotive, health care, and advertising industries. He coauthored the <i>Apache Tomcat Security Handbook</i> and is an Apache Group committer. He holds a bachelor's degree in information systems. John's industry interests include vintage hardware, open source, mobile computing, and wireless networking. His outside interests include farming, DIY projects, dogs, history, recycling, tattoos, travel, and music composition.

Nathan Yocom has worn many hats in the IT industry over the years. He currently works as a software engineer for Bynari, Inc., specializing in messaging and groupware software.In his spare time, in addition to playing the guitar and an occasional round of golf, Nathan enjoys spending time with his wife, Katie.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (August 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590593227
• ISBN-13: 978-1590593226
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #345,037 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #42 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Networking > Network Programming
  #63 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Operating Systems > Linux > Networking & System Administration

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short, yet, Excellent., February 25, 2005

By	Shadi T. Khasawneh - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very insteresting book. I would like to see a more advanced version of this book in the future. It covers the basics of TCP & UDP, and helps you in choosing a suitable design/protocol for your applications, and covers everything related to network programming including security, debugging... Excellent work!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine grained control, October 7, 2004

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'm not sure about the "definitive" claim in the book's title. But after reading the book, I'm quite willing to grant that the authors have indeed done a thorough job. The book calls to mind the now classic series on Internetworking, by Comer and Stevens in the early 90s. If you've been in this game long enough, you know exactly what I mean. Of course, Comer and Stevens were looking at unix boxes hooked to the Internet.

But, as you can see in this book, linux network programming carries over very closely to those unix versions. And both use what is basically the same IPv4, despite the massive physical buildout of the Internet.

The book's code is unabashedly C. No cute user interface to trip over. It can test your knowledge of C quite well. Partly because the coding and handling of network calls is deliberately low level. Using the book's approach, you can get a fine grained appreciation of how to talk across the Internet. Higher level languages like Java and C# come with network libraries that deliberately hide a lot of this detail. Which is good for many applications. But sometimes you might need the performance and control that this book offers.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Resource for Network Programming, September 21, 2004

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Whether you just want to learn the concepts and practices that allow network programming to work or want to polish your skills in this area, The Definitive Guide to Linux Network Programming will serve you well. I have rarely seen a book about programming that managed to bridge the gap between newcomer and expert so well.

The authors clearly aimed this book for those who are programmers, yet they have made it accessible even to those who are not. Depending on how much you know about network programming, you can start at different points in the book. The authors kindly make suggestions in the introduction as to which sections are most relevant for those who are more expert already.

I was very impressed by the extensive amount of code that is included. In many cases, you will be able to program simply by using the examples in the book. That resource is nicely extended by two lengthy case studies that are intended to help you think your way through the process as well as to integrate the book's subjects. The first case study is for a networked chat application that is written in C++. The second case study looks at the many tricky security questions associated with any networked application.

The book is filled with guidelines and suggestions for when to favor which approaches among the many that Linux offers you. I was especially pleased to find out about many development and debugging tools that make the job easier.

Here's the book's structure:

Part One deals with the basics (networks, protocols, functions, socket programming, sessions and state). Part Two looks at design and architecture (emphasizing design decisions and development processes). Part Three is devoted to security.

Reading the book reminded me of what a great gift Linux is to us all in making it easier for us to use computer networks to communicate with one another. I kept shaking my head as I read the book trying to imagine how much more limited a book would have been that did not use Linux as its subject.

I thought that the discussions of security management were the best part of the book. They were clear, provided a good conceptual backdrop for the potential solutions, and made the solutions as simple as possible.

If you plan to do network programming with Linux, you owe it to yourself to read and apply this superb book!