Customer Reviews

An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a senior engineer for network security operations who enjoys learning about networking technologies. I read this book because it compares and contrasts telephone, Internet, and ATM networks. I also have a general interest in learning how networks operate. I concentrate on security, but I realize knowing more about networks in general helps my intrusion detection work. I strongly recommend reading this book if you develop or research networking products. Less focused readers will quickly become overwhelmed, as I was!

Mr. Keshav states "the bulk of this book is written at a level suitable for first-year graduate students in computer science or electrical engineering." He is not kidding! While Mr. Keshav does an excellent job discussing technical material, the extreme level to which he takes explanations demands a very dedicated reader. I was happy enough to learn of the many trade-offs required for sound network device design. Once Mr. Keshav began illuminating exactly how some technologies work (with theorems, equations, and statistics), I began skimming.

My favorite sections included chapters 1 through 4, the "basic" material introducing telephone, Internet, and ATM networks. Chapters 5 (Protocol Layering), 6 (System Design) and 7 (Multiple Access) were also good. Beyond chapter 7 (with some exceptions), I found the material deeper than the interest level I have as a security professional.

Some may wonder about the relevance of a book written in 1996 to current networking practice. I believe the bulk of the text remains useful, since it uses technological examples to frame underlying design approaches. Furthermore, Mr. Keshav provides a way to think about networks by defining crucial terms and concepts in clear terms. These definitions are reinforced by excellent summaries, tables, and glossaries.

"An Engineering Approach" provides an incredible number of answers to the "why" questions of telephone, Internet, and ATM networking. Other books will give mainly the "what" or sometimes "how." "What" is enough for doing daily admin, "how" is enough to improve network performance, and "why" is needed to build better networks. If you need all three levels, give Mr. Keshav's book a try!

This is one of those rare books that had me smiling from so many "aha!" flashes of understanding... Dr. Kesav's prose is lucid and simple, without being simplistic. Numerous and well chosen examples are well integrated in the text. What's exceptional about this book is how well one can intuitively understand most of it at first read. If you really, really want to _understand_ the principles behind computer networking, read this book.

While quite usefull as a general text in networking, I find this book to be one of my best resources as a general reference book for networks. Very lucid, well explained sections on complex topics (scheduling, routing, for ex)are often superior to other books dedicated exclusively to such topics. I especially like the exhaustive chapter-by-chapter references given which enable me to pull additional detailed info from the WEB for a really comprehensive handling of esoteric topics when needed.

This is one of the few books that starts with atoms and goes right upto traffic characterizations. Beginners can also benefit a lot from this book, though they might sometimes have to refer to other more basic books. The approach is fantastic and the explanations are great. He uses examples which clarify your concepts and make you think. There is an entire chapter on design issues. That one is a winner. There is also a great bibliography at the end. It makes you wonder; all the time and effort required to write a book of such clarity. The book is great. Its worth the time and the money.

I don't have anything other than superlatives for this book. I would probably compare this with, say, "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan & Ritchie, which is an accepted C programming bible. The book is NOT painfully huge yet it makes the reader get the right intuition very easily on almost every topic in networking.

Every concept either has either a) rigourous analysis b) references to where rigourous analysis could be found c) or both

I particularly liked the "scheduling" chapter coz I had to read a couple of research papers on the topic, yet my basic intuition wasn't strong.

In the next edition (if there is one planned), I would like to see concepts on GPRS, 3rd Generation Wireless Systems and even 4th generation IP-core cellular systems (ICEBERG research project at UC berkeley) considering that there are > 500 million cellphones worldwide and increasing at a much faster rate than Internet.

Dr. Keshav, if you do read this, I would like to thank you for doing such a wonderful turn to the networking community by writing this terrific book.

Dr. Keshav has a real winner here. For each of the past 3 groups that I have been bringing up to speed in the communications area, I have bought a case lot of this book. I pass them out and suggest people read the first 3 chapters and scan the rest. They did and they did much better work. Many come back and say that they have enjoyed the latter chapters as much as the clear introductory ones. I left my last copy with a friend, and am about to order 3 more for my new group.

The insights are apropos and very clearly illustrated. The prioritization is crisp and accurate. The text is easy to get through and very rewarding to both the crossover engineer and the instructor able to use help from a master.

Not a bad networking overview. I found some of the material that was presented in detail overkill. Other material that could have used significantly more explanation, given today's implementations on currently technology, was only touched upon.

This is one of the finest books I have ever read. The Text is presented in a very lucid style which makes students understand the matter easily.

Keshav has produced an excellent book. You find yourself understanding the working of netwrok protocols like it's no big deal. A very good choice of examples too. It is a typical text book --it's dry. But that's the fault of the topic rahter than the author.

Anyone who is involved with networking or telecommunications will find this book invaluable. The author discusses how computer and telephone networks work through well thought out examples and why networks are built the way they are. Not only is this text a great for learning about networks but I use it as a reference again and again. This book is one of the most frequently used books in my library. A Must Have