Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up (Nutshell Handbooks) [Paperback]

Kevin Dowd (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nutshell Handbooks | Publication Date: January 8, 1996

Everywhere you turn -- newspapers, magazines, broadcast media, even eavesdropping at the local coffee shop -- the news is inescapable: The nation is hooking up to the Internet. Business people who see the opportunity to publicize their products; educators reaching out to rural communities; scientific researchers who collaborate long-distance; consulting groups, church groups: Everybody's getting wired.

But getting your organization connected to the Internet is not as simple as calling the phone company for a telephone line. You have to learn about telecommunications technologies such as frame relay and ISDN, the differences among networking hardware options, and internal networking issues. You need to figure out not only which Internet service provider is best for you, but which services you really need. You'll be faced with a series of technical decisions concerning network security, routing management, and email gateways. And, you'll want to know what's the best free software out there for rounding out your investment.

Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up, a comprehensive guide to dealing with these issues, explains in detail everything you need to know to make informed decisions. And it does much more. Once you've set up your Internet connection, it helps you to troubleshoot problems and introduces you to an array of Internet services, such as the World Wide Web. Tackles issues for PC, Macintosh, and UNIX platforms.

This book:

• Gives you an overview of the Internet: how it's organized, ts demographics, and legal issues.
• Introduces telecommunications technologies (atm, isdn, dedicated lines, T1 and T3, to name a few) and networking hardware (routers, dsu/csu, modems, terminal servers).
• Discusses how to assess bandwidth requirements, select an Internet service provider, and pricing.
• Explains IP and routing protocols, and describes the Doman Name Service.
• Describes how to set up an email hub using POP to support desktop and remote clients. Also covers gateways to other email systems such as cc:Mail and MS Mail.
• Introduces you to the basic Internet services: World Wide Web, gopher, WAIS, Netnews, anonymous ftp.
• Shows you how to secure your network with a firewall.
• Helps you to support remote users via slip and ppp connections.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Everywhere you turn -- newspapers, magazines, broadcast media, even eavesdropping at the local coffee shop -- the news is inescapable: The nation is hooking up to the Internet. Business people who see the opportunity to publicize their products; educators reaching out to rural communities; scientific researchers who collaborate long-distance; consulting groups, church groups: Everybody's getting wired. But getting your organization connected to the Internet is not as simple as calling the phone company for a telephone line. You have to learn about telecommunications technologies such as frame relay and ISDN, the differences among networking hardware options, and internal networking issues. You need to figure out not only which Internet service provider is best for you, but which services you really need. You'll be faced with a series of technical decisions concerning network security, routing management, and email gateways. And, you'll want to know what's the best free software out there for rounding out your investment. Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up, a comprehensive guide to dealing with these issues, explains in detail everything you need to know to make informed decisions. And it does much more. Once you've set up your Internet connection, it helps you to troubleshoot problems and introduces you to an array of Internet services, such as the World Wide Web. Tackles issues for PC, Macintosh, and UNIX platforms. This book: Gives you an overview of the Internet: how it's organized, ts demographics, and legal issues. Introduces telecommunications technologies (atm, isdn, dedicated lines, T1 and T3, to name a few) and networking hardware (routers, dsu/csu, modems, terminal servers). Discusses how to assess bandwidth requirements, select an Internet service provider, and pricing. Explains IP and routing protocols, and describes the Doman Name Service. Describes how to set up an email hub using POP to support desktop and remote clients. Also covers gateways to other email systems such as cc:Mail and MS Mail. Introduces you to the basic Internet services: World Wide Web, gopher, WAIS, Netnews, anonymous ftp. Shows you how to secure your network with a firewall. Helps you to support remote users via slip and ppp connections.

From the Back Cover

Getting Connected leads you through the process of establishing an Internet presence. It focuses on high-speed dedicated connections, and draws from many people's experience setting up Internet connections for business and industry. It explains the technologies and acronyms, telling you what you need to know to get the job done. It covers technologies ranging from old workhorses, like 56K leased lines, to the newest arrivals, like ATM. Getting Connected discusses evaluating your needs and your provider's capabilities; understanding the communications infrastructure; data link protocols, including PPP, Frame Relay, X.25, HDLC, ATM, and SMDS; physical connection types, including 56K leased line, T1, T3, ISDN, and SONET; router configuration; Internet security, including firewalls and proxy servers; configuration of DNS, mail, WWW, news, and FTP servers; and extending Internet services to desktop PCs and Macintoshes.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 422 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1st ed edition (January 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565921542
• ISBN-13: 978-1565921542
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,743,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes sense. Doesn't confuse the mind., January 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

Here at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas we are installing a T1 line from our ISP. I wanted to understand the real technology that's behind all the hardware we are installing. This book is perfect.

If you are looking at installing and configuring large bandwidth lines or backbones, start with this book. No matter how much you already know about Windows, Unix, Cisco, you will definately learn something. It's staying on my desk forever. Worth every penny!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A understandable explanation of how an ISP works., October 4, 1997

By 

David Mcanulty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

After working at an ISP for 6 months, i still had questions that no one could answer in a way that made sense to me. This book answered all my questions and more! If your serious about learning how an ISP really works, buy this book. It won't sit on a shelf like all those 1500 page books you wasted money on, you can actually READ this one!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best described as How-to-be-an-ISP 101, July 24, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

I've always been happy with my readings in the nutshell handbook series from O'Reilly, but this book tops the heap. A survey of all the hardware and software necessary to set up a dedicated link from any organization to the internet is contained herein, from HDLC to setting up networking on a mac, from SONET fiber rings to ISDN lines. A must read for any user who's ever wondered, "What does T1 REALLY mean?"