5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good First-Step & Possibly 1.5th Step, May 21, 2005
This review is from: TCP/IP First-Step (Paperback)
TCP/IP First-Step
(Your first step into the world of TCP/IP)
Reviewer Name: Steve Owen Scheiderer, Network Administrator
Reviewer Certification: MCSE NT 4.0, CCNA
ISBN: 1-58720-108-9
Mark A. Sportack has done a pretty good job presenting the world of TCP/IP to the beginner. Although the first part of Chapter 2 seems to rehash too much of Chapter 1, after that, the flow of most of the book more than makes up for it. He lays a good foundation from the perspective of whether timely or reliable communications is needed and what aspects of TCP/IP may be applied to the same. Good historical and practical insights are found throughout the text.
Unfortunately some of the figures in the book do not do the discussion justice. For example, Figure 3-6 and 3-8. The reader may have to slow down the pace to understand the point that is being made. His "Making Sense of the Chaos" (p. 57) discussion was well taken, but it took too long to get to the point. Figure 4-1 would have made more sense if it had been paralleled with the OSI model. While Figure 7.1 was supposed to have the network address portion of each IP address underlined, it did not. Figure 7-3 would have made more sense if each interface on the Internet Router had an IP address assigned. Figures 8-2 and 8-3 are confusing because the numbers 916 and 619 look like one might be a typo when discussing sequence of numbers.
Some of the discussion may be a bit advanced for the beginner but may be a bonus review for the intermediate. Sportack's Chapter 5 discussion and "This isn't stuff you'll need every day," may tip off the reader to the more advanced topics that may be helpful but not readily absorbed by the beginner. While his treatment of binary numbers, IP addressing and related topics is well done, again, at times it seems some of the subnetting discussion is too advanced. Chapter 9 seems to be redundant. Chapter 12's discussion of coaxial cable failed to point out that cable TV and network coaxial are not interchangeable (different ohm ratings).
The closing chapters would probably be the most helpful to the beginner and perhaps should have been placed at the beginning of the book. But sometimes the best is saved for last. Despite some of the challenges sited above, I'd recommend this book to the beginning TCP/IP student.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book for beginners, April 28, 2005
This review is from: TCP/IP First-Step (Paperback)
ENGLISH:
This is my first experience with one of the books of the "First-Step" series and resulted in something that I will recommend to my students and to anybody who would like to begin to study networking technology.
The style of the book is almost narrative, therefore the complicated concepts about TCP/IP are explained in an easy way and using analogies whenever is possible. The main objective of the book is to present the TCP/IP protocol stack, the layers that form it, to describe the functions that are carried out by each layer, and to explain why they are necessary for the communication process, but the author doesn't stop there, and the book also includes something about the origin and history of TCP/IP, the organizations that regulate and administer the development of networking technologies, routing and routing protocols, Ethernet and the Physical Layer; and tools for network troubleshooting.
Obviously the most extensive treatment is given to the most important protocols: TCP (Transport Control Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol) and I consider this the most valuable section of the book, because the function of each protocol, the way it does that function and the description of the information contain by the headers added to the messages, all are explained using a language that facilitates understanding; and while talking about how the TCP/IP protocol stack works, at the same time the author is talking about how the whole network communication is achieved, therefore, by reading the book, the reader is simultaneously learning about TCP/IP and also about how computer networks work and the physical devices that conform them.
There are 2 chapters dedicated to the Windows XP configuration to connect a computer to a wired network, a wireless network, and through a modem using a dial-up connection. I consider these chapters out of place in this book, because if someone wants to know about this subject, I think she or he will go first to a book with the words "Windows XP" in its title, than to a book with the words "TCP/IP"; I think books on Windows XP do a good job regarding this subject, and for me it should have been enough to have said that it is necessary to configure the TCP/IP protocol on the operating system, but not to dedicate 2 chapters to show how to do it. Instead I would have preferred some mentioning about IPv6 (the new version of the IP protocol) or at least some warning about the future of IP and the implications of moving to the new version.
Anyway and without any doubt, this is a great book that fulfills its goal. Based on my experience as a Cisco Netacad Instructor, this is a book that I recommend very much to anybody that has just started to study about networking technology or those who are studying for the CCNA certification. I enjoyed the reading and only took me about 8 hours to read the entire book. I think that you will also enjoy it.
SPANISH:
Esta es mi primera experiencia con uno de los libros de la serie "First-Step" y resultó en algo que recomendaré a mis estudiantes y a cualquiera que se inicie en el estudio de la tecnología de redes.
El estilo en que está escrito el libro es casi narrativo, así que los conceptos complicados acerca de TCP/IP son explicados de modo muy sencillo y haciendo uso de analogías cada vez que es posible. El objetivo principal del libro es presentar el stack de protocolos TCP/IP, las capas que lo componen, describir las funciones que se realizan en cada capa, y explicar porqué son necesarias al proceso de comunicación, pero el autor no se detiene ahí, y el libro también incluye algo sobre el origen e historia de TCP/IP, las organizaciones que regulan y administran el desarrollo de las tecnologías de redes, ruteo y protocolos de ruteo; Ethernet y la capa física; y herramientas para hacer pruebas a la red.
Obviamente el tratamiento más extenso se dedica a los protocolos más importantes: TCP (Transport Control Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol) e IP (Internet Protocol) y considero que esta es la sección más valiosa del libro, pues tanto la función de cada protocolo, como la manera en que realiza la función, y la descripción de la información contenida en los encabezados que agregan a los mensajes, están explicados en un lenguaje muy sencillo, fácil de entender; y al hablar de como funciona el stack de protocolos TCP/IP, al mismo tiempo se está hablando de como se logra la comunicación en la red, así que al leer el libro, simultáneamente el lector aprende, no solo sobre TCP/IP, sino también acerca de como funcionan las redes y los dispositivos físicos que la componen.
Hay 2 capítulos dedicados a la configuración de Windows XP para conectar una computadora a una red alambrada, a una inalámbrica, y a través de un modem haciendo uso de una conexión dial-up. Considero que estos capítulos están fuera de lugar en este libro, porque si alguien quiere saber sobre este tema, irá primero a un libro con las palabras "Windows XP" en el título antes que a uno que diga "TCP/IP"; pienso que los libros sobre Windows XP hacen un buen trabajo en este sentido, y para mí hubiera sido suficiente haber dicho que es necesario configurar el protocolo TCP/IP en el sistema operativo, pero no dedicar 2 capítulos para mostrar como se hace. En cambio hubiera preferido alguna mención sobre IPv6 (la nueva versión del protocolo IP) o por lo menos una alerta acerca del futuro de IP y de las implicaciones del cambio a la nueva versión.
De todas maneras y sin duda alguna, este es un magnífico libro que logra su propósito. Basado en mi experiencia como Cisco Netacad Instructor, este es un libro que recomiendo ampliamente a quienes empiezan el estudio de las tecnologías de redes o están estudiando para obtener la certificación CCNA. Disfruté mucho la lectura y solo me tomó alrededor de 8 horas leer el libro en su totalidad, pienso que ustedes también lo disfrutarán.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great TCP/IP Intro text, June 8, 2010
This review is from: TCP/IP First-Step (Paperback)
Not at all as comprehensive as Stevens', by now authoritative 3 Vol set, but along with Kevin Burns' 'Troubleshooting TCP/IP', can provide a beginner with what TCP/IP is all about. Included are historical tidbits, and yes..it does have a 'for dummies and idiots' flavor to it (but no corny cartoons), so if that style offends you, then stick to Stevens.
But there is a point of confusion. In explaining subnetting addressing, he states more than once that the number of available host addresses are 2 to the power x, where x is the number of host bits, when its actually 2 less than that, because all zeroes are the network identifier and all ones are the broadcast signal. He does then make that distinction, not too assertively enough later on, but then continues to state that the number of available host addresses are 2 to the power x!!!!
I am not nitpicking, because little details like this can make or break you in CISCO certification or job interviews.
"Subnetting is one of the most important topics on the ICND1, ICND2, and CCNA exams. You need to know how it works and how to 'do the math' to figure out issues whensubnetting is in use, both in real life and on the exam." [1]
[1] Odom,W. CCENT/CCNA ICND1 official exam certification guide
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