Pocket Guide to TCP/IP Socket Programming in C (The Morgan Kaufmann Practical Guides Series) (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "Millions of computers all over the world are now connected to the worldwide network known as the Internet..." (more)
Key Phrases: int socket, servent structure, echo server, Thought Questions, Basic Sockets, Established Local (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The explosive growth of the Internet in no small part is due to the sockets programming interface. This elegant API allows almost any computer that runs TCP/IP--from palm computers to mainframes--to communicate seamlessly. The Pocket Guide to TCP/IP Sockets provides beginning and intermediate network programmers with a practical tutorial and reference guide. Instead of trying to break new ground, this book establishes modest goals and achieves them splendidly. It is a concise, high-quality resource for students and professionals.

This book targets the accomplished C programmer who wants to learn network programming. You're assumed to have a good working knowledge of basic IP addressing and network configuration--not much time is spent educating you on the fundamentals of networking architecture.

A highlight of this book is the solid sample code. Even for those who already write socket code, a brief refresher is always helpful--this book delivers valuable client and server code for both TCP and UDP sockets. Although the samples are based on a Unix environment, it's a trivial matter to port most of the code to Microsoft Windows and the Windows Sockets interface (ported samples also are available directly from the book's Web site). No longer do you have to paw through a thick reference to find parameter lists for sendto() or accept(). More subtle issues--data alignment, network vs. host byte order, and differing approaches to handling client connections--also are handled with ease.

Chapter 6 contains an under-the-hood discussion on TCP/IP implementation that will be useful to the more advanced user and that explains possible deadlock conditions, discusses the TCP state diagram, and sheds light on how the operating system handles socket resources. These juicy nuggets are reasons enough to keep this book handy--even after the thrill of your first successful network program subsides. --Pete Ostenson

Review

"I would recommend this book in my course- it is a very good, concise and well organised tutorial. I think the book like it is will be of great help."
-Arian Durresi, Ohio State University, USA -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; C Version edition (August 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558606866
• ISBN-13: 978-1558606869
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Bargain, August 17, 2000

By	Erick Wagner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I own several books on sockets programming for TCP/IP. Most are quite large and pricey, address a specific environment such as UNIX (BSD sockets) or Windows (WinSock), and get bogged down in user interface details.

The Pocket Guide to TCP/IP Socket Programming in C is both small in size (130 pages) and price yet provides a great deal of quality information. Within the book, you will find C source code (appears to be ANSI/ISO C) for small functional clients and servers using both the TCP and UDP transports. The C code examples used in the book are traditional in that they favor the UNIX environment. However, all is not lost. If you visit the publishers website you will find WinSock adaptations for nearly all (17 of 22) of the examples in the book.

To avoid unnecessary distractions, the applications in this book use a text rather than a GUI interface; if you are programming for the PC under Windows use the Win32 Console Application project type.

Besides the source code examples, there are sufficient diagrams and text explanations to give an application programmer enough information to write well-behaved network applications. This book would be perfect for teaching network application programming at a school or as part of a corporate training program.

The book deals with an exciting topic at a nice price.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to learn Sockets, November 20, 2000

By	jeff (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews

I didn't even know what a socket was before I got this book. Less than a week later I have successfully completed several programs for my employer that use sockets to communicate. This book is written for Unix, but with the supplemental Windows programs at the MKP website I was able to write programs in a Windows environment with ease. This book is clear and concise and contains all the information you need at a price that is at least three times less than that of other books I have seen. I would certainly recommend it to anyone trying to learn sockets.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise intro to sockets, April 19, 2001

By	Gregorio "gtada" (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Compared to other network programming books, this IS pocket sized. However, you shouldn't judge a book based on its size (like a previous reviewer). It's a great introduction to sockets programming. Very clear and concise, with no wasted pages. I had never worked with sockets before reading this book, and now I understand enough to build non-trivial applications. It's essential for the beginning sockets programmer. Also, if you're new to sockets and looking to jump into the Stevens book, this might make that book a little easier to read.