Uyless Black's Networking 101
Uyless Black · Prentice Hall PTR eBooks · 2001
From the Book: Preface In the past, some of my clients, and most of my friends and relatives, have asked me to write an introductory book on computer networks. These nontechnical folks expressed a wish to read a book I wrote that they could actually understand. For my previous books, I told them to just look at the pictures, but that did more harm than good. So, for the networking-empaired, be you a client, friend, relative, or any combination thereof, this book is for you. Joking aside, my intent in writing this book is to explain data networks and the Internet in nonengineering, nontechnical terms. Given this goal, it is impossible to describe a computer network without any technical jargon whatsoever. But I have been careful in the use of buzz-words, and have attempted to explain technical concepts in nontechnical terms. The writing of this book has been a new experience for me. It is my first attempt at writing a beginner's book on the subject of computer networks. So, both of us are venturing into something new: myself in my writing, and you in reading this book. There are two prerequisites to reading Networking 101. First, you should have logged on to the Internet or some other data network, maybe even successfully. Second, you should be able to count up to 2. But the numbers are not 1 and 2; you must start at 0 and proceed to 1. If 0 is not a valid number in your mind, don't read any further. If you have mastered these prerequisites, then welcome to the world of Networking 101. I hope you learn a substantial amount from reading this book, and I hope you enjoy the process. I have interjected a few light comments here and there tolighten the load for the Networking 101 newcomer. For the seasoned networking veteran, I trust I have presented some novel ways for you to think about computer networks.