TCP/IP Guide

Charles M. Kozierok is the author and publisher of The PC Guide, an extensive online reference work on personal computers, as well as several other educational websites, including The TCP/IP Guide. He holds master’s degrees from MIT in management and in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), and worked in various technical and managerial roles before dedicating himself full-time to writing and educational pursuits. He lives in rural Vermont with his wife and three sons.

"A New TCP/IP Classic. . . Keeps things interesting and flowing well enough that working one's way through. . . Actually entertaining instead of torture."—Slashdot"The most comprehensive guide to TCP/IP protocols we have ever come across. It also is the most readable. This is a book that will be staying on our shelves, and we highly recommend it."—Network World“This is a really well-done book, and well worth the price if you need up-to-date, easy-to-digest information about TCP/IP. I wish I'd written this puppy.”—IBM’s developerWorks“Nicely organized, from an introduction to networking through administration and troubleshooting, the book clearly explains each topic.”—Library Journal"I've never seen a book on this subject before to match this one . . . It's as close to indispensable as a printed work can get."—NetPerformance.com"The book is well-organized, well-illustrated, and has a conversational tone that makes it easy to read and learn even for networking novices."—Windows Networking"It's informative and easy to read, even when discussing rather nasty protocols, and when it covers something, it generally covers it quite completely."—;login:"Due to size, it may seem like this book is solely for students or engineers. However, The TCP/IP Guide is great for anyone and everyone as it can act both as a reference guide and a textbook."—Linux Security"The author does a great job of discussing the significance of the information he is presenting . . . Whereas some books seem to throw illustrations in simply to break up the text, this book adds just the right amount in the right places to make sure you understand."—Linux Magazine"Covers a great breadth and depth of information . . . an excellent reference." (4.5 out of 5 stars)—About.com"This is both an encyclopedic and comprehensible guide to the TCP/IP protocol suite that will appeal to newcomers and the seasoned professional."—DominoPower Magazine“Kozierok's description of IPv4 addressing is probably the clearest I have ever read. And his chapters about IP subnetting and classless addressing are masterful. If I ever teach communication protocols again, my lecture notes will owe a great deal to this book. . . I continue to be astounded that this much information, presented in a clear and entertaining fashion, is available for so little.”—Kickstart News“A mind-boggling contribution to understanding and applying TCP/IP protocols to network administration. . .This is a truly impressive work. . .comprehensive and readable.”—JavaRanch"This is the kind of reference book that might be worth reading cover to cover in spite of its bulk."—Open.ITWorld.com"This book is the Real Deal. . . If you've read as many bad IT books as I have, you will appreciate the mastery of Kozierok's achievement. His warmth and style don't smack you in the face at first, but keep reading, and you'll discover an IT brother."—WatchGuard Wire"Now I can retire all my other TCP/IP books I have gathering dust on my bookshelves... This book however may become timeless, because it not only talks about, but shows everything."—MacCompanion"Smartly illustrated, the book is easily navigated for both brief overviews of the subject matter and more in-depth study of TCP/IP-related topics... A welcome change from the information congestion common on the Information Superhighway."—About This Particular Mac (ATPM)"Focuses on the nuts and bolts of how the protocols work while maintaining an emphasis on the present state of the art (including extensive coverage of IPv6)."—Book News"A must-have addition to the libraries of internetworking students, educators, networking professionals, and those working toward certification."—Golden Triangle PC Club"Anything and everything you ever wanted to or needed to know about the ins and outs of the TCP/IP. . . you could not find a better, more comprehensive book on the subject. I would give it two thumbs up for sure."—Cariboo Computer Magazine

• DEDICATIONABOUT THE AUTHORACKNOWLEDGMENTSINTRODUCTIONPart I-1: NETWORKING FUNDAMENTALS* Chapter 1: NETWORKING INTRODUCTION, CHARACTERISTICS, AND TYPES* Chapter 2: NETWORK PERFORMANCE ISSUES AND CONCEPTS* Chapter 3: NETWORK STANDARDS AND STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS* Chapter 4: A REVIEW OF DATA REPRESENTATION AND THE MATHEMATICS OF COMPUTINGPart I-2: THE OPEN SYSTEMS INTERCONNECTION (OSI) REFERENCE MODEL* Chapter 5: GENERAL OSI REFERENCE MODEL ISSUES AND CONCEPTS* Chapter 6: OSI REFERENCE MODEL LAYERS* Chapter 7: OSI REFERENCE MODEL SUMMARYPart I-3: TCP/IP PROTOCOL SUITE AND ARCHITECTURE* Chapter 8: TCP/IP PROTOCOL SUITE AND ARCHITECTUREPart II-1: TCP/IP NETWORK INTERFACE LAYER PROTOCOLS* Chapter 9: TCP/IP SERIAL LINE INTERNET PROTOCOL (SLIP) AND POINT-TO-POINT PROTOCOL (PPP) OVERVIEW AND FUNDAMENTALS* Chapter 10: PPP CORE PROTOCOLS: LINK CONTROL, NETWORK CONTROL, AND AUTHENTICATION* Chapter 11: PPP FEATURE PROTOCOLS* Chapter 12: PPP PROTOCOL FRAME FORMATSPart II-2: TCP/IP NETWORK INTERFACE/INTERNET LAYER CONNECTION PROTOCOLS* Chapter 13: ADDRESS RESOLUTION AND THE TCP/IP ADDRESS RESOLUTION PROTOCOL (ARP)* Chapter 14: REVERSE ADDRESS RESOLUTION AND THE TCP/IP REVERSE ADDRESS RESOLUTION PROTOCOL (RARP)Part II-3: INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 4 (IP/IPV4)* Chapter 15: INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSIONS, CONCEPTS, AND OVERVIEW* Chapter 16: IPV4 ADDRESSING CONCEPTS AND ISSUES* Chapter 17: CLASSFUL (CONVENTIONAL) ADDRESSING* Chapter 18: IP SUBNET ADDRESSING (SUBNETTING) CONCEPTS* Chapter 19: IP SUBNETTING PRACTICAL SUBNET DESIGN AND ADDRESS DETERMINATION EXAMPLE* Chapter 20: IP CLASSLESS ADDRESSING--CLASSLESS INTER-DOMAIN ROUTING (CIDR)/SUPERNETTING* Chapter 21: INTERNET PROTOCOL DATAGRAM ENCAPSULATION AND FORMATTING* Chapter 22: IP DATAGRAM SIZE, FRAGMENTATION, AND REASSEMBLY* Chapter 23: IP ROUTING AND MULTICASTINGPart II-4: INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPV6)* Chapter 24: IPV6 OVERVIEW, CHANGES, AND TRANSITION* Chapter 25: IPV6 ADDRESSING* Chapter 26: IPV6 DATAGRAM ENCAPSULATION AND FORMATTING* Chapter 27: IPV6 DATAGRAM SIZE, FRAGMENTATION, REASSEMBLY, AND ROUTINGPart II-5: IP-RELATED FEATURE PROTOCOLS* Chapter 28: IP NETWORK ADDRESS TRANSLATION (NAT) PROTOCOL* Chapter 29: IP SECURITY (IPSEC) PROTOCOLS* Chapter 30: INTERNET PROTOCOL MOBILITY SUPPORT (MOBILE IP)Part II-6: IP SUPPORT PROTOCOLS* Chapter 31: ICMP CONCEPTS AND GENERAL OPERATION* Chapter 32: ICMPV4 ERROR MESSAGE TYPES AND FORMATS* Chapter 33: ICMPV4 INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE TYPES AND FORMATS* Chapter 34: ICMPV6 ERROR MESSAGE TYPES AND FORMATS* Chapter 35: ICMPV6 INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE TYPES AND FORMATS* Chapter 36: IPV6 NEIGHBOR DISCOVERY (ND) PROTOCOLPart II-7: TCP/IP ROUTING PROTOCOLS (GATEWAY PROTOCOLS)* Chapter 37: OVERVIEW OF KEY ROUTING PROTOCOL CONCEPTS* Chapter 38: ROUTING INFORMATION PROTOCOL (RIP, RIP-2, AND RIPNG)* Chapter 39: OPEN SHORTEST PATH FIRST (OSPF)* Chapter 40: BORDER GATEWAY PROTOCOL (BGP/BGP-4)* Chapter 41: OTHER ROUTING PROTOCOLSPart II-8: TCP/IP TRANSPORT LAYER PROTOCOLS* Chapter 42: OVERVIEW AND COMPARISON OF TCP AND UDP* Chapter 43: TCP AND UDP ADDRESSING: PORTS AND SOCKETS* Chapter 44: TCP/IP USER DATAGRAM PROTOCOL (UDP)* Chapter 45: TCP OVERVIEW, FUNCTIONS, AND CHARACTERISTICS* Chapter 46: TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL (TCP) FUNDAMENTALS AND GENERAL OPERATION* Chapter 47: TCP BASIC OPERATION: CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND TERMINATION* Chapter 48: TCP MESSAGE FORMATTING AND DATA TRANSFER* Chapter 49: TCP RELIABILITY AND FLOW CONTROL FEATURESPart III-1: NAME SYSTEMS AND TCP/IP NAME REGISTRATION AND NAME RESOLUTION* Chapter 50: NAME SYSTEM ISSUES, CONCEPTS, AND TECHNIQUES* Chapter 51: TCP/IP NAME SYSTEMS OVERVIEW AND THE HOST TABLE NAME SYSTEM* Chapter 52: DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (DNS) OVERVIEW, FUNCTIONS, AND CHARACTERISTICS* Chapter 53: DNS NAME SPACE, ARCHITECTURE, AND TERMINOLOGY* Chapter 54: DNS NAME REGISTRATION, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, ZONES, AND AUTHORITIES* Chapter 55: DNS NAME SERVER CONCEPTS AND OPERATION* Chapter 56: DNS RESOLUTION CONCEPTS AND RESOLVER OPERATIONS* Chapter 57: DNS MESSAGING AND MESSAGE, RESOURCE RECORD, AND MASTER FILE FORMATSPart III-2: NETWORK FILE AND RESOURCE SHARING PROTOCOLS* Chapter 58: NETWORK FILE AND RESOURCE SHARING AND THE TCP/IP NETWORK FILE SYSTEM (NFS)Part III-3: HOST CONFIGURATION AND TCP/IP HOST CONFIGURATION PROTOCOLS* Chapter 59: HOST CONFIGURATION CONCEPTS, ISSUES, AND MOTIVATION* Chapter 60: TCP/IP BOOTSTRAP PROTOCOL (BOOTP)* Chapter 61: DHCP OVERVIEW AND ADDRESS ALLOCATION CONCEPTS* Chapter 62: DHCP CONFIGURATION AND OPERATION* Chapter 63: DHCP MESSAGING, MESSAGE TYPES, AND FORMATS* Chapter 64: DHCP CLIENT/SERVER IMPLEMENTATION, FEATURES, AND IPV6 SUPPORTPart III-4: TCP/IP NETWORK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK AND PROTOCOLS* Chapter 65: TCP/IP INTERNET STANDARD MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK OVERVIEW* Chapter 66: TCP/IP STRUCTURE OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION (SMI) AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION BASES (MIBS)* Chapter 67: TCP/IP SIMPLE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL (SNMP) CONCEPTS AND OPERATION* Chapter 68: SNMP PROTOCOL MESSAGING AND MESSAGE FORMATS* Chapter 69: TCP/IP REMOTE NETWORK MONITORING (RMON)Part III-5: TCP/IP APPLICATION LAYER ADDRESSING AND APPLICATION CATEGORIES* Chapter 70: TCP/IP APPLICATION LAYER ADDRESSING: UNIFORM RESOURCE IDENTIFIERS, LOCATORS, AND NAMES (URIS, URLS, AND URNS)* Chapter 71: FILE AND MESSAGE TRANSFER OVERVIEW AND APPLICATION CATEGORIESPart III-6: TCP/IP GENERAL FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS* Chapter 72: FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP)* Chapter 73: TRIVIAL FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (TFTP)Part III-7: TCP/IP ELECTRONIC MAIL SYSTEM: CONCEPTS AND PROTOCOLS* Chapter 74: TCP/IP ELECTRONIC MAIL SYSTEM OVERVIEW AND CONCEPTS* Chapter 75: TCP/IP ELECTRONIC MAIL ADDRESSES AND ADDRESSING* Chapter 76: TCP/IP ELECTRONIC MAIL MESSAGE FORMATS AND MESSAGE PROCESSING: RFC 822 AND MIME* Chapter 77: TCP/IP ELECTRONIC MAIL DELIVERY PROTOCOL: THE SIMPLE MAIL TRANSFER PROTOCOL (SMTP)* Chapter 78: TCP/IP ELECTRONIC MAIL ACCESS AND RETRIEVAL PROTOCOLS AND METHODSPart III-8: TCP/IP WORLD WIDE WEB AND THE HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL (HTTP)* Chapter 79: WORLD WIDE WEB AND HYPERTEXT OVERVIEW AND CONCEPTS* Chapter 80: HTTP GENERAL OPERATION AND CONNECTIONS* Chapter 81: HTTP MESSAGES, METHODS, AND STATUS CODES* Chapter 82: HTTP MESSAGE HEADERS* Chapter 83: HTTP Entities, Transfers, Coding Methods, and Content Management* Chapter 84: HTTP FEATURES, CAPABILITIES, AND ISSUESPart III-9: OTHER FILE AND MESSAGE TRANSFER APPLICATIONS* Chapter 85: USENET (NETWORK NEWS) AND THE TCP/IP NETWORK NEWS TRANSFER PROTOCOL (NNTP)* Chapter 86: GOPHER PROTOCOL (GOPHER)Part III-10: INTERACTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE UTILITIES AND PROTOCOLS* Chapter 87: TCP/IP INTERACTIVE AND REMOTE APPLICATION PROTOCOLS* Chapter 88: TCP/IP ADMINISTRATION AND TROUBLESHOOTING UTILITIES AND PROTOCOLSCOLOPHON