| Technologies related to networks and internetworking may be the fastest growing in our culture today. One of the ramifications of that growth is a dramatic increase in the number of
professions where an understanding of these technologies is essential for success—and a
proportionate increase in the number and types of students taking courses to learn about them.
This is a book about the TCP/IP protocol suite. It provides information necessary for students
who seek a degree in data communications and networking. It is also a reference for
professionals who are supporting or preparing to work with networks based on TCP/IP. In short, this book is for anyone who needs to understand the suite.
The book assumes the reader has no prior knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol suite, although a
previous course in data communications is desirable. Organization
This book is divided into five parts. The first part, comprising Chapters 1 to 3, reviews the
basic concepts and underlying technologies that, although independent from the TCP/IP
protocols, are needed to support them.
The second part of the text discusses the protocols in the network and transport layer.
Chapters 4 to 10 emphasize the network layer protocols. Transport layer protocols are fully
described in Chapters 11, 12, and 13. Chapters 14 and 15 are devoted to a detailed description of routing protocols.
The third part discusses the traditional application programs that use the network and
transport layer protocols. Chapters 16 to 22 discuss these applications.
The fourth part (Chapters 23 to 27) covers issues and topics relatively new to the Internet. We discuss IP over ATM, mobile IP, multimedia, private and virtual private networks, network
address translation, and IP next generation.
The fifth part of the book (Chapter 28) is devoted to network security. This chapter first
discusses the concepts and issues related to security in general and then shows how they are applied in the Internet. | 
2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education