Recommended book on TCP/IP

TCP/IP Illustrated: Protocols
Internetworking with TCP/IP
The TCP/IP Guide

These three seem to be the most popular out of the vendor independent books on TCP/IP; can't decide which one I should go for. TCP/IP Illustrated has quite a lot of good reviews, so I'm drawn to it more than I am to the other two. The TCP/IP Guide is about 1600 pages, which I don't particularly fancy right now.

Which one would you recommend?

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Comments

Zartanasaurus

I don't recommend the 2nd edition of TCP/IP Illustrated. Nowhere near is good of a writing style as the original.
TCP/IP Guide can be read for free on the author's website.
I've never read Internetworking with TCP/IP, but I know it's considered the gold standard for books of its kind.

I ended up getting TCP/IP Protocol Suite. It's more expensive than the others, but I wanted something I could get on an e-reader.

Eildor

i have access to many ebooks, but i much prefer physical copies... can't read from the monitor for too long.

Zartanasaurus

I have an Asus tablet with the Kindle app. Do 90% of my reading on it.

Eildor

I don't know how people can read like that... I just find reading from a book so much better... maybe it's psychological, I don't know ;p

YuckTheFankees

I can't do E-books either, I need to be able to go through the pages when I need too...

Amazon.com: TCP/IP Protocol Suite (Mcgraw-Hill Forouzan Networking) (9780073376042): Behrouz Forouzan: Books pricey

Amazon.com: TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) (9780201633467): W. Richard Stevens: Books

Ivanjam

Eildor wrote: »

I don't know how people can read like that... I just find reading from a book so much better... maybe it's psychological, I don't know ;p

I have no clue how they do it. I have been using computers since the late 'eighties and still can't read books on the screen.

Eildor

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

I can't do E-books either, I need to be able to go through the pages when I need too...

Amazon.com: TCP/IP Protocol Suite (Mcgraw-Hill Forouzan Networking) (9780073376042): Behrouz Forouzan: Books pricey

Amazon.com: TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) (9780201633467): W. Richard Stevens: Books

Do you recommend I get the first edition of TCP/IP Illustrated as opposed to the second edition then? It would seem that some are complaining about the writing style of the second edition.

YuckTheFankees

I would recommend the 1st edition.

Ryan82

Agreed, the writing style of the 1st edition is easier to digest.

paul78

I learned tcp/ip using Rich Stevens' UNIX Network Programming 1st Edition. I would recommend any of his books. One of prized possesions is an autographed copy of the first edition.

Eildor

Ordered TCP/IP Illustrated (First Edition). Thank you.

Forsaken_GA

I've read TCP/IP Illustrated, and I think it's great (especially since it teaches you how to use tcpdump, a lost art these days), but for someone looking to learn TCP/IP, I'd recommend Comer's book (Internetworking with TCP/IP) as the first place to start. I think it's a little bit easier to digest

Eildor

TCP/IP Illustrated will do me for now. If I need another book on TCP/IP it will definitely be Cromer's book.

PsychoFin

I really liked Radia Perlman's book:

Amazon.com: Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition) (978020163448

: Radia Perlman: Books

But any of the ones mentioned are great, and TCP/IP Illustrated is good too!

Regards,
Fin

Eildor

I was under the impression that Radia Perlman's book was more for layer 2 technologies.

Forsaken_GA

It's not. I do recommend Interconnections as well, but it's TCP/IP coverage isn't that in depth, and knowing TCP/IP is pretty darn important if you're going to be a network engy. Interconnections covers bridge and router theory, though, it tends to be regarded primarily as a layer 2 book because Radia invented STP

Eildor

My plan was to go from TCP/IP Illustrated > Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches and Internetworking Protocols > Routing TCP/IP

Sound ok to you? Not sure what I'll read after, but those books should keep me busy for a month or two.

PsychoFin

That sounds good; going from vendor neutral to vendor specific. Might not benecessary to read both of those books, but it won't hurt. Good luck!