Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)

Radia Perlman's Interconnections is recognized as a leading text on networking theory and practice. It provides authoritative and comprehensive information on general networking concepts, routing algorithms and protocols, addressing, and the mechanics of bridges, routers, switches, and hubs. This Second Edition is expanded and updated to cover the newest developments in the field, including advances in switching and bridge technology, VLANs, Fast Ethernet, DHCP, ATM, and IPv6. Additional new topics include IPX, AppleTalk, and DECnet. You will gain a deeper understanding of the range of solutions possible and find valuable information on protocols for which documentation is not readily available elsewhere. Written by the inventor of many of the algorithms that make switching and routing robust and efficient, Interconnections, Second Edition offers an expert's insight into how and why networks operate as they do. Perlman describes all of the major networking algorithms and protocols in use today in clear and concise terms, while exploring the engineering trade-offs that the different approaches represent. The book contains extensive coverage of such topics as: *The spanning tree algorithm *The differences between bridges, routers, and switches *Virtual LANs (VLANs) and Fast Ethernet *Addressing and packet formats for IP, IPv6, IPX, CLNP, AppleTalk, and DECnet *Autoconfiguration of addresses; strategies in various protocol suites *Routing protocols, including RIP, IS-IS, OSPF, PNNI, NLSP, and BGP *Layer 3 multicast protocols, including IGMP, DVMRP, MOSPF, CBT, PIM, BGMP, Simple Multicast, and Express *Sabotage-proof routing *Protocol design folklore 0201634481B04062001

This latest release of Interconnections is a competent update of a networking classic. Radia Perlman explains hundreds of details about getting computers--and computer networks--to talk to one another smoothly, accurately, and efficiently. Perlman, inventor of the spanning-tree bridging algorithm, covers the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, bridges, switches, hubs, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), plus connection-based and connectionless networks. She also does a great job of explaining the underpinnings of internetworking protocols, including packet format, addressing, routing (both generically and in terms of RIP, RTMP, OSPF, and other protocols), and security. There's plenty of IPv6 information here, mostly from a theoretical vantage point.

The best parts of Perlman's approach to her subject are the little thought experiments that explain why various aspects of internetworking behave the way they do. For example, Perlman talks about Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) discovery by presenting four different hypotheses for figuring out MTU. For each possible solution, she discusses strengths, weaknesses, and real-life considerations. She applies this method to dozens of other problems and phenomena, making Interconnections a very close approximation of learning by experiment. --David Wall

Topics covered: Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, bridges, switches, hubs, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), and internetworking protocols.