TCP/IP for Dummies, Fifth Edition

TCP/IP is always a hot topic because it is and always will be the glue that holds the Internet and the World Wide Web together. To be well connected (network-wise, that is), sooner or later you have to become familiar with TCP/IP. So if you want to understand what it is, what it does, what it’s for, why you need it, and what to do with it, but you just don’t know where to start?– this book is for you. If you have to install and set up TCP/IP on your computer at home or on lots of computers for your company, you'll find lots of Hands-On sections that take you through the process step by step.

TCP/IP For Dummies, 5th Edition, is both an introduction to the basics and a reference to help you use TCP/IP applications and tools on all kinds of computers connected to networks. Here are some of the many subjects that this book covers:

• Uncovering the relationships among TCP/IP, the Net, and the Web
• Exploring client/server and how it is the foundation of TCP/IP
• Installing and configuring TCP/IP and its applications on clients and servers
• Understanding intranets, extranets, and virtual private networks (VPNs)
• Building and enforcing security
• Boldly going to the next generation: IPv6

If you’re concerned about the security of your data?–?and who isn’t??–?don’t miss the practical security tips in this book, including a Quick Start Security Guide. You can read about advanced security topics, including the security protocols that are part of TCP/IP. You also find out how to use encryption, authentication, digital certificates, and signatures. And if you’re interested in e-commerce, walk through a secure Internet credit card transaction.

If you're a diehard techie, TCP/IP is probably an exciting topic. For people who are not techies but need to learn TCP/IP basics anyway, there's the wonderful TCP/IP For Dummies. Leiden and Wilensky tackle their subject matter with the irreverence characteristic of the Dummies series. They toss technical gobbledygook out the window in favor of plain English and apply a healthy dose of humor to make the learning fun.

The first of the book's four sections explains the background of TCP/IP and its relationship to the Internet and provides general information on networking and network terminology. Part 2 details TCP/IP itself, covering the components, how to make Net connections, how to share files, e-mail, and more. The third part looks at important related issues: system security, the fine points of system names and addresses, and tips on which hardware will make your system work as you want it to. The final section is the traditional Dummies series "Part of Tens," where the authors give you assorted lists of 10. Some are informative, such as the lists of top 10 online documents pertaining to the Internet, top 10 documents pertaining specifically to TCP/IP, and the list of 10 most frequently asked questions about TCP/IP. Other lists are more for entertainment, such as the lists of 10 strange but real TCP/IP network devices and 10 synonyms for the Internet.