Book details of 'Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition)'

Title	Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition)
Author(s)	Radia Perlman
ISBN	0201634481
Language	English
Published	October 1999
Publisher	Addison-Wesley Pub Co

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition)':

Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
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.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
When one delves into aspects of internetworking, one invariably comes across a chapter on routing and the difficulty thereof. It is usually at this point that the book dissolves into a maze of twisty little formulae and acronyms, all alike. It is, therefore, appropriate that bridges and routers should have a book all to themselves. This is a thorough examination and presentation of the concepts of, and problems in, the interconnection of networks. It deals primarily with the constructs and algorithms at what would generally be seen as an academic level. There is much practical information, but for the system designer of routers, rather than the system administrator. This second edition of the classic has been extended, not only in the addition of a number of examples and protocols, but also in conceptual terms, expanding to include more types of connections such as switches and hubs. The academic appearance is heightened by the presence of homework and exercise questions at the end of every chapter. These are not mere reading checks, but require some thought. A few of them even contain some subtle humour. For those already working in the field, these likely would provide a means of self-study and self-assessment. Topics include networking concepts, data link issues, basic bridges, source routing, LANs, network services, connection-oriented nets, connectionless service, network layer addressing, connectionless data packet formats, autoconfiguration and discovery, routing algorithms, packet forwarding, specific routing protocols, WAN (Wide Area Network) multicasting, and high-reliability routing. Two further chapters examine the questions of the bridge versus router versus switch decision, and protocol design folklore (abiding by the "sufficiently many jokes" protocol). This work does a thorough job of explaining a complicated and important part of the networking puzzle. Those who work seriously in the field of wide area networking should definitely have the book to hand. However, those who merely want a clearer understanding of this cluttered area of the network cloud should consider the volume as well: it makes clear explanations, and is remarkably readable for such a technical subject. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993
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