Computer Networks: A Systems Approach

by Larry L. Peterson, Bruce S Davie, Davie, Bruce S., et al.

Book Overview

Computer Networks, Fourth Edition, continues to provide an enduring, practical understanding of networks and their building blocks through rich, example-based instruction. This expanded and completely updated edition covers the why of network design, focusing not just the specifications comprising today's systems but how key technologies and protocols actually work in the real world to solve specific problems. It is the only introductory...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0123705487
• ISBN13: 9780123705488
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
• Length: 848 Pages
• Weight: 3.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent background on TCP/IP

This was a required textbook for one of my courses, so I started out by borrowing a copy from the library, but I liked the book so much, that I ended up buying it. This book gives an excellent insight into the design decisions that went into original TCP/IP design, the subsequent problems and the changes that were made to counter those. The problem set after each chapter is interesting and rigorous. One downside, though, is that it does not focus so much on the application layer of TCP/IP model.

Great textbook

I've read all of the standard CS networks textbooks for both undergrad and grad classes. This one is my favorite as both an introduction to networking and as a reference for graduate coursework. The new 4th edition updates and expands coverage in the 4 years since the 3rd edition was covered. Highly recommended.

The way to write books!

I used this book for two courses that I taught: One was for a graduate course at Carnegie-Mellon University and the other was for a group of Software Engineers in a startup company. The students in both setting overwhelmingly liked this book. I carefully considered about dozen books before selecting this book. The organization of the book is very logical and makes even the difficult concept very simple for the students to understand. This is the way to write computer networks textbooks.

Computer Networks: A Systems Approach

I am a marketing professional and was asked to read this book by a client. Needless to say, the prospect of wading through a dry, historical summary of how computer networks arrived at their current state was less than appealing. I was pleasantly surprised, however, right from the beginning. The writing is clear and while it does cover certain topics in more detail than I required I wasn't penalized for glossing over them. This book is something rare, a great introduction to the topic for laypersons and a detailed examination of how networks have evolved and where they will likely go in the future. I read it a few months back and find myself still using it as a reference since almost every term catalogued in the index is explained at several levels in the text. Simply put, this book is well written and easily read, a rarity in this field.

Highly Recommended

For a reader with a background in programming and/or computer science, this book is a great introduction to all major aspects of computer networking. The writing is easy to understand -- it seems the author is more interested in really communicating the ideas than in dazzling the reader with unnecessarily complicated language. The book is long on the underlying principles of networking, but also maintains a certain level of practicality that I really appreciated. I highly recommend this book.