Home > Store

Essential Guide to Networking, The

Register your product to gain access to bonus material or receive a coupon.

Essential Guide to Networking, The

  • By
  • Published Sep 18, 2000 by Pearson.

Book

  • Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
Not for Sale

About

Features

  • Coverage of the technical fundamentals and evolution of networks.
    • Provides students with a solid understanding of what the technology is, how it works, and where it came from. Ex.___

  • LANs and WANs—Connections, media, and building blocks.
  • Intranets, extranets, the Internet, and other IP-based networks—Explained in detail.
  • DSL, cable modems, and other high-speed Internet access alternatives are introduced.
  • Understanding Internet security and privacy and their crucial role in networking.
  • Up-to-the-minute wireless coverage—Bluetooth™, WAP, JINI™, and more.
  • Options for maximizing network reliability and security.
  • Key resources for troubleshooting network problems.
    • Coverage of all the major concepts, hardware, technologies, and technical issues provide students with a complete and current overview of networking.

  • Background look at the networking industry and its key players.
  • Powerful trends shaping tomorrow's networks.
    • Provides a look to the future of networking and an introduction to all the key players. Ex.___

Description

  • Copyright 2001
  • Dimensions: 6-3/4" x 9-1/4"
  • Pages: 432
  • Edition: 1st
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-030548-0
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-030548-0

The Essential Guide to Networking is the complete briefing on networking and the Internet for every non-technical professional! In one easy, easily understood book, James Keogh explains today's hottest networking technologies and the fast-changing networking industry! It's the perfect networking guide for every business decision-maker, salesperson, marketer, PR professional, and technical writer -- and for everyone interested in how networks are transforming the world. Start by reviewing the technical fundamentals of networking, and how networks have evolved to where they are today. Next, review the elements and types of networks: components, connections, wide area links, intranets, extranets, and the Internet. Understand how network professionals attempt to maximize network reliability and security, and their key resources for troubleshooting network problems. Finally, in Part IV, Keogh offers a high-level briefing on the networking industry, its major players, and the powerful trends that are already at work shaping tomorrow's networks.

Sample Content

Downloadable Sample Chapter

Click here for a sample chapter for this book: 0130305480.pdf

Table of Contents

I. TECHNOLOGICAL FUNDAMENTALS.

1. Networks: A Look Back.

Reality Check. Frontier Land. The Hidden Network of Data Storage. Sending and Receiving Information Among Computers. Summary.

2. Networks: Basic Concepts.

Reality Check. Analog and Digital. Transmitting Your Thoughts. Summary. Putting It All Together.

II. THE CONNECTION.

3. Networks: Parts and Pieces.

Reality Check. Interrupts. Network Cards. Network Media. Transmitting a Signal Over a Cable. Transmitting a Signal Over the Airwaves. After the Cable. Summary.

4. Networks: Linking Parts Together.

Reality Check. An Electronic Highway. Network Topologies. Network Architecture. Network Protocols. Summary.

5. Networks: Connecting over a Wide Area.

Reality Check. The Telephone System. Wide Area Networks. Summary.

6. Networks: Internet, Intranets, and Extranets.

Reality Check. Inside the Internet. Surfing the Net. Internet Services. Internet Security. Intranets and Extranets. Summary.

7. Networks: Client/Server Technology.

Reality Check. Network Operations. Overcoming Incompatible Network Operating Systems. Summary. Putting It All Together.

III. PREVENTING AND FIXING NETWORK PROBLEMS.

8. Network Reliability and Security.

Reality Check. Network Performance. Network Administration. Network Accounts. Network Security. Summary.

9. How Technicians Troubleshoot a Network.

Reality Check. Preventive Measures. Troubleshooting Network Problems. Summary. Putting It All Together.

IV. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW.

10. Network: The Industry.

Reality Check. The Breadth of the Industry. The Depth of the Industry. The Industry Today. Summary.

11. Networks: The Future of the Industry.

Reality Check. Growth at the Speed of Light. Changing Business Climate. Summary.

Appendix A: Network: Profiles of the Major Players.

Electronic Commerce Segment. Network Software/Services Segment. Network Hardware Segment. Network Communication Segment. Putting It All Together.

Glossary.
Index.

Preface

Preface

Computer technology seems to completely change every 18 months, and network technology is leading this change. Stop and think for a moment how much you depend on network technology. If you're like me, you probably have a difficult time answering that question because networking is something you don't see and most of us don't touch.

Yet if I asked you how many times you send and receive e-mails every day or how many hours a day you surf the Internet, then you probably would have no difficulty answering. E-mail and the Internet are just two ways we use networking technology every day.

Now for the million dollar question: Do you know how networks work? Take your time answering. Remember, you still have your "lifelines" available. If your answer is no, then you're reading the right book.

Most of us know little or nothing about networks unless we work closely with the technicians who maintain them for our company. However, we're forced to interact with network technology whenever the network goes down, leaving us disconnected from our files and e-mails.

A help desk technician talks network mumbo jumbo to us as he or she tries to get us back online. It's tough to admit, but even the office guru probably doesn't have a clue about what the technicians are doing. I know this for a fact because I was one of those office gurus—and that's the reason I wrote this book. I hung around with networking professionals for about a year and discovered networks interested me enough to become an expert. I'd rather be on the complaining end of a call instead of having to track down a problem in the miles of network cables and the hundreds of network devices that keep data flowing through my company.

To help you understand networks, my objective when writing this book was to make the text plain, simple, and easy to understand. As you read through this book and develop your own understanding of how networks work, I think you'll find that I met my goal.

I begin with basic school science that illustrates how an electronic signal is generated. Don't worry—I purposely left out math problems. If you can turn a light switch on and off, then you'll be fine.

After that, I lead you on a clear, straight path that takes you to local area networks and wide area networks technology and a rare look behind the scenes at the Internet. Your journey will be peppered with a few humorous stories that I picked up while I was writing this book.

The last few chapters are devoted to the business side of networking, and I take you on a tour of the movers and shakers who decide how networks operate. You'll recognize a few of the companies as those that are the pride of tech stock traders. Many are not household names, yet have a dramatic role in network and Internet technologies. I'm sure anyone who has remotely followed tech stocks will enjoy this look at the networking industry.

If you're a network technician or want to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, then don't read this book. Instead pick up a copy of my Core MCSE: Networking Essentials, which is a Microsoft Certified-approved study guide designed for studying for the certification tests.

If you're a nontechnical person interested in learning more about networks, then read this book. It's the best way to learn about networking without having to sift through technical stuff you don't need to know.

This book is ideal for anyone who is responsible for administrating network services for an organization and for salespeople, law firms, research organizations, marketing personnel, human resources professionals, project managers, networking managers, and high-level administrators. It will give you the knowledge you need to effectively communicate and understand networking language. And as we evolve farther into a network-centric world, the importance of such a skill is going to be increasingly more apparent and important.

Updates

Submit Errata

More Information

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020