Home > Store

Computer Networking A Top-Down Approach (Book), 9th Edition

View Larger Image

Computer Networking A Top-Down Approach (Book), 9th Edition

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

Computer Networking A Top-Down Approach (Book), 9th Edition

Book

  • Your Price: $179.99
  • Usually ships in 24 hours.
Add to cart

FREE SHIPPING!

About

Features

Hallmark features of this title

  • A balanced presentation focuses on the Internet as a specific motivating example of a network, and introduces students to protocols in a more theoretical context.
  • Principles and Practice boxes demonstrate real-world applications of the principles studied.
  • Case History boxes help tell the story of the history and development of computer networking.
  • Application programming development material is included, along with numerous programming assignments.
  • A highly developed art program enhances the descriptions of concepts.
  • The author-maintained website offers additional resources and exercises that allow students to generate (and view solutions for) problems similar to those in the text for additional practice.

Description

  • Copyright 2026
  • Dimensions: 7-3/8" x 9-1/8"
  • Pages: 720
  • Edition: 9th
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-542933-1
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-542933-4

Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach introduces this complex subject in a top-down manner, proceeding from the application layer toward the physical layer and familiarizing you with important concepts early in your study. While more precise and analytical than other introductory computer networking texts, it rarely uses any mathematical concepts that are not taught in high school; its clear and accessible presentation helps you build a solid foundation without extensive programming or mathematical knowledge.

The 9th Edition addresses the introduction of Wi-Fi-6, 5G cellular networks, and the software-i-zation of cellular networks, all of which have driven more rapid change in wireless and mobile networking since the previous edition. It also updates many sections throughout to reflect changes across the breadth of networking. Revisions include new coverage of HTTP/3 protocol and QUIC, new material on content distribution networks and streaming services, updated discussion of network security, and much more.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

1: Computer Networks and the Internet

  • Introduction
  • 1.1 What Is the Internet?
    • 1.1.1 A Nuts-and-Bolts Description
    • 1.1.2 A Services Description
    • 1.1.3 What Is a Protocol?
  • 1.2 The Network Edge
    • 1.2.1 Access Networks
    • 1.2.2 Physical Media
  • 1.3 The Network Core
    • 1.3.1 Packet Switching
    • 1.3.2 Circuit Switching
    • 1.3.3 A Network of Networks
  • 1.4 Delay, Loss, and Throughput in Packet-Switched Networks
    • 1.4.1 Overview of Delay in Packet-Switched Networks
    • 1.4.2 Queuing Delay and Packet Loss
    • 1.4.3 End-to-End Delay
    • 1.4.4 Throughput in Computer Networks
  • 1.5 Protocol Layers and Their Service Models
    • 1.5.1 Layered Architecture
    • 1.5.2 Encapsulation
  • 1.6 Networks Under Attack
  • 1.7 History of Computer Networking and the Internet
    • 1.7.1 The Development of Packet Switching: 1961-1972
    • 1.7.2 Proprietary Networks and Internetworking: 1972-1980
    • 1.7.3 A Proliferation of Networks: 1980-1990
    • 1.7.4 The Internet Explosion: The 1990s
    • 1.7.5 The New Millennium
  • 1.8 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Wireshark Lab
  • Interview: Leonard Kleinrock

2: Application Layer

  • Introduction
  • 2.1 Principles of Network Applications
    • 2.1.1 Network Application Architectures
    • 2.1.2 Processes Communicating
    • 2.1.3 Transport Services Available to Applications
    • 2.1.4 Transport Services Provided by the Internet
    • 2.1.5 Application-Layer Protocols
    • 2.1.6 Network Applications Covered in This Book
  • 2.2 The Web and HTTP
    • 2.2.1 Overview of HTTP
    • 2.2.2 Non-Persistent and Persistent Connections
    • 2.2.3 HTTP Message Format
    • 2.2.4 User-Server Interaction: Cookies
    • 2.2.5 Web Caching
    • 2.2.6 HTTP/2
    • 2.2.7 HtTP/3 and QUIC
  • 2.3 Electronic Mail in the Internet
    • 2.3.1 SMTP
    • 2.3.2 Mail Message Formats
    • 2.3.3 Mail Access Protocols
  • 2.4 DNS: The Internets Directory Service
    • 2.4.1 Services Provided by DNS
    • 2.4.2 Overview of How DNS Works
    • 2.4.3 DNS Records and Messages
  • 2.5 Video Streaming and Content Distribution Networks
    • 2.5.1 Internet Video
    • 2.5.2 HTTP Streaming and DASH
    • 2.5.3 Content Distribution Networks
    • 2.5.4 Case Studies: Netflix and YouTube
  • 2.6 Socket Programming: Creating Network Applications
    • 2.6.1 Socket Programming with UDP
    • 2.6.2 Socket Programming with TCP
    • 2.6.3 Socket Programming with QUIC
  • 2.7 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Socket Programming Assignments
  • Wireshark Labs: HTTP, DNS
  • Interview: Paul Mockapetris

3: Transport Layer

  • Introduction
  • 3.1 Introduction and Transport-Layer Services
    • 3.1.1 Relationship Between Transport and Network Layers
    • 3.1.2 Overview of the Transport Layer in the Internet
  • 3.2 Multiplexing and Demultiplexing
  • 3.3 Connectionless Transport: UDP
    • 3.3.1 UDP Segment Structure
    • 3.3.2 UDP Checksum
  • 3.4 Principles of Reliable Data Transfer
    • 3.4.1 Building a Reliable Data Transfer Protocol
    • 3.4.2 Pipelined Reliable Data Transfer Protocols
    • 3.4.3 Go-Back-N (GBN)
    • 3.4.4 Selective Repeat (SR)
  • 3.5 Connection-Oriented Transport: TCP
    • 3.5.1 The TCP Connection
    • 3.5.2 TCP Segment Structure
    • 3.5.3 Round-Trip Time Estimation and Timeout
    • 3.5.4 Reliable Data Transfer
    • 3.5.5 Flow Control
    • 3.5.6 TCP Connection Management
  • 3.6 Principles of Congestion Control
    • 3.6.1 The Causes and the Costs of Congestion
    • 3.6.2 End-to-end and Network-assisted Approaches to Congestion Control
  • 3.7 TCP Congestion Control
    • 3.7.1 Classic End-End TCP Congestion Control
    • 3.7.2 More Recent End-End TCP Congestion Control Algorithms
    • 3.7.3 Network-Assisted Explicit Congestion Notification
    • 3.7.4 Fairness
  • 3.8 Evolution of Transport-Layer Functionality
  • 3.9 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Programming Assignments
  • Wireshark Labs: Exploring TCP, UDP
  • Interview: Van Jacobson

4: The Network Layer: Data Plane

  • Introduction
  • 4.1 Overview of Network Layer
    • 4.1.1 Forwarding and Routing: The Network Data and Control Planes
    • 4.1.2 Network Service Models
  • 4.2 Whats Inside a Router?
    • 4.2.1 Input Port Processing and Destination-Based Forwarding
    • 4.2.2 Switching
    • 4.2.3 Output Port Processing
    • 4.2.4 Where Does Queuing Occur?
    • 4.2.5 Packet Scheduling
  • 4.3 The Internet Protocol (IP): IPv4, Addressing, IPv6, and More
    • 4.3.1 IPv4 Datagram Format
    • 4.3.2 IPv4 Addressing
    • 4.3.3 Network Address Translation (NAT)
    • 4.3.4 IPv6
  • 4.4 Generalized Forwarding and SDN
    • 4.4.1 Match
    • 4.4.2 Action
    • 4.4.3 OpenFlow Examples of Match-plus-action in Action
    • 4.4.4 Middleboxes
  • 4.5 Architectural Principles of the Internet
  • 4.6 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Wireshark Lab: IP
  • Interview: Vinton G. Cerf

5: The Network Layer: Control Plane

  • Introduction
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Routing Algorithms
    • 5.2.1 The Link-State (LS) Routing Algorithm
    • 5.2.2 The Distance-Vector (DV) Routing Algorithm
  • 5.3 Intra-AS Routing in the Internet: OSPF
  • 5.4 Routing Among the ISPs: BGP
    • 5.4.1 The Role of BGP
    • 5.4.2 Advertising BGP Route Information
    • 5.4.3 Determining the Best Routes
    • 5.4.4 IP-Anycast
    • 5.4.5 Routing Policy
    • 5.4.6 Putting the Pieces Together: Obtaining Internet Presence
  • 5.5 The SDN Control Plane
    • 5.5.1 The SDN Control Plane: SDN Controller and SDN Network-Control Applications
    • 5.5.2 OpenFlow Protocol
    • 5.5.3 Data and Control Plane Interaction: An Example
    • 5.5.4 SDN: Past and Future
  • 5.6 ICMP: The Internet Control Message Protocol
  • 5.7 Network Management, SNMP, and NETCONF/YANG
    • 5.7.1 The Network Management Framework
    • 5.7.2 The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and the Management Information Base (MIB)
    • 5.7.3 The Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) and YANG
  • 5.8 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Socket Programming Assignment 5: ICMP Ping
  • Programming Assignment: Routing
  • Wireshark Lab: ICMP
  • Interview: Jennifer Rexford

6: The Link Layer and LANs

  • Introduction
  • 6.1 Introduction to the Link Layer
    • 6.1.1 The Services Provided by the Link Layer
    • 6.1.2 Where Is the Link Layer Implemented?
  • 6.2 Error-Detection and -Correction Techniques
    • 6.2.1 Parity Checks
    • 6.2.2 Checksumming Methods
    • 6.2.3 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)
  • 6.3 Multiple Access Links and Protocols
    • 6.3.1 Channel Partitioning Protocols
    • 6.3.2 Random Access Protocols
    • 6.3.3 Taking-Turns Protocols
    • 6.3.4 DOCSIS: The Link-Layer Protocol for Cable Internet Access
  • 6.4 Switched Local Area Networks
    • 6.4.1 Link-Layer Addressing and ARP
    • 6.4.2 Ethernet
    • 6.4.3 Link-Layer Switches
    • 6.4.4 Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
  • 6.5 Link Virtualization: A Network as a Link Layer
    • 6.5.1 Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
    • 6.5.2 VXLANs: Ethernet Over IP
  • 6.6 Data Center Networking
    • 6.6.1 Data Center Architectures
    • 6.6.2 Trends in Data Center Networking
  • 6.7 Retrospective: A Day in the Life of a Web Page Request
    • 6.7.1 Getting Started: DHCP, UDP, IP, and Ethernet
    • 6.7.2 Still Getting Started: DNS and ARP
    • 6.7.3 Still Getting Started: Intra-Domain Routing to the DNS Server
    • 6.7.4 Web Client-Server Interaction: TCP and HTTP
  • 6.8 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Wireshark Labs: Ethernet and Home Networking
  • Interview: Vahdat

7: Wireless and Mobile Networks

  • Introduction
  • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 The Physical Layer in Wireless Networks
    • 7.2.1 Characteristics of wireless Channel
    • 7.2.2 Coding and Modulation: from bits to symbols to waveforms
  • 7.3 The Wireless Access Network
    • 7.3.1 Sharing the Wireless Channel
    • 7.3.2 WiFi: the 802.11 Wireless LAN
    • 7.3.3 The 5G Radio Access Network
    • 7.3.4 Discovery: Attaching to a Wireless Network
    • 7.3.5 Scheduling Transmissions over the RAN/WLAN
    • 7.3.6 Energy Considerations: wake/sleep
  • 7.4 The Wireless Core Network
    • 7.4.1 The 5G Core and Network Functions
    • 7.4.2 User-plane Function
    • 7.4.3 User identity, registration, and session establishment
  • 7.5 Mobility
    • 7.5.1 Mobility Principles
    • 7.5.2 Mobility in a WiFi Network
    • 7.5.3 Mobility in a 5G Network
  • 7.6 Bluetooth, Satellite and IoT Networks
    • 7.6.1 Bluetooth Networks
    • 7.6.2 Satellite Networks
    • 7.6.3 Internet of Things (IoT) Networks
  • 7.7 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Programming Assignment: Implementing a 4G/5G RAN scheduler
  • Wireshark Labs: WiFi and 4/5G
  • Interview: Deborah Estrin

8: Security in Computer Networks

  • Introduction
  • 8.1 What Is Network Security?
  • 8.2 Principles of Cryptography
    • 8.2.1 Symmetric Key Cryptography
    • 8.2.2 Public Key Encryption
  • 8.3 Message Integrity and Digital Signatures
    • 8.3.1 Cryptographic Hash Functions
    • 8.3.2 Message Authentication Code
    • 8.3.3 Digital Signatures
  • 8.4 End-Point Authentication
  • 8.5 Securing E-Mail
    • 8.5.1 Secure E-Mail
    • 8.5.2 PGP
  • 8.6 Securing TCP and HTTP Connections: TLS
    • 8.6.1 The Big Picture
    • 8.6.2 A More Complete Picture: TLS 1.3
  • 8.7 Network-Layer Security: IPsec and Virtual Private Networks
    • 8.7.1 IPsec and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
    • 8.7.2 The AH and ESP Protocols
    • 8.7.3 Security Associations
    • 8.7.4 The IPsec Datagram
    • 8.7.5 IKE: Key Management in IPsec
  • 8.8 Securing Wireless LANs and 4G/5G Cellular Networks
    • 8.8.1 Authentication and Key Agreement in 802.11 Wireless LANs
    • 8.8.2 Authentication and Key Agreement in 5G Cellular Networks
  • 8.9 Operational Security: Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems
    • 8.9.1 Firewalls
    • 8.9.2 Intrusion Detection Systems
  • 8.10 Summary
  • Homework Problems and Questions
  • Problems
  • Wireshark Lab: TLS, IPsec Labs
  • Interview: Cranor

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.