By Charles E. Spurgeon
First Edition
February 2000
Pages: 520
ISBN 10: 1-56592-660-9 |
ISBN 13: 9781565926608
(Average of 6 Customer Reviews)
Ethernet has been the flavor of choice for networking administrators since the early 1980s. Written by one of the foremost experts on Ethernet standards and configuration, Ethernet: The Definitive Guide has all the information you need to set up and maintain a scalable local area network (LAN) using Ethernet. The book includes an introduction to Ethernet and sections on media systems, how to build your Ethernet system, performance analysis, and troubleshooting.
Full Description
- Introduction to Ethernet provides a tour of basic Ethernet theory and operation, including a description of Ethernet frames, operation of the Media Access Control (MAC) protocol, full-duplex mode and auto-negotiation.
- Ethernet Media Systems is the heart of the book. This sectionof Ethernet: The Definitive Guide shows you how to build media-specific Ethernet networks, from a basic 10BASE-T Ethernet offering 10 Mbps over twisted-pair cables, to an advanced 1000BASE-X Gigabit Ethernet, providing up to 1 Gbps of data transfer over fiber optic cables.
- Building Your Ethernet System teaches you how to build twisted-pair and fiber optic media segments, as well as how to build your Ethernet using repeaters and hubs.
- Performance and Troubleshooting is divided into two chapters. The first describes both the performance of a given Ethernet channel, as well as the performance of the entire network system. The second includes a tutorial on troubleshooting techniques and describes the kinds of problems network administrators are likely to encounter.
Cover | Table of Contents | Colophon
Featured customer reviews
Ethernet: All about the Physical Layer, May 16 2007
Although aging, this book is a great description of Ethernet from the original 10Mbs thick cabling thorugh the gigabit standards. It covers copper and fiber media standards, connectors, auto-negotiation, switches, frame layout and a lot more.
The book deals with layers 1 and 2 of the OSI reference model. It contains only passing references to things like RIP, OSPF, SNMP, IP, etc. as these items aren't Ethernet. For details on layers 3, 4, and 5 of the OSI reference model, may I recommend Douglas E. Comer's "Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols, and Architectures", volume 1.
Ethernet: All about the Physical Layer, February 12 2007
To be honest the title page lead me to believe that designing and managing local area networks would actually involve more than what the book covered.
For instance, I expected something about RIP or OSPF routing, instead you get a simple pargraph or two about spanning trees and nothing of substance about SNMP. Hardly, the comprehensive book I thought it would be.
Where the book does shine is about the exhaustive detail about the various connectors, and differences in the 802.3 standards for ethernet, fast ethernet, gigabit ethernet and the subsets of cabling standards.
With that in mind, the book is very comprehensive about the ethernet standard; but the same cannot be said of the management techniques that are above the physical layer.
Ethernet: The Definitive Guide Review, June 03 2003
Have you ever wondered how your own home network works? Or are you responsible for deploying a network for some Fortune 500 company? Maybe you're just somewhere in between. No matter, since this book is, like it's title states, a 'definitive' guide on the topic of Ethernet networking.
The book starts off with a history of how Ethernet evolved, from it's roots at Xerox PARC, and quickly moves on to the IEEE specifications used today. This book is relatively dry reading for most readers for the first few chapters at least, since a very in-depth presentation of the basic Ethernet system is given, as well as the ensuing chapters that look at each system in more detail (ie, 10, 100, and 1000 Megabit Ethernet). One point that struck me as rather odd is the over-emphasis that the author seems to place on fiber optic networks, as though fiber-optic networks are the best thing since sliced bread. Also absent is any mention of wireless Ethernet, although that can pretty much be explained by the age of the book (More than 3 years at the time this review was written).
The rest of the book is more or less devoted to network implementation, covering topics ranging from different cabling systems, all the way down to how to design and implement whatever size network is needed. Hubs, repeaters, routers, and other signaling components are also covered, discussing the functions, uses, and when/when not to use a particular device. Troubleshooting and Ethernet network performance is also covered, though most of the testing tools they cover are well beyond the budget of your average home user.
All in all, 'Ethenet: The Definitive Guide' is a good read for just about anyone who is involved in Ethernet networking, or even just anyone who is more than curious about the topic. Despite it's age, the information given is very thorough, and is still a very valuable reference because of that.
Ethernet: The Definitive Guide Review, March 05 2002
This, along with Rich Seifert's "The Switch Book" are everything that I will ever need. Learning how "auto-negotiation" actually works was invaluable to me.
The trobleshooting section is top notch as well.
I still havent read this book entirely from cover to cover but I do use it as a reference almost daily.
Ethernet: The Definitive Guide Review, September 12 2000
Networking your home? Perhaps your are preparing to network a Fortune 500 company? Maybe you just want to get your computer talking to your wifes downstairs. In any fashion, O'Reilly's "Ethernet: The Definitive Guide" is one of the best networking reference books I have purchased in quite some time.
The author explains everything, from what Ethernet is all the way up to installation and troubleshooting. The comprehensive section on understanding how to plan for your network will save you time and
headaches when it comes to implementing and supporting your network.
One of the best features of the book, by far, is the explanation and breakdown of Ethernet/Networking terms. Do you know what a Fiber Optic Loss Budget is? How about 10Base5 Signal Encoding? The author does a terrific job of explaining, with great detail, terminology and networking concepts that even the most experienced network administrator may sometimes have trouble with.
Performance issues are covered in great detail, along with troubleshooting an existing network. Through examples, you will be able to target bottlenecks in your existing setup, and diagnose failure issues with ease. I found it a great tool as I was attempting to find out why I had a high packet collision rate after a recent network card change in my Linux box.
Even those who are writing network-aware software may find this book a goldmine of information. The technical explanation of the MAC protocol as well as the breakdown of information that is flowing over the network was of great value to me when I was attempting to write a device driver for a network card under BeOS.
This book is geared heavily towards those who support and maintain networks for a living. However, there are many helpful examples and tips that will make this a great reference even for those who are looking to network their homes. From the pre-planning stage, to purchasing the right equipment, this book is a definitive guide to Ethernet networking.
Ethernet: The Definitive Guide Review, August 01 2000
Recently, I decided to install an ethernet in my home. I decided to get this book for some in depth information on setting up a network. It is definately a valuable resource for anyone setting up an ethernet. Most people can set up an ethernet without the knowledge contained in this book, but if you want to have the knowledge to tune and troubleshoot your ethernet with confidence, this is the book for you. Options for 10 Mbit through Gigabit are discussed including hubs, switches, cabling and everything you need to know to get the hardware level working correctly.
Media reviews
"A comprehensive and practical source of information on the entire Ethernet system... This super book shows how Ethernet components can be combined to create Ethernet LANs. While some basic network designs are shown in the book, there are an infinite number of network designs that can be built using Ethernet, ranging from the smallest workgroup on up to very large enterprise networks that support tens of thousands of computers."--Dale Farris, Golden Triangle PC Club February 2003
"Absolutely the most complete collection of information about the Ethernet that I have found in one location...I recommend reading it and following all the advice it offers. This is a great reference text and has more answers than I have questions."
--Joe Mizer, North Orange County Computer Club, Nov 2002
"If you've been occupied with networking for any length of time, you've undoubtedly acquired a lot of information about Ethernet. O'Reilly's 'Ethernet: The Definitive Guide,' however, brings to light just how little the average administrator actually knows about it.. found the separate coverage of fiber optic and twisted-pair mediums throughout the book to be its greatest asset...The diagrams and illustrations throughout the book accentuate the topics and are done quite brilliantly... it's readily apparent on every page that Mr. Spurgeon knows the topic inside and out...This is the single-source book that explains the real details."
--Emmett Dulaney, Unixreview.com, Nov 2001
