Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (6th Edition)

Previously I had written a review on "Computer Networks" by Tanenbaum and Wetherall. I had no exposure to Kurose & Ross, so I thought it was the best around. I was incorrect. Don't get me wrong, the Tanenbaum book is still quite good. But I am now using Kurose & Ross for my networking class, and it is far better for an intuitive understanding of networking.What makes Kurose & Ross better for a first course in networking? It reads quite well (except for Chapter 5, I think the editor forgot to take a look at that one), which is an incredible achievement for a networking book. The flow of the book is much better, as is the approach to explanations. They approach their explanations of networking as though you are a person who has no exposure to networking. I do not think the Tanenbaum book is quite so careful. What does this mean in terms of the book? K&R uses many analogies to help you understand. It also has an entire section devoted to everything that happens, step by step, when a user requests a webpage. DHCP, ARP, TCP, HTTP, etc. This is great for the big picture.Also, K&R motivates the materials by explaining the dilemma they faced at the time, what the conceptual design considerations are, and then you are primed for the explanation of the actual protocols. This is vastly helpful. Another point for K&R is the top down approach. It really provide a significant improvement for the average student.Lastly, I think the scope and content of K&R is better for a first course in networking. They are quite detailed, yet they leave out other things that are extraneous to our current understanding of networking (e.g. Shannon's limit and Nyquist's Theorem -- the way my networking prof put it, those have been settled debates for many years, and don't really affect the study of networking today). Which lends itself to my final point: the math used in K&R is WAY more practical and intuitive. Propagation, Transmission, and Queueing delay, queueing efficiency, the difference in time between persistent and non-persistent HTTP, etc. Tanenbaum doesn't really have the unified picture in this regard, and some of the math in it is very unrealistic for a first course.All in all, an incredible networking text.

This book has excellent breadth, and covers the vast area of networking well. It is not intended to cover any particular part of networking in great depth, and in keeping with this goal, does not concentrate excessively on any topic.The strengths lie in the explanations and the diagrams. The explanations (especially of important algorithms and topics) combined with well thought out diagrams provide lucid explanations for most of the vital concepts.The organization is also well thought out, because the hierarchy is extremely important, and sufficient emphasis is placed in this book.Would definitely recommend for a beginning course in Computer Networking.

Since computer networking is still not a very well developed field- there are still a lot of things that are still developing (such as software-defined networking, video-streaming applications, P2P networks, new TCP congestion policies, and new routing algorithms.....). This textbook tries to cover as many topics as possible- but not in enough depth- just like a bunch of research papers putting together into one book and maybe try to make them correlate them with each other.It is also slightly disorganized and sometimes leaves out some important details.But so far- this is still the best textbook for computer networking- since you don't have much choice anyway.A better way to learn computer networking may be enrolling some online courses rather than reading textbooks.

As a 3rd year computer science student with little experience with networks prior to the course that used this textbook, I found it very accessible. The textbook outlines and then defines the five layers of networking: application, transport, network, link-layer and physical, chapter-by-chapter. In addition, there are chapters that cover network security, network management and wireless networks. The textbook provides a great deal of information interlaced with an appropriate amount of humor. I would fully recommend this book for learning networking topics, for those without a significant understanding of networking concepts.

I think it's worth starting off by saying that I'm not going to be too detail specific. I rented this as part of an introductory networking course. Unfortunately, the course and the book don't really work well together. Some aspects of networking are really detailed and thorough - especially when discussing how to build the network layer into software, but when trying to understand the concepts, this book misses pretty significantly. I found myself flipping through several pages looking for the meat of the topic. ("Is there a page missing? Why did it end there?") This could be a good reference book, however some of the core examples are too specific to certain transient solutions or technologies. I liked that the book was organized into the network layers, but there was still some cherry-picking of the details that should have had more content. This has been mentioned in another review as well.

Very well organized and easy to read book that includes references to further reading throughout. Simply one of the best computer related textbooks I've read, period. A must read for anyone involved with computer networking. A chapter on the physical layer would be a good addition, but otherwise I was more than happy with this purchase.

This book was required for a graduate course that I had in computer networking. The authors did an excellent job at gradually introducing the reader to the broad and sometimes complex topics in computer networking while still keeping the reader engaged. One thing I did not like was how some of the important concepts, like BGP protocols, were very briefly introduced and brushed off by tagging some references and/or referring to exercises at the end of the chapter. Overall, an excellent book and worth every penny.

I start this review with a caveat: I have written over a dozen books on TCP/IP and networking myself, mostly mass-market but a few intended as text books, and I work with this stuff everyday. So, I consider myself not just well versed in the subject, but also a tough critic! So why look at this book? It came about as a textbook for a degree program I was taking in my spare time, with an optional course in networking. I wanted an "easy" course to have a bit of a break while work was heavy, so opted in and this was the textbook. Keep in mind, textbooks are written for a different market than mass-market books on the subject, especially since most textbooks contain exercises at the end of each chapter, as well as tending to go into more detail on some subject areas. There's actually a later edition of this book available, but the chosen version for my course was this one, hence the current review.So, how does this book hold up? Remarkably well. The author's style is readable and clear. They cover the basics quickly and well, then start delving into the subject in greater detail in each chapter, building on the subject as they go. There's illustrations where useful, and examples of calculations where appropriate. The contents covers the details, not implementation as much, but after reading through this book you'll know more about network protocols and computer networks than you thought possible (or perhaps necessary!). The book is backed up with an on-line resource (requiring a password from the book to get access) including labs and additional content. Much of the book's exercises revolve around a tool called Wireshark (readily available from the Internet) and the labs used in my course were all Wireshark-based, accessed through the support area.In talking to others who teach Networking at university and college, Kurose and Ross have become the defacto textbook, for a good reason. The book covers all you need to know, does it well and in an engaging tone, and was quite enjoyable to read, even by someone who knows the subject area quite well.

Great use for my Computer Networking course. I learned more from this book than I did from the instructor!

Very clear explanations and easy to understand. This was a required textbook and it is better than the teacher I have.

Fantastic textbook by any standard.

perfect!!