If you really want to understand how the Internet and other computer networks operate, start with Computer Networks and Internets, Third Edition. Douglas E. Comer, who helped build the Internet, presents an up-to-the-minute tour of the Internet and internetworking, from low-level data transmission wiring all the way up to Web and chat services and other Internet application software. The new edition contains extensive coverage of network programming, as well as authoritative introductions to many new Internet protocols and technologies, from CIDR addressing to Network Address Translation (NAT).Comer explains every layer of the network protocol stack, showing exactly how facilities and services provided by one layer are used and extended in the next. Discover how networking hardware utilizes carrier signals, modulation and encoding; why internets use packet switching; how LANs, local loops, WANs, public and private networks work; and how protocols like TCP support internetworking. Learn the client/server model at the heart of most network applications, and understand key Internet/Web technologies including CGI, DNS, E-mail, ADSL, cable modems, and more. This new edition includes a complete new chapter on static and automatic Internet routing, introducing key concepts such as Autonomous Systems and hop metrics. It also provides a thorough introduction to network programming with three sample applications; detailed new coverage of CIDR addressing; a step-by-step guide to configuring Network Address Translation in home and small-business networks; and a full chapter on label switching and virtual circuits. Douglas Comer has been a respected leader of the Internet community for decades. If you're interested in how networking and the Internet work, you won't find a better guide.For anyone interested in how the Internet and other computer networks work. Read Less