Introduction

This book provides a look at computer networking from the point of view of the network administrator. It guides readers from an entry-level knowledge in computer networks to advanced concepts in Ethernet networks, router configuration, TCP/IP networks, routing protocols, local, campus, and wide area network configuration, network security, wireless networking, optical networks, Voice over IP, the network server, Linux networking, and industrial networks. After covering the entire text, readers will have gained a solid knowledge base in computer networks.

In my years of teaching, I have observed that technology students prefer to learn “how to swim” after they have gotten wet and taken in a little water. Then they are ready for more challenges. Show the students the technology, how it is used, and why, and they will take the applications of the technology to the next level. Allowing them to experiment with the technology helps them to develop a greater understanding. This book does just that.