Chapter 58. Sockets: Fundamentals of TCP/IP Networks

This chapter provides an introduction to computer networking concepts and the TCP/IP networking protocols. An understanding of these topics is necessary to make effective use of Internet domain sockets, which are described in the next chapter.

Starting in this chapter, we begin mentioning various Request for Comments (RFC) documents. Each of the networking protocols discussed in this book is formally described in an RFC. We provide further information about RFCs, as well as a list of RFCs of particular relevance to the material covered in this book, in Section 58.7.