Provides information on networking theory and practice, general networking concepts, routing algorithms and protocols, addressing, and the mechanics of bridges, routers, switches, and hubs. This book covers the developments in the field, including advances in switching and bridge technology, VLANs, Fast Ethernet, DHCP, ATM, and IPv6.

* The book contains extensive coverage of such topics as:
* The spanning tree algorithm
* The differences between bridges, routers, and switches
* Virtual LANs (VLANs) and Fast Ethernet
* Addressing and packet formats for IP, IPv6, IPX, CLNP, AppleTalk, and DECnet
* Autoconfiguration of addresses; strategies in various protocol suites
* Routing protocols, including RIP, IS-IS, OSPF, PNNI, NLSP, and BGP
* Layer 3 multicast protocols, including IGMP, DVMRP, MOSPF, CBT, PIM, BGMP, Simple Multicast, and Express
* Sabotage-proof routing
* Protocol design folklore 0201634481B04062001