Chapter 21

Ten Networking Books for Your Professional Library

The information in Chapter 7 is a good start for providing information on networking, but it will not solve every problem under every circumstance. In this chapter, we list ten good books that will provide lots of good information to get you through the day.

Knowing Your Way around a PC

The first book on the list, which is shown in Figure 21-1, is CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition by Glen Clarke and Edward Tetz.

“Come on,” you say. “I'll be working with networks. I'll never get my fingernails dirty on the inside of a mere PC. I read Chapter 5, and know the CompTIA A+ Certification is for computer repair technicians. You can't fool me!”

Figure 21-1: Understand PCs.

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but there is no company so big or so specialized that there will not be a time when you'll need to crack open a PC case during a critical upgrade or for some other failure. Having a book that incorporates the best practices for working with the PC is handy. Accept your fate and be prepared for when you are pressed into service in an emergency by becoming familiar with this book.

Building Your Network

Let's make sure that you have a comprehensive view of your network. What better way for a devoted Dummies reader than to read Networking For Dummies, 10th Edition by Doug Lowe? The cover is shown in Figure 21-2.

Figure 21-2: Learn the ins and outs of building a network.

We don't get a commission for Dummies books we reference. We do, however, want to make sure that you're successful in your job, and this book gives you an overall perspective of making a functioning and successful data network successful.

Visualizing the TCP/IP Protocol

Enough with the Dummies books for a while. They are great, and we know that you love the format, but other publishers have useful information too.

The next books in your library should be the TCP/IP Illustrated trilogy. The three titles are TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols, 2nd Edition by Kevin Fall and W. Richard Stevens; TCP/IP Illustrated: The Implementation, Vol. 2 by Gary R. Wright and W. Richard Stevens; and TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 3: TCP for Transactions, HTTP, NNTP, and the UNIX Domain Protocols by W. Richard Stevens.

TCP/IP is so pervasive and important that you'll need to know it intimately to be effective in networking. This series will help you understand the TCIP/IP protocol at a fundamental level.

Getting Serious with Cisco Routing

The next book on your shelf should be CCNA Routing and Switching Portable Command Guide, 3rd Edition by Scott Empson. Now we're getting serious. The previous books have large print and lots of nice pictures. This book from Cisco serves as a reference for working with Cisco hardware.

You can't be expected to remember all the commands for Cisco routers. Use this book as a reference for finding what you need to get Cisco hardware to behave the way you want.

“Hold on,” you say. “I can't simply pick up a book of commands and start programming a Cisco server.” True, but you have to start somewhere. This book is a handy reference guide, not a replacement for proper training on Cisco hardware.

Remembering Juniper Networks

We recommend that you add the following title to your bookshelf: Juniper Networks Reference Guide: JUNOS Routing, Configuration, and Architecture by Thomas Thomas II (seriously, this is his name), Doris Pavlichek, Lawrence Dwyer III, Rajah Chowbay, Wayne Downing III, and James Sonderegger.

This reference guide for Juniper Networks routers has information about commands, configuration, and architecture. This book is valuable if you work in a Juniper Networks shop or a mixed environment. No system is an island, particularly on the Internet. If your network is having trouble with another organization, it is helpful to have some perspective when that other organization begins describing their troubleshooting.

Opening Up to Linux

The next book we recommend is Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide, 6th Edition by Wale Soyinka. Chances are that you'll have at least some Linux equipment in your network. Certainly you'll connect to networks that have Linux equipment. You don't need to be an expert on day-to-day Linux administration, but when you start getting unexpected results, it is important to have a reference guide handy.

Closing Up Network Access with Security

Many things can go wrong on a network. Links can fail. Servers can fail. Backup systems can get lost. There's nothing like an intrusion to ruin your day.

The next book covers a topic that everyone involved with networks should be well versed in: security. Your job title might not include the word security, but you should be thinking about it in everything you do. We recommend Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 3rd Edition by William Stallings and Lawrie Brown.

Beating a Dead Horse

We may be beating a dead horse about the importance of security, but here is another book for your shelf: CISSP Guide to Security Essentials, 2nd Edition by Peter H. Gregory.

Nothing will impress the boss more than picking up this book, implementing its advice, and earning your CISSP certification from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)².

Going Mobile

There are enough similarities with wireless and wireline services to lull us all into a false sense of serenity. The reality, however, is that wireless broadband brings a new dimension to network management and security, and you have to be on top of it.

Fundamentals of Wireless Communication by David Tse and Pramod Viswanath describes wireless LANs, Bluetooth-connected devices, in-vehicle devices, laptops, smartphones, and the Internet of Things (IoT), which involves every company asset that isn't nailed down.

Floating in the Cloud

Wireless technologies have a long and storied history of not performing as they are supposed to. Keep this book handy to help keep things working as they should.

Speaking of connecting to everything that isn't nailed down, the cloud resists being nailed down. Because of the cloud, inpatient department heads outside IT can implement data solutions without having to involve the IT department — until they need help, at which point it becomes your job to integrate sensitive infrastructure with the cloud network.

Taken to the logical extreme, the amorphous and ambiguous cloud allows entire companies to begin from scratch and implement enterprise-wide solutions. Starting from scratch can be a great opportunity, but the project then becomes your management nightmare.

The way to get ahead of the curve is to do your homework on cloud implementations by reading Cloud Computing: Concepts, Technology & Architecture by Thomas Erl, Ricardo Puttini, and Zaigham.

Cloud computing is evolving in the marketplace at a fast pace. Having an appreciation of the architecture is essential for keeping your current environment humming along.