Introduction

In this blog post I shall record summaries and things of interest that I learn from each chapter (hour) in Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours 4th ed.

Part I-TCPIP Basics

Hour 1

Interesting Tidbits

  • Routers (gateways) help prevent clutter from outside networks on local networks
  • A lot of our TCP/IP protocols today are the result of massive efforts from US Military projects (and others)
  • Many different protocols for different forms of data transfer.
  • Standard -> rules for what’s expected
  • Implementation -> how the standard is fulfilled

Key Terms

  • ARPAnet—An experimental network that was the birthplace of TCP/IP.
  • Domain name—An alphanumeric name associated with an IP address
    through TCP/IP’s DNS name service system.
  • Gateway—A router that connects a LAN to a larger network. The term
    gateway sometimes applies specifically to a router that performs some kind
    of protocol conversion.
  • IP address—A logical address used to locate a computer or other networked
    device (such as a printer) on a TCP/IP network.
  • Logical address—A network address configured through the protocol software.
  • Name service—A service that associates human-friendly alphanumeric
    names with network addresses.
  • Physical address—A permanent address burned into a network adapter in
    the factory.
  • Port—An internal address that provides an interface between an application
    and TCP/IP’s Transport layer.
  • Protocol system—A system of standards and procedures that enables comput-
    ers to communicate over a network.
  • RFC (Request for Comment)—An official technical paper providing relevant
    information on TCP/IP or the Internet. You can find the RFCs at several places
    on the Internet—try www.rfc-editor.org.
  • Router—A network device that forwards data by logical address and can also
    be used to segment large networks into smaller subnetworks.
  • TCP/IP—A network protocol suite used on the Internet and also on many
    other networks around the world.

Hour 2

Interesting Tidbits

  • There are different models for TCP/IP protocols, but they generally have four main layers:
    • Application layer
    • Transport Layer (TCP (reliable but slower) or UDP(faster but less reliable))
    • Internet Layer
    • Network Access Layer
  • Others, such as the OSI model, define more precise layers, but in general can roughly be grouped into four main layers listed above.
  • As messages travel from one layer to the next, outgoing messages get encapsulated with header messages (contain info on how to handle message) and incoming messages have their headers unwrapped.
  • IP addresses are logical addresses to identify machines on a network (local or internet)

Key Terms

  • Application layer—The layer of the TCP/IP stack that supports network appli-
    cations and provides an interface to the local operating environment.
  • Datagram—The data package passed from the Internet layer to the Network
    Access layer, or a data package passed from UDP at the Transport layer to the
    Internet layer.
  • Frame—The data package created at the Network Access layer.
  • Header—A bundle of protocol information attached to the data at each layer
    of the protocol stack.
  • Internet layer—The layer of the TCP/IP stack that provides logical addressing
    and routing.
  • IP (Internet Protocol)—The Internet layer protocol that provides logical
    addressing and routing capabilities.
  • Message—In TCP/IP networking, a message is the data package passed from
    the Application layer to the Transport layer. The term is also used generically
    to describe a message from one entity to another on the network. The term
    doesn’t always refer to an Application layer data package.
  • Network Access layer—The layer of the TCP/IP stack that provides an inter-
    face with the physical network.
  • Segment—The data package passed from TCP at the Transport layer to the
    Internet layer.
  • Application layer—The layer of the TCP/IP stack that supports network appli-
    cations and provides an interface to the local operating environment.
  • Datagram—The data package passed from the Internet layer to the Network
    Access layer, or a data package passed from UDP at the Transport layer to the
    Internet layer.
  • Frame—The data package created at the Network Access layer.
  • Header—A bundle of protocol information attached to the data at each layer
    of the protocol stack.
  • Internet layer—The layer of the TCP/IP stack that provides logical addressing
    and routing.
  • IP (Internet Protocol)—The Internet layer protocol that provides logical
    addressing and routing capabilities.
  • Message—In TCP/IP networking, a message is the data package passed from
    the Application layer to the Transport layer. The term is also used generically
    to describe a message from one entity to another on the network. The term
    doesn’t always refer to an Application layer data package.
  • Network Access layer—The layer of the TCP/IP stack that provides an inter-
    face with the physical network.
  • Segment—The data package passed from TCP at the Transport layer to the
    Internet layer.