Computer networks have become an integral part of our daily lives. Anyone working with networked computers should have at least basic knowledge of establishing these networks, checking their functionality, and ensuring their smooth operation. Network engineers must know how to use available tools and utilities to establish efficient networks of computers, servers, and network devices (routers, switches, hubs), and to test these networks for their operation.

This book is a guide to networking that teaches different commands and tools to establish networks and study their operation. It is like a detailed lab manual that guides the reader through step-by-step exercises that vary from installing certain software to setting up servers, using Windows and Linux networking commands to study network operation, analyzing network traffic through packet sniffer tools, creating virtual machines and servers, and hosting a website. It is a good source of information about open-source tools and available websites that can be used to carry out different networking-related tasks.

All of the exercises given in this book are accompanied by screen shots that can be used to verify whether readers are proceeding in the right direction. However, many times the contents of the screen shots given in the book and what we see on our actual screens vary, mainly due to differences in versions of the software used. Also, while the authors provide step-by-step procedures to carry out the given exercises, they assume that things will always work for readers as they have worked for them. The authors do not mention the possible errors one might face, the possible reason for those errors, and how to solve them. The book also lacks an explanation of obtained output. For example, a simple explanation of the output of the netstat command, or details of packets captured through Wireshark, or the significance of certain configuration commands would have helped the reader to appreciate the significance of the given exercises.

This book covers a multitude of network-related practical exercises, and the authors seem to have tried their best to help the reader carry out these exercises through detailed steps accompanied by screen shots. However, lately the concept of networking has gone much beyond the concepts and exercises covered in this book. Moreover, most of the information available in this book is easily available on the Internet. Networking is making a transition from Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) to IPv6, while most of the exercises presented in this book still deal with IPv4 addressing. Significant work has taken place in cloud computing, software-defined networks (SDNs), content-centric networking (CCN), heterogeneous networks (HetNets), and the Internet of Things (IoT), to name a few; this book would have been really useful for network engineers if the authors had covered such new technologies. In my opinion, this book could have become very popular among networking students, engineers, and trainers if the authors had provided such a detailed and exhaustive manual for establishing, for example, cloud using open-source tools and software, SDNs using OpenStack, and IoT; designing such networks; and testing them for their functionality.

I appreciate the effort put into this book by the authors in compiling the exercises and information given. I feel it is a good starting point for undergraduate students of computer networks. However, I will wait for a book that is as exhaustive and detailed as this book, but that covers more advanced networking topics and technologies.

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