Computing Internet Books

This is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about Cisco Routers. It covers networking basics at the beginning of the book, so its not totally above a beginners head; but it also includes step by step advanced configuration.

I always have this book on our shelf for myself or any of our employees at Imagine WiFi LLC to refer to when working with Cisco Routers.

This book will introduce you to the basics of LAN/WAN and Cisco router technology. You should not use this book as a single source for the CCNA test. This book is best suited for, as Chris Brenton says in his own review; "the individuals who needs to get up to speed quickly on deploying and managing Cisco routers." There are some technical errors and no errata as yet so watch out for them.

If you want real world knowledge buy this book. This is not a CCNA "how to pass the test" book; this is an "everyday usable" book. It helped me much more with my work than the Lammle CCNA guide. Very helpful for day to day operations.

Mastering Cisco Routers is a great book for understanding many aspects of Cisco routers not typically covered by CCNA books. The author has great information on how to secure your router, usefull information on creating access lists to block standard DoS attacks, and some great information on VPNs. The book also covers TFTP, Syslog, and SNMP setup for both the router, and UNIX and Windows hosts. The last 2 chapters present very useful scenarios for both large and small networks. The only things that were lacking was the chapters on routing (doesn't really go into any detail on setting up routing protocols), and the chapter on LAN protocols which barely touches on IPX, AppleTalk, and NetBEUI. Overall, if you already have a decent understanding of the Cisco IOS, and want to get some knowledge outside of the normal CCNA type information, this is the book for you.

This is a very good book for anyone willing to understand Cisco routing (CCNA/CCNP).Of course some people may find it "the poorest book ever written on Cisco Routing";It all depends on how you read books and what you are expecting from it.This book is an easy to understand way to handle complexity.

I really wish my school would stop blindly assigning Course Technology books for their classes. Occasionally they're good, but more often than not (I'm on my 6th - 7th Course book), they're a terrible excuse for a college text - let alone if you're trying to learn a given subject on your own. This book is a perfect example. No need to go into specifics - the other reviewers are dead-on accurate. I just wanted to add my two cents - and my one star.

The book was required as the text for an XML course. The authors thrown in too much additional info that is not pertinent to the subject matter. The source code for the chapter problems is not on the CD and it should be. Also the course code and book examples are wrong. The example code in the book is taken from screen shots and is difficult to read. I highly recommend obtaining an XML book other than this one. I would not even give this one star but I had to input something to rate it.

I will just say this:

There are far superior books on XML than this one.

Microsoft and Wrox do a better job.

I am not a fan of the Course Technology titles. Far too often I have had to buy an poorly written and over-expensive CT title just to fulfill a class textbook requirement, when the commercially available titles both exceeded the equivalent CT title in quality and price.

Even so, this particular book manages to underwhelm my already low expectations.

The book is filled with obtuse definitions, pointless charts and graphics, and confusing and unclear examples. The book goes repeatedly out of it's way to reinforce the idea that XML is horribly arcane, incredibly complicated, and beyond mortal ken. I'll let the authors' own words prove my point.

"However, each unique vocabulary must be built to a consistent set of standards and functions, within an exacting set of content rules and structures. XML allows you to create these rules and structures using a concept called DOCUMENT MODELING. Documents called document type definitions (DTDs) and XML schemas are the vehicles by which that modeling is conducted. Those documents define or DECLARE, all of the components that an XML language or document is allowed to contain, as well as the structural relationships among those components. Thus, each unique XML vocabulary along with its related XML documents is created according to the content and structure rules declared within its respective DTD or schema (each language can only have one of those documents, and that one document must be either a DTD or a schema). Whether the choice is DTD or schema, their functionality is similar: they should contain a complete set of markup properties tailored to the needs of the XML language and documents being used or developed."
pg 106
McKinnon, Al and Mckinnon, Linda. XML. Canada: Course Technology, 2003.

That was part of the introduction to DTDs. XML Schemas, which are so casually referenced above, are not even discussed until the next chapter. That section takes up approximately one third of one page with only 647 and 2/3rds more pages to go. In the same chapter (4) there is the section introducing Notation declarations that I spent an hour reading and rereading and yet still have no idea how to use them.

I've read physics and calculus books less obtuse than this.

Actually, that's not quite accurate. To contrast the dense text, the end of chapter Hands-On projects, ostensibly designed to give you experience with the concepts introduced in that chapter are all of the "led around by the nose ring " variety.
Chapter 5. Project 5.1 -
"1) Use Windows explorer to create a folder named CH05 in the c:\home\ folder. Then copy the files in the Ch05\project_5-1 folder on your Data Disk to the c:\home\\ch05 folder.
2) Click start, point to programs (point to all programs in Windows XP), point to XML Spy Suite, then click XML Spy IDE. The XML Spy windows opens." (page 186, same cite)

etc.

Two other flaws which are critical failures, but still irksome are are an overemphasis on how to use the bundled XML Spy Suite at the expense of focusing on XML itself, and the student data files missing from the bundled CD (they have to be downloaded from the Course Technologies website).

I would have to recommend skipping this book entirely. If you run into a class that requires this book, and you don't happen to need the class for a grade, I would recommend dropping the class and learning XML on your own, with a better book.

If the bookstore doesn't happen to buy this book back and the end of the semester, I'll be tossing my copy of it on the woodpile for use this coming winter, just to keep this doorstop out of the local landfills.

This is a good storage book overall but... released under wrong title. If you erase "networking" part out of the title, it will be exactly what the book is about. Author himself emphasize the book is not really about "connecting function". He also introduces some new terms and even though these are quite acceptable for the discussion matter those terms barely might be seen somewhere else.

Storage Networking Fundamentals is a very well written book. As its title implies, it provides a fantastic introduction to Storage Area Networking, providing details from disk drive mechanics to Information Life-Cycle Management (ILM). Furthermore, this book impressed me because it consistently did one thing: it did not push or suggest Cisco products. This book very clearly at the beginning stated it was a not a networking book, but a storage book. It then sets out to explain Storage Area Networking in vendor neutral terms. If fact, it pokes fun at a few vendors because of the multitude of standards and technologies in Storage Networking. This should be commended as well as appreciated. The author does not adhere to one vendor's technology, but addresses general terms and explains where differences between vendors occur.

I particularly liked Part II of the book that covered the actual hardware and software that makes a SAN work. This nicely started with a detailed overview of hard drives, the building blocks of storage, and ended with technologies for connecting Storage Area Networks. Very nice growth and building on previous chapters.

My only small complaint about the book was its chapter layout. It would've been easier to understand Part II if Chapter 14 and 15 would've come first. This explains file systems and how they interact with storage. Being an introduction to Storage Area Networking, it would've been appropriate to explain storage to the reader as they perceive storage now. And since an introductory reader understands file systems, since they interact with a personal computer daily, it would've been nice to include these concepts earlier in the book. However, this is a minor flaw.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking to start learning Storage Area Networking. A very well written book with easy to understand concepts. 5 Stars!


Michael J. Morris
CCIE #11733

This book is a broad overview of all things related to data storage:

* how disk drives work
* how file systems and drivers use disk drives
* direct attached storage (local disk drive)
* SCSI
* RAID
* NAS (network attached storage)
* SAN (storage area network)
* backups and tape technologies

With this much territory to cover, the author had to choose between writing an encyclopedia and keeping things high level. He opted for high level. The book is a good way to get started with these topics but it doesn't take you far enough to be practical. The author strives for vendor neutrality (and achieves it), but of course you can only use products from vendors. Getting a handle on any particular product should be easier once you've read this.

The ordering of the material is not the best. Of the topics covered, most people understand the file system best. This could have been used as the starting point to go deeper into what lays behind the file system. Unfortunately, the file system isn't really discussed until chapter 14.

Storage Networking Fundamentals: An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and File Systems
Reviewer Name: David Hodde
Reviewer Certification(s): CCIE
Rating: **** out of *****


As the name indicates this book is an introduction to all aspects of storage networking. While you think it may just deal with SANs, it does not. Author Marc Farley starts with as he calls it, "The Big Picture of Storage Netorking". These chapters cover basic storage principles and how storage I/O works. He then follows with a discussion of the different storage architectures available and their history. While this may not seem important, for the person entering the storage arena it's valuable information to know where storage has come in the last 20 years.

The next two parts cover data redundancy and storage and data management. Farley gives very good descriptions on the different redundancy options available. He also goes into an analysis of the different advantages and disadvantages of each. While it's not an extensive discussion it does give an administrator a basis for an analysis. Discussions of remote file copy and multipathing, which are very important in storage networking, are described and broken down into terms that the novice storage person can comprehend.

While the first three parts of the book may seem like a review and unnecessary to most. They do provide a good foundation for Parts IV and V, which deal with storage and data management. As Farley points out these two areas are important and should not book overlooked by the storage administrator. With the ever changing legal environment and governmental regulations, data management and retention looks to be the next big evolution in storage management.

As advertised Storage Networking Fundamentals: An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and File Systems provides a good introduction to storage fundamentals for the person new to storage. For the person already familiar with storage it provides details that were either not know or forgotten. At the very least it provides some of the latest information in the storage arena.

I would highly recommend this book for anybody involved with storage administration or storage networking.

This book was not what I expected...I pre-ordered it as soon as I saw that Cisco Press had a new storage book coming out, and I expected that at least some of its content would cover Cisco's storage products (the MDS line in particular). I got the book the week it came out, looked at the TOC and was immediately disappointed. That's the bad news. The good news is that I read the book anyway and was very pleasantly suprised. This is an awesome book about "storage networking fundamentals". Had my expectations been in line with the very clear title, I wouldn't have been disappointed. The title is not misleading, I just assumed that it would have MDS content.

This is definitely the most relevant and up-to-date text about storage networking, and I find myself constantly recommending it to other engineers who want to see what storage networking is all about. As other reviewers noted - the author doesn't go terribly deep on every topic. Again, the title says it all - "fundamentals". If you are new to the storage world, this is currently the one "must read" in my opinion.

One small gripe that comes to mind is the author's failure to differentiate between RAID 0+1 and 1+0. He, like many others, makes the mistake of calling RAID 0+1 "RAID 10". To be clear, 0+1 is striping and then mirroring the striped sets. 1+0 (aka RAID 10) is mirroring and then striping across the mirrored sets. Too many people think this difference isn't important, but it is!

Book is broken into 3 parts: Methodology (20%), Functional Testing (55%) and Performance Testing (25%). In the functional and performance testing parts, there is a balance between discussions on testing infrastructure - such as the SAP Solution Manager, detailed how-to using tools like eCATT, and mini-case studies from customers that will assist a customer to view testing in a bigger picture. The book isn't a replacement for an eCATT training course. It is aimed more at those with responsibility for the planning and implementation of testing.

This is a very useful tool for you genealogists who use the internet. There are dozens of useful hints. That the book has been popular for a while is obvious by the fact that this is the eighth edition. A large number of valuable websites are discussed, both private and governmental. This book will help you a lot with your family tree.

While a good read with good directions, please check the copyright date. Anyone online knows how fast a book can become obsolete.

I disagree with the review that says it's too American. There is a chapter on international genealogical resources and in the chapters on RootsWeb, FamilySearch and general search sites it shows how to search for genealogies beyond North America. In all it's a good book to get you started in online genealogy.

This newly revised and expanded seventh edition of Elizabeth Crowe's Genealogy Online is a thoroughly "user friendly', 432 page, hands-on, instructional resource which will enable even the most novice genealogist to deftly explore the truly vast resources of ancestry related networks, Web sites, and genealogical online services. Crowe authoritatively explains how to determine and access which ones best suit individual genealogist's purposes. Genealogy Online clearly, step-by-step, shows how to organize a search, where to begin, where to go on the Web, and how to use chat rooms, mailing lists, and Usenet effectively. No genealogical research reference shelf can be considered either complete or up-to-date without the inclusion of this impressive new edition of Elizabeth Crowe's Genealogy Online!

Not so suprising that there's such disparity in the reviews of this book. Especially since most every review I read so far was true.

This book is good if: you are a genealogist NEW to the net. A lot of ground is covered, in terms of what kinds of software is needed (over an above the venerable genealogical database), as well as how to act/speak/do online.

This book is bad if: you've been online for more than a week. Too much ground is covered... well... look at the paragraph above... :)

I've found that some of the information she presents is a bit dated, but not so much so that a new user will terribly embarrass themselves by relying on it.

Overall, for myself (as a computer consultant of 15+ years) it did have some information to impart. Not necessarily enough to make this a "must have", but worth a read and recycle.

I work in the MP3 player industry, so the title of my review is only a slight exaggeration. P2P technology created the MP3 revolution. This book takes an honest look back at where P2P came from and where it is going from several different viewpoints. I think it is a must-read for anyone working on the future architecture of computing technology. And it is just plain interesting if you are sitting on the sidelines--and you might just find a role you can play in the game.

It's five years old by now, which is a long time in this industry, but the book remains relevant by virtue of the solid writing and lack of fluff that we expect from O'Reilly, and by the third section's excellent in-depth coverage of fundamental issues: Performance, Trust, Accountability, Reputation, Security. Each of these has a lot of valuable information, references and ideas.

Particularly valuable to me were the discussions of:
- Analyzing and optimizing peer connection graphs
- How Groove uses cryptography to protect and authenticate data
- Using token economies and "nonfungible micropayments" to avoid denial-of-service attacks
- How trust relationships can be tracked

The coverage of specific technologies hasn't aged quite as well. There's too much on things that either never went anywhere (Red Rover?) or are extremely primitive by today's standards (Gnutella), while very important more recent ones like BitTorrent and Kademlia are understandably missing.

Still, as I said, I don't think there's a better book out there. I've bought others and been disappointed by their superficiality, even the "academic" books. Buy this one, and then be prepared to do some intensive web searching/surfing for research papers to catch up on later developments like Distributed Hash Tables, BitTorrent, Kademlia, Chord, Pastry, Coral, JXTA, PNRP, Bonjour...

In 2000, O'Reilly surveyed the field of peer-to-peer computing, and published this book. It has an excellent description of the key concepts behind all the major p2p implementations then existing. Napster, of course, was the best known. But Seti@home, Gnutella, Jabber, Freenet, Free Haven and others are also explained. These are compared with each other, so that you can see the different emphases and strengths of each.

Since the book's release, p2p usage has grown, and the attendant controversy about the downloading of copyrighted material, mainly music, has continued unabated. Napster in its original incarnation has gone. But other p2p networks, like Kazaa, have arisen.

Another type of p2p network has also emerged - for social networks. Companies include Friendster, Tribe.net, Ryze and others. Of course, these aren't covered in the book, because they did not exist when it was written. But as a measure of how comprehensive the book is, one of its chapters describes the key work on social networks and encompasses this entire group of companies.

The technical level is moderate throughout the book. While XML, SOAP and cryptography are described, you only need slight familiarity with these topics. The discussion involving them tends to be at a higher level of usage.

This book provides a great summary of current P2P projects and the technologies used. It is non-technical book that would be a great intro to P2P, especially for "suits" who only think of Napster when you mention the word P2P. There are loads of gems in this text; I recommend this book to any computer enthusiast.

The chapters start out strong, but I lost interest in a few of latter chapters, which tend to be a little redundant. There seemed to be a little too much emphasis on decentralized systems and anonymous file sharing. A few chapters appear to focus on broad topics but actually focus on the particular author's project. For Example, the security chapter was more or less an overview of grove networks. Another characteristic of this text is the fact that its basically 19 separate papers rolled in to one book so don't expect it to flow.

I've been a big fan of O'Reilly & Associates for years because of their consistent ability to provide highly readable and accurate technical books, often about technologies I find fascinating and useful. To me the editorial bias of most of those books is simply the love of the technology they describe. But O'Reilly has increasingly become a force in the organization and direction of new technologies. And it is that aspect of this book on P2P which has made the biggest impression on me. This book is different from the many other O'Reilly books I've read because it discusses the publisher's own ideas about P2P and involvement with it.

I ordered five new E-bay books. I received five books however only three were what I ordered. I am so turned off on Amazon.

eBay Quick Steps
A book review by Frank Dobrowolski
May 12, 2005

by Carole Matthews & John Cronan
Published by McGraw-Hill/Osborne
ISBN 0-07-225506-4 2004 240 pages
List price: $16.99 On Amazon: $11.55 +S/H

This is a short book, with wide margins and many vivid color illustrations and tables. As a result it is a quick read - per its title. It has a simple, direct approach which works well for eBay beginners and novices. It also contains some information that likely would help advanced users.

I like the illustrated, annotated Walk through of an eBay Transaction
1. Prospective seller registers to sell an item on eBay
2. Takes photos of object to sell and writes a description of it
3. Enters the description, photos, payment terms, shipping information, and other supporting material into eBay's auction selling form
4. Track the item as buyers start bidding on it
5. The buyer registers to participate in the auction
6. Buyer finds the item and bids on it
7. Buyer wins the auction and connects with seller to verify the details and the buyer pays the seller
8. Seller sends the package per the shipping terms specified
9. Buyer receives the item
10. Buyer and Seller provide feedback about each other in this transaction.

The Find Your Way around eBay chapter begins with a page-filling illustration that is typical of this book. The eBay home page is shown and eight areas are picked with a comment on each. The chapter continues with more large figures and sidebar "Tips" and "notes".

One page is filled with a table that lists the type of auction, gives a description and notes requirements. For example:
* Auction - Buy It Now [Fixed Price]
* Description - Offers the item for a given price and there is no auction
* Requirement - Seller must have a feedback rating of at least 30 and be a registered user for at least 14 days of be ID Verified.

The guidance on ID Verified contains 11 steps and one figure, one Note and one Tip.

The following chapters are similarly presented in easy to follow text with numerous colorful illustration, tables and sidebars. Chapter 9 presents information I have not seen this in other books on eBay and it is done well here. The Chapter
has sections entitled
* Detect and Report Account theft
* Use Buyer Fraud-Protection Measures
* File a Fraud Alert
* Set up a Bidder Alert
* Block Bidders or Buyers
* Report Unwelcome Buyers
* Use Additional Resources
a. Security Center
b. Law Enforcement & Other Resources

This may be the best book on eBay I have seen for beginners and novices in using eBay. Advanced users probably would find some information that they could use.

When I first read it years ago, and rereading it today, I find a lot in this book that is insightful and, moreso, true. The author gives a look into the trends, ways, and lives of the N-Gen that is intriguing. Being one of this generation, it is like looking into my past and recalling my childhood.

This is absolutely one of the best researched, most interesting, well written, and easy to read books on this topic. A must read for educators of Info-Age youngsters. It will enlighten the pre- Info-Age generations to a whole new world and way of thinking!

This book will definitely appeal to young people. The author creates the term 'N-Generation' obstensibly because Generation-Y was owned by another author. The book creates a super youth culture that is underappreciated and misunderstood. If you want to write a book that will appeal to young people and get a good rating on the college campus ... just trash the previous generation and the youth will scramble on board the turnip cart. This book does a disservice to youth and to the previous generation by promoting stereotypes, underscoring obscure opinions, and understating the contributions made by the Boomers.
The author should keep in mind that the N-geners didn't create computers and for the most part, they are clueless when it comes to coding. They do not qualify as experts ... not by a long shot. To encourage youth today to believe that they are experts in computers ... and the people who designed them are not ... is setting them up for real disappointment.
The author's opinions on TV and media are also absurd. He creates a model in which the state of everything that is not N-Gen is fixed and unchanging ... while the opposite is true for his heroes. Perhaps the most convincing argument that can be made against this author's opinions is that a good deal of his computer-based examples are already 'off-the-air'. Moreover, his characterization of the pre-web media era as being fearful of the new technology is way off base ... and today's integration of technologies is proof of this.
The book was written to promote sales rather than good, usable, and thoughtful ideas. Young people will adore this author ... not because he makes a good case ... but because he writes what they want to hear ... and makes them feel the way they want to feel ... like heroes.

As a long-time net user AND baby boomer, I found much of what Tapscott says completely wrong, be it his unscientific conclusions regarding the so-called "N-Gen" (his own invention, which I find so distasteful and misleading that I'll not use it from now on), his predictions for the future, or his dim view of the technological abilities and intelligence of the boomers.

For example:

1. He assumes that boomers will always remain behind the young when it comes to using the net. There is endless talk of the growing percentage of youthful net users, while ignoring (and thereby discounting) any corresponding growth in boomers using it. He mentions more than once that because youth "assimilated" the net whereas boomers had to learn to use it, youth has an advantage in that respect. (I suppose that some kid raised in a car and thereby "assimilating" how to drive would have a great advantage over all of us dummies who had to learn by taking driver's ed, too.) Now, I don't know how technologically adept or otherwise he might be, and some allowance must be made for the time the book was written (1998), but nowadays I've got news for him: It ain't that hard!!!

2. He stereotypes boomers as being one-dimensional and ignorant; only youth is imaginative, unselfish, open-minded and resourceful. He predicts either a terrible clash between the generations or (in the unlikely event that the boomers wake up in time to cede control to youth) something of a utopia run by the young. It's funny, but a lot of people from that generation that I've encountered hardly fit that profile (and yes, I'm talking about people online)...and I never thought I was all that closed-minded (though I'm sure his advocates would disagree after reading this). Besides, isn't youth traditionally more imaginative, etc., etc.? What proof does he have that this generation won't turn out as all the others have? It's called "growing up." (And I don't mean that it's a 100% good thing!) And he contends that in that generational clash the young will have the advantage, having mastered the greatest tool for mass communication ever: the internet. Evidently the boomers will still be sending telegrams and will thereby be left behind.

3. He mentions that the young have some nebulous advantage in that they espouse so many different points of view, while boomers (there's that stereotyping again) see everything in black and white (I'm not kidding, that's exactly what he says at one point). Not surprisingly, he offers absolutely no proof for either of those assertions. As someone who's spent most of his life finding shades of gray in everything, I think he's confusing the word "different" with "differing," blissfully ignorant of the possibility that all of those contending viewpoints might result in nothing but cacophony.

4. His insights on the young seem to mostly stem from those kids he's spoken with on less than a handful of websites. Evidently he thinks that these websites provide a completely scientific sampling of that generation. Believe me, there ain't no such animal! I'm happy for those sites in that they were frequented by a very nice segment of the younger generation (though even here, some things--like the continuous protestations of teenage males that they would never, ever even think about visiting a porn site--seem somewhat disingenuous, to say the least), but I've been to many sites and participated with many from that generation who, I assure you, were hardly the little angels he's making everyone out to be (and I'm certainly not saying they're all bad, either...but these are rather sweeping generalizations, proof that HE thinks in black and white, anyway).

5. His usual, completely unscientific, means of arriving at a proof of one of his theories is to first introduce it, then to provide some truly scientific though barely related evidence (a chart that shows internet growth or something), and finally to submit a few quotes from his kids to bolster his standpoint. None of this, of course, proves anything, and I'm quite certain that anyone with a professional background in statistical analysis could easily rip his logic to shreds.

6. He sees the net as the road to the truth, and the new generation as particularly discerning of it. Yet everyday I find another hoax in my email, many of them passed on to me by gullible youngsters.

All of which amounts to his own utopian view of youth, a somewhat curmudgeonly distaste for the opinions and abilities of the boomers, and a blatant force-fitting of his transparent opinions (and, in the end, that's all they are) upon the actual, both slimly provided and barely relevant, facts.

It doesn't surprise me at all that younger people have given the book so many positive opinions on here; they're being told what they want to hear. What does surprise me is how few people have seen how poorly constructed his arguments are (regardless of how true or false his conclusions may be). What does that say about the ability of this new generation to discern the truth with a critical eye?

If the proof is in the pudding, keep in mind the year this was published: 1998. That was almost a decade ago (as I write this), long enough for a good part of that generation to come of age, long enough to begin to see some of his sweeping changes, long enough for many of his predictions to have come true. Where are they? People are talking about the book on here as if it were just published and he's showing us the world as it will be 10 years from now. He IS!...only that "10 years from now" is NOW!

Maybe my expectations were too high based on the reviews. I found most of the information in this book to be news items. Also, anyone that follows technology in the news will not find much insight into this book. The book is an overview of how the younger generation uses technology in their social lives, play and work. If you are not very familiar with the internet and don't watch the news this book would be worthwhile. However, anyone who uses the internet and keeps up on the news won't get much out of it.