The Internet and Its Protocols

There are already a large number of books devoted to descriptions of the protocols that run the Internet. Some describe a cluster of protocols with a view to showing how a particular service (for example, Virtual Private Networks) can be provided across and within the Internet. Others take a field of operation (such as routing) and discuss the specific protocols relevant to that area. Still more books give a highly detailed anatomy of an individual protocol, describing all of its features and foibles.

The aim of this book is to give a broader picture, showing all of the common Internet protocols and how they fit together. This lofty aim is, of course, not easily achieved without some compromises. In the first instance, it is necessary to include only those protocols that receive widespread and public use—there are over one thousand protocols listed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and clearly these could not all be covered in a single work. Second, some details of each individual protocol must be left out in order to fit everything between the covers. Despite these constraints, this book gives more than an overview of the established protocols. It examines the purpose and function of each and provides details of the messages used by the protocols, including byte-by-byte descriptions and message flow examples.

This book is intended to be useful to professionals and students with an interest in one or more of the protocols used in the Internet. No knowledge of the Internet is assumed, but the reader will find it helpful to have a general understanding of the concepts of communication protocols.