Nothing's more central to the Internet than the TCP/IP protocol stack, so internetworking engineers need to know--or have access to--as much information about it as possible. That's the function of Routing TCP/IP, Volume II, an encyclopedic reference that covers pretty much every aspect of TCP/IP internetworking in deep, practical detail. This is one of the books that working experts should always have at hand, and one of the best choices for people studying for the higher-level Cisco certification examinations, especially the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) laboratory protocols. Jeff Doyle and Jennifer Carroll, both CCIEs, share their background knowledge and practical wisdom in nearly 1,000 information-dense, hardbound pages.

This book works well on a lot of levels, but its careful integration of explanations (statements of applicability and references to standards documents), case studies (usually illustrated with network diagrams), configuration details (input/output listings from Cisco routers), and practical advice (a note on why network address translation isn't much of a barrier against attackers) is key to its success. The illustrators worked overtime, as well, to link Internetwork Operating System (IOS) listings with network diagrams and thereby more effectively illustrate routing behaviors. An excellent index and troubleshooting exercises similar to those on the CCIE practical exam round out this package. --David Wall

Topics covered: How TCP/IP routing works, and how to configure the routing effects you want on Cisco routing equipment. Emphasis falls on Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP-4), IP multicasting, IPv6, and network address translation (NAT).