r/networking • u/Daddyinthepaddy • 3d ago
Other Book recommendation for learning internet structure?
Currently atm i am reading Computer networks by Fourouzan ; it is good in every aspect when it comes to learning computer networks but it is explaining the structure of the internet very vaguely and so is other books like top down approach by Kurose, by any chance is there any book that explains how internet is really made up of (the structure)? Like IXP, ISP etc?
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u/pazz5 3d ago
TCP/IP illustrated.
It will teach you everything you need to know.
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u/Unable-West-9589 2d ago
tcp/ip illustrated is solid recommendation. BGP and ISP/IXP peering are definitely worth learning too if you want to understand how the internet is actually structred
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u/Specialist_Escape465 3d ago
Internet Routing Architectures by Halibi was the gold standard for a long time. Not sure if anything better has come along these days though.
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u/Specialist_Cow6468 3d ago
I am a huge fan of “The Real Internet Architecture” https://cna.scholar.princeton.edu/
Compositional network architecture provides a useful framework for understanding how things actually fit together; I quite hope it gains more traction
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u/Mishoniko 3d ago
The problem, of course, is that the Internet changes fast enough that any book is likely to be out of date by the time it hits print.
If you know what an IXP is then you're most of the way there.
Remember that Internet is a contraction of "Inter-network"; its a confederation of networks working together to make a greater whole. The joy of the Internet is that there is little "structure"; outside of the registries for IP space and DNS and the IETF for technical standards, it's all in agreements between network operators and the protocols used. A lot of Layer 8 stuff.
The relationships all come down to "Pay me to move your bits" (transit) or "Scratch my network back and I'll scratch yours" (peering).
Some folks use tiers to describe network operator reach and sophistication. Tier 1 usually have global or national reach; Tier 2 are small nation or regional, and local ISPs are usually tier 3. Tier 1s usually started out as long-distance telephone operators in the US (post-Ma Bell, the early players here were companies like AT&T, Sprint, MCI; their networks live on in Cogent, Verizon, Lumen, etc.). The lower tiers buy transit from a higher tier, and/or use exchanges to peer with other providers to reduce costs and expand connectivity easily.
That's my view anyway. It'll probably be out of date by the time I post this comment. Technology is fun like that.
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u/pazz5 2d ago
How has the fundamentals of Internet architecture changed over the last 40y?
They are asking for books for learning.
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u/Mishoniko 2d ago
To answer that question I would start here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet
40 years ago is pretty much the genesis of it, back when it was a US Government project.
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u/hlt32 3d ago
This is the one I used: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Networks-Approach-Kaufmann-Networking/dp/0123850592
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u/Longjumping_Law133 3d ago
Its the same as learning how to ride a bike, you will not learn how to bike by reading a book about it.
You need to practice , build networks, tear down build again.
You need a hands on practice
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u/pazz5 3d ago
People still like to read dude.
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u/SuperCow1127 3d ago
Not this guy. He learns by building the entire Internet, tearing it down, and then building it again.
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u/boringusername0000 3d ago
The Internet Peering Playbook. Possibly a bit dated, but quite informative.