An Introduction to Computer Networks - Second Edition

Reviewed by Stuart Anderson, Adjunct Instructor, Norfolk State University on 11/13/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook is complete and thorough. The index correctly points to the material in the chapters.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The information in the book is accurate as it applies to networking concepts.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book's content is current.

Clarity rating: 4

The material is clear however, it does make assumptions about the reader's level of current knowledge about the material.

Consistency rating: 5

The material is consistent and flows in a good order.

Modularity rating: 4

The is very good in how the information is broken down into specific modules. Some modules need more information to make them more complete.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The information is organized in a fashion that allows future topics to build on the previous topics.

Interface rating: 5

There were no interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The test is inclusive of all cultures.

Comments

This is a good textbook for networking information. Some of the material could be explained in more detail to make it more of an introductory topic. A reader with networking experience would find this book a good reference, however, a reader new to the networks might find some of the material a bit light. As a network engineer, I found the information thorough and would work well with other networking material.

Reviewed by Terri Devlin, Instructor, Aims Community College on 7/23/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

Even though the title of the text is "An Introduction to Networking", the author seems to assume that the student or reader knows a lot about the subject matter and terminology. Topics and some definitions are presented, however the author does a deep dive into the topic area quickly.
This text would not be beneficial to students seeking CompTia Network + Certification because many of the terms and concepts tested in the certification exam are not covered in this text.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The author presents the material in an unbiased manner. Errors were not identified

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

Out-of-date information was identified. The text is written in a manner that updates could be made in a straightforward manner.

Clarity rating: 2

The text was difficult to read because precise definitions and content were not provided. Other textbooks and internet sources were used to look up definitions and refresh understanding of technical terms and concepts

Consistency rating: 4

The terminology, framework, and chapter exercises followed a consistent approach.

Modularity rating: 4

The layout of the book is easy to understand and follow.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The topics were organized in a logical fashion. It was a challenge to determine the network “big picture” and how the components fit into the picture. The topics make sense to people familiar with Networks. This text would be challenging to people new to Computer Network concepts.

Interface rating: 3

The text is free of navigation problems. The figures and tables were easily identified. An improvement could be made with providing better images or pictures.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text was free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is appropriate for globally-based students.

Comments

Many computer concept textbooks have associated software that helps student learn topics and practice. Computer Networks is an area where practice helps students learn. This text did not have associated software available.

Reviewed by Audrey Styer, Instructor, CIS/CPS, Morton College on 12/21/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook provides a very comprehensive and in-depth introduction to computer networking.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

All information presented is accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This textbook is continually being updated to accommodate the ever-changing nature of computer networking.

Clarity rating: 5

Material is presented in a clear manner, but does require a prior basic understanding of computer networking.

Consistency rating: 5

Consistency of presentation and methodology is maintained throughout the text.

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters are well defined by topic

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The material is presented in a logical manner that helps learners develop their understanding.

Interface rating: 5

The PDF version is easy to read and navigate. The linked Table of Contents and Index make finding and moving to specific topics simple.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is not applicable to this topic.

Comments

The callout boxes provide a visual break for readers and increase learning with interesting facts and supporting information.
Unfortunately, this textbook is too advanced for my undergraduate learners and does not map to CompTIA’s Network+ certification.

Reviewed by Sunho Lim, Assistant Professor, Texas Tech University on 3/27/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers all five layers (phy, link, net, trans, and app) and their associated algorithms and communication protocols in the network, and provides an effective index and/or golssary.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The most content is up-to-date and the text is written in a way to easily be updated. Since network technology is time-sensitive, some sections in the text should be updated.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is easy to read but some advanced sections (e.g., network simulator ns-2 and ns-3) would be challenging to read and understand technical terminology used.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in using terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is well divided into a set of sections. It is easy to selectively choose a section depending on the level of class or students.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics in the text are presented in a bottom-up way, but grouping sections in terms of layer would be great.

Interface rating: 3

The text has an interface issue, such as some contents are displayed out of page or cut off.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

The text is not related to any culture.

Comments

The text is appropriate to both undergraduate to graduate students. A set of selective chapters can be used depending on the instructor. The text is good to use for a reference book.

Reviewed by Lisa Bain, Professor, Rhode Island College on 2/1/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book covers all the major topics required for a computer networking course.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Yes, this book is accurate in the major areas that the reviewer read. The entire text was not reviewed.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Yes, the book is up-to-date with the major concepts that do not change (e.g. TCP, IP, UDP) and also includes the latest standards for Wi-Fi. However, some networking technologies will need to be updated as advancements are made (e.g. newer Wi-Fi standards).

Clarity rating: 4

Yes, the text is clearly written. However, the content is very technical and would be challenging for a non-technical person to understand all aspects. It is very straight-forward and appropriate for a technical audience.

Consistency rating: 5

Yes, the book is consistent and uses the same technical terminology throughout.

Modularity rating: 5

Yes the book is very modular and provides many small sections within each chapter for specific topics.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The flow of the book is similar to other networking books in that is starts with an introduction then provides additional details in following chapters.

Interface rating: 5

The interface in PDF is easy to navigate using the table of contents and embedded links.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Of the information read, no grammar errors were found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is not relative to this book.

Comments

This book would be appropriate for an instructor with a strong background in teaching networking and using a more technical approach.

Reviewed by Luke Osterritter, Adjunct Instructor, Penn State New Kensington on 2/1/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text does a great job of covering the basics of computer networks while also presenting in-depth information, as well as diving into some somewhat tangential, but important, areas (e.g. security).

Content Accuracy rating: 5

There are some terms here that I have seen presented differently than I have learned them or encountered in industry, but nothing inaccurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It would seem that this book is kept rather up-to-date, though much of the content is so fundamental as to not have too much of an expiration date, even in this field.

Clarity rating: 4

I believe the text is clear in most cases. However, I do feel many of the topics become very in-depth, very fast. It would be nice to have some concepts factored out to their basics early in the chapters, then expounded upon later.

Consistency rating: 5

The text does not appear to have any major inconsistencies.

Modularity rating: 4

When viewing online, the table of contents makes the content very browsable. However, when viewing in PDF, the large amount of subheadings for any one chapter can be a bit tough to navigate.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

As the author notes, there isn't much agreement in how to present this topic, and it can be very difficult to explain one portion without referencing another topic that may not have been presented. I think factoring out some basics and explaining them up front, as this book has done, is a clever way of handling this.

Interface rating: 5

I did not encounter any issues with the text interface.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not see any obvious grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book is very matter-of-fact, with little in the way of irreverence. Likewise, there isn't much to work with here to be proactively inclusive. I think it works to be somewhat inert in this manner.

Comments

Overall, I think that this book is a great resource to have given its open availability. It's not the simplest book, so using this in a first level class or in a more general IT, CS, or survey course will take some shepherding on the part of the instructor. The comprehensiveness does suggest to me that this might be able to fill two courses worth of content, as well. It would be nice to have some of the information factored out, with some of the highlights available as lecture materials. On its own though, I feel this would be a strong resource to use in a computer networking course.