The TCP/IP Guide is here!

[ixl]

Finally, it's DONE! All of it! Thanks to everyone for your patience... I had a number of unexpected delays both for technical and personal reasons. The new site is up and running at http://www.tcpipguide.com. Please let me know what you think of the site.

Anyone who posted to the previous thread in the Announcements forum who is still interested in a free copy of the Guide in exchange for providing me with feedback, please send me an email specifying your forum ID and I will send you a download password.

Please keep the download password confidential; if I see it being passed around I will have to disable it.

Feel free to email me your comments, feedback or error corrections, or post them here.

Oh I almost forgot... Happy New Year! ;)

c

[Budfred]

How about CONGRATULATIONS!! for getting it done!!!:cool: :D :cool:

Edit: and then first reaction:

Very professional appearance. Seems to be clearly written and utterly baffling at my level of expertise... I suspect it will be more helpful to those who are more immersed in that area of computer endeavour, but I will look some more and maybe I can figure some of it out. So far, I don't even understand the titles of the samples...

[shanmuga]

Great, went through sample pdfs. The layout and content looks professional throughout.Congratulations on a job well done. :)

[BigBlue66]

Wow, WTG Charles!!!

My oldest son will understand more of it than I do, but I have certainly bookmarked the site and will go back to peruse it some more when I have time.

As always, it looks very well written.

[pave_spectre]

Congrats, Very Nice.:)

Looked at a couple of the sample pdfs and discovered I actually understood them!:eek:

[Abbadon]

Looks pretty slick to me! :D

From what I could see in the samples, it is quiet understandable, layouts looks professional, graphics are well done and verry helpfull.

In short: well done! Congrats!

[ixl]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I hope it is well-received.

I am impatient to get some response to it. I should have known launching it on January 1 would mean most people wouldn't even see it for a while. :)

c

[Jiggy]

Well done again lad.

The Key Concept at the botton of the sample page i downloaded (boolean logical function) i do like how it gives you an easy over view of that page.

Would the Key Concept work at top of page?

[Jiggy]

Ok i see how the Key Concept works now.

[karatekid3d]

AMAZING...that just blows my mind that you could know much less show an understanding for all of that information. I would give soooo much to be able to understand everything you wrote. Looks like a great piece of work from the samples I read. How many pages is this thing anyway?

I don't know if you had it in mind but you might want to consider looking into getting a book deal, I think you would be more then able to.

[karatekid3d]

I was reading the "RIP Protocol limitations and Problems" sample and correct me if i'm wrong, but i thought that RIP supported load balancing over up to 6 equal-cost paths.

Is there a policy that if I'm right i get a free download?:D :D

Great job again though.

[ixl]

Thanks Jiggy. Yeah, it wouldn't work at the top of the topic because the person reading it, not having read the full version, wouldn't really understand what it was about. Some topics in the full Guide actually have 2 or more "key concepts" while others have none. (They were done near the end and took a lot of extra time.)

karatekid3d: Thanks for the kind words. The TCP/IP Guide is 1546 pages long. I have not heard about RIP supporting load balancing, can you point me to a reference? There are likely many proprietary implementations so it wouldn't surprise me, but the base protocol I do not believe supports that feature.

c

[karatekid3d]

I checked my Cisco CCNA book and here's a quote from it:

"Load balancing is a concept that allows a router to take advantage of multiple best paths to a given destination. These paths are derived either statically or with a dynamic protocol such as RIP.

RIP is capable of load balancing over as many as six equal-cost paths. Load balancing over four paths is the defauls. Rip performs what is referred to as round robin load balancing, which means that RIP takes turns fowarding packets over the parallel paths."

I tried searching different RFC documents but didn't have the time to find anything. I'm not positive about RIPv2 but I am pretty sure that RIPv1 can support load balancing.

Here's a Cisco site that hints on that:
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/105/46.html

[ixl]

Thanks for the reply.

I just did a bit more investigating into this issue. It appears that you are correct, though it's a bit more complicated than it appears. It is not so much that RIP supports load balancing, but that load balancing can be done using RIP; in other words, they are somewhat independent of each other. It is apparently quite common for people to believe that RIP does not support load balancing, thus my error on that subject.

Thanks for the correction. And if you want to look through the rest of the material and let me know what you think of it, I'd be grateful; send me an email using the forums and I'll send you a password.

c

[jeeza]

It looks extremely exhaustive.
An impressive piece of work.

[david eaton]

Well, I haven't finished it yet, so any cooment might be premature!

What a magnum opus! Well written, assuming little knowledge on the part of the reader, but, unlike many technical works, it is not patronising. in tone. I think, if I finish reading it I might actually have learned a lot about networking. And painlessly too!

My original intention was to print it out for perusal, as I find hard copy easier than on-screen, but 1546 pages?? My poor old inkjet would be screaming for mercy!

Having written several books and monographs on historical subject, I know how much effort goes into even a short treatise. I can imagine the amount of work needed for a project of this size, and only say CONGRATULATIONS Charles.

[Jiggy]

Ive started with the introduction to networking and finding i can follow it, ive been reading it in small chunks, i do find myself going back for more (unlike me).

I downloaded one of the samples yesterday and got stuck on OSI models (not knowing what OSI was), so i found more about the OSI from google and sat for an hour reading about how the OSI model layers work.

[ixl]

David: thanks so much; can I use that for the Testimonials page?

Jiggy: thanks... and btw there is a full section on the OSI model in the Guide! :) --c

[FrankSG]

Charles--I read some of the samples. In my un-expert opinion, I think that you have done an extraordinary job of putting on paper something as complex as this. Well--I say complex because of my limited knowledge of the subject. As I read it, I realized that in order for me to complete understand it, there are some prerequisites (so to speak) that I don't have. It would not be fair to you if I were to evaluate it since I know so little about it. Even though I have a very limited knowledge of the subject, I know when something is well written and the
TCP/IP Guide certainly is. I suppose that if I really set my mind to learn it, I could. But at my age, I don't think that I would have the discipline to make myself study that much. I am retired and want to devote most of my time to my hobbies and my family. Please be assured that just because I feel that I cannot learn it, do not take this to mean that it has been written in a way that makes it difficult to learn . Quite the contrary, as I mentioned, it is very well written. It's just with my limited knowledge, I think it would be difficult for me as an individual. I very sincerely wish you a lot of success with this. I only know you from what I have read on your site and in the discussion forum. But, I feel that you are a person who deserves it and have earned it.
~Frank~

[ixl]

Frank... thanks for the kind words. I certainly respect your decision about how to spend your time. I would only say this: the samples are small topics carved out of larger sections. This is why many of them seem difficult to grasp; the sections they are from are designed to be read in sequence. Thus, I think if you looked at the whole Guide you would find that it is not as hard to follow as those out-of-context samples seem.

It really is designed NOT to require prerequisites, and I am curious to see how well it does in that regard.

Either way, thanks very much for your time. --c

[FrankSG]

Originally posted by ixl
It really is designed NOT to require prerequisites, and I am curious to see how well it does in that regard.

Either way, thanks very much for your time. --c
Thank you, Charles. I'm going to give it some real serious thought.
After the football game that is.:) Right now the Dallas Cowboys are playing and my favorite team is always the team that is playing the Cowboys.:D

[david eaton]

David: thanks so much; can I use that for the Testimonials page?

Sure, go ahead!

[ixl]

Thanks David.

Frank: I got your email but my response was blocked by your ISP. No idea why. Here's what I got...

<fsangregory@woh.rr.com>:
Connected to 65.24.0.110 but sender was rejected.
Remote host said: 550 5.7.1 Mail Refused - 209.68.1 - See http://security.rr.com/mail_blocks.htm#security - 20031231

I will also report this to my ISP.

c

[karatekid3d]

I've started reading the full guide skimming through each section and so far it's defiently very high quality. The manner in which it's written is very professional and much easier to grasp then most technical books I've read. I love the use of easy to understand analogies that you use, especially relating the host and network portion of an IP address to a telephone number. This guide is a must have for anyone serious about a future in computer networking.

I'll post more as I read it but i don't know if I'll be finishing it anytime soon...1500+ pages:eek:

[FrankSG]

Originally posted by ixl
Thanks David.

Frank: I got your email but my response was blocked by your ISP. No idea why.
c
That's strange. Should I check with my ISP?

[sleddog]

Your original mention of the TCP/IP guide in the Announcements forum did not state that it was to be a pay-per-view product. When I first volunteered my help I did not know I was offering to assist a commercial venture.

Moot point though, as I've been laid up with a busted hip and haven't been able to contribute much of anything to anything :)

Good luck with it.

[ixl]

karatekid3d: Thanks for the kind words.

Frank: I wouldn't bother yet, I put a word in to my own ISP. If you want I can send you the email by private message here on the forums? Feel free to let me know by PM or in this thread.

sleddog: I'm sorry if you felt misled. I reviewed that thread and you're right, I didn't say that I was going to be selling it in my first post, but I did in subsequent posts in that thread, going back several weeks now. You should also realize that all of this is a commercial venture -- The PC Guide, the forums, etc. I am just trying to move away from earning money by advertising to earning it directly from customers.

I'm sorry to hear about your hip and wish you a speedy recovery.

c

[FrankSG]

Originally posted by ixl

Frank: I wouldn't bother yet, I put a word in to my own ISP. If you want I can send you the email by private message here on the forums? Feel free to let me know by PM or in this thread.


c
Either by private message or anyway you want. Whatever works Will be fine with me.

[FrankSG]

Charles--I read the introduction plus a little more. You have a style of writing that is a breath of fresh air. It makes me feel that you are sitting across the table talking to me. Do not change your style of writing. The way you write makes you sound like an honest-to-goodness genuine person. You don't see that with too many authors. I really haven't gotten into the technical stuff yet--but I will.
~Frank~

[ixl]

Thank you Frank.. you are most kind.

c

[nedah]

Charles
I do not have any technical knowledge about Computers or the Internet but I can recognise a well written technical treatise and your guide certainly comes into this category. I have read the samples and, although the content was completely outside of my experience, your clarity of writing did give me an understanding of subjects covered. I hope the guide is a great success.

[Mark Miller]

Very well done Charles, just got back from vacation and will start reading up in a few days.
Congrats on following your dream.
Mark

[deddard]

Just looked at the first 100 pages of the guide, and glanced at some of the later pages, especially on the routing protocols like RIP. I'm studying my CCNA (first exam in 2 weeks!) and this guide looks as if it is going to become my standard reference for most things.

I'll give more detailed feedback after I've got a bit further through the guide, but I will say that it is looking good so far. The style of writing, as has been pointed out already by others, is refreshing.
I qualified as a teacher earlier this year, and aimed to make my presentations as easily understood, and relaxed as possible, and this guide would be a perfect example of how to teach the concepts of TCP/IP - something which is sadly lacking in many tutors. I'll be teaching the subject in the future, and I might just have to purchase a few licences for this guide - go to the top of the class:D

[ixl]

Nedah: Thanks.

Mark: Appreciate the reminder. So far the response to this Guide (aside from you nice folks in the forums) has been nil and it's not feeling much like a dream at the moment.

Deddard: Thanks for the feedback, I am glad you like the material and hope it is useful for you.

c

[malcore]

Looking over the table of contents, it seems an impressive piece of work in its scope!

Maybe the time of release has had an impact on initial response, the Christmas season having just eneded.

I don't know if this is a feasible idea and you have more than likely considered this already, but what about offering sections of the guide at a lower price? For example, the Networking Fundamentals section offered for $10 or $15.

As I said, the scope of this work could seem intimidating , and the thought of spending $40 on a product that you may only wish to have part of may discourage some. Perhaps offering a few large sections at a lower price for each will get it out there quicker, and those who like what they buy may come back for more.

I know I would more than likely be one who would go for the Fundamentals section for a starter, being a beginner at this type of information.

Just a thought. I wish you the best with it.

[ixl]

Malcore.. thank you for your observations. I think you may very well be correct about the season.. and I also suspect that the pricing may be a reason why things are slow so far. But I am trying to go after a market that is paying $70+ for textbooks that are not as good (IMO) as this material. I may well consider doing what you suggest later on, however. Appreciate the feedback.

[FrankSG]

Just another opinion. I don't think the price is a problem. Again that's just an opinion. Maybe it's just a bit too early. It may take awhile for it to take hold. Charles, have you thought about sending a mailer or something to some of the major universities? I don't know much about marketing, but it's just a thought.

[deddard]

Originally posted by ixl
and I also suspect that the pricing may be a reason why things are slow so far. But I am trying to go after a market that is paying $70+ for textbooks that are not as good (IMO) as this material. I may well consider doing what you suggest later on, however. Appreciate the feedback.

I don't know the price of e-books as a rule, so I can't comment on the price. I know I've certainly spent a lot of money on tcp/ip and other network related books, certainly in excess of the cost of the guide. I think most people will be a bit wary of paying for e-books because they can't walk into a bookshop, pick it up and look through, and decide if it is for them. Once the word gets around regarding the quality, this shouldn't prove to be as much of a problem.
I don't think there is any problem with the value for money - $40 is around £30 I think, which just about covers the cost of one book with far less pages in the UK.

I'd agree with FrankSG's suggestion - mailing universities and colleges (why not go to cisco's site and find out the address of all their academies) and offering them the guide would be a good start. Offering them a per-seat licence (using the discount scheme you have in place) would almost certainly be worth while; if just 1 in 50 colleges took it up, you'd be on a winner.
Don't limit yourself to the US, look at the entire world if you want to market to colleges and universities.
I do wish you well with this - a lot of work has gone into it, and it is a work of art, you just need to push it a bit for sales.

[karatekid3d]

This may not be something you want to get involved with as it might be a lot of extra work, but what about contacting some publishing companies. As you said (and i agree) this is MUCH better then a lot of books out there and IMO it wouldn't have any problems getting published. I think once it's in print it would sell VERY well.

I talked to one of my teachers and tried to convince him to buy it but he doesn't seem to understand why I can't just let him copy it off me. Speaking of which I think that could potentially be a big problem with having the book in electronic format, people would just copy the PDF off eachother. I personally refuse to copy it to people because i know what Charles went through to make it and I like to use it as my "secret weapon", but sadly other people may not take your hard work into account. Most people wouldn't want to go through the trouble of photocopying 1500+ pages.

Just an idea, but it may very well be much more work then you'd like to get involved in...but I can tell you that I think this book would sell very well.

[ixl]

Frank and deddard: Thanks. These are good suggestions that I need to explore further. I don't know much about getting into the university market. I think this is a quality product, but I suspect that colleges operate mainly based on referrals and reputation through word of mouth, so it will take some time to get in there.

The book is priced to be less than half of what an equivalent text would be. I could price it lower but I am not convinced that anyone who would balk at paying $40 for this would pay $30. Below that and it won't be taken seriously.

Karatekid: I was very discouraged to read what you wrote -- not just because of what it means to my business, but what it means to our society when a teacher would choose to teach that to his students. (Don't get me wrong, I am glad you told me!)

I am already in discussion with a print publisher. I am hoping to be able to get this thing out in book form, but it won't be until late this year at the earliest. And while I know there are many people who will only want it as a real book, there are so many advantages to the electronic version that I really want to see if I can make a go of that, somehow. The piracy is an issue, I am sure, but hopefully there are a few hundred or thousand honest people like yourself still out there. Thanks.

c

[karatekid3d]

When my CCNA course starts again (in the middle of a 1 month break) I'm going to talk to my teacher who is also Chairman of the IT department and see if he would be interested in purchasing the lisences for this.

[ixl]

Thanks a lot, Karate.

BTW, if your Sager supports it, try the Hitachi 7k60 7200 RPM drive. It will make a noticeable difference in your overall system performance.

c

[FrankSG]

About every other week, I have lunch with a friend of mine who works at the college in our town. Once in awhile the person who teaches TCP/IP at the collage also joins us. Next time we meet, I'll ask him if they might be interested in looking at it. The teacher just got married last week, so right now I'm sure he has other things on his mind--if you know what I mean. :) A suggestion to all the members who read this: just to help Charles get this off of the ground, if you know anyone who has any influence at a university, it may be a good idea to mention it to them. You never know.....

[papertech]

OK.......

am I the only one getting the 401 error???

I haven't gotten in at all.......

guessing it's my browser settings?

hhhhhhhhelp, please!

[ixl]

Frank, thanks very much, I appreciate that sort of referral a great deal.

papertech: that error suggests it isn't taking the password.. I sent you an email, feel free to follow up with me and we'll figure this out. Thanks.

c

[karatekid3d]

Originally posted by ixl
Thanks a lot, Karate.

BTW, if your Sager supports it, try the Hitachi 7k60 7200 RPM drive. It will make a noticeable difference in your overall system performance.

c

I don't really have the $$$ to buy a new HDD now...but i might when a 80GB 7200 RPM drive comes out. I knew about the 60GB 7200 RPM drives when i ordered but i keep so much music and movies on my laptop that i needed the storage space more then the speed, but thanks for the suggestion.