Reddit mentions of Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (5th Edition)

If you ask me, Andrew Tanenbaum books are AWESOME. Not cheap but this guy takes a good bottom to top approach, if you really want to understand networking down to the TCP/IP stack get this.

Computer Networks If I can offer you a shred of advice, understanding what is happening under the hood and the 'big picture' of network design becomes an easy concept.

On the flipside - here is a good Top Down approach to networking Computer Networking Top-Down

Best of luck with your studies!

Computer networking top down approach. Very very good book, I can't praise it enough: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0136079679?pc_redir=T1

If you have the time, this textbook is the real deal: Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach

http://smile.amazon.com/Computer-Networking-Top-Down-Approach-5th/dp/0136079679/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453149284&sr=1-2&keywords=computer+networking+a+top-down+approach

I actually started off watching networking and CCNA tutorials on Youtube, as well as some online guides. They do introduce some concepts, but for me, it was still difficult to grasp how everything was built and how they interact. I'd be able to spout off what the 7 layers of the OSI model are, the basic differences between TCP and UDP, and some other pieces of info. Yet, I didn't feel like I actually understood how networking worked. I felt like I was learning facts here and there, but not learning the fundamentals that tie everything together. Nothing made me go "Ohhh so that's how/why it works!"

Then I got this book. It really explains the concepts well. It felt almost too easy. It begins by explaining how the internet works, what are the different components, how it all came to be, and how they're all connected. It then handles each layer (it does talk about the OSI model, but the book is structured around TCP/IP) from top to bottom and goes into technical detail, along with some math, as well as providing real world examples.

Each concept usually has an accompanying analogy (during the first couple chapters), if that helps you learn. After the TCP/IP chapters, it goes into more specific topics like wireless, security, etc. The end of each chapter also has guided labs (like with Wireshark, for example) and problem sets.

I'd really recommend going through each chapter, taking notes, and doing the labs and problems if you want a solid foundation in how networking works. Having this sort of understanding, to me, really helped when studying CCNA material - which by then would just be learning the commands and configuration.

I've always used Computer Networking A Top-Down Approach by Kurose and Ross. (it's also fairly easy to find a PDF of it). It's a good read for understanding the fundamentals and the bigger picture.

Kurose and Ross.