7. Books on Networking

Unix Network Programming

Stevens, W. Richard; Prentice Hall; 1990; ISBN 0-13-949876-1; 772 pp.; $54 (USA).

Everything you might want to know about the subject, and some things you probably didn't want to know (really, XNS!?). Generally regarded as definitive on the basics. Two more volumes are planned.

Linux Network Administrator's Guide

Kirch, Olaf; O'Reilly; 1995; ISBN 1-56592-087-2; 335pp.
See http://www.ora.com/catalog/linag/noframes.html.

A practical guide to Linux's TCP/IP and related services. Accessible on the Web at the Linux Documentation Project page, or directly at http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/LDP/nag/nag.html.

TCP/IP Network Adminstration

Hunt, Craig; O'Reilly Associates, ISBN 0-937175-82-X; 1992; 472pp.
See http://www.ora.com/catalog/tcp2/noframes.html.

Less Linux-specific than the Kirch book. Features deeper coverage of the TCP/IP core, including routing and BGP.

DNS and BIND (Second Edition)

Albitz, Paul, and Liu, Cricket; O'Reilly; 1996; ISBN 1-56592-236-0; 1992; 438pp; $32.95.
See http://www.ora.com/catalog/dns2/noframes.html.

In-depth coverage of DNS, useful for people running complicated multiple-subnet installations. Covers BIND library programming.

Sendmail (Second Edition)

Costales, Bryan & Allman, Eric; O'Reilly; ISBN 1-56592-222-0; 1997; 1050 pp; $32.95
See http://www.ora.com/catalog/sendmail2/noframes.html.

An exhaustive (and exhausting) guide to Linux's and Unix's default mail-transfer agent.