Understanding Linux Network Internals - O'Reilly's Latest Release

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the author, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com

A Guided Tour to Networking on Linux
O'Reilly Releases "Understanding Linux Network Internals"

Sebastopol, CA--In a world where Linux is becoming more and more
ubiquitous--you can find it embedded in your router or running the file
server--it is becoming more and more important to understand the
internals. And in a world where more and more devices are networked in
increasingly diverse ways, understanding the network internals of an
operating system can be the key to getting the best performance or
tailoring it to your specific needs.

According to Christian Benvenuti, author of "Understanding Linux Network
Internals" (O'Reilly, US $49.95), "Students and tech companies often use
the Linux operating system as a base for their projects. In order to add
or modify a piece of code (i.e. a new functionality), you first need to
learn about the design of the current implementation."

That's why he wrote the new book. He continues, "I wanted to share my
knowledge and experience with others, and I wanted to document a big
component of the Linux kernel for which there was no good documentation.
O'Reilly already had two good books on the Linux kernel ('Understanding
the Linux Kernel' and 'Linux Device Drivers') and this new one was the
missing piece."

Benvenuti adds, "After reading the book, people will be able to navigate
the networking source code comfortably, and understand how the various
subsystems/components of the TCP/IP stack interface with each other."

Like the popular O'Reilly book "Understanding the Linux Kernel," this
volume clearly explains basic network concepts and teaches readers how
to follow the actual C implementation code. Although some previous
experience with TCP/IP protocols is helpful, readers can learn a great
deal from this text about the protocols themselves and their many uses.
Once they thoroughly understand these networking tools, readers can then
use the book's code walk-throughs to figure out exactly how the most
sophisticated parts of the Linux kernel work.

Benvenuti, an operating system designer who specializes in networking,
explains much more than how Linux code works. He shows the purposes of
major networking features, discusses trade-offs involved when choosing
one solution over another, and includes numerous flowcharts and other
diagrams to help bring the material into focus.

Topics in this book include:

-Key problems with networking
-Network interface card (NIC) device drivers
-System initialization
-Layer 2 (link-layer) tasks and implementation
-Layer 3 (IPv4) tasks and implementation
-Neighbor infrastructure and protocols (ARP)
-Bridging
-Routing
-ICMP

Anyone who has ever wondered how Linux carries out the complicated tasks
assigned to it by the IP protocols--or just wanted to learn about modern
networking through real-life examples--will find an ideal guide in
"Understanding Linux Network Internals."

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book, including author bio, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/understandlni/

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596002...

Understanding Linux Network Internals
Christian Benvenuti
ISBN: 0-596-00255-6, 1035 pages, $49.95 US, $69.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
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Sebastopol, CA 95472

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