Connecting to the Internet: A Practical Guide about LAN-Internet Connectivity - Softcover

Ward, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201379562 ISBN 13: 9780201379563

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional, 1999

Synopsis

Comprehensive yet succinct, Connecting to the Internet is a guide to the entire process of connecting a private network to the Internet and then maintaining that connection. This practical handbook provides essential information without the burden of extraneous detail. Using a step-by-step approach, the text covers the processes of planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining an effective and secure LAN-to-Internet connection―from TCP/IP essentials, to choosing the most appropriate Internet Service Provider, to setting up a firewall. The book includes coverage of: TCP/IP essentials; standard Internet service protocols, such as DNS, FTP, Mail, News, Telnet, the Web, and SSL; and security technologies―packet filters, circuit proxies, application gateways, network address translation, firewalls, vendors, security policies, and auditing.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew F. Ward works as a network administrator for 3Com Corporation. He is responsible for Internet connectivity, security, and LAN and WAN design and operations. Previously Mr. Ward worked as a Novell system administrator and software developer. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Rochester.

0201379562AB04062001

From the Back Cover

System and network administrators faced with the challenge of building and maintaining permanent LAN-to-Internet connections are often in need of additional information in order to complete this complex task. This practical handbook is a guide to the entire process of connecting a private network to the Internet and then maintaining that connection.

Comprehensive yet succinct, Connecting to the Internet provides essential information without the burden of extraneous detail. Using a step-by-step approach, this book covers the processes of planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining an effective and secure LAN-to-Internet connection--from TCP/IP essentials, to choosing the most appropriate Internet Service Provider, to setting up a firewall.

Specifically, you will find coverage of:

• TCP/IP essentials and standard Internet service protocols, such as DNS, FTP, Mail, News, Telnet, the Web, and SSL
• Criteria for choosing an Internet Service Provider, including connection capacity, installation services, Web hosting, security, VPNs, remote access, multicast, knowledge services, and pricing
• Circuitry and equipment configuration for your WAN
• Security technologies--packet filters, circuit proxies, application gateways, network address translation, firewalls, vendors, security policies, and auditing
• Network design and equipment selection
• Staging and testing the design, including how to run routing diagnostics and security testing
• Implementing the new connection, going live with the ISP, and troubleshooting the WAN
• Managing the LAN-Internet connection, with discussions on security breaches, usage monitoring, and performance issues

Each technical chapter contains checklists to help you track critical steps in the process. In addition, experienced-based tips throughout the book will keep you from falling into expensive and time-consuming pitfalls.

0201379562B04062001

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

Look before You Leap

As Internet usage continues to grow throughout the world, increasing
numbers of network administrators face the task of connecting their local
area networks (LANs) to the Internet. For these personnel, this project
represents an entirely new challenge, and in some cases a daunting one.
After all, there is much to consider when implementing a dedicated
connection to the Internet.

In the past, only a small group of people possessed the skills and
knowledge needed to build an Internet connection. Until recently, the
Internet was not a huge network. Furthermore, until the 1990s, access
was too expensive for small and midsize organizations. Lower access
prices and an increase in the number of ISPs, however, have now led to
a pervasive expansion of the Internet.

Today, network professionals need basic information about how to
connect their LANs to the Internet. This book seeks to fill this
information gap and explain the process of building and maintaining a
dedicated connection from the LAN to the Internet. Unlike other
networking projects, building a dedicated Internet connection poses a
unique challenge because it requires functional expertise in a range of
technical subjects, including:

TCP/IP
Internet services and functions
Wide area networking
Security
Network architecture
Testing and validation procedures

Moreover, constructing an Internet connection usually requires the
administrator to involve other external parties, such as the Internet
service provider (ISP), the telecommunications vendor, and sometimes a
consultant (or two). Thus the process of connecting the LAN to the
Internet requires both technical and project management expertise.

Many excellent books focus on specific aspects of Internet connectivity.
In particular, the most popular subjects are TCP/IP and security.
Excellent books can also be found on wide area networks (WANs) and
Internet-specific topics such as Domain Name System (DNS). Yet, few
books bring together the pertinent parts of these technical subjects in a
manner that enables the reader to start building a connection without
overloading him or her with unnecessary information. This book focuses
on what is immediate and necessary to build such a connection.

This book really describes the process of connecting your LAN to the
Internet. Its structure reflects the order in which you carry out tasks
necessary to build an Internet connection. Each chapter discusses one
particular element of the construction process, providing both conceptual
information and useful tips on how to avoid common pitfalls in the
construction process.

With the exception of Chapter 1, which provides additional information
about TCP/IP and Internet services that is pertinent to building a
connection, each chapter includes a checklist of key points to address
when you build your connection. This book is your travel guide to putting
your LAN on the Internet.

Audience

This book is intended for network and system administrators who are
implementing an Internet connection for the first time, as well as
managers who are overseeing the construction of such a connection. We
have attempted to make the book international in scope so that the
contents will prove useful to administrators throughout the world.

Prerequisites

Only one prerequisite exists for readers of this book--an understanding of
the TCP/IP communications protocol. In particular, we assume the
reader has a basic knowledge of the following:

OSI Reference Model
IP addressing
Subnet masking
Default gateways
Domain Name System (DNS)

Acknowledgments

I never really understood why authors write acknowledgements until I
wrote a book myself. Now I understand. Most books, including this one,
are really a joint effort. Although the author may write the words, he or
she depends on the support of many folks. This support includes sharing
ideas, offering opinions, and encouraging the author's effort.

Without the help of many people, this book would not have been possible.
In particular, I owe a world of thanks to Saskia (my spouse) for putting
up with my crazy project, especially during weekends when we should
have been doing fun things like backpacking. I also wish to thank my
family and friends, who helped me keep my sense of humor and direction
throughout the writing process.

Many thanks go out to my colleague and friend, Darryl Black, whom I
blame entirely for this book. (I am joking, of course!) Without his
involvement, technical skills, and encouragement over an occasional beer,
I would not have completed this project. I also wish to acknowledge my
colleagues at 3Com, from whom I have learned much over the years.
Many thanks go to my managers, Scott Graham and Adam Wasylyshyn.

Of course, nothing would have been possible without the guidance of my
editor, Mary Hart, and the Addison Wesley Longman team. In addition, I
am indebted to the technical reviewers of this text, who shared their
experiences, thoughts, and comments on Internet connectivity and made
many suggestions about how to improve the book. They include Dustin
Andrews, Howard Lee Harkness, Richard P. Jussaume, Brendan Kehoe,
Dana Love, Alain Mayer, James McGovern, Ravi Prakash, Thomas H.
Ptacek, Ian Redfern, Dan Ritter, and Vincent Stemen.

--Andrew F. Ward

Edition details

• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0201379562
• ISBN 13: 9780201379563
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320