Networking for Dummies (1st Edition)

The fun and easy way for frustrated networkers to learn about setting up a network, maintaining one that someone else has set up, and what questions to ask someone who is setting up your network. Includes Mac networking basics and a free detailed product reference buying guide.

Networking for Dummies upholds the series' proletarian tradition by entertainingly explaining local area networks (LAN) to the rest of us. Written with three different--but equally "clueless in technical matters;quot;--audiences in mind, Lowe's book appeals to novice network users, novice network builder/administrators, and the managers who must finance the activities of the other two groups.

A large part of this book is devoted to user issues such as "Accessing a network drive from WordPerfect" and "What is a print job?" Other chapters explain the differences among the various network architectures and network operating systems. In addition, the book pays a lot of attention to troubleshooting, particularly for common problems.

For these reasons, Networking for Dummies makes a fine resource for people who are new to a networked environment. If you are a network administrator, you might want to get a copy (or three) of this book for the corporate library and refer it to all askers of brain-dead questions.

The book's primary shortcoming is its ignorance of Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Novell IntranetWare. (Coverage of NT stops at version 3.51 and coverage of NetWare stops at version 4.1.) Still, lots of organizations still run these network operating systems, and if yours is one of them, this book may fit your needs admirably.