Networking for Dummies (1st Edition)

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.