Nothing happens on the Internet without the underlying collection of network protocols — the TCP/IP stack — playing a role. If you're looking to increase your networking knowledge — and your marketability — by becoming familiar with TCP/IP, take a look at Illustrated TCP/IP for an orientation. In his coverage of IP, Matthew Naugle explains IPv4 and IPv6, along with the protocols that facilitate routing and other interactions among IP hosts (including Routing Information Protocol [RIP], Open Shortest Path First [OSPF], and Internet Control Message Protocol [ICMP]).
Naugle covers Transport Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and offers information on the software that has grown up around the TCP/IP suite (including FTP, DNS, and SMTP). This series of short articles provides overviews of IP addresses and subnetting, explains key relationships among the TCP/IP technologies, and overall, represents a good way to gain basic familiarity with the essential Internet communications standards and related applications. You'll be ready for environment-specific guides after you work through this book.