TCP / IP For Dummies
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As a network administrator, you’re familiar with certain things — TCP/IP, security threats, and Requests for Comments, or RFCs. Published by the Internet Engineering Task Force, RFCs offer a chance for professionals to share information, present papers for review, and generally communicate amongst themselves. Some RFCs eventually get adopted as Internet standards.

The following list contains RFCs that are especially interesting and/or useful:

  • RFC 3271, “The Internet is for Everyone,” by V. Cerf

  • RFC 2664, “FYI on Questions and Answers — Answers to Commonly Asked New Internet User Questions,” by R. Plzak, A. Wells, E. Krol

  • RFC 2151, “A Primer on Internet and TCP/IP Tools and Utilities,” by G. Kessler, S. Shepard

  • RFC 2504, “Users' Security Handbook,” by E. Guttman, L. Leong, G. Malkin

  • RFC 1244, “Site Security Handbook” (still useful after many years), by J.P. Holbrook, J.K. Reynolds

  • RFC 5485, “Digital Signatures on Internet-Draft Documents”

For laughs, scan these April Fool’s Day RFCs:

  • RFC 3251, “Electricity over IP,” by B. Rajagopalan

  • RFC 1925, “The Twelve Networking Truths,” R. Callon, Editor

  • RFC 2100, “The Naming of Hosts” (love the poetry!), by J. Ashworth

  • RFC 2549, “IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service,” by D. Waitzman

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Candace Leiden consults on systems and database performance and instructional design for international courseware.

Marshall Wilensky was a consultant and network manager for multiprotocol networks at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business Administration. Both are internationally known speakers.

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