Networking All-in-One For Dummies

Introduction

Welcome to the sixth edition of Networking All-in-One For Dummies, the one networking book that’s designed to replace an entire shelf full of the dull and tedious networking books you’d otherwise have to buy. This book contains all the basic and not-so-basic information you need to know to get a network up and running and to stay on top of the network as it grows, develops problems, and encounters trouble.

If you’re just getting started as a network administrator, this book is ideal. As a network administrator, you have to know about a lot of different topics: installing and configuring network hardware and software, planning a network, working with TCP/IP, securing your network, working with mobile devices, virtualizing your servers, backing up your data, managing cloud services, and many others.

You can, and probably eventually will, buy separate books on each of these topics. It won’t take long before your bookshelf is bulging with 10,000 or more pages of detailed information about every imaginable nuance of networking. But before you’re ready to tackle each of those topics in depth, you need to get a bird’s-eye picture. This book is the ideal way to do that.

And if you already own 10,000 pages or more of network information, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of detail and wonder, “Do I really need to read 1,000 pages about Bind to set up a simple DNS server?” or “Do I really need a six-pound book to show me how to install Linux?” Truth is, most 1,000-page ...