Networks Back

	RFID Basics for Dummies A free handout (swag) from Symbol or ScanSource if you attended some of the recent events. Perhaps the best and concise write up about RFID. While it is a "dummies" book the author goes into some of the physics and engineering involved enlightening the reader about how this technology works without boring them to death. Detail is given to the different types of RFID tags and where and how they are appropriate to deploy. Setting up RFID interrogation zones at "choke points" or other logical areas is illustrated, followed up by some real world examples including how to test out your deployments. Finally twelve different RFID manufacturers are detailed. (Wiley, 76 Pages)		RFID Security Details methods in which RFID systems can be attacked. introduction covers general RFID technology followed by, application use, threat and target identification tag encoding attacks, tag application attacks [cloning], securing RFID networks, via middleware and network security, backend attack [database, ONS], management of RFID security, followed by a case study of RFID security for the DOD. Good introduction into security issues without lengthy overkill. (Syngress, 2006, 242 Pages)
	RFID Essentials Good detailed book, [ read it and learn what slotted Aloha is ]. Book covers: introduction, architecture, tags, tag protocols, readers and printers, reader protocols, middleware, information service [EPC, ONS], managing, privacy and security, the future. Great explainations on how some tags implement different protocols and how they work. (O'Reilly, 2006, 260 Pages)		RFID Applied One of the best so far due to great coverage of the technology. Basically three sections to the book: technical details of RFID, 10 RFID applications and RFID in 10 different countries. Technical topics: past present and future of RFID, RFID basics, recent advances, business case for RFID, industry standards, system components, integration. Application coverage includes cattle ranching, automotive industry, health care,. manufacturing, marine terminal, military, payment transactions, retail, transportation, warehousing and distribution. (Wiley, 2007, 509 Pages)
	RFID Toys If you want to dive into building some RFID projects this is the book. Starting with an introduction to RFID technology this book then illustrates a dozen or so projects. These are all low cost projects which can be built quite easily. Good illustration of the deversity of use of this technology. Projects covered: automatic door access for home, door access for car, autologon to Windows XP, modifing a home safe to open via RFID, building a smart shelf, pet door access, employee tracking, building a handheld reader/writer, and asset monitoring. Many of these are starting points for more advanced projects which can be taken much further. Vendor readers and tags used : Parallax, Phidgets, QKITS, SkyeTek, and Wavetrend. (Wiley, 2006, 320 Pages)
	Implementing Voice Over IP Covers a fair amount of ground in a concise manner. For VoIP it covers background, technologies, evolution, evaluation, testbeds, deployment, position in public networks and position in global networks. Good for a quick survey of the technologies and on going evolution of VoIP. (Wiley Press, 208 pages)		Practical VoIP - Using Vocal Well...if you want a good walk thru of the Cisco open source product than this is it. This book is written with the telephony person in mind. Covers in detail how to configure Vocal for both small and large scale deployments. Book covers design choices on the project and how they implemented various components and features. Also covers future work needed for the project as it is an open source project. (Vocal runs on Red Hat, its user interface is written in Java.) (O'Reilly, 502 pages)
	Switching to VoIP  Best book on VoIP I have read so far. Excellent for the beginner as well as extremely valuable information for the experienced pro. The book takes you on a tour from traditional telephony to VoIP architecture and implementations from a vendor neutral perspective.  Classic topics covered: PSTN, SS7, POTS, DID, DTMF, FXO, FXS, PBX, RBOCs, CLECs, IXCs, ISPs.  Other concepts like the following are covered: Dial Plans, E911, Hunt Groups, Media Gateways, Presence, Call Centers, and IVR.   VoIP topics include: Asterisk, ATAs, Codecs, H428, IAX, MGCP, NAT, PCM, RTP, SCCP, SDP, SIP, H.323, UDP, USB handsets. CoS, QoS, Readiness, Security, and VoIP Vendors. There are countless projects designed to test and evaluate various VoIP technologies. Guidelines and advice to develop and deploy VoIP systems from home/small business environments to full scale corporate environments. Traditional voice applications are covered such as FAX, IVR, Voice Mail etc. The book is great as a compact reference as well as a guide to transition from analog to digital VoIP architectures.  (O'Reilly Press, 477 Pages)		VoIP Hacks - Tips & Tools for Internet Telephony Edu-taining reading for when you have a few minutes to kill like waiting for meetings, commuting, standing in line at the bank etc. The book details 100 voice over IP based telephony projects. Some of the freeware and open source projects are amazing. With Cain & Abel you can intercept, monitor and record VoIP conversations via ARP poisoning and a MTM attack. (Be careful how you do this in most cases this is illegal not to mention unethical). If you have broadband or DSL, pick this book up! Picture this, with a initial $35 to $70 investment to purchase a generic ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), you can then run your regular phones over VoIP, a nice way to tunnel your 5.8 Ghz phones over the internet. The O'Reilly series of hacks books describes clever ways of implementing and deploying various technologies, using "hacks" not in the modern sense i.e. "a poor job done", but in the older one of where ingenuity and creativity solved the tasks at hand. This particular book covers 100 projects with VoIP technologies. Topics are; broadband VoIP, desktop telephony, skype, asterisk, hardware phones, navigating/analyzing VoIP, and deploying VoIP systems. This one will arm you with enough information to setup your own telephony server, PBX etc. all at the cost effective price of a generic PC. (O'Reilly Press, 306 Pages)
	SIP Beyond VoIP Interesting book covers introduction, fundamentals [explains call set up and tear down], SIP ladder diagrams, SIP plus video, application examples [location, emergency services], context aware communications: presence, events, instant messaging, SIP based conferencing and collaboration, DNS and ENUM, XCAP - the extensible configuration access protocol, mobile SIP, accessibility to communications for disabled people, security, NAT and firewall transversal, peer-to-peer SIP. (VON publishing, 2005, 333 pages)		Asterisk - The Future of Telephony Details the open source free linux based pbx solution. Small businesses are deploying asterisk based boxes for their phone systems. Covers the subject matter deep enought that you could put together your own system, including some of the hardware boards required. Book covers: perparing a system for asterisk, installing, initial configuration, dialplan basics, dialplan concepts, the public telephone network, protocols [legacy to VoIP], asterisk gateway protocol, unique features and customizations, the future. (O'Reilly Press, 380 Pages, 2nd Edition is now out)
	GPRS and 3G Wireless Applications Covers path of telephony evolution from second to third generation.Topics include GPRS wireless packet data, 3G systems (Edge, CDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000), Bluetooth, WAP, Location Based Services, QoS, Security. Mobile Platform Operating Systems. Great illustrations of how the technologies work. (Wiley, 317 pages, CD-ROM)
	Honeypots Kind of interesting book, but it also had its idle moments. The book takes you on a walk through several honeypot systems, starting with simpler freeware to more complex commercial versions. Later on Honeynets and more complex network topologies are discussed. I found the most interesting chapter to be on legal issues and considerations. For example, can the use of honeypots be considered entrapment? This not a book for the software developer, but if you are a network administrator you should read it. There are also many subtle points made throughout the book on different intrusion techniques and various methods of protecting your networks. (Addison-Wesley, 452 Pages, CD-ROM)		Radius This book doubles an an reference guide and an about book. Dry in a few spots due to the reference format (this can't be helped) the book talks about what comprises Remote Access Dialin User Service and compares it to the AAA specification. There are also some good points on the security flaws of Radius and how to compensate for them. Another chapter details how to deploy the freeware version FreeRadius which runs on Unix varients. There are also references to other Radius implementations. (O'Reilly, 190 pages)
	IEEE 802.11 Handbook - A Designers Companion Covers some details none of the others do, short concise and worthwhile. Topics include: Comparisons of Wired and Wireless LANS, 802.11 Architecture, MAC Layer, MAC Management, MAC Management Information Base, PHY Layer, Extensions to PHY Layer, and Design Considerations. (IEEE Press, 174 pages)		Building Wireless Community Networks Enthusiastic writing style, covers the basics of what wireless networks are comprised of. Topics covered include cabling, access points, antenna types, firewalls, wireless modes, coverage issues. My favorite was an illustration of a point-to point link which had a range of up to 10 miles. Antennas were constructed out of "Pringles" chip cans! (O'Reilly, 125 pages)
	Wireless Hacks Using the older "hacks" definition, i.e. "a clever method to get something done" not the malicious intent moniker, this book covers one hundred wireless tips and tools. Entertaining reading which can be read front to back or kept as a cookbook for solutions. Topics covered are "802.11X" Standards, Bluetooth, Network Monitoring, Hardware Hacks, Do-It Yourself Antennas, Long Distance Links, and Wireless Security. The software tools are supplied with web links. (most are Linux based). I found some of the home brew antennas to be quite enlightening, in particular the slotted waveguide antennas. The other winner was the access point / night light combo! (O'Reilly, 286 pages)		Wireless - Maximum Security Many topics here, some in-depth and others only skimming the surface. A good introduction to security issues though. Topics are: 802.11 hardware, antennas, free and commercial wireless software tools. There is an excellent explanation of the flaws of WEP. This is step by step illustration on how WEP encryption works as well as how to crack it. (Source code included in Perl). Other topics include hacking techniques, wireless attacks, steps to secure your WLAN. Additional topics: Radius, VPNs, public key infrastructure and intrusion detection systems. (Sams, 390 pages, CD-ROM)
	802.11 Wireless Networks This book covers everything you would want to know about 802.11 networks. From frame formats down to the phasing used to transmit data on FS, DS and OFDM. Other pertinent topics include; security, power management, wireless modes, DCF, PCF, cards and access points, mobile IP, the 802.11 MIB, and 802.11 on Windows, Linux and the Mac. (O'Reilly, 443 pages) Second edition covers G networks, authenication with 802.11x, 802.11i [TKIP, CCMP], 802.11n [mimo], 802.11 on windows, the mac and linux, network analyzers... This is one of the best books out on 802.11 networks. (2nd edition, 630 pages)		Building a CISCO Wireless Lan This book had much to offer in terms of delving into 802.11 and in particular network design, site surveys, security, wireless bridges, wireless access points and client 802.11 cards. It also detailed functionality and configuration of the various hardware as well. Additional coverage on antennas, cabling, mounting brackets etc. (Syngress/Callisma, 501 pages)
	CWNA Study Guide Covers 802.11 basics extensively. Topics include: Radio Frequency Fundamentals, Spread Spectrum Technology, WLAN Infrastructure devices, Antennas and other RF components, WLAN Standards and Organizations, 802.11 Architecture, MAC and Physical Layers, Troubleshooting WLANS, Basic WLAN Security, Site Surveys. (McGraw-Hill/Planet 3 Wireless, 557 pages) More on Book		CWSP Study Guide The saga continues starting with coverage of wireless discovery tools. Next, gathering information through mechanisms such as social engineering, dumpster diving, and war driving. The following section covers establishing general and functional security policies. Wireless Lan Security options; Encryption, Layer-2/Data Link Solutions,VPN, WPA, Segmentation, Authentication and additional security measures. Appendices contain terms as well as excerpts from the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. These spell out the definition and sentencing for computer and communications theft and crime, in some cases a solid 20 years! (McGraw-Hill/Planet 3 Wireless, 528 pages)
	Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Third in the trilogy. Makes some interesting reading, but unless you decode packets as a living or at least full time and non stop for six months don't bother with this certification as it is all about the packet. Like the O'Reilly 802.11 book where the author stated "there is only so much life an author can breath into framing details, no matter how much effort is expended to make the details interesting.". Book covers protocol architecture, connectivity and data protection, configuration and protection mechanisms, 802.11 MAC frame format, Management Frames, Control Frames, Data Frames, the PHY Layer, 802.11 System Architecture, Protocol Analyzers, and Performance Variables. Generally a good book to round out your knowledge. (McGraw-Hill/Planet 3 Wireless/Osborne, 417 pages)
	Managing Internetworks with SNMP Extensive coverage of SNMP version 2 and 3. Illustration of application classes and context specific classes. Appendix's cover manufacturers of SNMP equipment, RFCs and MIBs. (IDG, 661 pages, CD-ROM)		Windows NT SNMP Good writing style. Explains basic SNMP operations. Then delves into implementation with Windows 95. Illustrates how to set up SNMP agents and create and deploy a trap manager in a windows environment. (O'Reilly, 446 pages, CD-ROM)
	RTP - Audio and Video For the Internet Just published in 2003 this book covers the following topics; the history, development and format of RTP, Real Time Control Protocol (RTCP), issues with media capture, playout and timing, synchronization of media streams, error concealment, error correction, congestion control, header compression, multiplexing, tunneling, and security. Good writing style, considering some aspects of this subject are a little dry. (Addison-Wesley, 414 pages)		Client-Server Programming and Applications (TCP/IP Volume III) One of those books to have as a reference. Covers various client/server models for application deployment (single thread, multi-thread, single protocol, multi protocol), Then covers other applications such as RPC, XDR, RPC, NFS. Book caps it off with a two chapter implementation of a Telnet client in C. (Prentice-Hall, 508 pages)
	Game Audio Programming Book covers DirectX, DirectSound and DirectMusic models, audio programing via scripting, custom audio formats and loaders such as the windows Audio Compression Manager SDK (ACM), Ogg Vorbis SDK, Windows Media Format SDK, 3-D Sound techniques with DirectSound, ZoomFX/MacroFX, Understanding Dolby, acoustical modeling, environmental reverberation, Redbook audio playback, optimization. Appendix has refererence links. CD Rom includes C++ source code examples of the above. [Charles River Media, Boer, 2003, 640 Pages]		Fundamentals of Audio and Video Programming For Games Books includes sample code in C/C++. Book covers, introduction to DirectX, volume panning and frequency of stereo sound, moving sounds in 3-D space, adding special effects and environmental reverb to 3D sounds, understanding audio special effects, steaming sounds into circular buffers, driving hardware with property sets, building an application with the concertina framework, directshow with video rendering, advanced 3D video effects, customizing compositors, multimon procamp deinterlacing, content and technical quality, optimizing quality via production. [Microsoft Press, Turcan/Wasson, 2004, 373 Pages]
	WiMax Crash Course Quick deep dive into WiMax, written by an author who has deployed systems in 3rd world countries which have no existing infrastructure. WiMax makes sense in these situations. Book covers: WiMax radio basics, history and support organizations, applications and services, how WiMAX works, applications, services, and futures. [McGraw Hill, Shepard, 2006, 339 Pages]
	C# Network Programming A tour through the framework classes of C#. A nice feature the author provided is that you do not need a full blown GUI IDE to develop the examples illustrated in the book. Go to the Microsoft website and download the .NET Framework runtimes and .NET Framework SDK for free. You can then compile and run the examples. Book starts out with the basics of .NET and TCP and how to set up an environment to build, test and trace C# applications. Book then delves into building TCP and UDP client/server models. The limitations and merits of both TCP and UDP are illustrated through examples. DNS, helper classes, asynchronous sockets, thread use, Multicasting, ICMP, SNMP, SMTP, HTTP models are all illustrated with yet more examples. The final three chapters delve into initial coverage of Active Directory, Remoting (similar to RMI), Security and Encryption/Decryption. Readability and coverage are good, plus you will learn what soapsuds is. (Sybex, 647 pages)		Network Programming for Microsoft Windows The 2nd edition Published in 2002 is now out of print. I am suprised they have not come out with a new version yet, even with all of the .NET pubs you still need to get down to the basic C/C++ level to do high performance network coding. If you plan to do any development then this is a good reference. The book covers the functionality and features in different versions of Windows like 95, 98, NT, ME, XP, and CE. I found the description of the different winsock API methods and performance benchmarks to be invaluable. Topics covered are winsock design, protocols supported, IP4, IP6, socket options and ioctls, registration and name resolution, QOS, ATM, multicasting, raw sockets, writing high performance networking code, the winsock service provider interface, C# network programming, the VB winsock control, remote access service (RAS), and finally the C API helper functions to write utilities like netstat, route, ipconfig etc. (Microsoft, 580 pages, CD-ROM)
	Practical Digital Video with Programming Examples in C Drags you through a tour of most standard video algorithms. Code samples are in C, while they are not optimized for real time professional projects, they are an excellent launch point to understand many of the basics of video processing. Book covers: Video use and history, video basics [NTSC, CCDs, PAL, SECAM, resolution, sequencing, frame buffers], color representation [rgb, yuv], data compression techniques [subsampling, huffman encoding, vector quantization, DPCM, DCTs], video data storage [tape, disk drive, compact disk storage], motion video capture hardware, motion video software, video image processing techniques [hi/low pass filtering, scaling, contrast, negative, feature extraction, thresholds], Three more chapters each devoted in detail to JPEG, MPEG, and H.261. Appendix covers various video file formats as well as more source code examples. (Wiley, 1994, 522 pages)		Windows Speech Recognition Programming Published in 2004 but illustrations seem out of date. Good as a reference, or for those first starting out. Sample code in VB. To understand some of this basics of what windows offers this is worthwhile though. Covers voice command, voice dictation, speech recognition, speech synthesis, voice text and voice telephony and the corresponding windows controls. The SDKs are all free downloads via MSDN. The book also supplies sample download code examples. Depending upon what voice/speech SDK you are using the CPU speed requirements can range from 90 Mhz to 120 Mhz and 4 mbyte to 40 mbyte run time storage. [note: these are pre .NET] The basic sounds for the english language are listed here, only 42 phonemes! Books introduction covers some basics of speech and sound and how APIs can be built by applying speech and hearing technology [linquistics] (iUniverse, 2004, 358 pages)
	Voice and Video Conferencing Fundamentals Excellent start to understand voice and video basics like DCT encoding etc. Books contents: voice and video components, video encoding basics [DCT, RLE, VLE, binary, entrophy, VLC, hybrid, frame types, scaling, macroblocks] media control and transport [RTP RTCP], SIP, H.323, lip synchronization, security. Appendix contains tables on standard formats. Great explainations and illustrations in a concise format. [Cisco Press, 2007, 376 Pages]		Video Conferencing over IP A realistic tour through both software and hardware offerings as well as the technical knowledge required to set up and deploy video conferencing systems. Book covers: introduction, selecting a high speed ISP, what you need for Mac, Windows devices, headsets, video telephones as a service [Packet8, AN, Vonage, VoicePulse, Worldgate Ojo]; non service videophones: H.323, SIP; dialup videophones: Beamer; Hardware videophones, free video call software, commercial video call software, advanced video conferencing, [Tandberg, PolyCom, HP Halo, Aertha, Lifesize]; Web video conferencing; future video conferencing: Microsoft, Vodaphone, Motorola, T-Mobile, Nokia, Telstra-Australia. Appendix: common firewall ports, video call software solutions and add-ons. [Syngress, 2006, 314 Pages]
	Video Over IP: A Practical Guide to Technology and Applications Covers video transport, video transport applications, video basics, video and audio compression, ip networking basics, from video into packets, packet transport, video streaming and media players, multicasting, video conferencing over IP, content ownership and security, transport security, IPTV, video file transfer, network administration. Appendix on DCTs and the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange are good illustrations of how these technologies impacted the communications field. [Focal Press, Simpson, 2006, 493 Pages]		Mobile TV - DVB-H, DMB, 3G Systems and Rich Media Applications Sections: about mobile TV, introduction to mobile media, streaming and mobile media, cellular mobile networks, technologies for mobile TV, using #G, using DVB-H, using DMB, services interoperability, services spectrum, chip sets, operating systems for phones, handsets, services worldwide, content, interactivity, content security, the future. This will make you realize how much further along this technology is outside of the US. [Focal Press, Kumar, 2007, 508 Pages]
	How Video Works - From Analog to High Definition Covers: electronic photography, scanning, synchronizing the analog signal, the transmitted signal, color video, monitoring the color image, analog waveform monitors, analog vectorscopes, the encoded signal, digital theory, digital television standards, high definition video, digital scopes, compression, image acquisition and recording formats, optical media, timecode, audio for video, overview of operations, test signals displays and media problems. Good book to learn the basics of where video came from, good illustrations of the hardware involved. [Focal Press, Weise/Weynand, 2007, 301 Pages]		Video Demystified - A Handbook for the Digital Engineer Book covers: introduction, color spaces, video signals, analog video interfaces, digital video interfaces, digital video processing, NTSC PAL and SECAM overview, NTSC PAL digital encoding and decoding, H.261 and h.263, consumer DV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and H.264, ATSC Digital TV, OpenCable Digital TV, DVB Digital TV, ISDB Digital TV, IPTV. One of the better illustrations of how MPEG codecs are constructed, the color models are illustrated well. Recommended, 5th edition is now out. [Newnes, Jack, 2007, 920 Pages]
	Image and Video Compression for Multimedia Engineering Introduction covers visual quality metrics and information theory. Book continues with depth coverage of quantization types, differential coding, transform coding, variable length coding, run length coding, dictionary coding, JPEG and DCTs, wavelets, vector quantization, fractal and model based coding, motion estimation, motion compression, block matching, PEL recursion, optical flow, 2-D motion estimation, digital video section covers both design and applications in MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, ITU H.261/H.263. [CRC, Shi/Sun, 2003, 480 Pages]		Video Codec Design - Developing Image and Video Compression Systems Covers: digital video concepts [color spaces, human perception, quality, capture, display], image and compression fundamentals [DPCM, transform, motion compensation, model based, quantization, entropy, decoding, frame differencing, motion compensation, prediction], JPEG, MPEG-1/2/4, H.261, H.263, H.26L, Motion estimation types, transform coding [DCT, wavelet, quantization types], entropy coding details [Huffman], pre-post filtering, rate, distortion, transmission, platforms-processors, hardware and software codec design , futures. Good links to original reference papers. [Wiley, Richardson, 2002, 303 Pages]
	Video Compression and Communications A compilation of many technical papers on the subject. Good for enhancing your general knowledge, beyond the basics for sure. Covers: introduction to compression and communications, codecs for HSDPA adaptive videophones [fractal], low bitrate DCT codecs and HSDPA style videophone transceivers [motion compensation, transform coding, DCTs in depth], very low bitrate VQ codecs HSDPA style videophone transceivers [codebook design, VQ low rate, trellis based], very low bitrate Quad-Tree based codecs HSDPA style videophone transceivers, high resolution based codecs [DPCM, block truncation, subband, high resolution DCTs], H.261, H.263, H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, HSDPA style video telephony and DVB, Comparison of H.261, H.263, MPEG-4 bitstream and bit sensitivity, HSDPA-like Turbo codecs. [Wiley IEEE, 2007, 677 Pages]		Digital Video and HDTV - Algorithms and Interfaces Good as a reference/cookbook for video projects. Book covers: raster images, quantization, brightness/contrast, constant luminance, rendering, luma/chroma, SDTV, NTSC, PAL, HDTV, all types of video compression, digital video interfaces, filtering and sampling, resampling, interpolation, decimation, image digitization, perception, CIE color system, color science for video, gamma, luma and color differences, SDTV component video color coding, HDTV component video color coding, video signal processing, frame/field/line rates, timecode, digital synch, TRS, analog SDTV, genlock, videotape recording, 2-3 pulldown, deinterlacing, JPEG in depth, DV compression, MPEG-2 in depth, 480i, 480 NTSC, 576i, SDTV test signals, 1280x720 HDTV, 1920x1080 HDTV, NTSC PAL broadcast standards, consumer analog NTSC and PAL, DTV broadcast standards, YUV and luminance considered harmful, radiometry, photometry. [Morgan Kaufmann, Poynton, 2003, 692 Pages]