Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, Sixth Edition, explores the key principles of computer networking, using real world examples from network and protocol design. Using the Internet as the primary example, this best-selling classic textbook explains various protocols and networking technologies. The systems-oriented approach encourages students to think about how individual network components fit into a larger, complex system of interactions. This sixth edition contains completely updated content with expanded coverage of the topics of utmost importance to networking professionals and students, as provided by numerous contributors via a unique open source model developed jointly by the authors and publisher.

Hallmark features of the book are retained, including chapter problem statements, which introduce issues to be examined; shaded sidebars that elaborate on a topic or introduce a related advanced topic; Whats Next? discussions that deal with emerging issues in research, the commercial world, or society; and exercises. This book is intended primarily for graduate or upper-division undergraduate classes in computer networking. It will also be useful for industry professionals retraining for network-related assignments, as well as for network practitioners seeking to understand the workings of network protocols and the big picture of networking.