Find the in-depth technical information you need to support TCP/IP on the Windows 2000 platform with the MICROSOFT® WINDOWS 2000 TCP/IP PROTOCOLS AND SERVICES TECHNICAL REFERENCE. It steps you through TCP/IP protocols layer by layer in the OSI model, while offering details to help you handle daily connectivity tasks. Weaving concepts with practical examples, it presents a detailed picture of TCP/IP protocols and services for Windows 2000 networks and discusses how to use these protocols and services to maximize LAN/WAN performance. It includes utilities to help you monitor your network and provides expert instruction so you understand: • The Network Access Layer: How the network architectures that Windows 2000 supports carry data in a TCP/IP network• Internet Layer Protocols: How IP provides a reliable end-to-end delivery system for individual datagrams, both for one-to-one and for one-to-many communication• Transport Layer Protocols: How TCP and UDP use IP to let applications running on Windows 2000-based PCs communicate with other applications and PCs, plus how TCP manages the reliable flow of data between sender and receiver• Application Layer Protocols and Services: How Windows 2000 implements key RFC-compliant application protocols

As Microsoft Windows becomes increasingly network-centric, its TCP/IP services get increasingly important. Microsoft Windows 2000 TCP/IP Protocols and Services Technical Reference documents the protocols as they relate to Windows 2000. Odds are high that you'll find the networking solutions you need in this book. Even though it's not designed as test preparation, the book provides a grounding in the TCP/IP protocols that's strong enough to help you pass the TCP/IP exam (70-059) en route to a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification.

The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model is the organizational guide for the book. With each protocol in the TCP/IP stack, the relevant open standards are documented with packet diagrams and clear explanatory prose. Lots of Network Monitor traces appear (with comments) too. Open standards are tied to Microsoft-specific phenomena, including the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) implementation, Domain Name Service (DNS), Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), and Internet Information Services 5 (IIS 5). Throughout, the authors emphasize what is communicated over the network in various situations, rather than configuring Windows 2000 itself. The companion CD-ROM is underused, but it does contain some worthwhile network data captures illustrating key transactions that are designed for viewing in the Network Monitor application that ships with Windows 2000 Server or Systems Management Server 2. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Internet protocol stack as Microsoft Windows 2000 implements it, with emphasis on address resolution, routing, Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet Group Message Protocol (IGMP), IPv6, and TCP connections and data exchange (including errors and retransmissions). More Windows-specific material deals with Microsoft's implementation of DHCP, DNS, WINS, and tunneling protocols for virtual private networks (VPNs).