This is a 5 star book because it takes you down to the lowest level of detail without losing you. This is primarily due to the book's excellent organization where each chapter builds on the previous ones. Although it calls itself a reference, it's an excellent sequential read to learn what TCP/IP is about under the covers on Windows Server 2003.

I'd like to say that this is a good book for the general reader who wants a broad overview of networking protocols.

But nobody buys a book like this for browsing and unfortunately it falls short when it comes to the nitty gritty details that anone working with these protocols needs.
What is the point of providing extra detail if these details prove to be misleading or in some cases even contradictory?

I know this looks like a frothing rant so I guess I need an example:
page 389 in table 16.1 the DHCP Broadcast bit in the flags entry must be set if the client does not have an IP address.
Then for the rest of the chapter all examples show the bit unset.
I know its pedantic but these books are bought for detail like this.

So in conclusion it may look good on the shelf but cannot be trusted for everyday use.

As an Microsoft MVP, Microsoft presented this book to me and I've read it carefully, I found it's a great book of TCP/IP protocols in Windows Server 2003. If you want to be a professional of Windows Server 2003 TCP/IP protocols and services, buy and read this book, it's great really.

I find myself going to this book more and more. A great TCP/IP reference.

Are TCP/IP protocols and services fun topics? No. This is not a "fun" book. But, if you need to know how an IP protocol works, this is a great source. Davies and Lee cover the critical protocols in deeply and understandabley.

The original book for Windows 2000 was a great look at the underlying TCP/IP protocols. None of the how to set it up or manage it - just a no nonsense look at the underlying protocols. This approach is continued in this useful update.

Well worth the price!