Other Books on Ethernet

Since I have published my own Ethernet book, I cannot be considered an unbiased source when it comes to reviews of other Ethernet books. Indeed, one reason I wrote a book on Ethernet was due to my frustration with the poor quality of a number of other Ethernet books that I had read. Therefore, I typically do not provide reviews of other Ethernet books.

However, I am happy to make an exception in the case of the books written by Rich Seifert. Rich is uniquely qualified to write about Ethernet, since he has been heavily involved in the development of the Ethernet system from the very first Ethernet standard to the present day. Also, Rich scatters jokes and bad puns (are there any other kind?) throughout his books, which help to make them more fun to read.

His book, “Gigabit Ethernet (03/1998 Addison Wesley, ISBN: 0201185539),” is well organized, comprehensive and technically accurate, with lots of detailed information on the operation of Ethernet devices. (My only nitpicks: there is limited coverage on the fiber optic cable lengths for Gigabit Ethernet. Also, the book doesn't cover twisted-pair Gigabit Ethernet in any detail, since the book pre-dates that standard.)

Rich Seifert's most recent book, called “The Switch Book (06/2000 John Wiley & Sons, ISBN: 0471345865),” provides very complete and detailed coverage of all aspects of Ethernet switching hub design and operation.

You can find Rich Seifert's books at various online and physical bookstores.