BKPRPAAN.RVW   20070926

"Practical Packet Analysis", Chris Sanders, 2007, 1-59327-149-2,
U$39.95/C$49.95
%A   Chris Sanders
%C   555 De Haro Street, Suite 250, San Francisco, CA   94107
%D   2007
%G   978-1-59327-149-7 1-59327-149-2
%I   No Starch Press
%O   U$39.95/C$49.95 415-863-9900 fax 415-863-9950 info@nostarch.com
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593271492/robsladesinterne
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593271492/robsladesinte-21
%O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593271492/robsladesin03-20
%O   Audience i- Tech 1 Writing 1 (see revfaq.htm for explanation)
%P   164 p.
%T   "Practical Packet Analysis"

Chapter one is a brief, and rather simplistic, outline of some basic
networking fundamentals.  In terms of an introduction to packet
analysis it is so terse as to be misleading.  For example, there is a
mention of the need to use promiscuous mode, but not the fact that
many network cards don't support it.  There is also a description of
switches, but not the multiple locations that must be monitored on a
switch to get a full picture of network operations.  There is, in
chapter two, an indication that switches present options in terms of
monitoring, but no details, and promiscuous mode is only reported to
be limited by permissions set in Windows.  Screenshots for the
installation of the Wireshark make up chapter three.  Chapters four
and five list, and briefly describe, various functions of the program. 
Screenshots of displays for a few different types of packets are shown
and hastily characterized in chapter six.  Chapter seven lists a few
examples of packet captures that indicate specific problems.  The data
is all there, but the explanation is rather curt and lacks sufficient
detail to assist the reader in using it.  Slightly more particular
situations, dealing with network performance, are given in chapter
eight, and a smattering of security related situations in chapter
nine.  Different pieces of technology and factors involved in sniffing
traffic on wireless networks are discussed in chapter ten.  Chapter
eleven briefly lists a few more tools and related resources.

A random, somewhat incomplete, but occasionally interesting collection
of tidbits related to sniffing traffic.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2007   BKPRPAAN.RVW   20070926