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Review: Practical Packet Analysisby Chris Silva <csilva@daemonnews.org>Practical Packet Analysis Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems by Chris Sanders May 2007, 216 pp. ISBN-10 1-59327-149-2 ISBN-13 978-1-59327-149-7 First and foremost I need to express the fact that I am not a fan of capturing packets and spending my time picking my way through the mish-mosh of the capture however, that changed once I started tinkering with Wireshark and this book at my side. I'm a big fan of books that come from No Starch and I find that of the ones I have read, I have walked away with every question I had ... answered. That's something you rarely get with some of the more technical books one might find. Additionally, the authors seem to have a great grasp on the types of questions us regular Joe Admins almost always seem to ask. The author starts out with the basic concepts of sniffing then moves you into the history of Wireshark (I myself found this section to be dry). Chapters 4 through 6 move you along through the features of Wireshark along with the protocols you'll be sifting through. While Chapters 7 and 8 deal with network problems, some of the more interesting reading fall into Chapters 9 and 10 (Security and Wireless). I particularly like how Chapters 7 through 10 gives you a nice objective / analysis / summary to ensure you walk away with a good understanding of what you have done. The examples the author uses are easy to follow and are explained well. If you have not done any sniffing or have on a limited basis, this book will have you off and running within minutes. This book obviously isn't for the packet-guru however, it's perfect for the beginner to intermediate. I enjoyed it. |