The world of IT is always evolving, but in every area there are stable, core concepts that anyone just setting out needed to know last year, needs to know this year, and will still need to know next year. The purpose of the Foundations series is to identify these concepts and present them in a way that gives you the strongest possible starting point, no matter what your endeavor. TCP/IP Foundations provides essential knowledge about the two protocols that form the basis for the Internet, as well as many other networks. What you learn here will benefit you in the short term, as you acquire and practice your skills, and in the long term, as you use them. Topics covered include: The origins of TCP/IP and the Internet The layers comprising the OSI and DoD models TCP/IP addressing Subnet masks Creating custom subnet masks Supernetting and Classless Inter–Domain Routing (CIDR) Name resolution The Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic DNS Windows Internet Naming Services (WINS) The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) What to expect with IPv6