Dedication

As I started on the journey of writing this book and sharing what I have learned over the years with a wider audience, I was both excited and nervous. Excited because I was sharing something I have learned with others, and nervous because of the feeling of responsibility that I don't want to tell the wrong story, even by mistake. Now that I have finished writing the drafts, I pause to think and look at what worked and what did not.

I wouldn't have been able to complete this work without a few people supporting me without asking any questions, and tolerating my moodiness when the deadlines were near. Thankfully, they really do have a lot of faith in me… and a high level of endurance. For that, I have to thank my parents, teachers, seniors, and colleagues, who made me capable of writing this book.

I would also like to thank my wife, Vandana, has always been a source of strength and encouragement in whatever I do in life. If I have truly learned anything from this experience, it is that writing a book needs a lot of prodding (believe me, I know) and that tough love, however annoying it may be, actually works.

My kids, Preetika and Pranav, who held on to their questions and riddles when I was writing, deserve a special mention. More so because they tell me that they had to tolerate me during this time, as I was always half concentrating, the other half thinking about the book. Although I think that may be true to a large extent, one can never truly be sure with teenagers. Even so, if I choose to write another one, I promise to be with them both in body and mind.

They say the best way to learn is to teach. And I learned so many things during the writing of this book. So, how can I forget my friend, Vikas Sharma, who got me the opportunity to work on this book, and the publishers, the editors Dattatraya More and Sneha Hanchate, and the technical reviewer Amir Rocknifard, who worked with me and kept me on a high through constant encouragement and feedback.

Finally, I would also like to mention the friendships I have built over the years. Friends across ages, from school, college, and previous organizations, have all contributed in some way or the other in shaping this book, because of the things I have learned from them and I am truly grateful.

Even though this book is on IP networking, and it may be hypocritical of me to say so, I would like to end this by saying what I would probably preach to my children:
Computer networking is useless. Make friends instead.