Though Designing Addressing Architectures for Routing and Switching rambles at times, when author Howard C. Berkowitz at last drives his point home, the value of this book becomes crystal clear. Written for the seasoned networking professional, it provides considerable assistance with the often onerous task of creating a new network or revamping an operational one. Berkowitz accomplishes this task by carefully walking the reader through logical and necessary steps, such as determining the network"s function and features, understanding the principles underlying the necessary addressing tasks, and creating a usable and practical blueprint. Along the way, Berkowitz also explains the type of equipment needed for certain network situations and, obviously, what type of addressing scheme makes the most sense, particularly in Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled environments. Helpful and clearly rendered diagrams are found on at least half of this book"s pages. Berkowitz also generously proffers anecdotal data from his years in the industry, as well as a historical perspective on topics such as IP addressing, Internet connectivity, and network management and security. And he doesn"t shy away from futuristic but pressing issues, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Internet Protocol, version 6 (IPv6), which should certainly be considered when developing and updating networks. --Sarah L. Roberts-Witt