Like most general networking texts for the non-expert, this offering from Microsoft Press explains all the expected stuff about network architectures and the reasons you'd want to set up a network in the first place. Networking Essentials, however, distinguishes itself by providing an in-depth look at administrating a network that is running Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 as its network operating system (NOS). Even though NT 4.0 replaced this outmoded NOS a year ago, lots of people still run 3.51 and it is still valuable to know. This book's accompanying CD-ROM features some very handy animations that show how various network architectures work. These animations range from the simplistic--a green ball representing data zips into a telephone jack on the wall to illustrate modem communications--to the genuinely informative--green balls illustrate different means of avoiding or dealing with collisions.