This print textbook is available for students to rent for their classes. The Pearson print rental program provides students with affordable access to learning materials, so they come to class ready to succeed. A top-down, layered approach to computer networking. Unique among computer networking texts, the 8th Edition of the popular Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach builds on the authors' long tradition of teaching this complex subject through a layered approach in a top-down manner. The text works its way from the application layer down toward the physical layer, motivating students by exposing them to important concepts early in their study of networking. Focusing on the Internet and the fundamentally important issues of networking, this text provides an excellent foundation for students in computer science and electrical engineering, without requiring extensive knowledge of programming or mathematics. The 8th Edition has been updated to reflect the most important and exciting recent advances in networking, including the importance of software-defined networking (SDN) and the rapid adoption of 4G/5G networks and the mobile applications they enable.