As with many human endeavours, this work is made possible by the efforts of others. For me, this effort represents almost four years of learning and network administration. The knowledge collected here is in large measure a repackaging of disparate resources and my own experiences over time. Without the greater linux community, I would not be able to provide this resource.

I would like to take this opportunity to make a plug for my employer, SecurePipe, Inc. which has provided me stable and challenging employment for these (almost) four years. SecurePipe is a managed security services provider specializing in managed firewall, VPN, and IDS services to small and medium sized companies. They offer me the opportunity to hone my networking skills and explore areas of linux networking unknown to me. Thanks also to SecurePipe, Inc. for hosting this cost-free on their servers.

Over the course of the project, many people have contributed suggestions, modifications, corrections and additions. I'll acknowledge them briefly here. For full acknowledgements, see src/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in the DocBook source tree.

Please feel free to point out any irregularities, factual errors, typographical errors, or logical gaps in this documentation. If you have rants or raves about this documentation, please mail me directly at <mabrown@securepipe.com>.

Now, let's begin! Let me welcome you to the pleasure and reliability of IP networking with linux.