Telecom

Top 8 books for NOC engineers

OPT/NET
·
March 15, 2023

There are a myriad of books and resources available to Network / NOC Engineers these days. Of course, you can set a goal to read many of them and then determine which are the most useful, but we decided to simplify this task for you a little and compile a selection of Top 8 resources  for NOC engineers.

As a company that delivers AI solutions  we could not resist co-authoring an article with  #ChatGPT. Let's take a look at the top 8 books for NOC (Network Operations Center) engineers that, according to ChatGPT, can be considered  among the best and cover topics related to network operations and management:

  1. "The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford

This novel is a fictional account of a struggling IT department that transforms itself by adopting DevOps principles. The book provides valuable insights into the role of NOCs in modern IT operations and how they can contribute to the success of a business. It covers key concepts such as continuous delivery, collaboration, and automation, and emphasises the importance of NOCs in ensuring the reliability and scalability of production systems. The book is written in an engaging and accessible style, making it an enjoyable and informative read for NOC engineers and IT professionals. Additionally, it provides a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing NOCs in the current technology landscape.

  1. "Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems" by Betsy Beyer, Chris Jones, Jennifer Petoff, and Niall Richard Murphy 

This book is a comprehensive guide to Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), with a focus on the practices used by Google to run large-scale production systems. It covers key areas such as incident response, service availability, and performance management, and provides practical advice for NOC engineers on how to implement SRE principles in their own organisations. The book also discusses the role of NOCs in ensuring the reliability and scalability of production systems, and how SRE practices can help NOCs achieve these goals. Additionally, the book provides in-depth coverage of SRE practices, tools, and processes, making it an essential resource for NOC engineers looking to improve their SRE knowledge and skills.

  1. "Seeking SRE: Conversations About Running Production Systems at Scale'' by David N. Blank-Edelman 

The book provides an insightful look into the world of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and can be a useful resource for NOC (Network Operations Center) engineers who are interested in improving the reliability and performance of their networks. It is based on conversations with SRE experts from various companies, and provides practical advice and real-world examples of how SRE practices can be applied to network operations. The author covers topics such as incident response, change management, and monitoring, and provides a comprehensive overview of the SRE approach to network operations. The book is written in an easy-to-follow style and is accessible to both experienced and novice NOC engineers. Overall, "Seeking SRE'' is a valuable resource for NOC engineers who want to learn more about how SRE can help improve the reliability and performance of their networks.

  1. "Network Monitoring and Analysis: A Protocol Approach to Troubleshooting" by Ed Wilson

This is a useful guide for NOC (Network Operations Center) engineers who are responsible for monitoring and analysing network performance. The book provides a protocol-based approach to troubleshooting, which can help NOC engineers quickly identify and resolve network issues. The author covers various network monitoring tools and techniques, including packet sniffing and traffic analysis, and provides practical examples of how these tools can be used to troubleshoot real-world network problems. The book also covers common network issues, such as performance degradation and security threats, and provides a systematic approach for addressing these issues. Despite being 20 years old, many of the tricks "Network Monitoring and Analysis" teaches are still relevant today, making it a comprehensive guide for NOC engineers who want to improve their network monitoring and troubleshooting skills. 

  1. "TCP/IP Network Administration" by Craig Hunt 

It is a classic guide to TCP/IP network administration and management. The book covers a wide range of topics including network design, implementation, troubleshooting, and security, and provides a comprehensive overview of the TCP/IP protocol suite. It is written for network administrators, network engineers, and NOC engineers who are responsible for managing and maintaining TCP/IP networks. Albeit old, the book serves as a strong foundation in Linux/Unix networking. It covers common network problems, such as addressing and routing issues, and provides clear and concise instructions for resolving these problems. "TCP/IP Network Administration" is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the fundamentals of TCP/IP network administration and management.

  1. "Network Troubleshooting Tools: Help for Network Administrators" by Joseph D Sloan 

It is a comprehensive guide to network troubleshooting and performance optimisation. The book covers a range of topics, including network performance monitoring, protocol analysis, and network troubleshooting methodologies, and provides a hands-on, practical approach to network troubleshooting. It is written for network administrators, network engineers, and NOC (Network Operations Center) engineers who want to develop their skills in diagnosing and resolving network problems. The book includes real-world examples, step-by-step instructions, and practical tips and tricks that make it easy for readers to understand and apply the concepts. Throughout the book, the author emphasises the importance of understanding network protocols and network performance metrics in order to effectively troubleshoot network problems and improve network performance. "Network Troubleshooting Tools" is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to develop their skills in network troubleshooting and performance optimisation.

  1. “Software Defined Networks: A Comprehensive Approach Paperback” by Paul Goransson, Chuck Black and Timothy Culver 

It is an excellent book for NOC engineers who want to gain an in-depth understanding of software-defined networking (SDN) technology. The book covers the basics of SDN, its evolution, and its current state, providing practical advice on designing, implementing, and maintaining SDN solutions in a network operations centre environment. The authors have extensive experience in SDN and provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the technical and business aspects of the technology. The book includes case studies that illustrate the benefits of SDN and provides guidance on best practices for using SDN in a network environment. Overall, "Software Defined Networks: A Comprehensive Approach Paperback" is a must-read for NOC engineers who want to stay current with the latest SDN developments and best practices.

  1. "Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach" by James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross. 

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the computer networking field, starting with the basics of networking and working its way up to more advanced topics. It covers fundamental networking concepts, protocols, and technologies, and provides an overview of network design, implementation, and administration. The book is written in a clear and concise manner, making it easy to understand even for those with little prior knowledge of networking. The authors also provide many examples, figures, and exercises to help readers grasp the concepts. Overall, this book is a great resource for NOC engineers who want to deepen their knowledge of computer networking.

From Theory to Practice 

These books definitely cover a range of topics relevant to NOC engineers (including network design, monitoring and troubleshooting, performance optimisation, security, software defined networking, and the intersection of network operations and business goals), however, based on our many years of experience, we are confident that NOC engineers need not only strong fundamental knowledge and experience, but also the RIGHT tools that will allow them to monitor and manage critical IT networks, to detect network anomalies in time and minimise the risks of downtime.

One of such tools is our very own OptOSS AI - The AI driven Ops platform for monitoring, analysing and managing complex IT-networks in real time. OpOSS AI is Human driven and AI-assisted: OptOSS AI shows your NOC engineers where they need to look, preserves their inputs on anomalous behaviour and retains this information to automate rectification procedures for the future! 

Quickly detect brewing issues, cluster anomalous behaviour, and automate remediation with OptOSS AI: 

With OptOSS AI you can intelligently supplement your event correlation, analysis, anomaly detection, and root cause analysis activities across your mobile, fixed, cloud, datacenter infrastructures. 

Deliver actionable intelligence on issues brewing in the stack before your customers complain, and benefit from task automation/knowledge management at scale to achieve operational excellence with OptOSS AI! 

Check out our Demo to dive deeper into OptOSS AI Features, Dashboards & Visualisations: 

Unlock Ops superpowers & Gain clarity from complexity today!