Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of IP Routing is a zebu. Zebus are a type of Bos indicus cattle, characterized by a large fatty hump over the top of the shoulder and neck, loose skin under the throat, and large, drooping ears. They are an intermediate size for beef cattle-bulls generally weigh from 1,600 to 2,200 pounds and cows from 1,000 to 1,400 pounds-but have comparatively long legs and are extremely hardy. Zebu cattle breeds include Gyr, Guzerat, Indu-Brazil, Nelore, Red Zebu, and Gray Zebu. They originated in India and are thought to be the world's oldest domesticated cattle. Zebus were introduced into the U.S. (where they are called Brahman cattle) in the mid-19th century as draft animals, but they later interbred with other cattle breeds and produced hybrids that were bigger, grew faster, and were better suited for milk and beef production. These hybrids exhibited greater resistance to heat, disease, and cattle ticks than ordinary domestic cattle and consequently tended to fare better than the cattle the colonists had brought from Europe. Rachel Wheeler was the production editor and copyeditor for IP Routing. Tatiana Apandi Diaz was the proofreader. Matt Hutchinson provided quality control, and Camilla Ammirati provided production assistance. John Bickelhaupt wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby and Melanie Wang produced the cover layout with Quark-XPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. Neil Walls converted the files from Microsoft Word to FrameMaker 5.5.6 using tools created by Mike Sierra. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Rachel Wheeler.

Whenever possible, our books use a durable and flexible lay-flat binding.