The IT Reference Library, in Plain English
Every IT concept we publish, sorted into 7 subjects. Each page opens with a short answer, carries a diagram drawn from the figures on the page, and ends with a comparison table and the questions people actually ask. Pick a subject, or start from the pages people read most.
7 subjects, one way of writing
Each subject is its own silo with a hub page, a reading order for newcomers, and an index by topic. The four pages under each name are the ones with the most demand behind them.
Networking103 pages
- VPN vs Proxy
- What Is an IPsec VPN?
- What a Node Is, and Why the Word Changes Meaning
- The SOA Record, Field by Field
Security27 pages
- What Is MFA?
- What Is a Firewall?
- Zero Trust Explained
- Encryption Algorithms, and the Two Families They Fall Into
Systems29 pages
- What a Kernel Is, and Why a Driver Can Take Down the Machine
- What Is a Cron Job?
- The Blue Screen Is a Decision, and It Leaves Evidence
- Active Directory Explained
Most read across the library
By search demand, USHow a reference page is built
The same shape on every page, so a reader who has used one knows where everything is on the next.
A page starts with the question people type, in the words they type it. The short answer at the top is written to be enough on its own: what the thing is, what it is for, and the one number or rule worth remembering.
The body then goes section by section through how it works, where it is used, and where people go wrong, with every figure traced to the standard or the vendor documentation that defines it.
The diagram on each page is drawn from the numbers on that page, not pasted in from elsewhere. The comparison table at the end puts the concept next to the two or three things it is most often confused with.
The FAQ covers the questions people ask about the topic. Every page names the editor responsible and the date it was last updated.
How to read the library
- Open a subject and follow its reading order. The first six pages in each silo are the ones everything else refers back to.
- Use the index by topic inside each silo. The groups map to the chapters of the common certification outlines.
- Search the library from the bar at the top, or go straight to the troubleshooting group in the relevant silo.
- The comparison pages end with a chooser, and the IT buyers guide covers the commercial side: what an MSP is, what to outsource, and what it costs.