Networking Bible Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Very Readable, Outstanding Book
This book was a very pleasant surprise, it is both easy to understand and contains a lot of in depth information on topics that interested me. Contained in this book are the introductory topics such as architecture and topologies that you need to understand modern networking, presented along with examples that extend the concepts to current networking designs.
Among the chapters I liked the most were the ones on network discovery and mapping, bandwidth and throughput, and particularly the one on modern routing. Each of these chapters not only explains the underlying theory involved, but shows how the industry applies the different technologies to make modern networking possible. Signaling theory, sampling, multiplexing, traffic engineering, and other complex topics were introduced in a way that made me feel that I finally understood them for the first time. The discussion wasn't dumbed down, but started at an introductory level and proceeded to very advanced treatments. I think it is a testament to the quality of the writing that the author's approach worked so well.
The first part of the book is on theory, the second on hardware, and the third part is on system types. Hardware is presented on a practical level with enough theory to be able to understand how the hardware is deployed. I like the discussion of what a network interface is quite a lot. It's nice to find topics such as home networking, peer-to-peer networks, personal LANs, LANs, WANs, WiFi, SANs, and high performance networking discussed and containing up-to-date information. There are presentations on topics such as The Onion Router (TOR) network, torrents, and many other topics that I haven't seen in any other networking book.
I wasn't as impressed with the TCP/IP protocol treatment, it was more general than I would have liked and not as detailed. However, all of the requisite topics are there and if you are new to the subject the information will get you up to speed. I've never really understood how storage networks relate to regular networks, this book clarified the relation between the two completely. I loved the chapters on streaming media, telephony and VoIP as they contained many examples of real world systems that I've worked with on my own networks. The network security chapters are also good, particularly the firewall chapter.
I would have preferred to have a larger section on network diagnostics and on network management. These are complex issues that are invaluable. Perhaps in upcoming editions the author will consider expanding these topics. As it stands this is a pretty long book, nearly 900 pages in length. I think that this is the best general networking book available, and that if you are going to buy one networking book and keep it on your shelf that this is the one to have. It is probably the best networking book of the current crop, and I'm glad I found it.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Networking Bible


Everything you need to set up and maintain large or small networks

Barrie Sosinsky
Networking Bible
Create a secure network for home or enterprise
Learn basic building blocks and standards
Set up for broadcasting, streaming, and more
The book you need to succeed!
Your A-Z guide to networking essentials
Whether you're setting up a global infrastructure or just networking two computers at home, understanding of every part of the process is crucial to the ultimate success of your system.This comprehensive book is your complete, step-by-step guide to networking-from different architectures and hardware to security, diagnostics, Web services, and much more. Packed with practical, professional techniques and the very latest information, this is the go-to resource you need to succeed.

Demystify the basics: network stacks, bus architectures, mapping, and bandwidth

Get up to speed on servers, interfaces, routers, and other necessary hardware

Explore LANs, WANs, Wi-Fi, TCP/IP, and other types of networks

Set up domains, directory services, file services, caching, and mail protocols

Enable broadcasting, multicasting, and streaming media

Deploy VPNs, firewalls, encryption, and other security methods

Perform diagnostics and troubleshoot your systems

Get 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Networking Bible

Read More...

Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1): CCNA Exam 640-802 and ICND1 Exam 640-822 (2nd Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My background so you have some idea that I know of the subject I speak on:
- MCSE 2003/2000/NT CNE 6/5/3 CNA 4 (obviously, I've studied for over 20 exams)
- My mother is a retired English professor with 30+ publications to her name (I've been shown manuscripts as well as the review and correction processes).
Current Status: I read this book, credited to Stephen McQuery, in the past four days. I have begun using the Boson NetSim and ExamSim software to prepare for the exam which I plan to take in 1-2 weeks.
Book:
The book repeats itself unnecessarily in several locations. It's almost as if there were different authors with no coordination between authors and no single reviewer to catch the needless redundancy of information.
On occasion (I counted 2-3 instances), the author references an acronym, protocol, or other such important information for the first time, but the writing clearly expects that the reader have prior knowledge of the material. In these cases, the "assumed knowledge" is above entry-level and should have been presented prior to beginning the topic at hand.
Acronyms: sadly, many, such as EIGRP, are missing from the Index. This means that, when you forget what it stands for and the author references it by acronym only, you're at a loss as you don't have an index to tell you where to find information on that acronym. No, the spelled-out version wasn't in the index either.
Glossary: missing; doesn't exist. Readers would have found having a glossary beneficial as a quick reference for terms and acronyms.
From what I've seen of the NetSim and ExamSim, the book itself is missing some of the information you'll want to know for the actual CCENT exam. It's probably best to have some hands-on experience (through Simulators if you don't have access to the real thing).
Review Questions:
I found five errors in the review questions. One such error is so astoundingly obvious, one has to wonder if anyone actually checked the answers. P 478, Chapter 6 Review, Question 6. The posted answer is C, but, per the text on page 429, the correct answer is B.
There are a total of 258 review questions. Perhaps 5 wrong answers out of 258 (2.1% of the total) doesn't seem *that* bad, however, I expect better.
Overall thoughts: this book is a good stepping stone to get you towards CCENT certification. You'll need a little hands-on exposure to shore up the holes in knowledge and working knowledge.
I'll have a better understanding of how much actual exam material was addressed by the book after I take the exam.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1): CCNA Exam 640-802 and ICND1 Exam 640-822 (2nd Edition)

Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1), Second Edition, is a Cisco®-authorized, self-paced learning tool for CCENT™ and CCNA® foundation learning. This book provides you with the knowledge needed to configure Cisco switches and routers to operate in corporate internetworks. By reading this book, you will gain a thorough understanding of concepts and configuration procedures required to build a multiswitch, multirouter, and multigroup internetwork that uses LAN and WAN interfaces for the most commonly used routing and routed protocols.

In Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1), you will study installation and configuration information that network administrators need to install and configure Cisco products. Specific topics include building a simple network, Ethernet LANs, wireless LANs (WLANs), LAN and WAN connections, and network management. Chapter-ending review questions illustrate and help solidify the concepts presented in the book.

Whether you are preparing for CCENT or CCNA certification or simply want to gain a better understanding of how to build small Cisco networks, you will benefit from the foundation information presented in this book.

Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1), is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining.

Steve McQuerry, CCIE® No. 6108, is a consulting systems engineer with Cisco. He focuses on data center architecture. Steve works with enterprise customers in the Midwestern United States to help them plan their data center architectures. Steve has been an active member of the internetworking community since 1991 and has held multiple certifications from Novell, Microsoft, and Cisco. Prior to joining Cisco, Steve worked as an independent contractor with Global Knowledge where he taught and developed coursework around Cisco technologies and certifications.


Understand the principles on which basic networks operate
Explore the operation and configuration of LANs

Extend the boundaries of the network by implementing and securing wireless connectivity
Configure routers to provide connectivity between different networks
Learn about IP addressing number conversion

Establish WAN interconnectivity using point-to-point links, DSL, and cable services
Configure Network Address Translation (NAT)

Use Cisco IOS® commands to determine the layout of a Cisco network topology
Manage the router startup and work with IOS configuration files and Cisco IOS images

This volume is in the Certification Self-Study Series offered by Cisco Press®. Books in this series provide officially developed self-study solutions to help networking professionals understand technology implementations and prepare for the Cisco Career Certifications examinations.

Category: Cisco Press–Cisco Certification
Covers: ICND1 Exam 640-822

Get 47% OFF

Click here for more information about Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1): CCNA Exam 640-802 and ICND1 Exam 640-822 (2nd Edition)

Read More...

Network Tutorial Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Excellent for newcomers or if u want to get up to date in networking technologies. Is a good comprehensive guide that Starts with the basic precepts of networks, the book explores protocols, hardware and software components, and the unique jargon of networking. Concepts are explained clearly and simply, without assuming an extensive understanding of network internals. The glossary provides a quick reference for unfamiliar terms. Among the many topics new to this fourth edition are: wireless networks, cable modem systems, virtual private networks, IP security, asset management, and XML. Other key subjects include improving network performance, anytime/anywhere access, and interoperability.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Network Tutorial

Network Tutorial delivers insight and understanding about network technology to managers and executives trying to get up to speed or stay current with the complex challenges of designing, constructing, maintaining, upgrading, and managing the netwoNetwork Tutorial explores protocols, hardware and software components, and the unique jargon of networking without assuming you have an extensive understanding of network internals.

Click here for more information about Network Tutorial

Read More...

Cisco Networking Simplified (2nd Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Everything about Cisco Networking Simplified screams accessibility: the landscape layout, the softback cover, the illustrations drawn without a ruler that literally take the sharp edges off of computers, servers, and switches (router icons, fortunately, are already round). A note on the cover indicates for the curious that the book is in full color. Each short chapter is broken into "at-a-glance" subsections on each topic, headed "Why Should I Care?" and "What Are the Problems to Solve?"
This book is clearly written for two types of people: executives from a non-technical background who get flustered when speaking to network engineers, and networking novices looking for a friendly introduction to the subject before they begin serious study for, say, the CCNA.
When I first opened Cisco Networking Simplified, I was a bit put off by the intensity with which I felt the authors and illustrator were trying to convince me just how down-to-Earth they are. The organization of the book is such that it's so easy to flip through, the pithy explanations so easy to digest, that one might grow quickly suspicious that here is a book designed more to make the reader feel at ease than to actually teach her anything.
But one would be wrong. CNS is a good basic reference book. It's short because it sticks to the essentials. It's weirdly-inked illustrations do make the concepts clearer. And the friendly tone never gets smarmy. On the contrary, Maggiora and Doherty anticipate a newcomer's reaction to the material well enough to know when to be terse, and when to insert whimsical asides. The unofficial eighth (political) and ninth (technical religion) layers of the OSI model and the use of ISDN to mean It Still Does Nothing are fun tidbits, well-placed, and perhaps even useful as mnemonic devices. The paragraph explaining that "routers switch and switches route," is appropriately illustrated with two people scratching their heads. That the authors make room for "Algorhyme," Radia Perlman's poem describing the Spanning Tree Algorhythm (which she also wrote), shows that they know the difference between cute and distracting, and cute and relevant.
There are some problems, though. For example, the discussion of classful addresses is outdated. The class A, B, and C system is presented as the solution to a problem caused by unanticipated Internet growth. That may have once been true, but now the time when the class system was itself perceived as the next wave of that problem has already come and gone (gone, because outside isolated or masqueraded networks, class addressing has been replaced with CIDR). An executive who reads this book and then asks his engineers whether the company has been assigned a class A, B, or C address isn't going to get a lot of respect. A more serious problem is the confusing definition of the term DCE. On page 209, it's "data circuit-terminating device." On page 210, it's "data communications equipment." The first definition is more popular according to a google search, but makes less sense (where does the "E" come from?). Perhaps both definitions are somehow valid, but in a book like this, it shouldn't be the reader's job to figure out which one. And IDSN gets two detailed pages with illustrations, while the more popular (in the U.S.) DSL gets little more than a paragraph.
Also, to call this book Cisco Networking Simplified is not really accurate. A better title might have been: Cisco Presents: Networking Simplified. Cisco has no special claim to, say, IP addressing, which is discussed in some detail. Of course, to write a basic networking book without discussing IP would be silly, and Cisco makes a lot of products that deal with IP addressing. But so do a lot of other companies.
In short, I recommend this book (three of five stars), but with caveats. Technically-minded people who already have some experience in the networking field will probably be put off by the coloring book look and feel (but then, it wasn't written for them). Novices who are reading this book as the first step on their way to certification may find that, ironically, it provides much more information on certain subjects (voice-over IP, for example) than may be sought. It's hard to imagine anyone reading this book straight through of their own volition. It's a beginner's reference. If you're confused by a topic as it's dealt with in another networking book, you can be fairly sure that if CNS covers it, then CNS contains the simplest explanation of that topic that you're likely to find.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cisco Networking Simplified (2nd Edition)

Cisco Networking Simplified Second EditionMaster today's world of Cisco networking with this book's completely updated, fully illustrated visual approach Easy enough for novices, substantive enough for networking professionalsCovers the latest networking topics—from network architecture to secure wireless, unified communications to telepresenceIn Full ColorJim Doherty•Neil Anderson•Paul Della MaggioraNow 100 percent updated for the latest technologies, this is today's easiest, most visual guide to Cisco® networking. Even if you've never set up or managed a network, Cisco Networking Simplified, Second Edition, helps you quickly master the concepts you need to understand. Its full-color diagrams and clear explanations give you the big picture: how each important networking technology works, what it can do for you, and how they all fit together. The authors illuminate networking from the smallest LANs to the largest enterprise infrastructures, offering practical introductions to key issues ranging from security to availability, mobility to virtualization. What you always wanted to know about networking but were afraid to ask!How networks and the Internet workHow to build coherent, cost-effective network infrastructuresHow to design networks for maximum reliability and availabilityWhat you need to know about data center and application networkingHow to secure networks against today's threats and attacksHow to take advantage of the latest mobility technologiesHow virtualizing networks can help businesses leverage their network investments even furtherHow to combine messaging, calendaring, telephony, audio, video, and web conferencing into a unified communications architectureThis book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press®, the only authorized publisher for Cisco®.Category: CiscoCovers: General Networking

Get 41% OFF

Click here for more information about Cisco Networking Simplified (2nd Edition)

Read More...