Cisco: A Beginner's Guide, Fourth Edition (Beginner's Guide (Osborne Mcgraw Hill)) (ISBN 0072263830) Book Reviews 1-9 Sorted By Most Recent, at VeryWellSaid.com

Cisco

Ordered this book and didn't need it in the end. Seemed like it took a while to get to me though. Surely I'll need in for the field I am in so it will get put to use. Arrived in new condition though.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 04:36:34 EST)

11-25-07

(NA)

Excellent Book

I was looking for an objective and well written book introducing the Cisco product line and I found it. I had originally found the 2nd edition in the library and enjoyed it so much I ordered it on Amazon and found that there was a very recent 4th edition.

The authors know their Cisco networking and are not afraid to mention some of the shortcomings of Cisco along with the many positive points. It's also nice to read a data book by authors who have a sense of humor. Sometimes the dryness of the writing of most data guides is exhausting. The authors should be congratulated on a fine series of books. Thank you.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-29 04:49:35 EST)

06-02-07

(NA)

jumping around

This book was written by Toby J. Velte, Ph.D., CCNA, CEO, and dedicated to the "Boyz". Deepest thanks also goes to the young greenhorn Jeremy Cheney. On page 11 it shows a Router connecting two lan's. On page 23 it has the difference between an Access Switch and a LAN Switch. I never knew of a thing called a LAN switch - interesting! Chapter 3 discusses the Cisco Certification. On page 128 it states that Cisco devices are increasingly being tended to by non experts. That is in Chapter 4: Router Overview. On page 148 (Chapter 4) it has how to use TFTP for backing up the configuration file. Chapter 5 shows how to configure the router. Chapter 6 is about switches and hubs - just like on page 128 in chapter 4. Chpater 7 is about internet access products, just like those listed from pages 20 to 25 in chapter 1. Chapter 8 is about routing protocols just like thos ementioned in the INTRODUCTION, page XiV.

What I really like, is that finally, I found documentation that the gateway of a host has to be set to the router's ip. Sounds simple, now, but in a network with a server running BIND with forewarders and the default gateway and a simple router to connect to the Internet and such, this picture on page 505 woud have saved me a lot of time.

It's a good book but not in the same format at the CCNA courses offered by Cisco - the same Cisco that makes Cisco. A good book full of good information, presented in a logical format.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-09-07 08:32:25 EST)

06-02-07

0\1

jumping around

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-19 08:37:46 EST)

04-10-07

(NA)

A Pure Joy To Read!

Toby and Anthony Velte have done a superb job on this book. I have been an IT professional for over 12 years. I have owned an ISP and consulted with many companies regarding their network infrastructures. The title of this book almost made me pass it up. I'm glad I didn't. I found myself reading this book and looking forward to the next chapter. This book is a good overview of Cisco Fusion architectures, and how to apply it in a real, pragmatic way. It was refreshing how complex technologies and ideas were made simple by good writing. This book is pure candy for an IT professional and a must read for any network engineer or designer. I'll be keeping my eyes open for any other books authored by Toby and Anthony Velte.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 16:34:49 EST)

03-23-07

1\1

Great book!

This is a very practical book. If you are just entering the field of networking or would like to get a broad yet solid coverage of Cisco technologies, including firewalls, switches and routers, this book is an excellent choice! There are many certification oriented books on the market, and Cisco online publications may be hard to grasp sometimes (especially for novice users)... This book definitely fills the gap. You start off with the introduction to Cisco. Chapter two gives you a short networking primer. Subnetting can be a killer, so you may actually need some additional help outside this book. So step by step, whether it is about protocols, appliances, topologies, network design, security - you will learn and understand a lot! I also appreciate the authors including excellent illustrations, making the book even easier to "digest". This book is must have!

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 16:34:49 EST)

11-17-04

8\8

The first 40 pages in 768 pages.

An awful lot of computer books seem to leave out the first forty pages that should give you an introduction of just what it is that we are trying to do with this piece of hardware or software. This whole book, all 768 pages of it can be considered the first forty pages of any Cisco or Networking book that you might otherwise want to read.

This book talks about the internet, not about how to surf to a web page, but about the underlying structure - the backbone, the protocols, the way a message gets from here to there and back. The orientation is, as you might guess from the title, towards Cisco equipment. But I doubt that there are very many ISPs that don't have at least one Cisco box.

The book covers the Cisco philosophy on routers, switches, quality of service, security, wireless, content delivery, protocols, network management, network design, and finally even how to troubleshoot Cisco networks.

This is not a manual or certification cram guide for say the Cisco 12000 series router. This is the first forty pages of the manual on those products. And after reading the first forty pages, you might know if you need a Series 12000, or a Series 800. You'll at least be able to understand the manuals on these pieces of equipment.

Excellent book. I'd like to see the same thing on PC's, mainframes, clustering, and on and on.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 16:34:49 EST)

02-02-04

0\4

waaho

reading what you 5 starts given guys, I have nothing else to say other that I agree with you give

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 16:34:49 EST)

02-02-03

5\5

Wonderful and extremely informative