Cisco(R): A Beginner's Guide, Third Edition - Softcover

Velte, Anthony; Velte, Toby

9780072256352: Cisco(R): A Beginner's Guide, Third Edition

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0072256354 ISBN 13: 9780072256352

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education, 2004

This hands-on guide explains the most important fundamentals of Cisco-based technology and its implementation. For those interested in pursuing Cisco certification, this book will also serve as a solid introduction to the networking industry and related technology.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

You generally can't pick up knowledge of Cisco products casually, the way you can learn about Microsoft Windows, Unix and other products that are more generally accessible. For this reason, Cisco: A Beginner's Guide performs a valuable service. It introduces Internet working novices to the language and fact base that underlie routers, switches, network protocols and the rest of the Internet's infrastructure. True enough, no book can teach you everything you need to know about a subject as complex as Internetworking, it does a great job of giving you the background you need to perform well in a class or do hands-on experiments intelligently.

The book goes heavy on prose, enabling the reader to slowly absorb the truth about complex systems as the author lays a foundation of knowledge and proceeds to build upon it. Conceptual diagrams help drive home relationships among network devices, though a series of "blueprints" in the centre of this book suffer from being split down the middle by the book's binding--fold-outs would be far better. This is a superb book, one of the best around on Internetworking with Cisco. It would make an excellent first purchase for someone with ambitions to become a Cisco expert, as well as a fine "fundamentals" reference for more accomplished network engineers.--David Wall, amazon.com

Topics covered: Internetworking from a theoretical standpoint, backed up by information on how Cisco products handle implementation (meaning, in part, that you get information on which Cisco lines and models are good for which jobs). Technically, readers get the goods on Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS), routers, switches, routing protocols and security. There's great information on the pantheon of Cisco certifications, too.

From the Publisher:

New coverage of wireless technologies
New chapter on Cisco Business Solutions
Information on routers and switches will reflect the current Cisco product range including recent products releases.
All material on certification will be updated to reflect the current programs and course objectives.
More routing theory and remove the router configuration sections such as password recovery and TFTP services to the next chapter, Configuring Routers
New material on Security, specifically Intrusion Detection
16 pages of blueprints that map out sample network designs using Cisco products. As the books is aimed at such a basic level, the blueprints help to place the information in a visual context.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.