Cisco Security Specialist's Guide to PIX Firewall

Rating:
Summary: FINALLY - A Decent PIX Book
Review: Finally someone has written a decent book on the PIX Firewall! The authors bypass all of the typical fluff (i.e. Intro to TCP/IP) that usual networking and security books begin with. The text is straight to the point. Well worth the time, effort, and money. The ONLY reason I didn't give this text 5 stars is that not enough attention is paid to configuring without the use of NAT - not all companies use NAT on the PIX. But again, this is better than the rest!!! It'll keep you from having to write your own PIX book. This book is not "...For Dummies."

Rating:
Summary: Didn't appear to be as clear as Deal's book, but TBD....
Review: I decided not to buy this one, after looking it over for a bit.
It did seem to go into a lot of complex details, but didn't appear to be anywhere near as understandable as Deal's new PIX book. Based on the superb prior rating, I'll spend more time giving it a second look and updat this later. (Yes, not too helpful, but maybe the "heads-up" is worthwhile.)

Rating:
Summary: Nice PIX reference
Review: I have read both this book and the book from Chapman. This book contains more recent information and was a pleasure to read. Still missing some information that is needed for the exam but I think that is expected. I recently passed the exam mostly due to the material learned from reading this book. Well that and on-the-job experience. I would recommend this book if you are managing PIX or studying for the CSPFA exam.

Rating:
Summary: Learned a lot...
Review: I read this book cover to cover and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I have a fair amount of experience with PIX firewalls, and I just wanted something to review before taking the exam (I passed). I found there was a lot I didn't know, and all the configs reall helped. I'm not quite sure why the other reviewer would take the time to write a bad review if he hasn't even read the book yet.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I wanted a book on PIX that was very detailed with lots of output, diagarams, examples, etc. and this book really delivered. The authors do a great job of covering the most current products and features, and also showing you how to use everything in production networks.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars so far...
Review: I'm only through the first eight chapters (I've been reading it while traveling back and forth for the holidays), but so far I'm really pleased with this book. I like all the FAQ and review stuff at the end of each chapter, this really helps to remember the most important stuff in each section. IFthe last couple chapers let me down, I'll update my review, but based on what I've read I'd be surpriesed by that.

Rating:
Summary: Great PIX book
Review: If you use PIX, get this book, it has a LOT of great info.

Rating:
Summary: Way over-rated
Review: Not a bad overview of the Pix Firewall. It offers superfical treatment of almost every topic, and it does cover the basics, but you can download just as much information for free from Cisco's web site. If you are looking for in-depth information on configuring a PIX, keep looking. If you want a general overview of the history of Firewalls and some additional material to read as prep for a CISSP exam, plus how to configure a pix 501 for your home office, this book will probably do.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for PIX
Review: Our company uses all of the PIX models from the 501 to the 535s. We are also now using 6.2 I was looking for a book that had coverage on all the models and also was written to v6.2. I got this book, becuase it looked like it would cover all of this, and I just finished reading it last night. The stuff I learned in the book combined with my on the job experience, I now feel like I know just about verything there is. The book was well written with a good level of detail, and it also has lots of output and some pretty good diagrams that help to get the point across.

Rating:
Summary: Best Up-To-Date PIX Book yet!
Review: Over the years the PIX Firewall has come a long way. There is so much that it can do these days, from standard firewall filtering, to IDS, PDM, IPSEC, encryption, and various other VPN technologies, among others. Having such an extended feature set makes understanding it all a difficult proposition. That is where this book succeeds. First of all, the book is up to date on the latest version and feature set. There are few, if any books that are as recent. Furthermore, the book covers, in detail, all PIX features and gives clear examples. Even better, there is a definite undertone of real-world PIX experience built into the writing. I learned so many things from reading this book that I could not find on Cisco's website. I thoroughly enjoyed the side bars on "Configuring & Implementing" and "Designing & Planning". Overall I highly recommend reading this book. I find myself going back on a regular basis to consult a certain chapter to help me with my daily duties, which include managing various PIX firewalls. Good Stuff!