Rating: 
Summary: A ride on choppy waters
Review: If you have not passed the CCNA exam, do not even think of touching this CCDA book. The subject is treated in a choppy way, not lucidly. In my opinion a responsible writer/publisher should supply an errata list, preferably on the web, so the students can correct the subject matter. This book needs one. If one such list is published, where is it?
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre, sorry
Review: I'm a CCIE and CCNP, now working on CCDP. I'm disappointed in the number of errors this book contains, as well as general quality. (ex. pg 106, "Transport problems result when extreme transport problems are placed on the network." Come on.) But the topics are well selected, so I'm giving 3 stars.Personally, I am going to spend a while on Cisco's site instead. Well, at least this book includes some sample questions on CDROM. There are a lot of good books out there (ex. CCNA Study... by Lammle.) (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Stick with Cisco Press
Review: Don't buy this book. It doesn't flow well and it doesn't give you enough detail on the specific Cisco model numbers. I made it through all 12 chapters and knew that I was not prepared for the test. I had to go buy the Cisco press book also and study it on top of the Sybex book. It pushed my test back a couple weeks. I have used Sybex books in the past and they have been good. This one misses the mark entirely!
Rating: 
Summary: Failed this exam three times
Review: I am going to be honest. I passed the CCNA exam on March 2000. So I started studying for the CCDA exam. I will have to say that the exam is hellish. I have Sybex, Syngress and a Cisco Press CCDA study guide. It takes much more than just reading the book. You really have to be around the Cisco products. If you are a test taker and feel that you can pass it on the first try then please be my guest and take it. I am so burned out that I have decided to pursure something else. Just to give you an idea of how hellish the exam is. I took it in October of 2000 and scored a (711), I took it again in December and scored a 670 and I took it again today and scored a 695 (Passing score is 755). Each of these were failing scores but what is so unique about these scores are that they are very close together and the scores did not improve even though I studied harder than the previous tests. I hear so much praise from everybody I just wanted to add my advise so not to skew people's perceptions - yes people do fail the exam.
For the exam, what I felt the study guides needed was to concentrate more on are the scenarios. You need to know how to give the customer the best option available to him based upon what he wants and how his current network is set up. - This was approximately 30-40% of the exam.
Rating:
Summary: outdated !!!!! don't waste your money
Review: well i am CCNA/CCDA certified and going into the process of CCNP/CCDP, i had taken this book as my only study guide instead of the official cisco books and trainings. I found out that during the exam, that some question came and that have no reference in this book like IPX, Apple Talk, ... and which that are covered as a small paragraph. what i can say that i passed, yes but satisfied, sure no. i would like the authors to really sit and re-evaluate this book because if they want to proceed in this business, they should have done it better. I have the CCNA book of Todd Lamle as a secondary reference, and it was a very nice book. CCDA and future CCDP this book is not for you. look for other one.
Rating: 
Summary: The One to Beat
Review: This is the undisputable king for preparing for the CCDA exam (640-441). Clear, concise and comprehensive, this is all you need to tackle the case scenarios. Can be a little outdated on certain sections though, but not enough to affect the exam taking for now.
Rating:
Summary: Another Fine Work
Review: Like the CCNA Study Guide, this is a good study source. The best way to prepare for the CCDA is to supplement your studies with the CCNA Study Guide, CCNA e-Trainer, and CCNA Virtual Lab. Having all at your disposal can't hurt and will only help you to move up to the the CCNP or CCDP.
Rating:
Summary: Barely adequate
Review: I took the CCDA/DCN test and passed it with an 854 using this guide as my only study source. However, being in the industry for a while, I expected a much higher score for myself. My expectations: that this book would address topics on the test that Cisco wants those pursuing CCDA certification to know (specifically the terminology and language used by Cisco). Reality: I'm not sure if studying from this book helped me answer one question correctly. Everything that's in the book I already knew from studying for other tests or real-world experience, and nearly every question that I was confused with had to do with Cisco design terminology and language that is not described in the book. Also -- some of the information is dated. The test (as of 6/6/2001) requires that you know about newer models of switches and routers than those described in this book. Also, lots of time is spent on topics that the test doesn't touch (at least in my sitting). I thought Sybex's CCNA guide was far superior to this. Those without a lot of mileage and real-world design experience will probably want to either augment this with other study sources or use other books to prepare.
Rating: 
Summary: CCDA in Two Months:
Review: Sybex and Todd Lammle did a fine job with this book. I have been in the Routing and Switching field for just a year now. I will agree with other reviews (and Todd for that matter) that you should pursue your CCNA first. This is a book about designing routed and switched LANs. You will need a good solid foundation of routing and switching before having the ability to design LANs and WANs. I leave off one star because 5 STARS is perfect in all means. You won't find one perfect book that will cover all objects thoroughly enough to ace the exam. It is always a smart idea to supplement your studies with hands on experience. I am a CCNA and now a CCDA thanks to this book. I am currently pursuing my CCNP and am using Sybex books by Todd Lammle. I feel that he has the knowledge and skills needed to educate us in his books and if anyone can produce a 5 STAR book, he can!
Rating:
Summary: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Review: Good thing about this book is that it is not lengthy. Bad is that it has several typo's and incorrect acronym's. It also wasn't detailed enough to describe certain chapters of the Cisco DCN literature. Ugly is that I actually passed the exam. I also used the study guide from crmasession and reviewed all of the Cisco documents from the study guide. Good Luck
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