Rating: 
Summary: Passed the CCDA with ease. This is a must have.
Review: If you want to know how to pass the CCDA, then this is your book. Well written and organized, it helped me pass the CCDA easily and quickly the first time. The Case Studies in the book are exactly what you'll see in the real exam. I am really impressed with the writting style and ease of study this book provides.
Rating:
Summary: Best CCDA available
Review: Don't waste your money on the Cisco self-study, nor the Cisco Press book. They are both over priced and worthless. If you want to know what to expect for the CCDA exam, then this is your book. Easy to read and understand, and I also found the reveiw questions were mostly the same as the real exam. Made it even easier.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but observed a discrepancy
Review: One of the review questions at the end of Chpt 1 (or 2) asks: What does the 'D' in CSU/DSU stand for? This book answer is 'data'. However on page 10, first paragraph of Cisco's 'Designing Cisco Networks' book, it defines CSU/DSU with the 'D' standing for digital. Otherwise, book is excellent. Used Todd's CCNA guide to earn my CCNA. Excellent resources.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Lammle book.
Review: You must get this book. However, I think the questions were too close to the real exam. Seems like he took the test one too many times.
Rating:
Summary: The best book for CCDA, bar none!
Review: Lot's of great explaination and diagrams. This is the best book for CCDA. Gotta have it. Another great one from Todd Lammle!
Rating: 
Summary: Not sufficient enough to pass the exam with
Review: This book is garbage. It doesn't come close to fulfilling the exam objectives. The test prep software is a joke. VoIP and IPv6 are severely lacking as these two subjects constituted a good chunk of the exam. Too many pages written on subjects that weren't part of the exam (the trivial introductory stuff) and not enough pages devoted to the important stuff.This was my first certification. I posted a decent score but not enough to pass. VoIP and IPv6 hurt me. I'll never use a Sybex book as source again. The other user reviews were right; I should have listened. One more thing learned the hard way... I'm going to try the Teare book next.
Rating: 
Summary: Good overview, missing in some spots
Review: This book does a noble job of trying to deliver the goods. Each chapter begins with a short list of the exam objectives covered - the same objectives that come directly from Cisco's site.
Parts of the design methodology are lacking. For example, the book spends a good amount of time on the PDIOO life cycle, but is missing some interesting tweaks which Cisco adds (and tests you on). The design phase in particular really needs to be broken down further into the following steps:
1. Performing a network audit
2. Performing traffic analysis
3. Doing the actual design, which includes addressing, routing and routed protocols, etc.
4. Performing the pilot/prototye
5. Planning the implementation
6. Documenting everything, and creating the design document
You have to have all of this info to create the design document!
Other parts of the book seemed almost like a cut and paste of the Cisco exam guide, particularly the section on traditional voice technology.
Overall the book does a decent job with the material and assumes you already have a networking background. I would definitely only use this book as part of your preparation, not the sole source of it.
Rating: 
Summary: How to Pass CCDA
Review: Unfortunately, this book is a miss. It missed out on too many objectives. Lammle does a great job with CCNA, and he's a terrific writer, but this book came out with too little research and too little attention to current objectives. Plus, there's a lot of obsolete material in this book.
To pass CCDA, see the article by Andy Barkl (a coauthor of the Sybex book, interestingly) at www.tcpmag.com (click on Exam Reviews and then CCDA) and peruse it. Follow the links to the Cisco site, especially the CCDA objectives and the SAFE white paper. Then buy the Cisco Press Exam Certification Guide and CCDA/CCDP flash cards, and cram/practice/cram until you have it.
Problems with the Sybex CCDA and reasons it won't be worth your time follow.
The design methology on the test is not the one taught in this book. The book teaches PDIOO; the exam is all about techical and business goals and constraints.
The Enterprise Composite Network Model (ECNM) is not covered in anywhere enough detail. The design methodologies on the exam have to do with different areas of the ECNM.
The stuff in the book on IPX, Appletalk and Token Ring are all irrelevant.
The voice section and the IPv6 sections are just cursory explanations of topics you will be tested on in some detail.
The network management and security sections are also too high level.
One good thing about this book -- the VLSM section is a good intro and covers classless addressing in enough detail. Lammle is really good at teaching this type of stuff -- his tutorial on subnetting in CCNA is just a great way to learn.
He's a master teacher, and unfortunately just got this one out the door without properly matching it to the exam objectives. Barkl, like Lammle, is also an excellent writer, and (as I said above) his writeup on www.tcpmag.com is on-the-money as to what this exam entailed, but unfortunately this book (though lucid and smartly written) isn't as faithful to the exam objectives.
Maybe they'll rev the book, but until they do, you need to stick with Cisco Press on this.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money and time
Review: I've used the CCNP Sybex book to pass CCNP easily, I've been a Cisco engineer for 9 years and I failed a CCDA with this book.
I questioned my sanity. But sure enough the book doesn't cover the material. In fact it missses out MOST of the exam topics.
Score less than the required 825 with this book.
It's not just the books fault though. The exam is a classic Cisco foul up with answers being ambiguous as hell. A bit like the original CCNA for those that failed that one. You are not alone.
I'm off to buy the 'top down' networking manual from Cisco Press as that's what they used to write the exam. that's why Cisco don't allow you to take the exam again for 3 days, so you can realise you had the wrong study guide.
Bitter - Yes
Twisted - maybe.
Rating:
Summary: Not sufficient enough to pass the exam with
Review: This book is garbage. It doesn't come close to fulfilling the exam objectives. The test prep software is a joke. VoIP and IPv6 are severely lacking as these two subjects constituted a good chunk of the exam. Too many pages written on subjects that weren't part of the exam (the trivial introductory stuff) and not enough pages devoted to the important stuff. This was my first certification. I posted a decent score but not enough to pass. VoIP and IPv6 hurt me. I'll never use a Sybex book as source again. The other user reviews were right; I should have listened. One more thing learned the hard way... I'm going to try the Teare book next.
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