High Performance Data Network Design

Rating:
Summary: Finally a design book written for engineers
Review: I own plenty of design books, unfortunately most of them just rehash design standards or design methods. I've waited a long time for a book that is written from an engineers viewpoint covering material that is relevant to my job and my interests.

My first impressions were great narrative and an exellent technical resource covering difficult and complex aspects such as capacity planning and performance. However, my particular area and what really drew me to this book was network costing and backbone design something that is usually under-represented.

The WAN and ATM sections are extremely well put together with some great insights. Overall, it is methodical, dense in some places definately challenging for the uninitiated but always accompanied with well thought out examples making it very readable, something that I thought made a great change from the norm.

Method is covered, but thankfully only where necessary and anyone like me who is involved in design will benefit from the design templates that are provided.

Overall, I'm extremely impressed and definately looking forward to the accompanying book on higher level security and routing. If it is as well written as this then, for engineers, it should be THE benchmark book set for anyone who is involved in network design. Top marks.

Rating:
Summary: Finally a design book written for engineers
Review: I own plenty of design books, unfortunately most of them just rehash design standards or design methods. I've waited a long time for a book that is written from an engineers viewpoint covering material that is relevant to my job and my interests.

My first impressions were great narrative and an exellent technical resource covering difficult and complex aspects such as capacity planning and performance. However, my particular area and what really drew me to this book was network costing and backbone design something that is usually under-represented.

The WAN and ATM sections are extremely well put together with some great insights. Overall, it is methodical, dense in some places definately challenging for the uninitiated but always accompanied with well thought out examples making it very readable, something that I thought made a great change from the norm.

Method is covered, but thankfully only where necessary and anyone like me who is involved in design will benefit from the design templates that are provided.

Overall, I'm extremely impressed and definately looking forward to the accompanying book on higher level security and routing. If it is as well written as this then, for engineers, it should be THE benchmark book set for anyone who is involved in network design. Top marks.

Rating:
Summary: THE NETWORK DESIGN BIBLE!!!
Review: I've read many network books, but this one really is beyond anything I've seen so far. This author, unlike others, has got it right, this is a book for engineers, a book written with so much detail it will blow your mind off. I especially loved two of its chapters: Chapter two which is on capacity planning and Chapter four which is on Network Cost Analysis, the two most important aspects that that will turn a network design into a real network.

This book is definitely worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: The Competent Implementors Reference
Review: This text is one I would recommend to anyone with serious aspirations to a professional career in the business of datacommunications networking.

Kenyon has presentated a complex discipline with no sugar coated spin, yet the material is accessible through the illustrations that quantify what are 'reasonable outcomes' in several useful scenarios. This last skill belongs to proven and experienced practitioners, Kenyon has evidently 'walked the walk' and provides the reader with the benefit of his knowledge and experience.

At the very least this text is an essential reference text for modern practitioners of Data Network construction and planning.
- Concept, Implementation, Budget and Risk Management.

At the most enjoyable points, this text provides a way of taking a technologist or student to their respective technical depths, without losing focus on the need to yield practical and cost effective implementations.

The bar has been set to other authors in this area, I hope that Mr Kenyon has more material to come.