Cisco Router Configuration

Rating:
Summary: Comments from the authors!
Review: After spending a combined 15 years working with customers at Cisco Systems, we decided to write this book for everyone that needs to know the most important IOS configuration commands for setting up a multiprotocol internetwork. We feel the novice and intermediate users of Cisco products will benefit from our straightforward approach to explaining IOS basics.

In the book we take you through building a multiprotocol internetwork that runs IP, Apple's AppleTalk and Novell's IPX protocols. The chapters cover LAN technologies, WAN technologies, and dialup for these protocols and the final chapter is the complete IOS configuration commands for the entire network.

We also include helpful tips that we have picked during our years of network deployment and support.

Rating:
Summary: Great Starter book.
Review: I read this book and was able to configure two 1720 routers to communicate over a WAN without any problems. I would suggest getting one of the CCNA books for a reference guide. This book does not go into great details about the commands.

Rating:
Summary: Good enough to use as a reference.
Review: The author did a great job of presenting the relatively basic information on configuring Cisco routers. You will find quite a few useful IOS commands discussed in the book that will want to keep it as a handy reference. I would also suggest looking into getting "Cisco IOS for IP Routing" by Andrew Colton. That book would take you deeper into mechanics of modern routing protocols (EIGRP, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP), along with a discussion of Cisco IOS commands.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book to follow the CCNA prep library.
Review: There is the CCNA certification which takes you down the path to learning about routers, LANs and WANs, but what if you don't want that you only need to know how to configure the router. The Cisco Pres has put together the book that tackles that very subject.

In 350 plus pages you'll begin with a good breakdown of the OSI model followed up with the basics of how to configure the router. The information has screen shots to show you what things should look like.

After that you move in the always challenging world of TCP/IP with routing protocols and access lists. This section has a great deal of information but you may want to check other sources for more detailed information.

You also go into areas like AppleTalk with LAN and WAN configuration, IPX, SAP and basic management of the router including time control. While most of the book is geared towards the beginner all skill levels should be able to find some useful information within the book.

I found that the information seems to be up to date including topics like Network Time Protocol and Simple Network Time Protocol. Overall a very good value for the money.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent multi-protocol book
Review: These authors know how to write technical literature that did not confuse me!

Our company uses IPX and Appletalk for various departments although we are moving with haste to an all IP shop. I found this book to help me with building a multiprotocol network and to better understand the details of IP routing. The book covered IP routing in depth and covered enough of IPX and Appletalk to help me optimize my network. I found the example network with the full IOS configuration files quite useful.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is very well written and is a perfect complement to the ICRC book by Laura Chappel. It fills in many of the areas not covered in the ICRC book and also provides easy to understand intros into more complex routing subjects, such as BGP, OSPF, distribute-lists, etc. If you want to learn more about Cisco routing, not just do the minimum to pass the CCNA, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Follow-up to ICRC Book
Review: This book is very well written and is a perfect complement to the ICRC book by Laura Chappel. It fills in many of the areas not covered in the ICRC book and also provides easy to understand intros into more complex routing subjects, such as BGP, OSPF, distribute-lists, etc. If you want to learn more about Cisco routing, not just do the minimum to pass the CCNA, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Who would have thought that a 350 page book on routing could be so comprehensive? This book is a perfect place to start for MCSE's who want to move onto the 'good stuff' - routing with Cisco routers. Use this and the Sybex CCNA Study guide and you'll get through the test no problems.