Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful starting point for soon-to-be CCNAs!
Review: I am in the midst of preparing for a career change into the IT field with a focus on the Cisco internetworking path. Obviously I am anything BUT an experienced networking professional and therefore I am always on the lookout for resources that teach me the basics of what I need to know in as simple and uncomplicated a manner as possible! Believe me when I say that Tom Shaughnessy's book , Cisco: A Beginner's Guide, met these goals admirably! Although the material is a bit daunting to understand all at once, I found that by slow careful reading of each chapter in this book I could gradually make sense out of a very complicated and somewhat daunting subject...the Cisco internetworking system!! I have read quite a few books which try to explain, in layman's terms, the complexities of networking and inter-networking, in particular. Most of the others were either too boring or written in such a manner as I would have needed an engineering degree to make any sense of them! Tom Shaughnessy's book breaks through this barrier by being written in a style that I found to be both simple to understand as well as (believe it or not!) captivating! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring a career within the Cisco internetworking field!!
Rating: 
Summary: This book is awesome!
Review: I am so excited that I found this book, the name "Cisco for Begginers" does not really desribe the usefullness of this book. I like that it is written so you can read it, not like a referance. They even talk about Pix Firewall configs and that is not for begginers. If you want to learn about CISCO or know a little bit this book is an awesome read and you wont be sorry. I give it 10 stars! I am going to look for other books like this buy osborne, hopefully I can find a good one for learning 2000.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of not just Cisco, but also networking
Review: I bought this book before I began working for Cisco, and it really helped me understand the fundamentals of networking. Everything is explained in plain-english --- perfect for those starting out in the field.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for Cisco newbies
Review: I came into this book knowing *nothing* about Cisco, but I wanted to understand their product lines and what they offered. This book answered every question I had. After reading this book, I finally understand the vast amount products that Cisco sells. It even has some technical sections that tells you about Cisco's IOS, and how to do things like configure the routers, etc. It was not necessary, because I just wanted to know what the PIX was, or what the Catalyst was, etc, and this book answered that extremely well.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks technical accuracy
Review: I don't recommend this book if you really want to learn the materials, there are a numbers of technical inaccuracies (that I can tell with my minimal network knowledge), I am afraid that continuing to read this book will do more harm than good :( eg. -p59: book says email uses UDP protocol. But AFAIK, smtp run on TCP. -p64: 3 way TCP handshake takes 3 exchanges, not 4 as depicted in the diagram. -p36: The diagram on cable signaling gives an impression that the outtermost sinals (1s and 0s in the wire) correspond to TCP, then IP, then Ethernet framing. It does give a sense of how the packet is build up as one goes up the protocol stack, but it should give a clear sense that ethernet signals come first in the wire, not TCP. As a Unix Sys Admin for a .com, I would have prefered more examples on the pix firewall that covers more of the usual setup such as HTTP, SSH, setup of dmz, etc. This is none technical, but I don't think most people will appreciate the book's binding ripping apart in the first week.
Rating:
Summary: A great Cisco reference book!
Review: I passed the CCNA today, partially due to this book (although the test study guides were more useful for that purpose). I'm new to IT, coming from a completely unrelated field. This book isn't the best introduction to networking and Cisco I found (I'd recommend Myhre's CCNA Certification book for that), but I know this will be my most useful reference book as I begin my IT career. It's full of information and laid out in an accessible format. I was truly a beginner when I picked up this book, and when I finished it I had a good grasp of routers, switches, IOS, and the OSI model. I'm sure this is a great book to get if you're familiar with networking but new to Cisco. If you're really green (as I was) and in pursuit of your CCNA, you'd do well to try Myhre's book first.
Rating:
Summary: This book was well worth every penny and then some !
Review: I really liked this book & I'm glad I got it. It was an easy read for such a complex set of subjects - it cut through the huge amount of information on Cisco and networking and artfully delivered relevant information. Not an ounce of wasted space in this book. Every subject from background on Cisco to certifications, to routers/switches, to designing networks, to security, to Cisco device management and configuration, to Cisco tools. Yes, it's all really in this book and it is done right ! All in all, I'd have to say that this book gave me more bang for the buck than any other technical book I've ever bought.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent all the way through !
Review: I've read a pile of Cisco-specific and general networking books. I even consider myself beyond "beginner" books. But a friend told me great things about this one...so I got it...read through it and have to say that is one of the best written guides to Cisco networking that I have ever seen - really !
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: If you want to start out learning the basics and going into some depth on how Routers, Switches, and Hubs work, then this is the book! It starts out with general networking and moves to how Routers, switches etc work in conjunction with a Lan or Wan. Easy read and understand for the most part. Excellent book!
Rating:
Summary: You just Gotta have this book!
Review: Just as the rest of the 5 Star reviews on this book state, itis superb. Clear, consise, extremely well written, non assumming andcomprehensive from ground zero to total Real World Enterprise Levels. This book covers it all, and gives you the insight into making the right career directional moves. It is one of the only few technical books, i would spend the time giving a review for. Just the right primer for getting your CCNA. Only one other author comes to mind, that I enjoyed as much, Mark Minasi.END
| 
