Rating: 
Summary: It's about time!
Review: "That which is too obvious often requires a brilliant thinker to bring it to life..."(Mr. J.P. Dalencourt, 1999) It is due time that someone have decided to bring the remarkable networking development that NortelNetworks (formerly BayNetworks) have been doing to the public. This book is an actual step forward for Nortel in mainstreaming its products. Now, your traditional IT personnel has an opportunity to get familiar with the Nortel brand before making another decision. This book gives the IT personnel another tool in her/his decision making. Knowing your product, its capabilities, and limitations can only make your decision a more viable one, not to mention JOB SECURITY! Every network administrator's goal is to be able to boast 99.9% network-up stat; And reaching that goal can be made easier with this book. Lastly, We all have been a novice in this business at one time or another. And if we are speaking from experience, this book will make you ask yourself why this did not seemed to be so easy before? If you are a beginner, congratulation! Your life have been made easier just by buying this book. It is everything that you need to get a sound foundation of networking. What's fabulous about this book is that I don't think anyone can ever outgrow it, you'll always come back to it, and I think it's because it's not only Nortelnetworks specific, but it is also what I call industry specific; If you are in compliance, then you'll find a need for it. Congratulation James Knapp for a wonderful desperately needed book. And thank you Nortel for seeing a need for this type of book and allowing it to happened. Future purchase and implementation decisions will be made with more ease.J.D. SR. Engineer
Rating:
Summary: useful theory is also valuable - more than just product info
Review: A few of the recent reviews miss the mark -- this is obviously a book that covers enterprise equipment. And it does it exceptionally well -- explaining the Nortel product but also the technologies and protocols themselves, so you can easily apply the information in this book to other products from other companies. I work for an Enterprise networking company (not Nortel) and I've found this book to be very helpful. As far as being "only Enterprise related" (an accusation made by previous reviews), that may be true, but it doesn't warrant a one-star review. The title is misleading, but the cover gives a good idea of what to expect. It clearly states on the back cover "Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference offers detailed information on key networking technologies supported by Nortel products, including frame switching, switched token ring, Layer 3 switching, and ATM... ...a complete overview of all Nortel Enterprise devices; master frame switching, gigabit ethernet, VLANs, and MultiLink Trunking (MLT)..."
Rating:
Summary: Extremely valuable book -- that does what it promises
Review: A few of the recent reviews miss the mark -- this is obviously a book that covers enterprise equipment. And it does it exceptionally well -- explaining the Nortel product but also the technologies and protocols themselves, so you can easily apply the information in this book to other products from other companies. I work for an Enterprise networking company (not Nortel) and I've found this book to be very helpful. As far as being "only Enterprise related" (an accusation made by previous reviews), that may be true, but it doesn't warrant a one-star review. The title is misleading, but the cover gives a good idea of what to expect. It clearly states on the back cover "Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference offers detailed information on key networking technologies supported by Nortel products, including frame switching, switched token ring, Layer 3 switching, and ATM... ...a complete overview of all Nortel Enterprise devices; master frame switching, gigabit ethernet, VLANs, and MultiLink Trunking (MLT)..."
Rating: 
Summary: Old Bay Networks Products Reference
Review: I agree with the reader from Richardson. Might even know the reader. I work for Nortel in Raleigh, NC and never work with the enterprise products in this book. Why wasn't it called "Nortel Networks The complete former Bay Networks product reference"?
Rating:
Summary: Can't Network Without It!
Review: I am trying to install an ATM network from the ground up and I can't believe I even attempted this feat without this book as a reference. I have had the book three days and it has already more than paid for itself. Don't even hesitate.... BUY IT TODAY!
Rating: 
Summary: Calling it "complete" is a bit pretentious
Review: I have had this book for about a year and finally got around to reading it. I too work for Nortel Networks, but not in the Enterprise Networks line of business (LOB). The biggest problem I have with this book is its title; it is exceedingly deceptive. If you work in any LOB other than Enterprise, don't expect a peep about the Nortel products you are familiar with. No mention whatsoever of Meridian, DMS, Passport, Shasta, Service Builder, OPtera, Preside, etc. Nothing but former Bay Networks products; hardly "complete". The only mention of this fact is in the small print on the back cover that states that it is a complete guide to Nortel's Enterprise products. I wonder why that didn't make it to the front cover? This is a book obviously written by a former long-time Bay (now Nortel) employee capitalizing on knowledge of thier former boxes and ignoring the rest. If all you are interested in is configuring a Baystack, Accellar, or Centillion router or switch, or getting your NN Certification, you'll love this book. If you are interested in any other Nortel product at all, don't buy it. It simply doesn't apply in any way to the other 75% of what Nortel does, in spite of its title. Next, I must say that the chapter explaining ATM is horrendous. The only way you will understand what the author says about ATM is if you already understand ATM, in which case you don't need to read it anyway. This should have been greatly expanded or removed altogether. Also, there is an entire section on ATM on Nortel products. Again, only former Bay products that support ATM are covered- no mention of Nortel's Passport or OPtera products, even though they are key ATM core network nodes.
Rating:
Summary: useful theory is also valuable - more than just product info
Review: I thought this book was very thourough and is filled with a lot of great information; having read some of the other reviews I will say that I work with the Bay enterprise equipment acquired by Nortel when they bought Bay Networks, and having heard of it through word of mouth I knew exactly what I was getting ahead of time. Make no mistake, this book covers the Bay enterprise line of products only, but it also contains a lot of theory on ATM (LANE, PNNI, MPOA, etc) that I found really useful, as well as Layer 3 routing protocols, source route bridging, and a whole bunch of other stuff. If you don't deal with Nortel's enterprise LOB and don't have a need for the theory chapters I would say stay away from this book, but judging it based on what it is, I think it covers a wide array of material extremely well and is an excellent resource for anyone working with these products.
Rating:
Summary: Use It As A Nortel Networks Certification Study Guide!
Review: I work at Nortel Networks and this book is becoming quite popular within Nortel as a reference book and certification study guide. Just today I spoke with a Technical Support Engineer who failed the Nortel Networks Accelar certification exam last week. Then he read over the Accelar and Bridging sections of the Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference book and passed the test the second time around!
Rating:
Summary: Use It As A Nortel Networks Certification Study Guide!
Review: I work at Nortel Networks and this book is becoming quite popular within Nortel as a reference book and certification study guide. Just today I spoke with a Technical Support Engineer who failed the Nortel Networks Accelar certification exam last week. Then he read over the Accelar and Bridging sections of the Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference book and passed the test the second time around!
Rating:
Summary: A must have reference!
Review: I've just had my hands on the book for two weeks and it's already proven it's worth twice over!. It's an excellent reference, particularly if you work with Switches and Routers. Great, easy to read and comprehensive content on ATM LANE, PNNI, and MPOA. I'd also highly recommend this book to anyone using or planning to deploy Layer 3 Accelar routing switches.
| 
