Cisco : A Beginner's Guide

Rating:
Summary: The first 40 pages in 768 pages.
Review: An awful lot of computer books seem to leave out the first forty pages that should give you an introduction of just what it is that we are trying to do with this piece of hardware or software. This whole book, all 768 pages of it can be considered the first forty pages of any Cisco or Networking book that you might otherwise want to read.

This book talks about the internet, not about how to surf to a web page, but about the underlying structure - the backbone, the protocols, the way a message gets from here to there and back. The orientation is, as you might guess from the title, towards Cisco equipment. But I doubt that there are very many ISPs that don't have at least one Cisco box.

The book covers the Cisco philosophy on routers, switches, quality of service, security, wireless, content delivery, protocols, network management, network design, and finally even how to troubleshoot Cisco networks.

This is not a manual or certification cram guide for say the Cisco 12000 series router. This is the first forty pages of the manual on those products. And after reading the first forty pages, you might know if you need a Series 12000, or a Series 800. You'll at least be able to understand the manuals on these pieces of equipment.

Excellent book. I'd like to see the same thing on PC's, mainframes, clustering, and on and on.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent in all respects
Review: Excellent coverage and well-written guide to Cisco routers and other topics. The book fills in a lot of the gaps left by the certification books, so it makes a good companion to them. This book and Toby and Anthony Velte's Beginning Cisco guide are two of the best MIS books I've seen, especially for readability, as the Cisco-written certification books, although they have the best coverage of the topics needed for certification, still, I have to admit are pretty dull. As one person said, they all sound like they were written by the same person--such as Joe Friday from Dragnet. Shaughnessy and the Velte's should have been subcontracted to edit them or rewrite them--they could have livened things up quite a bit. In fact, the writing is about as lively as Cisco's stock has been lately. Anyway, this and Velte's book are very worthwhile adding to your library. These will be books you actually read instead of them just sitting on the shelf looking impressive.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for Cisco newbies
Review: Finally . . . a book that speaks to mere mortals. Well written with good explanations. The authors provide a good balance of technical information while presenting the information in a real-world context. A FANTASTIC place to begin understanding the Cisco line and routing in general.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of not just Cisco, but also networking
Review: I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I am not a Cisco guru but I am fairly well versed in LAN technologies and protocols. I read "Cisco: A Beginner's Guide, 2nd Edition" (CABG:2E) to learn about the products and services offered by the world's networking leader. I hoped to recommend CABG:2E to my junior network security analysts. Unfortunately, the book's error count makes it too confusing for networking novices. Those who are experienced enough to recognize the book's problems probably don't need to read it.

Reading a technical book is an issue of trust. I can tolerate a few errors. Several errors make me uneasy. Multiple errors make me question the entire work; the authors have lost my trust. I didn't lose complete faith in CABG:2E, but I was uneasy. For example, p. 74 says TCP sequence numbers count packets; they actually count bytes of data. On p. 75, the authors imply that SYN and FIN are the only TCP "code bits," omitting URG, PSH, RST, and ACK. On p. 71, SMTP is listed as a UDP protocol while SNMP is associated with TCP; they should be swapped. P. 75 oddly states "the TCP connection process is often referred to as the 'three-way handshake' because the second step involves sending the receiving station two TCP segments at once." How about SYN - SYN/ACK - ACK as three packets, hence a three-way handshake? The authors have a lot of trouble understanding denial of service attacks as well. On p. 280 they equate DoS to sending "infinite emails" (?) and on p. 289 they invent the term "FINflood" to explain why Cisco CBAC tracks TCP finwait-time. (No such "FINflood" attack exists.) P. 553 mentions "FINwait" as another (nonexistent) DoS method. Finally, I'll pin one early error on an editor or spell checker; p. 38's mention of "du jour" standards should say "de jure."

I wouldn't be so concerned with these errors in a book for advanced users, since I imagine experienced readers would notice and discount them. I can't expect "beginners" (the target audience) to recognize these mistakes.

Overlooking the book's problems, CABG:2E includes a lot of very useful information. I enjoyed learning about EtherChannel, VLANs, H.323, SIP, SANs, and RMON. NAT, NAPT/PAT, routing protocols, QoS, and designing networks are all well covered. The authors consistently define new terms as soon as they appear, and the definitions are uniformly clear. The network blueprints in the book's center are enlightening, and the many excellent diagrams, figures, and tables greatly add to the reader's learning experience.

Despite this book's drawbacks, I'm keeping it on my recommended reading list. When I find a book that offers a better introduction to Cisco, I'll remove CABG:2E. If you choose to read the book, and you're a beginner, be sure to ask a guru if you feel you've found a mistake. Otherwise, wait to read a corrected third edition.

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)

Rating:
Summary: Wait for 3rd edition; 2nd ed's errors outweigh strengths
Review: I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I am not a Cisco guru but I am fairly well versed in LAN technologies and protocols. I read "Cisco: A Beginner's Guide, 2nd Edition" (CABG:2E) to learn about the products and services offered by the world's networking leader. I hoped to recommend CABG:2E to my junior network security analysts. Unfortunately, the book's error count makes it too confusing for networking novices. Those who are experienced enough to recognize the book's problems probably don't need to read it.

Reading a technical book is an issue of trust. I can tolerate a few errors. Several errors make me uneasy. Multiple errors make me question the entire work; the authors have lost my trust. I didn't lose complete faith in CABG:2E, but I was uneasy. For example, p. 74 says TCP sequence numbers count packets; they actually count bytes of data. On p. 75, the authors imply that SYN and FIN are the only TCP "code bits," omitting URG, PSH, RST, and ACK. On p. 71, SMTP is listed as a UDP protocol while SNMP is associated with TCP; they should be swapped. P. 75 oddly states "the TCP connection process is often referred to as the 'three-way handshake' because the second step involves sending the receiving station two TCP segments at once." How about SYN - SYN/ACK - ACK as three packets, hence a three-way handshake? The authors have a lot of trouble understanding denial of service attacks as well. On p. 280 they equate DoS to sending "infinite emails" (?) and on p. 289 they invent the term "FINflood" to explain why Cisco CBAC tracks TCP finwait-time. (No such "FINflood" attack exists.) P. 553 mentions "FINwait" as another (nonexistent) DoS method. Finally, I'll pin one early error on an editor or spell checker; p. 38's mention of "du jour" standards should say "de jure."

I wouldn't be so concerned with these errors in a book for advanced users, since I imagine experienced readers would notice and discount them. I can't expect "beginners" (the target audience) to recognize these mistakes.

Overlooking the book's problems, CABG:2E includes a lot of very useful information. I enjoyed learning about EtherChannel, VLANs, H.323, SIP, SANs, and RMON. NAT, NAPT/PAT, routing protocols, QoS, and designing networks are all well covered. The authors consistently define new terms as soon as they appear, and the definitions are uniformly clear. The network blueprints in the book's center are enlightening, and the many excellent diagrams, figures, and tables greatly add to the reader's learning experience.

Despite this book's drawbacks, I'm keeping it on my recommended reading list. When I find a book that offers a better introduction to Cisco, I'll remove CABG:2E. If you choose to read the book, and you're a beginner, be sure to ask a guru if you feel you've found a mistake. Otherwise, wait to read a corrected third edition.

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)

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: waaho
Review: reading what you 5 starts given guys, I have nothing else to say other that I agree with you give

Rating:
Summary: Very elementary introduction to Cisco
Review: This book is an introduction to Cisco technology and Cisco's IOS operating system. It also instructs the reader on how to deal with Cisco routers, switches, hubs, and access servers. The first chapter starts with an overview of the Internet and how Cisco technology has positioned itself in the Internet explosion. The discussion is very general, and defines the terminology and basic network configurations currently of use in the Internet and networks in general. A listing of the SOHO, midrange, and backbone routers is given along with brief descriptions of each. Access switches and Catalyst switches are also discussed, and the authors are careful to distinguish between access switches and LAN switches.

This is followed in Chapter 2 by a very elementary overview of networking and is written for the absolute beginner. The OSI reference model is discussed in detail, along with an overview of Ethernet, Token Ring, and ATM network technologies. WAN trunk technologies are also covered very quickly, with T1, T3, Frame Relay, and VPN discussed. The discussion of TCP/IP is fairly detailed and a should be very informative for those exposed to this protocol for the first time. The chapter ends with an overview of IP addressing, and again, at a very understandable level. Both of the first two chapters could be skipped by a reader with more preparation.

My interest in this book was from a network modeling perspective, so I did not read Chapter 3 since I was not interested in Cisco certification.

Chapter 4 gives a good overview of Cisco routers, and shows how to log on to Cisco routers directly. A quick discussion of router security is given in this chapter along with an overview of hardware. The later half of this chapter, and the next chapter on configuring routers, are written more for the network administrator, with a thorough treatment given. Chapter 6 covers switches and hubs, and the treatment is fairly general, with a detailed introduction to firewalls. How to configure firewalls to deal with intrusion and denial-of-service attacks is treated very well. Particularly helpful was the discussion of the Cisco PIX firewall and the Adaptive Security Algorithm. The chapter ends with a quick overview of VPNs.

Chapter 7 begins the discussion on network design, and the authors do a good job of explaining how routing protocols succeed in delivering packets to the correct destination. Although non-mathematical, the discussion on insuring loop-free routing is a fairly good one, and introduces the reader to hold-downs, split horizons, and Poisson reverse.The discussion on routing protocol architectures is fairly helpful, for it discusses distance-vector routing and link-state routing. A fairly good overview of the Cisco routing protocols is given, wherein IGRP and EIGRP are discussed, along with OSPF and BGP. Performance issues with these routing protocols are not discussed however, unfortunately.

The next chapter on network management is very helpful for those who need to understand how networks are monitored for performance. The SMNP protocol is discussed along with how MIBS collect, poll, and aggregate network information. A detailed diagram of the Cisco private MIB hierarchy is given, showing how it is broken into four subgroups. In addition, the authors show how SNMP commands can be used to set thresholds for a particular SMNP variable. The use of traps to report alarms is discussed nicely also. The authors then move on to a discussion of RMON probes in switched networks. They explain effectively why the incorporation of the RMON probe directly into the switch's hardware can insure visibility across switched networks. The chapter ends with a detailed discussion of Ciscoworks2000, CWSI, and NetSys Baseliner. The later is a modeling tool used for baselining by the use of RMON probes and IOS device accounting.

Chapter 10 is a detailed discussion of how Cisco implements security into their devices. The authors outline access list and firewall security strategies, along with the AAA security framework. The two security protocols in AAA, TACACS and RADIUS, are treated in great detail.Unfortunately, the security protocol Kerberos is only given scant discussion, even though IOS includes Kerberos commands in its AAA framework.The CiscoSecure ACS package is also discussed thoroughly. The chapter ends with a short overview of dynamic access lists.

The next chapter covers how to design networks using Cisco hardware.The three-layer hierarchical design model and the consequent deployment of hierarchical topologies is discussed as a superior design strategy over flat network topologies. The authors give a good discussion on the access, distribution, and core layers. Design methodologies, such as redundancy,load balancing, topology meshing, and backdoor and chain configurations are discussed in detail. There is also a short discussion on QoS. The chapter ends with an overview of logical network design, including IP addressing strategies, and DNS.

The last chapter of the book considers network troubleshooting, with the discussion geared toward the actual steps taken to pinpoint network problems, such as host IP configuration and connectivity problems. A detailed treatment of the most common Ethernet statistics is given and a good discussion of troubleshooting WAN links.

The book serves well as an elementary introduction to networking via Cisco hardware products and should server well those who are approaching this subject for the first time. As someone interested in network modeling,I found the book helpful mostly in the discussions on network management and network security. The book will pave the way for more advanced reading on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Superb in all respects
Review: This book was really a joy to read. It is one of the best MIS/IT books I've ever seen, and maybe the best. The book is very well written and the coverage of the material is extremely thorough and broad considering how much there is to know about all this and how big the field has become.

I would recommend you read this book to get all the great information and background it offers before tackling any of the actual Cisco certification books. There is just too much important information, and useful information, in this book that is missing in the more specific certification books, which of course are necessarily focused only on what you need to know to pass the exam.

If you're already cramming for one of the exams, I would still buy this book and use it as a study companion. It offers a much broader perspective on the entire networking field, which is useful because the certification books tend to lose the forest for the trees.

As I said, the overall coverage is really phenomenal. For example, in addition to the usual chapters covering hubs, switches and routers, the author also discusses such topics as SANS (storage area networks) and CDNs (content-delivery networks), both of which are becoming increasingly important. Also, there is a large section discussing firewalls and how they operate in general, and then the author goes on to discuss Cisco's own PIX firewall solutions.

Not satisfied with that, Velte also provides an excellent chapter on WANs, an area where the technology and the strategies are very different from the typical intranetwork designed with switches and routers. The subject of WANs leads naturally into a discussion of VPNs (virtual private networks), another area that is becomming increasingly important because of the substantial savings over that of the traditional WAN. It's becoming so important, in fact, that Velte mentions one expert who says that VPNs will completely replace the more expensive WAN technology and that WANs will completely vanish in the next few years.

In addition to all the above things, Velte also has a nice review of networking essentials, and there is a long chapter detailing the entire Cisco certification track, which discusses the different tests, certifications, tracks, and so on. There are so many of these now that keeping track of them now requires a chapter like this.

Finally, the author has a lot of great information about the entire line of Cisco routers and switches. You'll notice that in the certification books they tend to concentrate on a much more limited number of models. In the Sybex Switches book I have, the book focuses almost exclusively on the 5000 and 1900 models, with occasional references to some of the others. For example, Velte mentions that the enormous routers that handle the internet traffic are the Cisco 12000 series, the most powerful of which is capable of processing 60 billion bits of information per second, something that the typical Cisco and network support person running a company's intranetwork is probably never going to see.

All in all a really great book and well worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and extremely informative
Review: This is the book I have been looking for. It is not a CCNA test prep. It IS a concise and informative reference into routing and transmission protocols. It covers everything you need to know to understand the way routers and the internet actually work. I found the book easy to read and very concise in the material covered. If you are looking to learn about the internet and how routers and routing works, then this book is a great start.