Description:
Cisco IOS, the software underpinning of Cisco's vast networking product line, can only be compared to Microsoft's Windows in terms of dominance and ubiquity. The first installment in Cisco's reference library, Cisco IOS Configuration Fundamentals, outlines both the role and features of IOS in excruciating detail. Definitely not for dummies, this book will appeal to networking professionals, who will appreciate the granularity of this high-tech bible, with its extensive notes and tables. With this book in hand, you can begin to milk vast amounts of the available functionality from your Cisco routers and access servers. The mission of the first section is to get acquainted with IOS, from its so-called benefits to its various interfaces. However, to understand what's going on, you need to be well versed in networking lingo. The text is resplendent with references to ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), WANs (wide area networks), and TN3270 connections. One of the supreme ironies of this installment can be found in the section called "Using ClickStart, AutoInstall, and Setup," in which highly detailed instructions are given on ClickStart and AutoInstall--Cisco's stabs at user-friendly interfaces. This section also highlights a strength of the book--all the chapters are extremely task oriented with a "do this, then you'll see this; then do this" approach. The last third of the book contains some of the most valuable information. The book features outstanding chapters on building systems to hide the underlying complexity of IOS and on managing the beast you have wrought. In-depth explanations of the Simple Network Management Protocol, the Network Time Protocol, error messages, and so forth, coupled with practical advice on how to approach the intricacies of your network, are beneficial for every grizzled systems administrator. In addition, three hefty appendices provide ASCII translation tables, a list of platforms that support Cisco IOS Release 11.2, and a vast array of references and recommended reading. --Sarah L. Roberts-Witt
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