Description:
Cisco Router OSPF: Design & Implementation Guide is a blueprint for both understanding and using the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol, as well as other prominent routing protocols. According to the author, an understanding of the OSPF is crucial to successfully passing the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) exam. A former professor at Wichita State University and a survivor of the CCIE program himself, William Parkhurst imbues the text with an approachable and pragmatic tone. He amply stocks the book with clear explanations of various networking principles and practice exercises. And as any good teacher would, he even supplies the answers in the book's appendix (all the while imploring his reader-students to practice, practice, practice). Though Parkhurst's ultimate goal is to provide a working knowledge of how to operate and configure the OSPF protocol on Cisco routers, he takes his time in getting there, providing several chapters worth of useful, educational diversion. The book begins with an overview of routing and bridging basics, moves into an explanation of Ethernet and its role in the networking world, and delves into other protocols. In particular, he covers the Routing Information Protocol (RIP), the Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), and OSPF. All of these chapters also contextually detail the configuration commands, and Parkhurst includes a section on how to ensure harmonious interaction between these protocols. A must-have for anyone interested in the CCIE program and in Information Protocol (IP) routing, Cisco Router OSPF: Design and Implementation Guide effectively boils the mass of available data to its bare essence, an absolute delight in these days of information overload. --Sarah Roberts-Witt
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