Cisco authorized self-study book for CCSP 642-521 foundation learning

• Gain proficiency with new features of PIX Firewall version 6.3, including OSPF, 802.1Q VLANs, NAT-T, and more
• Learn the ins and outs of the PIX product family and its complete feature set
• Use the PIX Device Manager (PDM) 3.0 to configure and manage the PIX Firewall
• Use advanced techniques to control traffic on your network using ACLs (access control lists), content filtering, and object groups
• Improve security using PIX Firewall attack guards, intrusion detection, and shunning features
• Learn about techniques and security considerations for configuring OSPF on PIX Firewall version 6.3
• Configure scalable site-to-site and client remote access VPNs using the PIX Firewall version 6.3
• Configure high-availability solutions using stateful and LAN-based failover techniques
• Use logical interfaces and 802.1Q trunks to scale your PIX Firewall implementation
• Configure the PIX Firewall Services Module (FWSM)

The use of firewalls-devices residing at the network perimeter to protect against intrusion-is an essential building block to even the most basic security program. Cisco Systems has continued the support and development of the PIX OS to provide networks top-notch security while maintaining compatibility with the latest standards and protocols. Now offered in many models, the PIX Firewall is perfectly suited to meet the requirements of small offices (501 model), medium to large businesses (506E, 515E, and 525 models), and large enterprise and service provider customers (525 and 535 models and the Firewall Services Module). CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced (CSPFA), Second Edition, offers in-depth configuration and deployment information for this popular and versatile firewall solution.

CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced (CSPFA), Second Edition, teaches you the skills needed to configure and operate the PIX Firewall product family. Chapter overviews bring you quickly up to speed and help you get to work right away. Lab exercises and scenario-based solutions allow you to adapt configurations to your network for rapid implementation, helping you make the most of your PIX Firewall. Chapter-ending review questions test your knowledge. PIX Device Manager (PDM) configuration procedures are presented to complement extensive coverage of traditional CLI commands.

Whether you are looking for a reference guide on working with the various PIX Firewall models or seeking a study tool for the CSPFA 642-521 exam, CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced (CSPFA), Second Edition, supports your effective use of the PIX Firewall.

CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced (CSPFA), Second Edition, is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco Systems that can include simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining.

This volume is in the Certification Self-Study Series offered by Cisco Press. Books in this series provide officially developed training solutions to help networking professionals understand technology implementations and prepare for the Cisco Career Certifications examinations.

Average Customer Review: ( 3 customer reviews )
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Simply put, this book is a good reference and study aide on the topic of PIX firewalls. It is worth reading, if you are interested in learning basic topics or even some advanced ones. What you get from this book totally depends on the amount of time and work you put into reading and/or studying the text. This book will remain on my shelf as a valuable reference as I could not find much to fault.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

The Labs don't work!Nov 11, 2005
By Net Admin / Home Chef
I purchased this book to prepare Cisco's 642-521 certification exam on the PIX firewall. There is alot of useful information and the book is pretty thorough. However, I got a couple of PIX's and tried to go through all the labs which follow the chapters. Not everything is covered. Chapter 10 on Routing has no labs at all. Almost no lab works as written. Mostly there are small errors like using a hostname which has not been mapped to an IP address. Some are pretty extreme. For example, the labs in Chapter 16 try to connect servers on remote lans without setting up either routing or NAT. The also do nothing to allow the IPsec traffic through the firewall. There is an access list created for NAT in step 2 but it is never applied to anything. Missing from the solution are the statements:

nat (inside) 0 access-list nonat
sysopt connection permit-ipsec
route outside 10.0.2.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.2.1

It works once you add these commands, but they are also missing from the errata on the ciscopress web site. That includes several pages of corrections to the text without any corrections to the labs.

If the labs had worked, I would have given it five stars, but since they don't, it only gets three. This seems to be a common problem with Cisco Press. The extreme worst case is CCNP Practical Studies: Routing. That is a whole book of just routing labs but again, hardly any work as written.

4 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Good ReferenceFeb 18, 2004
By M. Khan "murkho"
I grabbed the book as I got in to a project where I needed to configure Failover PIX system. Given no prior experience with PIX, this book was very handy. However, I still had to consult Cisco website for useful and up-to-date information for PPTP, MPPE, etc.