| | |  | Sybex | Home » » » » Cisco Network Professional's Advanced Internetworking Guide (CCNP Series) | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Ideal for any IT professional who uses Cisco technologies on a daily basis, or anyone who is preparing for their Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification.The topics covered will be more in depth than other introductory-level books of similar topics, and will span from layer 2 technologies such as switching, STP, etherchannel, and trunking, all the way to application layer security topics such as firewall inspection and intrusion prevention systems. Items being covered in the middle will include all the common routing protocols RIP, EIGRP, OSPF and BGP. Many other routing technologies and WAN protocols will be covered including Multicast, MPLS, Cable and DSL. Coverage of redundancy protocols such as HSRP, VRRP and GLBP will be examined. A thorough coverage of convergence topics such as how voice, video and wireless traffic affect the network, and what can be done to improve the effects such as QOS and queuing. This book is a key component for any IT professional preparing for their CCNP certification, as it covers in-depth the topics tested on in all four CCNP exams: - Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (642-901)
- Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (642-812)
- Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks (642-825)
- Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks (642-485)
CD includes the exclusive Sybex Test Engine, with two Practice CCNP exams, as well as author code files. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Patrick J. Conlan | | Paperback:
| 888 pages | | Publisher:
| Sybex | | Publication Date:
| May 11, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0470383607 | | Product Length:
| 9.16 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.38 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.91 inches | | Product Weight:
| 2.79 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.1 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 11 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 11 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent Content, Confusing TitleAug 07, 2009
By Matthew A. Grulke
First of all I want to point out that this is the best guide for the current CCNP (2008/2009) I have come across so far. It is far superior to the 4 Volume "official" Cisco Press CCNP guides in terms of relevance, clarity, and general readability.
Highlights:
Chapter 3, Spanning Tree Protocol - Don't get me wrong. Spanning tree is still the most boring topic in layer 2 switching, but unfortunately it is absolutely essential that Network Professionals have a solid understanding of how to work with and design networks in terms of spanning tree. This is one of the few spanning tree chapters in ANY book, that hasn't made me want to shoot myself.
Chapter 8, Multicast - With the growing demand for video and voice on networks, Multicast routing is a needed in order to keep bandwidth utilization and overhead under control. While the concept of how multicast routing works can be difficult to grasp and the addressing mechanism seems like a nightmare, this chapter really helps the reader get their head around it. If you've never worked with multicast before you may still need to go over this chapter a couple of times. I would like to add that Dense Mode Multicast protocols are the Devil. Don't use them even if you do have a butt load of multicast on your network, all that flooding is bad ju-ju. PIM-Sparse Mode is the way to go.
Chapter 20, Wireless Management and Security - The author does such a good job on this section, but I just wish there was more of it! The security sections (encryption and authentication) are clear and easy to understand. It is an absolute must to understand the differences between the two and how to apply them in the real world in order to avoid looking/sounding like an idiot. The sections on the lightweight controllers and WCS management are also great. This book really just scratches the surface of what current controller based wireless systems are capable of (only a half page on mesh networking?, KILLING me here), but the chapter does cover the CCNP exam topics in the required level of detail.
My only complaint is that I believe the title is misleading. A main function of the book is clearly to act as a study guide for the CCNP Exams, but "CCNP" or "Study Guide" is nowhere in the title. This is a problem because people searching for a CCNP study guide are likely going to overlook this text because the name doesn't fit what they are expecting. Currently the book shows up at the bottom of the page (#12) when searching with the simple keyword of "CCNP".
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
SolidAug 02, 2009
By A. D. Lum
I rate this "solid", which means that you won't die if you don't have it, but it is nice to have in your arsenal. It is written in my favorite style (for an IT book), which is what I would call "friendly" or "conversational".
The target audience is people who already have their CCNAs or equivalent knowledge and experience. The book is designed to help those who are pursuing a CCNP by introducing and covering the material in building block fashion (single case study). This approach gives the reader a better picture of how things fit together. In the IT world, this is a very good thing.
Achieving a high level of proficiency in the IT world is not easy. The road is very long and sometimes full of potholes (things that are at the time, incomprehensible). Diligent study of books like this one will smooth out the bumps and help you get you to your well-earned destination.
Use the book preview that Amazon provides. Have a look at the table of contents. That will tell you what the book will deliver.
Use "Surprise Me!" to get a feel for the writing style. That will tell you how the material is delivered.
If you give the coverage and delivery a thumbs up, then buy with confidence.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Cisco Certified Network Professional PrimerDec 28, 2009
By Kevin R. Paul
I am a Cisco Netacad instructor and teach CCNA/A+. I also hold a CCNP and CCNA Security.
This book is a great primer for the CCNP topics of Advanced Routing, Advanced Switching, Remote Access and Converged Networks.
The Author does a great job of presenting the material in as conversational tone as possible, which makes it a lot easier to read than some computer/IT-related books. There is a logical progression to the book from the LAN, WAN, etc.
I like that he relates the topics to an imaginary enterprise network called FutureTech. This helps the reader to relate how these technologies, concepts and protocols will apply and be implemented in a network.
I was able to read through most of the chapters very briskly because of the manner in which the author writes. You can tell he has a lot of experience in instructing, and this comes through in the passages. He presents some of the concepts by using analogies, which can help to clear things up and relate them to other real-world subjects.
A couple of caveats. The book does possess quite a few typos, but they do not get in the way of learning.
Also, at this time, Cisco is in the process of revising the CCNP exam, which will now consist of three exams vice four. The revision will take place next summer, so it would be advisable to read the book now and begin preparing for the exams now. [...]
There aren't any labs that accompany the text to help the students implement the technologies and concepts. It helps to have a beginner and a complex/advanced lab. The beginner lab helps to show the student how to configure the concept/technology. The advanced helps to test if the reader has a good grasp of the topic. Some of the topics are very complicated and advanced, so the lack of labs makes understanding difficult, as some of the knowledge is gained through hands-on learning. If you're good at creating scenarios, then this will not be a hindrance.
The author also advises the reader invest in expensive lab equipment. If you have the money, then take his advice. If not, my advice is to possibly buy a cheap certification kit, use GNS3 or Boson NetSim or rent a remote network lab/rack if you don't plan on pursuing a CCIE certification.
The last thing is the current certification kit is four books, so there had to be some information that would be left off the cutting room floor. There are either command line interface commands not covered or topics not covered in-depth like OSPF (virtual links), Wireless (the different flavors of 802.1x) and other information. QOS is only two chapters, whereas the actual ONT book is more than 300 pages (versus the 100 pages in this book). It is a considerable topic, which is covered but not in-depth.
Despite this, this book is a great resource. And I'd recommend any network engineer read it before delving into the official certification kit (don't forget to buy the command guide too).
I'd recommend this or Todd Lammle's CCNA book. They're both great supplemental material.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
ESSENTIAL (if you're ready for it)Jul 30, 2009
By Timothy Walker
Sybex Cisco Network Professional's Advanced Internetworking Guide is a highly specialized book. If you are not Cisco certified, you are not part of its target audience. Even earning a CCNA isn't necessarily a sufficient prerequisite... earning your living as a CCNA is.
Meet the criteria? Read on.
As Mr. Conlan freely admits in his introduction, no one book could possibly teach every topic covered by the CCNP exams. However, this work comes pretty close - any closer and the book would be too heavy to lift - offering an excellent examination of routing and switching protocols, security, wireless, and QoS.
The author's decade of experience as an IT instructor is evident in these pages; in first person voice, he leads the reader through a case study of a fictitious multinational's network infrastructure, building outward from the campus LAN to the enterprise edge. All major subject areas of all four exams are dealt with in due course, reinforced with end of chapter reviews and useful code samples on the bundled CD. While admittedly some of the material was over my head, I feel confident that it is accurate (Todd Lammle may have proofread) and, perhaps surprisingly, engaging and enjoyable to read!
I recommend this book without hesitation as a self-study textbook of advanced Cisco internetworking... if you've finished reading Network Warrior, buy it now. It would also make a great starting point for certification prep, providing a comprehensive and logically structured overview of the CCNP Official Exam Certification Library... just don't even think about sitting for the CCNP exams without first spending many, many hours in the lab.
Thank you, Mr. Conlan, for a wonderful book. I look forward to re-reading it when I am ready.
Not for beginners, good for advanced professionalsFeb 18, 2010
By terpfan1980
"Barry"
I've had this book for a while now and have been lagging on writing a review for it. Part of what has held me up is that this book is somewhat advanced and I, personally, am not at a level where I can really benefit from it as much as I would like. That is not the fault of the book or the author, it is strictly my own fault or should I say strictly because the book is aimed at advanced professionals and not beginners or intermediate level users. If you've not already gotten your CCNA or at least if you've not already skilled to that level then you'll likely find this book too advanced to be of value until you advance your own knowledge to that point.
The book itself is very good, and certainly worth purchasing for someone that meets the requirements and is working on advancing their own knowledge or is working towards a CCNP certification.
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