Security continues to be an important topic for networkers looking to protect their organizations infrastructure, data and Web facilities. The growth in popularity of the Cisco Security specialization is proof of that interest. Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls it is the official coursebook for two of the courses required for that certification, but is useful to both specialization pursuers as well as those wanting to master security issues related to the Cisco line of PIX Firewalls. As the only book available that focuses specifically on the Cisco line of PIX firewalls, this invaluable resource will help readers maximize the security of their systems.

Average Customer Review: ( 29 customer reviews )
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Boy, was I disappointed -- confusing examples, outdated information, missing information, non-relevant filler, this book couldn't have gottten much worse.

The book assumes through almost all the examples that you will be NAT translating your addresses, and spends most of its time explaining configurations that use NAT and almost no time with non-NAT configurations. It's left to the reader to guess at whether commands like "static" even apply to non-nat connections.

Cisco themselves in at least PIX 6.1(1) have deprecated the conduit and outbound commands in favor of access-group and access-list commands. For a book with a copyright of 2002 and written by cisco, there is no mention of access-list/group commands at all and all the examples use conduit/outbound -- this is inexcusable.

There was also no mention in the book of the poorly documented process for updating licensing keys for the PIX, either. This would have been a valuable, step-by-step addition. PIX hardware was absent from any discussion in this book as well.

Furthermore, there's an entire chapter devoted IOS firewall commands, which, while a nice freebie, seems like it was thrown in to bulk up a pretty thin book.

I suppose I got something out of reading the book, but certainly not the book's asking price. I've found the usual online docs at Cisco more valuable, especially for 6.1(1).

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Well Written for this struggling PIX beginnerMar 15, 2002

I just started working on PIX firewalls two months ago when our senior engineer quit. I thought all along he knew what he was doing. After reading through this book though, it's clear he was bluffing and having Cisco TAC do the configuration for him.

This book has allowed me to understand all the things my predecessor did WRONG and correct them.

Though I am a CCNP & CCDP, I found myself completely unprepared for the bizarre syntax the PIX throws at you.

I recommend this title to anyone like myself who is starting off on the PIX and trying to figure out which way is up.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Good Solid Info on PIXJan 22, 2002
By Robert M. Yee
Sometimes its hard to find all the info that you need to effectively operate and understand what the PIX can do for an enterprise.

A lot of the knowledge that I've gained about the PIX has been from scattered sources, this book is pretty good at getting all that information together.

A close second(in terms of information) to this book is the Configuration Guide that comes with the PIX.

The book is pretty well written, easy to read and it is only about 300 pages. For those of you who are used to reading the 600 page books that Cisco Press puts out, this one can be considered light reading.

I'm currently re-reading it a second time, in preparation for the exam. I've tried the Boson tests along with the book and they seem to be a good combo.

Even if you are not planning on taking the exam, I recommend this book. The examples given may be a bit simplestic, but they drive the point home. As a day-to-day reference, you may also want to supplment the book with info from CCO.

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:

PIX explained so I can even understand it.Jan 09, 2002
By Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki"
What I have found over the past several months is that a firewall is more important than I first thought. I have found that keeping unwanted traffic and visitors out is certainly more important than most people know or understand.

Working with Cisco routers there is really only one choice for firewalls and that is PIX, this 350 page book gives a first hand use, configuration and maintenance look at the PIX Firewall. Beginning with network security and moving to PIX software and hardware. You'll then work with the upgrading the PIX Software.

Next comes the configuration of PIX and ASA security levels commands. I found the firewall translation in both static and dynamic configurations, which include NAT and PAT, to be very useful in what I am doing currently.

Finally topics like firewall access, authentication, advanced protocol handling, like FTP and RTSP, attack guards, IPSec and proxy configuration round out one of the best books I have ever read. There is also labs and case studies to work with and if they developed and eSim to go with this there no telling how big it would be. Overall excellent.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Great reference � but so is the PIX documentationDec 24, 2002
By Ben Rothke "Author of 'Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know'"
Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls is an excellent book for those needing PIX technical reference. The book is not a definitive text on PIX firewalls, but is definitely a good starting point.

The book provides a methodical overview of how to use a PIX. It has a brief introduction into various firewall architectures, and then dives into installing the software and hardware and software configuration.

This version of the book is getting a bit dated and a new edition should be considered.

On the downside, the truth is that the PIX documentation, and information from the Cisco web site, covers about 90% of the information in the book.

For those that want to save $$$, they can simply print out the PIX documentation, and save their money.

But for those that don't have an actual PIX appliance or access to the PIX documentation, Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls is a very good reference for learning the rudiments of the functionality of a PIX firewall.

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