Cisco: The Complete Reference

by Brian Hill

Book Overview

Provides an overview of networking technology as well as practical hands-on advice for working with Cisco products on a daily basis. This book covers topics such as wireless LANs, VPNs, access lists,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0072192801
• ISBN13: 9780072192803
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media
• Length: 1300 Pages
• Weight: 4.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 7.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

About as complete as it gets.

Working with Cisco Routers is part of what I do everyday and there are time when I need an information about the router or a configuration entry, or I might want to change certain parameters to enhance the performance of the network. Using this book I can have a great manual to go to for almost every purpose. Broken down into 4 parts, with Part 1 covering Networking basics, such as an excellent explanation of the OSI model from top to bottom. Also 90 pages of TCP/IP breakdown as well as IPX/SPX and WAN technologies finish out this section. Part 2 is the CISCO technology overview, from the router layout, which included several models, to the switch layout for both LAN and WAN switches and what I found to be most helpful was the 125 pages covering the IOS and commands. Part 3 is the LAN switching and configuration section, covering Layer 1, 2, 3 and 4 switching. This is followed by Part 4 or the Routing section, and here you have coverage of all the protocols from RIP I and II, IGRP, EIRGP, OSPF in single and multiple environments and Access lists. What is missing is coverage of BGP, which could be included in the next edition. Overall this book is very complete and while no specific exam is covered this book can and should help with all Cisco Exams.

Buy this Book!

This is an excellent book! It's very hard to put down. Brian uses references, charts, and graphs that a person like me can understand. I'm not the most knowlegdeable in this part of the computer field, but this book is giving all the tools needed to understand and build on the knowledge presented in this book. It has been most helpful to me because I've taken a huge step in my career from a desktop technician to Enterprise support. The knowledge I need to be successful is contained in this book. It has been approved overwhelmingly by my boss and others who have looked at it.. I greatly suggest buying this book..you will not be dissapointed

LOTS of info (but no bgp, multicast)

You may fall in love with all the concise yet clear description of most ALL cisco products in the first quarter of this huge book(or not, IF you're adverse to Cisco product catalogs!). It also does a good job of covering [teaching] all the many topics listed in the TOC. There are some unique flowcharts of route processing. But there's no coverage of BGP and some other important advanced topics. I don't seem to find a "command reference", like the superb O'Rielly IOS Nutshell book. I give it only 4 stars, because of it's limitations, but there's sooooo much to love in this book. The details on EIGRP/OSPF do go VERY deep.

Great reference

I found this book to be an outstanding reference guide through the quagmire that is the CCIE written exam. An important fact to remember- most books do not explain in depth all the IOS features even Cisco own Cisco IOS manuals, but this book doesn't leave any stone unturned, loads of IOS examples for routers and switches but a complete reference to almost every feature used in todays' enterprise IP networks, a must for a cisco person, The structure of this book is to give you a solid foundation if you don't have much experience, and to act as the glue to tie it altogether if you do have experience or no experience. Not only did this book help me to pass my written exam, but I could not have done it without it. I found the text easy to read and quick to sink in, which is critical when study-time is at a premium. I finished the book in a two weeks, and then passed my written exam. I highly recommend this book.