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CCDA Official Exam Certification Guide (Exam 640-863) (3rd Edition)

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I spent a month pouring over this book in detail. It could use some improvement, starting in the very beginning. The first chapter introduces the concepts of SONA, IIN, and PPDIOO. For the CCDA test, learn about applying the SONA framework to achieve IIN. I'm not making this up. Study PPDIOO and the Cisco suggested steps for each of these letters. Does any of this have any value in the real world? No, but too bad. It's on the CCDA test and I'll bet a committee of Cisco engineers are sitting in an office in California someplace laughing about all this.

Thankfully, the book only spends the first chapter on this stuff. The 2nd chapter introduces a bunch of network models. I remember the old days - was it only 7 years ago - when Cisco networks had a core, distribution, and access layer. It was a nice way to organize which services went where. I could deal with that. Today, that simple, hierarchical model seems so simple and quaint. Today, Cisco gives us the Enterprise Campus Model with layers and modules all over the place. This new and much more complex model might even have some real value, but the book is inconsistent and confusing in how it treats it. The pictures seem to change and the names of the layers and sublayers and modules are inconsistent or don't make sense. Why in the world is the enterprise data center a remote module in the diagram on page 43? Some text on page 51 explains that the enterprise data center is really an offsite disaster recovery site. Sheesh - come on guys!

After the first 2 chapters and 65 pages, we get into some real meat. There are chapters about LAN and WAN design, wireless, routing protocols, management, security, VOIP, and a host of other topics. But keep that Enterprise Campus model in mind because lots of subsequent chapters refer to it. And stay adaptable because the layers and modules and submodules seem to change from chapter to chapter.

Of course, the CCDA test has questions about the Enterprise Campus model. It will be up to you to figure it out, based on the treatment in this book and any Cisco articles you can get your hands on. I hear more laughter coming from Cisco. In fairness, the Enterprise Campus model seems like an attempt to put a unified architectural framework around today's increasingly complex and diverse networks. Perhaps the world is becoming too complex to model this way.

Some of the book is downright misleading. Here is a quote from page 406. This is in chapter 12, about BGP, and the context is about redistributing routes:

"When redistributing routes into OSPF, use the subnets keyword to permit subnetted routes to be received. If you do not use it, only the major network route is redistributed, without any subnetworks. In other words, OSPF performs automatic summarization to IP classful network values."

There are test questions about classless and classful route summarization, and the above paragraph is misleading at best. For the CCDA test, dig into route summarization using other sources.

The VOIP treatment also needs work. Page 528 has a huge table about bandwidth requirements for various codec techniques ranging from G.711 thru G.729. And the paragraph immediately below the table points the reader to a tool on the Cisco website to calculate bandwidth. It would be nice if the link was easy to use. Instead, the Cisco website takes you through a torturous login sequence before finally granting access to the tool. It turns out, the Internet is filled with tools to calculate bandwidth needs for various codecs. It also turns out that the CCDA test has questions about VOIP bandwidth usage.

It occurred to me that since tools are out there to calculate bandwidth needs, I should not have to memorize this huge table for the CCDA test. I should be able to calculate it. Learning one formula should be less work and more value than memorizing a 70 cell table, right? Unfortunately, the CCDA book is no help here. You can find a great writeup on calculating VOIP bandwidth in this book: Authorized Self-Study Guide, Cisco Voice over IP (CVoice), by Kevin Wallace, Copyright 2007, Cisco Press. Look on page 241. Study the text in Wallace's book leading up to the formula on page 241 and this will serve you well on the CCDA test.

The CCDA book has typos throughout the text. The book also comes with a CD with 200+ test simulation questions. I did not count up all the questions with typos but I'll bet around 10 percent of the questions have problems. For example, one question has no correct answer, although the explanatory text gives a narrative with the answers. Other multiple choice questions have the wrong letters but correct text for answers.

The CCDA test itself is just plain nasty. Some of the questions are opinion questions, so make sure your opinion matches that of Cisco - at least while you're sitting in front of a computer in the test room. Is this fair? No, but too bad. Cisco has the gold and makes the rules. At least one test question has a blatant typo, so watch out for that. Nearly all the questions are worded in such a way to confuse the test taker. Many questions force you to examine consequences of design choices, so memorizing facts is not good enough.

I can see a committee of Cisco engineers sitting around a table dreaming up confusing questions and laughing about it. It must be nice to have power - enjoy it while it lasts.

Bottom line - does this book prepare you for the CCDA test? It doesn't have everything you need but it certainly helps. It isn't perfect but may be the best prep tool available. I would not have passed without it. Go through the questions at the end of each chapter several times, until you can answer every single question in your sleep. Also install the CD and go through those questions several times. Know them cold.

One final piece of advice. Get mad. The Cisco guys are laughing at you. They want you to fail. If you want to pass this test, you must want to succeed more than they want you to fail. Get mad, bear down, and beat these guys.

I used this as my primary resource to prepare me for the CCDA exam. I went through this book probably 5 times over, knew answers to all the questions. I would say I could recall 90-95% of the information in this book fairly easily. I will also say that I've passed the CCNA, BCMSN, and ONT exams all on my first try before attempting this exam. I scored a 707 out of a 825 on the CCDA. I know I missed a few quesitons related to material from this book (2 directly related to calculating # of voice calls on a given amount of BW, codec, use of cRTP or not, L2 header. Figure how to calculate this before taking this exam, although note, this book doesn't actually show you how to do that, only gives you a table. That's not enough when the exam throws in L2 headers for instance), but I also know I missed many more for material that was not covered. I've since quickly browsed over the DESGN book from Diane Teare and looked through forums and it's becoming clear that this is the better book to study. The DESGN book does not come with the CD exam questions, and again there is material in this exam guide that was on the exam so it is helpful, just don't make it your primary source. The DESGN book appears to be a better primary source of studying.

So, with all that said, I'd recommend buying both and spending more time with the DESGN book, especially in the beginning. The exam guide is far more brief in their explanations and does not go into the detail you need to correctly understand and answer some of the questions on the exam. As the one reviewer said, Cisco wants you to fail. Wording is very tricky and you need to know the slightest of differences in answers to pass this exam. The DESGN book will give more of that detail you need.

Lastly, the CD in the exam guide book is very helpful but it does as others mentioned have errors. If you know the material though, you'll realize the errors are pretty obvious and although aggravating should not effect your learning. Also know that the CD questions are easy compared to the exam questions. You may want to also look for test exams out there as another final prep tool.

I don't know when I'll take this exam again. Hopefully within a few months. Whenever I do (and hopefully I'll pass next time), I'll update further and add a review on the DESGN book.

I am currently utilizing this book for a study group. Some members have Cisco experience. We are finding typos and errors in every chapter. The errors include incorrect answers to Q and A. For example Chapter 6 question 28. The answer key on page 597 is wrong. For a company that puts so much value in Certification Testing they need better writers and quality control.

I'm in the middle of the book now, studying. The biggest thing I've noticed is how many mistakes there are on the Boson CD that comes w/ the book. Wow, did anybody there edit the test material on the CD before packaging it w/ the book? Unbelievable.
It some cases it will mark your answer as wrong and then highlight it as the correct answer. In other cases it references the wrong material in the book.
I've reported all the mistakes I've found to Boson in their 'report a bug' feature. Maybe they'll be updating soon.


I'm kind of confused, if I need to study for this exam, should I get this book (with all of it's errors) or should I get:

Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESGN) (Authorized CCDA Self-Study Guide) (Exam 640-863) (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)
by Diane Teare (Author)

There are no reviews, yet, for this second book and I don't think it comes w/ a CD.

Any thoughts?

This book does a good job of providing the baseline information required for the CCDA exam. There is a lot of excellent information and reference in this book that can be used in everyday work with network design and pre-sales activity.
While I found this book to be very helpful in preparing for the CCDA exam do not use this book as your only material in preparation for the exam.

If I didn't have the CCNA I wouldn't have clue about design after using this book. It's more a philosophy of design, in particular Cisco's philosophy. I am not going to waste $250 to take the certification because all it would be is a piece of paper. So I don't know if the book will help you pass the test. If you want to know if this will help you pass the test read other reviews.

CCDA Official Exam Certification Guide (Exam 640-863) (3rd Edition) This book is excellent, whether you are trying to simply get up to speed on best practices for network design, or working towards the CCDA certificate. It starts with the basics, and builds step by step from there.

If you want to fast-track, you can by-pass sections by taking the pre-test for each chapter. Or, do what I did, and use the entire book as a detailed review to keep current on best approaches and methodology for network design, as well as the certification exam preparation. Since it takes a back to the basics approach, you can't really go wrong either way.

In a world of boring technical material, this is still a readable and digestible work.

This is the only book you need if you plan on taking the CCDA exam. The beginning of every chapter has a quiz to test you if you know the stuff already. it also has summaries and exams at the end of each chapter to test you if you learned anything. It definitely strengthens your knowledge as you read through the book.

The book has a great deal of information necessary to prepare for the test. Great reading material.

Ahh, it's been so long since I studyed the CCNA book. I remember how alien a lot of concepts were to me and how I still use them today. So I got into a false sense of security that I'd know most of this already. However there are some revolutionary concepts in there and rather than find it boring - i'm actually quite stimulated by it. The book is well structured and written so far and i'm finding I'm remembering and using some of the techniques in the workplace already.

Haven't gone for the exam (or finished the book) yet but it's on the cards shortly. I'll come back and update