Customer Reviews

CCNP Self-Study: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI)

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I have read through half of this book so far and I'm surprised at the level of detail this book provides about routing. I struggled getting structured information about routing protocols like OSPF when studying for the CCNA exam, but could have really filled in the gaps quickly with this book. Also, I remember getting hit with a few route redistribution questions on the CCNA exam that I was not prepared for, but if I studied Chapter 7 of this book there would have been no problem answering these questions.
Enough of the past experiences.
To a self learner who cannot afford CCNP bootcamps, this book provides and intermediate view of routing concepts that can help augment other books when pursuing the CCNP/CCDP/CCIP track. Also, appendix H of the book recommends lab equipment to build your own lab, which is almost a necessity to really nail the objectives the exam.

I passed the 642-801 with the assistance of this book. However, I would not have passed with just this book.

I should begin by stating that I have no experience in this area. In an effort to better myself and prepare for a new career in the networking field, I decided to pursue my certifications first in an effort to secure a higher paying job. I assume that most taking this test are already working in the networking field and/or working with Cisco products.

The amount of information needed to pass the exam and the sheer volume of information contained in this book, presented a problem. I found it was taking me so long to get through the book that I was forgetting items learned in the beginning of the book. I normally would take 2-3 weeks to prepare for an exam, but found myself ill prepared at the end of 3 weeks and completing the book. I then supplemented my study with two items.

I used the CCNP Flash Cards offering from CiscoPress. Flash cards in no way resemble questions on the exam. Flash cards are actually more difficult to answer because they do not give you a multiple choice option. You either know the answer or you don't. This gives you the ability to determine whether you truly know the information or, are just trying to weed the possible answers down to two likely choices.

I also used ExamCram to focus all that I had learned. The exam prep questions help to get you "in the mood" to take the exam.

After all this, and some BCSI simulation software practice, I took the test. I had to use every minute of the exam time (I usually finish early) and was worried that I would not have enough time to complete all the questions (finished with 30 seconds to spare). I found that on this test, there were many more questions framed in the, "View this diagram and select the appropriate answer". A successful test taker needs to be able to analyze a diagram and determine such things as, "which answer would force traffic through RouterC that was destined for the 172.16.X.X network".

In conclusion, if you have no hands on experience with configuring routers in the BGP, OSPF and EIGRP areas, you must supplement this book with items such as ExamCram and Simulation software.

I am using this Cisco Press Self-Study and Cisco Press Exam Certification Guide for BSCI exam. Generally, I find this book much helpful compared to certification guide. Most concepts are elaborately discussed with good lab examples and I have almost no problem understand all of it at first glance. (I have just begun career in networking while reading this book and I don't have in-depth knowledge of routing protocols). I like the author style of writing and I am looking forward to read another of her certification books.

Note : For those who plan to purchase this book, please read BGP route reflector and probably BGP community, both found in Appendix A before going for the exam.

Very concise and structured; teaches you the lessons like a story.
Excellent especially for 1st timers.
Best book for the new 642-801 exam.

Great efforts from the authors. Many thanks to them.

Hope this helps

I used this book to prepare for the BSCI exam and passed with a very high score. In addition to this book I also bought Sybex's BSCI (Carl Timm) as a second referance but after the exam i thought that Cisco book was enough. So, if you want to buy only one book to prepare for the exam you can buy this book.

Publisher: Cisco Press
Title: CCNP Self Study: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks
Author(s): Catherine Paquet and Diane Teare
ISBN: 1-58705-084-6

Once again Cisco Press and their authors have put together an outstanding book for people that either can't go to classes or want to brush up on the subject matter before taking the exam. The title "CCNP Self Study: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks" hits the nail on the head. I have found this book to be very readable with good explanations of the hard to grasp topics. This book is especially good for any CCNA certified individual looking to upgrade to the CCNP certification. Even if you are not interested in certifications the book gives a good introduction into networking and routing protocol which can easily be applied to real world practice.

When I got this book, I had already attended the weeklong Cisco BSCI course which covered the same topics in this book. However, I always felt like the class was very fast paced and didn't cover a lot of the topics in detail. This book on the other hand goes in depth on each of the subjects required to pass the exam, giving you time to understand the topics before you attempt to get them to work in a lab. The examples and labs are very similar to, if not the same, as those that are presented in the class.

The overall organization of the book is logical and runs from the easier topics in the beginning, to the harder topics towards the end of the book. Each chapter is laid out with an introduction to the subject area at the beginning of the chapter, the meat of the learning info (which is broken into topic areas), a topic summary, and then a lab and finally review questions to test your retention of the information. The topic areas are laid out in a logical readable format with appropriate easy to follow diagrams. The labs are discussed from start to end with different tasks broken down into step-by-step instructions. The lab solutions and router configurations are included so you can figure out what happened when things don't work exactly as planned. The review questions are challenging with solutions also included in the book.

The only disadvantage of the book is that if the reader does not have equipment to setup the labs they may not get the hands on experience available from the class. And, of course, there isn't an instructor to ask questions to. On the other hand, if you do have access to equipment you can spend all the time you want implementing the labs and trying out the different scenarios. There is one thing that would have been a nice touch to include in this book and others like it: A CD or FTP/Web site from which you could download printable labs, network diagrams and router configurations. This would allow the reader to print out the labs and make notes on them without messing up the book.

I believe that this book can help anyone with some basic networking knowledge (a CCNA level person) and the patience to go through the books' examples and labs. If your goal is to pass the CCNP certification test this book will help you on your way. Even if you are not planning to take the certification tests this book can help give you a good overall understanding of how routed and routing protocols work.

In conclusion, I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 for being the next best thing to a live instructor. The authors did a fantastic job conveying the information required to pass the test as well as teaching information that is applicable to the real world, not just to the certification test. At a price of 60.00 this book is well worth the price. Printable labs, network diagrams, and router configurations would have been a nice addition, but the book is still very much worth its weight in Cisco Equipment...

I passed my exam using this book, and nothing else beside it.

Having stated that, let me point out a few things:

1- This book covers EVERYTHING you need to know to pass the exam. No question on my exam was not covered somewhere in the book. I find it hard to judge whether the authors took it a little far with the extra material, or not, which brings me to the second point..

2- The book is loooong !! It took me over 3 months to "study" the whole thing ! I know the BSCI exam is one of the hardest exams Cisco offers, but does the book need to be this long ? The Sybex Book wasnt .. and despite that, many of my friends used it, and passed the exam.

3- The language is not very easy, or maybe the writing style wasnt very smooth. This book reminds me of "big" references that we used in college, vice short and to the point text books that sufficed with covering the Syllabus, and only that. This certainly is NOT a text book !!

4- The labs at the end of each chapter ? What labs :-)

5- To do the authors justice, I have to say that this book was worth every penny I spent on it. This may not be the best book to read if your sole concern is to pass the BSCI exam, but it certainly is THE book on routing ! If you're planning on becoming a CCIE one day, this is a must read. You will sweat a little, but it will be worthwhile. I will have to give it 4 stars, not 5, beacuse this is a Certification Self-Study, so it needs to address the length of the book as well as the easiness of the presentation. Otherwise, this is a highly recommended book for all networking professionals.

I used only this book as a reading material for the exam and I passed on my first try. This book contains a lot of valueble material about routing and it is good as a future reference for routing.
A must for future CCNP's.

I am only 1/3 of the way through this book, but am impressed with it's content and style. I am taking CCNP courses through a training vendor my company obtained and wanted some extra material to insure that I understood things. This book seriously outweighs the material presented by the training vendor's on line material. I have been surprised at how well the subject matter flows and is presented in a logical, readable manner. I read reviews of many BSCI books and purchased this one based on those reviews. I feel this is the definitive book to have for BSCI study.

This book is outstanding! It may very well be the only book you need to master IP routing using Cisco routers, and to pass the BSCI exam. In fact, this is the only book I read to pass the exam. OK, I admit that I have read "CCNP Routing Exam Certification Guide" by Claire Gough before I read this one. But, the latter one has so many errors, nor does it have as thorough explanation as this self-study book, that I may as well have not read it!

The only drawback of this BSCI book is the lack of "foundation summary" which would've earned it 5 stars from me.

If you want to read just 1 book to pass the BSCI exam, or as a reference for IP routing, look no further than this one.