Customer Reviews

CCSP CSI Exam Certification Guide (2nd Edition)

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Pros:
a) The book covers the examination syllabus almost entirely
b) The chapters are concise
c) The scenarios at the end are a good preparation for the
examination.

Cons:
a) A number of typos in the examples - was this book published
in a hurry?
b) Content is repeated across different chapters.
c) The safe white papers at http://cisco.com/go/safe
are more comprehensive, have no typos and best of all,
are free.

I used this book to prepare for the recertification for Cisco CCSP. Although this book was written for the 642-541 test, I found it helpful for the 642-542 test that I took. All the exam topics are covered, including: Security fundamentals, SAFE Blueprint Overview, Cisco Security Portfolio, SAFE Midsize Network Design, SAFE Remote Network Design, SAFE Enterprise Network Design, SAFE IP Telephony Design and, SAFE Wireless LAN Design. The chapters are short and only the necessary information is presented. There is no in-depth explanation of how the concepts were developed. The reader needs to be familiar with CISCO products, their features and have the knowledge of how to configure them before reading this book but presumable they have this knowledge in order to pass all the necessary tests to hold the CCSP certification. Some examples are shown of configurations but the syntax is not explained and only relevant commands are shown.

In typical Cisco fashion, the important points are discussed multiple times throughout the book. Diagrams present all possible devices needed to complete the designs of SMR Networks, Enterprise Networks, IP Telephony, and Wireless LAN. There are many tables that summarized the information presented in the text including the descriptions of each device, the possible threats and which device mitigates each threat.

Each chapter starts with a quick quiz to gauge the readers understanding of the subject matter before reading. I found this helpful in that real knowledge was determined before reading the chapter and helped me focus on my weaknesses.

The book is split into 4 sections.

The first section gives an overview of the SAFE concepts and introduces the modules.

The second section introduces the reader to the CISCO definitions of LAN threats and describes which devices are used to mitigate each threat.

The third section introduces the CISCO devices and their features that apply to security issues present in the modules.

The fourth section describes all architectures of all the modules. This is the most beneficial part of the book. The information is presented much more concisely then in found in the CISCO SAFE White Papers. Information from multiple white papers is summarized, presented clearly and consistently here. This allows easy comparisons so differences and similarities are noticed easily. These differences where tested thoroughly by CISCO as were the content of the modules.

In the back of the book are scenarios requiring configurations of ACLs to complete. The only one I found relevant to the test was the configuration of a VPN on a firewall and router.

The information presented in this book can be found in the SAFE white papers and they were read whenever I needed more comprehensive understanding of a topic. I could not find white papers that covered SAFE IP Telephony or SAFE Wireless LAN Design. In the Book, these topics were covered lightly and at the same depth as the other topics.

What is lacking in this book and the white papers is configuration of examples of CISCO VPN Concentrators, IDS Appliances, Call-processing Manager or Wireless Access Point. Basic configuration of each of these devices should be known before taking this test.

I picked up a copy of the Cisco Press "CCSP CSI Exam Certification Guide (Second Edition)", ISBN 1587201321, as my final preparation material for the Cisco SAFE Implementation exam (CSI, exam 642-541). I had already downloaded the various SAFE Blueprints from Cisco's website. However, I was interested in a study guide that would function as a refresher for the various SAFE whitepapers. In the "CCSP CSI Exam Certification Guide (Second Edition)" I found just that. It is highly unlikely that a student preparing for the CSI exam can use this book as his or her only study material. However, if the test taker uses this book to supplement the SAFE whitepapers available on Cisco's website, then he or she should have no problem passing the exam!

The book follows the same tried-and-true format as the other Cisco Press Study Guides. Each chapter opens with a "Do I know this already?" quiz. The chapters then jump right in to its particular topic, presenting the material in a concise and articulate manner. The chapters close with a summary, questions and answers, and references to additional information. The "CCSP CSI Exam Certification Guide (Second Edition)" covers all the topics found on the current CSI exam, including the original SAFE Blueprint, SAFE for Small and Medium Business, SAFE VPN, SAFE IP Telephony, and SAFE Wireless. Finally, the book includes a testing engine as well as an electronic version of the book on CDROM.

I highly recommend the "CCSP CSI Exam Certification Guide (Second Edition)" for anyone preparing for the Cisco SAFE Implementation exam (CSI, exam 642-541). With this book, I was able to easily pass the exam and complete my CCSP certification!

This is not a poorly written book but definitely not a well written one either. It lacks details and the authors are confused about ingress vs egress. It is hard to follow some areas. A typical poor to so so quality book from Cisco Press. Disappointing yes. Waste of money yes. If I were Cisco, I would look for another publisher. Cisco needs house cleaning.