Amazon.com Review
If the router's not happy, nobody's happy. The
Cisco Router Performance Field Guide describes a series of strategies for determining whether a given Cisco Systems router is doing what it's supposed to do and doing it at peak efficiency. It also includes a lot of information on adjusting configuration files to correct problems and improve performance. Author Gil Held is a respected expert on Cisco products, and he upholds his reputation here. Network administrators who have their routing gear in place and are in optimization and troubleshooting mode will like what they find here.
This book is heavy on prose, packing lots of facts and concepts into each paragraph. For this reason, it isn't a book for the novice, and even some veterans might take some time in deciphering what Held has written in certain places. As aids to the practically minded, this book includes a fair number of command-and-response listings, as well as listings of configuration files. The illustrations are the main shortcoming of this book. Clearly, some editor decided that illustrations were necessary for their own sake, and included pointless screen shots of console windows and file listings in an otherwise excellent book. There aren't too many of these, however, and Held's excellent explanations and documentation shine through. --David Wall
Topics covered: Troubleshooting, optimizing, and gauging performance on Cisco routers, particularly those of the 4000 series and 7000 family. Emphasis goes to gauging usage of LAN and WAN link capacity, as well as usage of hardware resources, such as memory and processor capacity. Also, the author documents various Cisco and Microsoft Windows NT diagnostic utilities, such as trace and tracert.
From the Back Cover
Your complete, portable, daily guide to guarantee smooth Cisco router performance!
Professional administrators working with Cisco-based networks know that peak router performance is crucial for basic network operations, such as hosting Web sites and supporting e-mail. This convenient field guide contains everything you need to ensure router performance and avoid common router errors. It also includes details on monitoring router performance and traffic, using metrics measurements, and planning for various network modifications. This book can provide you with the necessary tools for deciding when to upgrade your router or the rationale for why you should avoid a costly upgrade.
Key topics include:
LAN and WAN metrics, such as Ethernet, Token Ring, and SMNP Planning for network segmentation and upgrades Accessing router and switch performance measurements Using router and switch performance-related commands Monitoring SLAs (Service Level Agreements) that major RBOCs, CLECs and ISPs use Monitoring CPU and memory statistics
Focusing on day-to-day problem-solving methods in addition to providing real-world examples, this guide is an essential reference for Cisco professionals.
