Customer Reviews

Configuring Cisco Routers for Bridging DLWs+ and Desktop Protocols

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought Tan's book because it provides an easy to understand approach to DLSw+ and Desktop protocols.

A lot of literature out there tell you the theories but hardly you can find a book that provides you the practical aspect and implementation on these protocols...

Building complex networks starts from simple ones, and Tan has presented these hard to understand concepts in a simple and practical manner.

I have personally tested out Tan's configuration and they are all workable. I disagree with the previous reviewer, Eric Quinn. Note that AppleTalk RTMP splithorizon can be disabled as illustrated in Tan's configuation. appletalk rtmp-splithorizon is an interface command and is found in IOS 12.X, 11.3, 11.2, etc... I suggest Eric Quinn to configure and verify this on an actual Cisco router before jumping into conclusions and misleading other readers...

For your info, IPX RIP splithorizon cannot be disabled and that's why in Tan's IPX over Frame-Relay configuration he used IPX EIGRP instead.

If you already have books on IP, IP routing etc., Tan's book is a good additon to your collections as it complements IP nicely...

The author does a good job of explaining this often over looked material. The introductory chapters are very well written and the explanations are complete.

Most of the other books I have read do little in the area of DLSw+ this book is the exception. For gaining a better understanding of Desktop Protocols, I would suggest this book.

I strongly recommend this book. I might not have passed the CCIE written exam had I not read this execellent book, especially on NLSP, IS-IS, DLSw+.

I learned how to configure NLSP, IS-IS, DLSw+ from this book.I ran the config in the book on my routers, they worked perfectly.

This book provides a wealth of working examples for almost every major protocol over the major media (ISDN, HDLC, FRAME-Relay). DLSw+, NLSP, CLNS/CLNP IS-IS, DECNet, and Vines in addition to Novell/IPX, APPLETalk. This book illustrated all kinds of scenarios for using them.

So far I have not found anything better published on these not-so-often used/understood protocols.

Read this CISCO web page and see if you can figure out how to configure IS-IS... the CISCO official ACRC textbook (that you can only get if you spend over $2000 in a cisco training class) does not even have a complete example as how to use it with IPXWAN.

This is a book of routing protocol illustration, not theory. If one does not know how to configure a protocol, then....

I did not like the format of this book at all. More than half the book is filled with configuration screen shots and redundant explainations of each command in the config. I could have used the Cisco command reference and config guides instead. Those of us that have read superior books like Routing TCP/IP by Jeff Doyle and Internet Architectures by Halabi will be sorely disappointed with this book. I only read the first few chapters before I decided that I could get better information elsewhere.

First of all, I am proud to be the first reader to review Tan's book. Not only is the book was written by a Singaporean/an Asian like me, it is the most awesome and comprehensive technical book in configuring cisco routers that I had come across so far!

Before I got Tan's book, I had little confidence in getting my CCIE and had serious doubt in the book since most of the technical books that I bought were too superficial and touch very little on the practical part of configuring cisco routers.

However I am glad that I had bought it. Not only it is easy to read and follow, Tan actually took the effort to document all the commands for configuring the routers under different scenarios. I am totally impressed! I wonder how much time he had invested in the configuration and testing. Till now I had yet to find any fault in the commands! The scenarios in the books are so real and practical that you could simply copy the commands and apply them in your own company's environment.

I am now much more confident in attaining my CCIE. I am 100% sure that you would feel the same after reading Tan's book.

Thank you Tan, looking forward to your next book.

To be fair, I would give this book 4.5 stars for beginners and 3 stars for advanced engineers. You have to realize that each one of these protocols is complex and a book this short doesn't do them all justice. If you need to understand how CLNS works but you don't need to do much with it then you can learn something here.

There were some severe errors in the book. One example is the use of a non-existant command to turn off split horizon when using RTMP. The command "no appletalk rtmp-splithorizon" is used in a configuration but by design, you can't turn off split horizon on RTMP. The Cisco web site does not list this command for IOS 12.0, IOS 11.3 or IOS 11.2 so I have no clue where the author came up with it.

I can't expect a technical book to be without errors and this book does a pretty good job of explaining how the different protocols work despite the errors. Don't expect a big discussion of the ins and outs of how DLSw+ works when you've done "x" with your IP configuration. For that, I would point you to the Cisco Press Internetworking SNA book. Other books exist that explain the other protocols in more depth once you're ready.

Overall, if you know nothing beyond IP, then get this book. If you already are familiar with IPX or DLSw+ then borrow the book from a friend. Before believing the author's configs, test them yourself.

Folks, save your money and read the free Cisco documentation. This book contains very basic information with a few fancy diagrams. The free Cisco documentation is so much better. As a CCIE I can tell you don't even bother to use this book for the R/S exam.

I'm also Asian and this book is not something to be proud of. The lack of details and depth shows that the author and his reviewers don't really know much about these topics either.