Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Doesn't really explain much networking!, July 18, 2009
This review is from: Head First Networking (Paperback)
I hold a CCNP and work in Network Engineering. Recently I managed to take a look at a copy of this book. It's a good introduction to physical connections, though perhaps too much of the book is spent on this topic. It falls flat on anything you might want to do with your network connected up, though.
This book discusses the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) a few times. While it might be a good introduction if you're thinking of going into the CCNA having never worked on a network before, it is not a CCNA, or even pre-CCNA book. It is a good overview of the physical layer.
My major issues with this book are: the old technologies and glossing over of upper layer network functions. In terms of technology, there's a fairly long section on coaxial network connections (10Base2). While you might come across it in "the field," it's a fairly esoteric technology now. Furthermore, the router shown in the book is so old that CCNA-goers don't even buy them for practice anymore! I have a feeling the IT prof that wrote this book has never actually configured a router (at least not in the last 20 years).
The router image is actually confusing because of its age (and the error in the diagram doesn't help). It shows a Cisco 2500 series router (OLD) with two "fast ethernet (feth)" ports. Unfortunately the arrows to the ethernet ports are actually going to "Serial" ports (as you can just barely make out on the router). This is confusing because the Console port actually does look like what most know as an ethernet port. The actual ethernet connections on this router are an old style AUI port (not described in this diagram). The take-away of this is that it's entirely confusing to the beginner.
The book barely discusses switching and routing. The descriptions are good, and some of the lower-level switching layer is described well. There is no discussion about how switches communicate to each other - I don't think switching loops (an important CCNA-level concept) are even mentioned. TCP/IP (how packets are used to talk from computer to computer) is described, but also oversimplified.
The routing protocol described (RIP) is old technology, though still useful, but it's over simplified. The difference between "Distance Vector" and "link-state" protocols is not described (nor do those terms show up in this book). Worst of all, they point you in the direction of the RFCs if you want to learn more about common protocols like OSPF and BGP! These highly technical references might be useful if you're already an engineer, but are probably the worst possible reference for a beginner.
Summing up, buy this book if you've never seen or used a network before. If you're starting your first job as a tech or interning for a network engineer, this might be a good intro. If you're looking for CCNA resources, you're probably already well past this book. I would not have been pleased had I purchased this book even before I started working toward my CCNA.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not of much value, August 21, 2009
This review is from: Head First Networking (Paperback)
I really cannot imagine who would benefit from reading this book. Hardly a worthy addition to O'Reilly's Head First lineup, it offers only the simplest introduction to the world of networking. I doubt that the authors, who are apparently instructors at a college on a reservation in Montana, were a wise choice to author this volume - 20 years to complete a degree? and a liberal arts instructor?
There are a few errors and apparent misunderstandings in the text. More seriously, much of the material is simplified to the point where the information content is at danger of disappearing altogether. The chapters on physical cable layout are particularly pointless, containing such insights as (and I paraphrase here): "if the AC ducts are in the way, reroute your cables". OK... thanks - I was going to cut right through them!
Little effort is made to provide useful references for further reading; only the networking RFCs are suggested. This is completely unhelpful, and suggests that the authors themselves are unfamiliar with the (abundant) literature on TCP/IP, routing, switching and network security.
With this volume, and some of the more recent Head First titles, O'Reilly risks returning to its previous bad practice of publishing ANYTHING which they think will make money. I very much hope they rethink their approach to what has, until recently, been a remarkably useful series.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
disappointing and frustrating, August 24, 2009
This review is from: Head First Networking (Paperback)
I wanted to like this, but I think that it fails to cover its subject, fails to be useful for most people, and needs more careful editing. Overall, the book presents the networking material very slowly, but confusingly. The cute examples are distracting and often fail to illustrate the topics.
It spends many pages on basic undergrad comp sci mechanics that are neither necessary nor useful in building and maintaining a network, and rarely in troubleshooting network problems.
The text and exercises refer to material that has not been presented yet. I often had to look ahead a few pages to find a definition. A couple of the solutions appear to be wrong, or are not explained enough to understand.
Several times, the book suggests that something is possible, but does not tell how to do it. Often the discussion is limited to Cisco specifics and fails to address other equipment that a new networker might encounter.
Suggestions for improvement:
- thorough editing
- a straightforward summary at the end of each chapter
- an appendix of the common maintenance and diagnostic tools
I look forward to a second edition.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
