Customer Reviews

Head First Networking

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I read to this book to gain an overview and survey of networking. I know more than most people when it comes to computers, but I certainly wouldn't consider myself an expert. I like computers. I've taken some college classes on them and I seem to have an aptitude for them. I set up my home network, but that was the extent of my practical experience. I've been considering formally studying "Network Administration," so I read this book to gain an introduction.

The book says it's for people who "need to learn networking for a job, for a class (like CCNA), or just because you think it's about time you learned the difference between a switch and a router". So this book seemed like it would be a good fit for me.

To briefly cover the book's contents, the chapter subjects include 1) Fixing Physical Networks, 2)Planning Network Layouts, 3) Tools and Troubleshooting 4) Packet Analysis 5)Network Devices and Traffic 6)Connecting Networks with Routers 7)Routing Protocols 8)The Domain Name System 9)Monitoring and Troubleshooting 10) Wireless Networking 11)Network Security 12)Designing Networks. The topics are covered over 500 black and white pages.

I'll start out with the things I enjoyed with this book.

-The book is aesthetically pleasing. In the 500 pages, I would guess about half of the book is white space and pictures. The pictures are either goofy people or computer parts. It makes the book more digestible and approachable. I believe this is the standard style for the "Head First" series.

-The book is not boring. It's designed as a learning tool as opposed to a reference book. It explains concepts while asking the reader to do written exercises on every couple pages. The exercises go along with a silly story. For example, in chapter 1, you are helping "Coconut Airways" fix their network. Problems keep arising as the story progresses so you learn more and more about what is wrong.

-The book explains concepts creatively. For example, one reoccurring feature is an interview or conversation between two pieces of networking hardware or software. It helps emphasize their functions and differences.

Stuff I don't like:

-Many of the exercises in the book are faulty. It wasn't uncommon to come to an exercise page and not have an idea what is being asked. They often asked questions about material that was not even mentioned yet. For example, on page 309, you are to match various acronyms with their functions. How am I supposed to know what "SOA", "CNAME" or "IN" do if they weren't even referred to before the exercises?

-I must have run into at least five typos throughout the book. For example, on page 174, "connection" is spelled "connetion". On page 231, it reads "The can also" instead of "They can also". On another page, "You're" is spelled "your". One typo in a published book may be acceptable, but many really undermine its credibility. I certainly wasn't looking for errors. If I'm the one who caught these simple errors, how do I know the technical details are correct?

-I'm not sure I read much, if anything, on the OSI model. Before this book, I didn't know much about networking, but I know everyone who has taken a networking class knows about the OSI model. It's the very important theoretical basis of networking. But it's not even in the book's index. It makes me wonder what other vital information was left out?

-The writing is often cleaver and fun, but it is too often unclear. I know it's tough to explain technical concepts, but I would guess 1/3 of the book left me scratching my head for clarification. I often had to supplement the pages by looking up terms or context on the internet. Too often, unreasonable assumptions were made about the reader's knowledge.

In Conclusion:

Throughout reading the book, I frequently got the impression that this book was a draft that was rushed to print. This book is in its first edition and it shows. It should have been more thoroughly reviewed by its target audience before being sent to production. At the same time, I don't regret reading this book. After all, I did learn a great deal. I just had to constantly supplement and fact check the book with other resources to make sense of it all.

I suggest you take its faults into consideration before reading the first edition of Head First Networking.

I hold a Cisco CCNP/CCDP and was looking for a basic book to help some people I know who want to break into the world of networking. I was able to get the book here in India for about $10 US. I should have heeded the negative reviews more, because even if it was free, it's a time-waster.

As has been mentioned, the authors, and for that matter, the technical reviewers, are not networking professionals. Perhaps they have dabbled in it (they obviously have), but how long ago? This does not have any up-to-date information, it is more like a history of networking, and an incomplete one at that. Perhaps if your goal was to become a cable installer and have a little insight into what the guys who aren't climbing ladders are up to, this would be a book to read.

The worst thing, the thing that made me want to write a review here, is that the glowing quotes on the back of the book that describe how wonderful it is, are written by the technical reviewers! One would think that must violate some fair advertising law.

The book, perhaps like all titles in the "Head First" series, tries way too hard to be amusing. It also tries too hard to be simple. It says in the beginning that it is refreshing to have a networking book that doesn't delve into the OSI model. Well, sorry guys, the OSI model might not be sexy, but it is critical to real networking.

The book is not Cisco-specific, most of the time, which is fine. However, I also purchased another book at the same time as this one that is Cisco-specific. It doesn't have all sorts of goofy pictures of people doing yoga, but it is amusing and has real-world things in it that aren't sugar-coated. It is the CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, 2nd Edition by Wendell Odom. Even if you were wanting a general non-Cisco-specific overview of networking, I would still recommend that book way ahead of Head First Networking.

Head First methodology, you either love it or hate it. I fall into the former category hence my 5 star review. I think those that give poor reviews and complain about the "distracting" captions and conversations should have known what the Head First series is about before buying the book.

I am a Comp Sci major that is 3 years removed from graduation and being "out of the game". Trying to refresh on a few key topics I picked this book up with intentions of studying towards a Network+ and eventually, down the road, a CCNA.

This book does a great job of bringing some key concepts together and presenting them in layman's terms, while also proposing real life problems that a network admin might come across.

The basic flow of the book is to introduce a concept, then see how that concept can be used to troubleshoot your network. This ebbs on the side of hands on action instead of theoretical concepts. Between the various, well thought out, excercises and the Head First metacognitive approach, the concepts of each chapter will, effortlessly, soak into your brain.

This is not a reference book, nor a study guide for a certification [it never claims to be]. In my opinion, this book would best fit as a supplimental/recommended read for a networking course OR an introductory book for someone just starting out in networking.

There are many books which seek to explain PC and Unix-based networking to the novice, but this volume has at least two significant advantages over every other introductory networking tutorial I have seen in print. First, it employs the excellent, visual and cognitively-planned pedagogy of the Head-First series which has been perfected and scientifically tuned by experts in technology and education (YOU WILL LEARN WHAT THE BOOK PROMISES!). Secondly, unlike other networking texts which teach you pull down menu's and network interfaces which will only work in one particular operating system and one particular version of hardware this book teaches the underlying principles, protocols and packet configurations which will work with any hardware connected to the Internet. This book emphasizes both the foundations of modern computer network architecture and the low-level building blocks and technologies which will allow you to plan implement and debug any modern network. The instruction covers command-line utilities (not pull-down GUI menu's), underlying protocols and bit patterns (including how the network appears on an oscilloscope, logic probe or multimeter), and how to install and splice CAT-5 and optical cables. You will not be baffled by any proprietary product or network configuration which you encounter in the future. This book teaches the underlying principles of modern computer networking and teaches them well.

--Ira Laefsky

First off, to the guy who holds the CCNP docking the book to 3 stars I'm sure you forgot about the people who need the basics before getting to your level.

To everyone else, you're probably looking at this book and thinking "oh great, another silly take on a technical concept" and I can say I thought the very same thing. I've looked at these Head First books for other concepts and thought they were just too loose to be of any good. Maybe the others are, but this book, if you know just a little about networking and want some good basics or need a quick refresh, is GREAT. The way the book goes about explaining it can be a little silly, but they are basic real world scenarios that walk you through using the things you learn. There is also a "Dumb Questions" page in each section with things that you would likely ask in a classroom. There are little quizzes throughout the pages such as a few diagrams of routers linked, and in some the connection between 2 is broken or a router is down and you need to circle the ones that will update their routing tables. The following page has answers.

It really breaks it down, like a Dummies book but in a good way. If you're looking for a book on the basics of Routers, DNS, IP Addresses, Wireless, etc this is worth the price.

This book was meant to be printed in color. It includes color-coded diagrams and exercises. But the actual book I received was printed in black and white! This makes many of the diagrams impossible to use.

It's an easy read and gives good examples. I love that it goes over key points in different ways so it sticks in your head. I would highly recommend this book to beginners.