Customer Reviews

Network+ Fast Pass W/CD

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

 

 

Overall, I like this book. This book is short and to-the-point, but it has some small errors. For example, on pages 76-80 it repeatedly refers to the Network Layer as either layer 7 or layer 4 of the OSI model. The Network Layer is layer 3 of the OSI model, and it is important to know this. On page 55, in the author's discussion of AppleTalk he refers to one protocol as RTMP sometimes, and RMTP othertimes. He also seems to be confused as to whether this protocol has an 8-bit network address and a 16-bit node address, or vice versa.

The errors aside, this is a good book and I would recommend it. I would suggest reading it twice to get a solid grasp of the fundamentals of networking. I am learning more about networking by reading this book than I did by reading my college networking textbook.

By the way, don't trust "Gunny's" rating. He has somehow managed to write 1567+ reviews, and every one I've seen has been a 5-star review. Let's face it, if someone has managed to write enough reviews to become a "Top 50 Reviewer", there's an extremely strong chance that his full-time job is to write positive reviews for the publisher.

This book is easy to read and well laid-out. I took the practice exams on the CD and downloaded the free Cramsession study guide. I higly recommend this book.

This book is a great review book and a great source to give you a feel for the test. It is not a study guide or ref. book. It does have a few technical errors covered by another reviewer but overall it's a book very worth the money and time.

I buy this book and was one of the two sources I use it to pass the network + test. The other source was COMPTIA Network+ 2006 In Depth (the kit). I read the book and take the exams from the cd on the kit and I pass the exam at first try. But be carefull, I only pass the exam with 30 point over the limit.

First off I will say that I passed the Network+ with a 825 on the first try.
However, I don't give this book much credit. I do credit the Sybex 4th addition network+ study guide. I found it Ironic that the Author Bill Ferguson referred to the Sybex guide so many times when his books content was so full of errors and inconsistency's when compared to the Sybex study guide. It really made me wonder if he had actually read the Sybex study guide. In addition to mistakes the other reviewers have listed, the most astonishing mistakes I found where on pages, 13,14 and 15. This is where he lists the specs on various types of media. For instance he lists maximum segment distance for 10baseFL and 100basefx at 20K where the full study guide from Sybex lists the distance as 2K. I know that 2K is the correct answer (at least for the exam) because I had several questions regarding the specs of fiber. According to my exam report I missed zero questions in the first domain which covers network Media. Also on Page 22 He has a drawing labeled as STP, when it is actually a piece of coax or fiber.
To be quiet honest, after reading the first chapter I put this book down and went back the the study guide. I didn't want to spend my last few days of test prep reading inaccurate material.
On the positive side, this book does have a couple hundred extra test questions that you can use to prep for the test.
My advice is get a full study guide from Sybex, Exam-cram or whatever press you like and read it from front to back. Then go back and re-read each chapter again, this time taking notes. After that go through all the flash cards for a couple of days. After you feel pretty good start taking the practice tests. You can usually find some good practice questions on line. Comptia even offers some free questions.

I recently took the exam and was shocked how different the exam questions and topics were vs. what's printed in this book. This book is easy to read and you do learn a lot ..but just don't let it be the only book you use to prep for the exam. I don't think any of the sample test questions from the CD (included with the book) were even close to the exam questions. Despite all the negatives, I ended up passing the exam but I'm giving the credit to my own luck and experience instead of this book.

Even with about six years of networking experience, I believe that I benefitted greatly from the Network+ FastPass book. Author Bill Ferguson does a good job of throwing away the fluff without completely losing reader attention. This book has a great layout, and is basically compiled of podium-kickers (something an instructor does to highlight *special* information). It is a great book for anyone with a good amount of experience or someone with a great memory. It will definitly help secure a passing score.

Not a bad book but a little boring. Good resource if you don't have time to study, but it is boring so you have to effort to read it.

The Sybex "Fast Pass" books are written with one goal in mind, passing the test. In this case the subject is the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Network+ test. The book contains little that isn't needed for the test and includes a CD-ROM with a practice exam, flashcards (if you prefer to use them), and a glossary. It's a rather small book (compared to the giant size computer books normally seen). The chapters are arranged in the same format as the test, four major sections: Media and Topologies, Protocols and Standards, Network Implementation, and Network Support. This edition of the book is current to the 2005 objectives as stated by CompTIA.

All in all, this book is a cram guide. It is not intended to be a generalized reference work on networking, it's purpose is to pass the test. And if you study this book enough, practice using the CD, and understand a bit of what you are doing, you will pass the test.