Customer Reviews

Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I work at Nortel Networks and this book is becoming quite popular within Nortel as a reference book and certification study guide. Just today I spoke with a Technical Support Engineer who failed the Nortel Networks Accelar certification exam last week. Then he read over the Accelar and Bridging sections of the Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference book and passed the test the second time around!

This book is the best overall introduction into the world of Nortel Networks. You'll get a lot of valuable information with this book as well as accurate information. Buy it.

This is an excelent book with a lot of Nortel Enteprise product information. The CD with configuration files and sniffer traces give you the detail you are looking for.

If you want to learn about Nortel BayStacks Switches, Centillion, Accelar, Routers and protocolos like SRB, IP, RIP, OSPF, ATM, LANE, PNNI, implemented specifically on Nortel Equipment this book is for you.

We use this huge reference within our company... and we don't even use Nortel equipment! Our company deals with network design issues daily, and the first few chapters make a great study guide for new-hires who are trying to grasp the whole spectrum of networking technology at once. The rest of the book quickly delves into specifics that benefit the more advanced reader... overall, this book was a great buy!

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, James Knapp's Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference offers users an excellent coverage that runs the gamut from local Ethernet to Layer 3 switching, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and internetworking - making it valuable for network engineers in organizations large and small. Nortel Networks contains real-life situations and the best way to derive maximum performance from real networks. The accompanying CD-ROM includes complete configuration files that can be downloaded directly to Nortel devices. 1184 pages.

I thought this book was very thourough and is filled with a lot of great information; having read some of the other reviews I will say that I work with the Bay enterprise equipment acquired by Nortel when they bought Bay Networks, and having heard of it through word of mouth I knew exactly what I was getting ahead of time. Make no mistake, this book covers the Bay enterprise line of products only, but it also contains a lot of theory on ATM (LANE, PNNI, MPOA, etc) that I found really useful, as well as Layer 3 routing protocols, source route bridging, and a whole bunch of other stuff. If you don't deal with Nortel's enterprise LOB and don't have a need for the theory chapters I would say stay away from this book, but judging it based on what it is, I think it covers a wide array of material extremely well and is an excellent resource for anyone working with these products.

A few of the recent reviews miss the mark -- this is obviously a book that covers enterprise equipment. And it does it exceptionally well -- explaining the Nortel product but also the technologies and protocols themselves, so you can easily apply the information in this book to other products from other companies. I work for an Enterprise networking company (not Nortel) and I've found this book to be very helpful.

As far as being "only Enterprise related" (an accusation made by previous reviews), that may be true, but it doesn't warrant a one-star review. The title is misleading, but the cover gives a good idea of what to expect.

It clearly states on the back cover "Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference offers detailed information on key networking technologies supported by Nortel products, including frame switching, switched token ring, Layer 3 switching, and ATM... ...a complete overview of all Nortel Enterprise devices; master frame switching, gigabit ethernet, VLANs, and MultiLink Trunking (MLT)..."

This book is the best overall introduction into the world of Nortel Networks. You'll get a lot of valuable information with this book as well as accurate information. Buy it.

I am trying to install an ATM network from the ground up and I can't believe I even attempted this feat without this book as a reference. I have had the book three days and it has already more than paid for itself. Don't even hesitate.... BUY IT TODAY!

"That which is too obvious often requires a brilliant thinker to bring it to life..."(Mr. J.P. Dalencourt, 1999) It is due time that someone have decided to bring the remarkable networking development that NortelNetworks (formerly BayNetworks) have been doing to the public. This book is an actual step forward for Nortel in mainstreaming its products. Now, your traditional IT personnel has an opportunity to get familiar with the Nortel brand before making another decision. This book gives the IT personnel another tool in her/his decision making. Knowing your product, its capabilities, and limitations can only make your decision a more viable one, not to mention JOB SECURITY! Every network administrator's goal is to be able to boast 99.9% network-up stat; And reaching that goal can be made easier with this book. Lastly, We all have been a novice in this business at one time or another. And if we are speaking from experience, this book will make you ask yourself why this did not seemed to be so easy before? If you are a beginner, congratulation! Your life have been made easier just by buying this book. It is everything that you need to get a sound foundation of networking. What's fabulous about this book is that I don't think anyone can ever outgrow it, you'll always come back to it, and I think it's because it's not only Nortelnetworks specific, but it is also what I call industry specific; If you are in compliance, then you'll find a need for it. Congratulation James Knapp for a wonderful desperately needed book. And thank you Nortel for seeing a need for this type of book and allowing it to happened. Future purchase and implementation decisions will be made with more ease.

J.D. SR. Engineer