Customer Reviews

Routing Protocols and Concepts, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Another reviewer remarked negatively about the so-called poor quality of the paper in the book. I simply do not see this with my copy. The pages are high quality and quite reflective, without being actually glossy. In the printing business, there are grades of paper quality, and while I'm not in that field, the pages are certainly not low grade.

As to the actual contents on those pages :) -

It looks like comprehensive coverage. Remember that this is a Cisco produced book, for a Cisco certificate and where the hardware used is Cisco. So by definition, you are getting an authoritative reference for exam preparation. Unlike a third party offering [I don't know if these actually exist for this Cisco exam/certificate]. So to play it safe, if you are serious about getting the qualification, this text may be the best choice.

The book has many examples of how to configure and otherwise manage routing. Instead of merely passively reading the text, you should manually try all the examples. Well, to save you time, these have been included in the accompanying CD. Related to this is the single most important point in the book. You need the Packet Tracer simulator. This does not come with the book, which advises you to ask your instructor, who has to be part of the Cisco Networking Academies. If you are trying to learn the material strictly on your own, then this will be harder to assimilate, short of you having access to another simulator or an actual network where you have administrative permissions.

Having said that, a subsidiary role is possible for the book. If you already run a network, which might have Cisco hardware, and you need a solid reference on routing protocols, try using this. It explains the common protocols at a level deep enough and suitable for a network administrator. And of course, while the protocols are meant to be implemented the same way, regardless of vendor, when it comes to the diagnostic output from Cisco hardware, the book is relevant to what you should see.

Love the text, with the answers to questions in back you can check yourself easily.

As a student, I've found the online curriculum to be unreliable. The text size is small and cannot really be changed. The curriculum is only accessible online also and loads too slow. Purchasing this book was a good idea. Everything including the practice quizzes, Packet Tracer Activities,glossary, and diagrams are included in this book. All the chapters of the Routing Protocols and Concepts curriculum is implemented in here. Purchasing this book was a good idea. I was able to study any time and anywhere I wanted without a computer. I can also retain more information by going back in the book and reviewing the concepts. Without this book I don't know how I could have gotten through the curriculum. It really helped me! I would recommend you to get one too. This really helps you remember your concepts. I would highly recommend purchasing the Labs and Study Guide to go with this. They include additional labs and exercises.

This Book by "Cisco" is excellent in teaching routing protocols. One of the best technical books ever written, by professionals, for novices.

1. packaging was good
2. item was delivered on time.
3. book itself had no flaws whatsoever
4. in my opinion you need this book to study for the final exam because you wo'nt always have access to the net plus have all the packet tracer labs on CD is an even better backup.

BUY THIS BOOK TO ENSURE YOU PASS YOUR FINALS...PERIOD.

I like another reviewer bought the book as required material for a course. I already earned a CCNA through personal study and the use of other Cisco Press study materials. The CD contained is useless unless you have access to a Packet Tracer environment because the only thing contained on it are PT scripts (not even a pdf copy to carry on your eReader). The content is very superficial on the protocols covered (only mentions IS-IS by name) with little to no additional information on it. Sample configurations covered are limited to the minimum necessary to enable the various protocols.

If your looking for a product which will contribute to an already basic knowledge of routers and routing protocols, there are other more complete products available. If you don't know even the basics of Cisco IOS commands and routing protocols, it will provide you a good, but very high level overview.

I really love this book, though I'm just starting to read it. I understand it really well and it doesn't confuse me when I'm trying to understand the different protocols and how they are applied and where.

I just received this book in the mail and find it top notch. I received it in just 4 days and it was shipped really well from amazon. I recommend this book to any one going into the field, personally i was told i never had to buy the book form the college i go to because we can use the online curriculum but the book doesn't run out of battery life when your wanting to study else where.

This series is the required reading for my CCNA program at my college. I have every book in the series, and so far have gotten through this and Networking Fundamentals. I think both books are great. They follow the Netacademy curriculum, but there is way more information in the books than is in the online modules. These books are very technical, and are not just exam study guides. If you are serious about getting your CCNA, you need a series like the Exploration series. The Lammel/Odom books are not going to have as much info as this. However, you do need the Lammel/Odom books too because those are tailored more for the exams. The Exploration series gives you a TON of information, but no indication about what they will be looking for on the CCNA exam. So if you get this book, make sure you have a study guide such as Lammel or Odom to accompany this.

So anyways, this is great material, but I did have to give this one 4 stars. I have both the hardcover version of this one and the Kindle version, and they both have flaws. First off for the hardcover, the paper for this book just sucks. It is actually paper and you can see right through it, and I am worried about tearing the page every time I turn it. The paper in the Network Fundamentals book and the Accessing the WAN book is a heavier weight and is a little glossy. For some reason this book and LAN Switching and Wireless have different cheaper paper. As far as the Kindle goes, I really like it, but the router output formatting is atrocious. They should have incorporated the output as image files. It looks just fine on Kindle for PC, but on the actual device it is pretty bad. I do love having the book on Kindle though, I did probably 80% of my reading on Kindle and Kindle for PC. I will probably end up getting the Kindle version of the next two books even though I own them on hardcover already, just because on Kindle it is so convenient and much easier to read for extended periods, because these are big heavy books. Oh and a quick tip for the Kindle purchasers, go all the way to the end first because that is where your CD download key is.

All in all I would highly recommend the Exploration series. You get a ton of information, and it is straight from the source so you can't beat that. Remember though, that as far as test preparation, these aren't that kind of book so still pick up a Lammel or Odom.

The paperback companions for the Cisco Networking Academy courses aren't bad but the hardcover versions (like this product) are worth the extra money. It has been nice to have all the graphics from the course without having to log in for them. I also think I'll be keeping these books to reference throughout my career... or at least in the beginning.