Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself Routing in 24 Hours

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The first half of this book was great. I especially liked the overviews of the OSI model, the discussion of the differences between "Distance Vector" and "Link State" routing algorithms. And Chapter 7, which covers how routers move data, was perfect. The author does a good job of covering the basics, while using lots of illustrations to explain the concepts. Any book discussing routing protocols is dealing with esoteric material, so they've done readers a favor by limiting the page count to only 10-12 pages per chapter. It's short and sweet and not overwhelming.

And the chapter on OSPF was perfectly written. It comes in at 14 pages, provides a short overview of the protocol, discusses the link-state algorithm, updates, and "real-life" OSPF configuration examples (on a Cisco router). It was a perfect overview of the major concepts. If they had done such a good job handling the other protocols, I wouldn't be here bit-ching about this book. I probably would've given the book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

But then we get into the last few chapters of the book, and it's here (the real meat of the book that discusses BGP, IS-IS, etc.) where the whole thing falls apart.

Suddenly, the per-chapter page count bloats to 25-30 pages -- they're truly monstrous. While the previous chapters were written with the assumption that this book could be read by "anyone who wants to learn about routing... no prior experience with routers needed," these last chapters are written with the assumption that you have a decade of experience working on routers. They're loaded with jargon and just not for the layman.

The early chapters go from explaining the simplest detail to (in the later chapters) introducing complex concepts and offering zero explanation. Take for example, this gem of a paragraph from the chapter on IS-IS:

"The IDP (initial domain part) is the portion of the address that refers to the domain-specific part of the device. The IDP itself also contains two parts, the AFI and the IDI. The AFI (authority and format identifier) specifies the authority assigning the address to the domain. The IDI (initial domain identifier) specifies general information about the domain and the DSP."

Really??? This book is written for beginners with no prior routing experience and you're really going to include this passage??

And it's not just that passage -- the whole last 100 pages of the book (4 chapters), are like this. They spend 8 pages just talking about the headers of the various types of IS-IS packets (in excruciating detail). It's pretty easy to see that this level of detail doesn't belong in an introductory book on routing protocols. Maybe in a reference manual, but not in a book that's supposed to provide newbies with a high-level overview.

The writing gets stiff and jargon-filled toward the end, and they repeat the same idea three or four times within a few pages. Makes you feel like they're wasting your time. And the graphics toward the end are riddled with errors.

Overall, it feels like they had a deadline to meet and just ran out of time, so they threw the last few chapters together in a week, didn't have time for a proper editing cycle, slapped the SAM's cover on it, and all went home for beers.

I've been pleased with some of the other SAM'S 24 HOUR books, so I had high hopes for this one. But I have to say that after reading the last few chapters of this book -- the important stuff -- I felt cheated. The publishers took my money and gave me a lemon of a book in return. I don't like to be ripped off, and I want to let other potential routing newbies know that if you're interested in learning the basics about BGP, RIP and IS-IS, don't waste your money on this book (at least not until the publishers decide to re-issue an update that corrects the flaws in the last 100 pages). Spend your money on another book; I'm not sure which one, but just not this one.

I work in an industry where I frequently have to familiarize with technology very quickly. I have found the Sams "Teach Yourself .... in 24 Hours" series to be first rate. They are now my first reference when a new topic arises. They are very well organized and present the topic in a clear, concise manner. They are also an easy read for topics that can be dry or lifeless.

Part of my job function is technical training. I recently had to present a routing seminar for a group of co-workers. I found this book to be an excellent introduction. Not only is it a good overview, its layout made an almost perfect lesson plan. Simply following the table of contents as a topical index walks you through the "meat" of router operation.

As I mentioned earlier, this is not the first "Teach Yourself .... in 24 Hours" book I've purchased. I have never been unhappy with one of these purchases. I have found the "Used" book selection to be an especially good value. I frequently find these texts for sale as used books from $8.00 up. Again, I have never received a mangled, marked or damaged book in a purchase of this nature. If you want to brush up on a topic and save a fee bucks in the process, look toward the used selections. Don't let the separate shipping charge scare you either. Saving $50 on the cost of an almost new book is ample reason to spend $5.00 to have it mailed to you.