Customer Reviews

Top-Down Network Design

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4 star:		(1)
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This book is excellently written and accurately prepares you for the DCN - Designing Cisco Networks Exam 640-441 which is the requirement for the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) certification. What is more important is that if you learn and apply these techniques you will have a solid blueprint to designing networks for your customers. This book is well worth reading whether or not you are preparing for your CCDA certification.

Top Down Network Design was one of the books I read in preparation for my CCDA. At that time I thought it a first rate book. I am now in the final stages of my CCIE preparation, and have included Top Down as part of my study materials. Even at my increased level of understanding, I continue to be impressed with this book. It is well written, clearly explained, and contains levels of detail and subtlety I missed when I first read it over a year ago.

Top Down Network Design is part of my Masters Class Reading List - must read books for people who want to master networking, as well as pass certification tests. By all means add this one to your library. I predict you will refer to it often during your studies and during your networking career.

This is an excellent book that provides checklists, and things to ask from both the business as well as technical side of the network. The focus is on how to meet customer needs. This title combined with books such as 'Advanced IP Network Design' and 'Designing Addressing Architectures' should really prepare the networking designer to ask all the right questions.

I passed the extremely difficult CCDA exam about a month ago, I used several books and practice exams to help in the study process, my wish is that I could have had this book before it all began than I sure I would have had an easier time with the exam.

In just over 560 pages, this book will help with the CCDA and CCDP exams. Broken down into 4 parts, each part building the previous section, Part 1 is the Identifying needs and goals by showing you how to set business goals, policies, politics, staffing and budgeting. Also you get information on creating networks maps, analyzing traffic and QOS.

Part 2 then moves to the logical network design talking about the Cisco hierarchical model, redundancy, load balancing, VLANs, IP addressing schemes and planning. Discussion of when to use classful vs. classless routing, bridging, switching and routing protocol choices as well as security finish out the section.

Part 3 is the actual physical network design which includes cabling, LAN and WAN technologies like Ethernet and token ring, PPP, ISDN and authentication techniques. Finally part 4 the very important testing, optimizing and documentation of the network, with tool, setting baselines, measuring bandwidth and creating and implementing a Cisco Network Design Document.

Overall if you are planning to take the CCDA exam, currently studying the for the exam or are in the job of designing the networks you might want to get a hold of this book and make life a little easier.

Wow, I have not even finished this book and I have been very impressed with it. If you have ever had to design, redesign, update or otherwise come up with a plan to change a network this book is for you. The biggest question of "Where do I start?" is answered in easy to understand terms that a reader of any technical level can understand. The presentation of the process and considerations is excellent. Where was this book several years ago? A definite must read for every person interested in network design regardless of the products you will be using.

This is the definitive guide to Network Design, and great prep material for the CCDA test. Long after getting a 900+ score on the Designing Cisco Networks (CCDA) test, I continue to treasure this book and come back to it often for reference.

You will find this book to be right on the mark, no extra/unnecessary information, lecturing, or philosophies, no unnecessary technical mumbo jumbo. Couldn't make this topic any simpler & better organized than what Priscilla has done in this book.

One of those books you don't miss having a second edition of - it's as good a read (and applicable too!) today as it was years ago.

Bharat Suneja
MCT

As a teenager, one's first date is always rather special -- and also frightening. You will have ideas about what to do, but it's just not the same as having the experience.
This book prepares a new network designer, as well as anything short of real experience, for that all-important first date with network requirements and architecture. The ideal reader is one who has operational experience with networking devices, and understands the general principles of protocols, but who has not yet broken out of the mold of reacting to crises and installing equipment in a way someone else has thought up.
When the book deals with practical issues such as cabling, its focus remains with capabilities and choices, not the hands-on installation practices covered elsewhere. Again walking a delicate line of targeting the new user, it avoids the detailed protocol characteristics and mathematical techniques that are needed for large service provider and enterprise networks. The focus remains on the more common small to medium enterprise networks that new designers are most likely to work on.

I bought this book according to the recommendations and comments of some readers.After reading the book ,I would say that this book is essential for any engineer want to learn the right way to suggest excellent design for any types of Date network (LAN,MAN,WAN).This book also useful for engineers who worked as a technical engineers and want to be design engineers.

There are those that can talk about technology... And then there are those that can TEACH it, and make it understandable. Priscilla has done just that!! While this book avoids delving deep into the technical issues of network design, it does a splendid job of explaining the WHOLE of the subject. Very thought provoking, and not dry like other Cisco books.

Highly recommended for newcomers and people interested in the subject.

If you are looking study material to take the Sylvan exam for CCDA, this is the book. Read it twice.