OSPF Network Design Solutions [ILLUSTRATED] (Textbook Binding)

by Tom Thomas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) guru Thomas M. Thomas II strikes again with his OSPF Network Design Solutions. This book's three sections--"Contemporary Intranets," "OSPF Routing & Network Design," and "OSPF Implementation, Troubleshooting, & Management"--amply cover any OSPF base you can imagine. In addition, each chapter ends with at least one case study and a list of FAQs--a particularly nice touch.

Always careful to lay the proper groundwork, Thomas first covers networking foundations, including relatively recent developments such as intranets. From there he launches into an explanation of not only routing protocol fundamentals but also methods that will enable you to determine which protocols are appropriate for your particular environment. If at that point you have discerned that OSPF is indeed what you need, you can march on to the second and third sections, which hone in on implementation specifics.

The second section opens with a chapter dedicated to OSPF, complete with the protocol's history and Request for Comments (RFC). The remaining pages are taken up by configuration commands and tips. The last part of the book is reserved for highly advanced topics, including network design, security, and management. Though definitely aimed at those well versed in basic networking, OSPF Network Design Solution has the flexibility to grow with you as your level of OSPF knowledge and familiarity increase.--Sarah L. Roberts-Witt

Product Description
One of the first treatments of OSPF, this book provides the reader with comprehensive coverage of the network design, deployment and management.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 800 pages
• Publisher: Cisco Press; illustrated edition edition (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578700469
• ISBN-13: 978-1578700462
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.7 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,017,705 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good information, but cluttered, December 1, 1999

By A Customer

Let me first commend the author of this book for a thorough explanation of OSPF. However, I do have a few qualms with the book, especially in the area of the organization of the content of the book. The author jumps one subject to another, and usually without a decent transition, or without a logical link between subjects. (Example: the author discusses the different types of OSPF routers before discussing autonomous systems and areas within an OSPF autonomous system, then proceeds to discuss the concept of hierarchical routing.) Another qualm: the beginning of this book provides an introduction to networking that is composed of a smattering of basic to advanced networking concepts, all arranged in no particular logical order. Anyone interested in designing an OSPF network should already have a firm grasp of networking (and especially of the OSI Refernce Model, which the author spends numerous pages explaining). Just be prepared to skim over the first 100 pages (or so) of the book, as it deals with topics any network engineer should be painfully familiar with. However, the information at the heart of this book is comprehensive and well-worth the read. The author covers the details of OSPF functionality quite carefully, and also provides detailed guidelines for implementing OSPF.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sam Halabi's Design Guide Brought Up to Date !, March 5, 1999

By A Customer

A well laid out book that takes the reader through OSPF. This book is not the "definative" OSPF guide, as the book is not detailed enough to warrant this recognision. It does not address some of the "querky" OSPF design issues.

The book focuses on Sam Halabi's Design Guide that is still the most informative document produced on OSPF configuration guidelines. The author acknowledges this and adds some "value added" with the latest Cisco features. Although the book is a hefty 800 pages, the technical content does not justify this.

As a text book goes, and not free reference material, this may in fact be the best OSPF book on the market. This reflects the quality and quantity of reference material available for this subject !

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is Hog Wash, May 28, 2001

By A Customer

My attention was first brough to this title becasue I had once taken a class with the author. Surprised that he had written a book I checked out the book in the local book store and found the book discombobulated and full of mistakes. I proceeded to read some of the reviews on the book and a number of the reviews confirmed my initial suspicions. However, I noticed a very peculiar situation recently when I happened across the reviews again on Amazon.com. This book has 12 of 19 ratings of 5 stars (and 2 ratings of 4 stars) and three people who have rated the book 1 star. I have never run across reviews in such contradiction to each other. Although I have only spent an hour or two looking over the book it is clear this title is at best average. It confounds me how anyone in their right mind could rate this book greater than 3 stars, unless however they were a cohort of the author! The only reason I rated this book three stars was not to intentionally bias the rating of the book with out having made a thorough examination.