I am designing a network with managed switches that incorporate all the cool layer 2 stuff that I have not had much experience with, so I decided to get up-to-date and bought this book. What a wise choice I made.
About 10 years ago in my communications classes I studied Ethernet, transmission/arbitration using CSMA/CD, frame structures, etc, but forgot much of it. "The Switch Book" has everything I learned in my EE curriculum and then some. At 650 pages, almost exclusively dedicated to layer 2 of the OSI model, this book is extremely comprehensive. Considering its breadth, it is a very easy read for self study and would also make a good reference. What makes it an easy read is that it does not regurgitate the RFCs and IEEE Standards. It contains tons of examples, graphs, network diagrams, and footnotes. BTW, the footnotes are full of humor; oh, and there is even a funny poem on link aggregation. When the book gets overly technical (e.g. hardware implementations), Seifert tells the reader he can skip the section without losing continuity.
This book as helped me debug a problem I had with Spanning Tree and Link Aggregation (trunking). After reading this thick book, I feel confident that I can put an analyzer on the wire and know exactly what's happening by watching the bitstreams. Frame formats for everything are graphically represented. Even some cool stuff, like LACP, GARP, GVRP, and GMRP are covered. Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring are the three LAN technologies covered.
All chapters follow a similar format. Each chapter starts with theory and some (usually visual) examples. Then some technical software/hardware implementations are explained, followed by configuration and more examples. Usually, the end of the chapters discuss the history of the technology and the official standard (IEEE, technical pub, RFC, etc.).
The author mentions that much of the material was written in mid-1999. Considering its age, it is still very relevant. The only two technologies that I can think of that weren't around when this book was written are "Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol", although STP is covered, and 10GbE, which is negligible.
The bottom line is, if you need to understand layer 2, you need this book.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
There is a newer edition of this item:
The All-New Switch Book: The Complete Guide to LAN Switching Technology
$78.11
(26)
Only 4 left in stock (more on the way).
$78.11
(26)
Only 4 left in stock (more on the way).
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 8, 2007
Play book for anyone wanting introductory into how switches work. Network switches. It will jump start your career.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 26, 2017Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 12, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
Rob L
An excellent all round book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 10, 2005A. Eastham
Fantastic Technical Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 4, 2008iain mckeand
i think that i neede this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 3, 2013
