CCNP: Cisco LAN Switch Configuration Study Guide

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 624 pages
• Published by: Sybex
• Edition: 1st Edition August 1999
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0782125719
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0782125719
• Book Dimensions: 9.4 x 8 x 1.9 inches
• Weighs: 2.9 pounds

Product Review
The CCNP: Cisco LAN Switch Configuration Study Guide is a complete tutorial for the CLSC examination. As its name implies, this test is very sharply focused on the installation, configuration, and maintenance of Cisco's various switch products.

The book begins with some general discussions about switching that present various approaches to managing network congestion, followed by coverage of Virtual LANs and ATM LAN emulation. With these critical topics under your belt, it's then on to the Cisco products--from the Catalyst 1900 to the Catalyst 5000. Both the hardware and related software programs are presented well, which arm the reader with a detailed knowledge of the product line.

At the beginning of each chapter, the specific exam objectives are clearly stated in the topical introduction. (The "Tips and Notes" sections present very useful tidbits of information.) Each chapter concludes with a series of review questions and, in some sections, laboratory exercises. These exercises are a bit more detailed than seen in other Sybex CCNP Study Guides, with explanations of each solution.

A companion CD-ROM contains the EdgeTest exam preparation software with 200 questions, a trial version of Visio Professional, and four network utility programs from AG Group. If you're working toward your CCNP certification, this lengthy hardback is a must for your studies. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Network segmentation; VLANs; ATM LAN emulation; installation; configuration and management of Catalyst 1900 & 2820, Catalyst 3000, Catalyst 5000/5500; and troubleshooting Cisco switches.

Book Description
This book provides all the information you need to master to approach the Cisco LAN Switching Configuration (CLSC) exam with confidence. With full objective-by-objective coverage of the material, you'll learn techniques and strategies for placing, configuring, and maintaining Cisco's Catalyst LAN switches to best effect in medium-to-large networks. The CD contains test-preparation software and additional information resources.

Reader Reviews
This book is pretty much all you will need for the 400 CLSC exam, which was a disappointment to me. I personally enjoy getting into the details of how things work rather than just getting an overview, which is the purpose of this book. I would have liked some more detail on the architectures of each type of switch, but in reading these reviews, I seem to be alone in that. When going through this book, I thought it was a little light on information and wouldn't be enough to take on the exam by itself. If you are just interested in passing the exam, this book might be all you need. If you're truly interested in learning in more detail how switches work (and why), I would highly recommend Richard Deal's Exam Cram book for this exam. I generally don't use Exam Cram books, but that is one of the best books I have ever read.