Todd Lammle
1 Good book, but many errors/discrepancies and no NAT coverage
Hi all. I would give this book 3.5 stars but I decided to round down. For a 5th edition book, I was shocked with the number of discrepencies and errors! Check the errata on the Sybex Web site for updates - it will save you a lot of frustration. I found many more errors than are listed in the errata, but I am sure that they will keep updating it as people start complaining.
Some of the examples from CLI output are completely wrong as well. VLAN creation on the 1900 comes to mind. I wonder who edited this book?
Also, there is virtually NO coverage of NAT and PAT ... and you should definitely be familiar with these topics! I was fortunate enough to have the NAT section from an ICND course I took two years ago.
The included CCNA CertSim evaluation is awesome, and I recommend upgrading to the full version. The sim questions are very similar to what you will find on the exam.
All that aside, the book does a good job of preparing you for the exam. I used it - along with RouterSim and the aforementioned ICND NAT section - and passed the CCNA exam this morning with over 30 minutes to spare. If I had just used this book, I would have failed. As a matter of fact, no book alone is enough to pass the exam. You need hardware or a good simulator to practice with, or you will be toast when it comes to the exam's sim questions.
Check out the CCNA site on Cisco's Web site for additional exam resources.
I hope this helps. Good luck to you all! :)
2 The unquestioned leader in CCNA study materials
Last week I attended Todd Lammle's CCNA class, where I received a free copy of his 'CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate, Deluxe Edition (640-801), 4th Ed' (CCNADE4E). Todd's class was excellent, and his book is almost literally Todd in written form. There is hardly a wasted word in this book. If Todd mentions a detail concerning a protocol or a certain default value in a configuration parameter, it's important. If he calls out that same item in a 'Note', it's definitely important. This is not 'teaching to the test' -- it's ensuring students and readers are familiar with material Cisco considers relevant. Cisco started its certification program to ensure administrators could properly configure and deploy its gear. By reading CCNADE4E, you will gain that knowledge.
Prior to attending Todd's class and reading his book, I was familiar with networking and related topics. I did not realize that successfully passing the CCNA meant being able to answer questions rapidly, not just accurately. This is especially important when IP subnetting and Variable Length Subnet Masks are involved. Todd teaches a method based on 'block sizes,' or the ranges of IP addresses associated with various subnet masks. This technique is incredibly powerful. I used to need pencil, paper, and at least a minute to answer subnetting questions before I learned Todd's block size method. Now I can answer the same questions in ten seconds or less (honestly). This is not a trick; it's a different way of looking at the problem, combined with memorizing certain key information.
Beyond innovative approaches to learning certain topics, Todd's book is also exceptionally clear. I did not find myself wondering what he meant by a sentence, or questioning my understanding of his explanations. This is in stark contrast to a book on TCP/IP I read and reviewed five years ago. CCNADE4E is chock full of good diagrams, tables, and configuration and syntax examples.
You could read only the book's text, but you would do yourself a disservice if you seek CCNA certification. CCNADE4E provides readers with questions and labs to test their understanding. These help CCNA candidates understand Cisco's approach to certain issues. Some of these questions really test the reader's comprehension of internetworking.
I found the material to be overwhelmingly accurate. I found a few typos that I expect to see on the Sybex errata page shortly.
If you're looking for a reference book to guide you through the CCNA testing process, look no further than CCNADE4E. If you work through the examples, you'll also find yourself able to perform simple to moderate configuration of Cisco routers and switches. I blew away the configurations on the gear in my lab, then rebuilt and improved them, using the knowledge I gained from this book and Todd's class. Isn't that what certification should be about?
