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The CCNA Intro gives an overview of a broad range of topics, from the OSI model, fundamentals of TCP/IP and IP addressing. I was very impressed with the way the material was covered in this volume. It presents IP Fundamentals in a very easy to understand way. I really liked the "Do I Know This Already" quizzes presented at the beginning of each chapter. These pre-quizzes help the student gauge their knowledge of the subject matter and home in on where they need to study more.
The CCNA ICND has the same layout and features of the Intro book but it covers more of the core Cisco technology with particular emphasis on routing and switching. This book progresses from LAN Switching thorough advanced IP Routing protocols and access lists. I was amazed at the depth the author went into concerning the routing protocols. As I remember, I wasn't required to know a whole lot about OSPF or EIGRP; I had to wait until I started preparing for my CCNP to delve into these subjects.
The CD that comes with each volume was outstanding. The practice questions use the Boson test engine and were a very good representation of the actual CCNA exam. The test engine has multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks, and router simulation exercises. I know that the full version couldn't have been included, but the NetSim LE network simulator, that was included, was quite adequate.
Personally I preferred the CCNA Certification Library over the study guide I used to prepare for my CCNA exam. To me it presented the information in a much easier to understand format and covered the topics in more depth. If this library had been available when I was studying for the CCNA, it would have made my studies much easier. This is a great study aid for those new to networking and those pursuing the CCNA.
I passed exam 640-801 in one try, with no real networking experience and having taken no classes. The ICND and INTRO books comprised my primary training materials.
Although it is possible to enroll in official ICND and INTRO courses created by Cisco, the books that make up this "library," apparently, are not the books used in those courses. Within the ICND book, Odom refers to "the ICND course, on which the exam is partly based," suggesting that what you have in your hands is a reverse-engineered study guide: a study guide for an exam that is based on a course that does not use said book. Odom occasionally presents tables that he claims come from the ICND course. Clearly, some parts of the course are not fair game for the study guide.
In other words, don't think that just because you are reading the official Cisco press CCNA study guides, you are dealing with a set of information that is as close as possible to the set of information from which the test was drawn.
Studying these books will prepare you for the CCNA in the same way that reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z will prepare you to identify the capital of Nairobi. It goes without saying that a CCNA candidate should not be studying just to pass a test, she should be studying to qualify herself for a job. But in this case, the difference between the material presented and the material actually making up the test is excessive.
Odom goes to a lot of effort to make the reader feel like he is being spoken to by a friend. "Fun, isn't it?" he writes, after presenting an illustration of function groups and access points that I had to re-draw for myself several times in order to understand. Later, he describes Inverse ARP as "another case of learning by listening, a great lesson for real life!" Gee, thanks. The subtle condescension in the non-humorous asides, the gleeful overuse of exclamation points, and the fable in which Pebbles Flintstone invents networking is compounded by the persistent contextual encapsulation of every single topic in the book. Odom tells you what he's going to tell you, then he tells you, then he tells you what he's told you, much more than necessary.
A better way to put the flustered reader at ease might have been to proofread the books. The ICND guide, especially, is so full of typos that it is often embarrassing to read. In some cases, these are nothing more than obvious misspellings that can be passed over without much more than a little annoyance (e.g. ICND p. 472, "status enquiry messages"). In other cases, the meaning of the sentence is muddled. Worse, the configuration examples have obviously not been proofread either, resulting in, for example, the prompt "R1(config)#" when the appropriate prompt is "R1(config-if)." The difference may seem trivial, but understanding its significance is the kind of stuff the CCNA is all about.
Each book comes with a CD containing a practice test engine and a router simulator (both from Boson). The mistakes in the ICND book pale in comparison to those in the CD test engines. In fact, an argument could be made that studying with those practice tests will hinder more than help the CCNA candidate who has not read the books thoroughly enough to recognize the mistakes. Many multiple-choice questions count correct answers wrong and vice versa (and some of these are taken directly from the books, which usually give the correct answer). A configuration entered into the CLI on a simulator question will be graded as wrong, and the user will then be presented with an identical configuration as an example of the correct way to solve the problem.
None of these problems change the fact that these books will, if used correctly, absolutely help you pass the CCNA. But do it this way: Read the INTRO book. Take the exam right away. If you don't pass, flip through the ICND book and find the areas that you actually need to work on. You'll save months of study time that could be better spent working on your CCNP.
What I found helpful within this book is the information presented in an easy to read, digestible format. Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours wading through printed or online documentation attempting to locate the answer to the simplest of questions! This book offers very useful "Do I Know This Already Quizzes" at the beginning of each chapter. Each chapter also includes questions and answers for reinforcement--there are two CDs with more practice questions, and Boson's NetSim LE network simulator software allowing you to practice for the simulator-based questions on the real exams! Most of the time, the author's words are clear and concise--the book's layout is comprehensive and flows from cover to cover.
This certification library is split into to two books. This allows you to study for the single 640-821 or 640-811 exam in a digestible format. You can also use both books in combination to prepare to pass the single CCNA exam 640-801. The author's technical background and knowledge are impressive. He must have had a difficult time working within the constraints of 1200 pages. It's also very impressive that the publisher was able to find three other CCIEs to participate in the technical review of this book. Could there possibly be any more technically correct book on the shelf?
I was only able to locate a few small technical inaccuracies in this book. I have never found a technical book without errors! The few errors I found were in defined acronyms and may have been a result of the book's copy edit process. Refreshingly, this book focuses not only on preparing you to pass the CCNA exams but really helps you to understand the technology involved! This book's author and technical reviewers have years of real world experience, and are probably more concerned with the reader's ability to understand the material more than anything else.
For the self-study candidate on a limited budget, who really wants to understand what's required to be a successful CCNA, this book offers a well readable format. When you want to prepare to pass the new CCNA exams, this book, practice questions, and Boson network simulator are a must have!
I would advise all Exam hopefuls to take the wealth of material seriously! That means 'No Single Text' can take you through all 4 semesters-worth of the curriculum. What this book, and many others in the Cisco series do well is remind and focus you in on what Cisco (they publish the book and the test) expect you to know for the exam. So, if there is deep coverage of a subject you didn't consider important, you'd better bone up on that chapter. If there is scant coverage or no coverage of a subject, then maybe you should just review what the book shows, and spend the bulk of your time on other chapters.
What the book does not do is take you from novice to CCNA level. THAT'S NOT IT'S PURPOSE. The writer expects you to be either:
- in the industry with significant experience, and knowledgeable of the concepts and Cisco IOS, with access to Cisco equipment, needing a text to review, or
- a Cisco Network Academy student, with access to Cisco equipment, and successful with the Academy curriculum, or
- a student with other Networking knowledge that has access to Cisco equipment (or simulator) who wants to get Cisco's spin on what they believe they already know.
In other words, don't think you can walk in from the street, pick up this book, and suddenly know all that you need to pass the test. However, IF YOU DO BUY ONE CISCO BOOK TO PREPARE FOR THE CCNA EXAM, IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE! Purchase it as close to the exam date as you can.
First, the good news:
- One pleasant side effect of Cisco's decision to split the CCNA into two exams is that the Cisco Press review materials are now split into two volumes. Tell me, how many of you resented having to schlep around that monolith 640-607 Certification Guide? Well, now there are two volumes - one for each exam required for the CCNA. Now you have the option of just taking "half a book" with you while studying for the comprehensive exam.
-The INTRO and ICND books were designed to be used together to prepare for the 640-801. The books include a reading map that shows which sections in each book should be read in what order. This lets you get complete coverage of each major topic before you move on to the next.
- Another nice feature of the books is the "Do I Know This Already?" quiz at the beginning of each chapter. If you've been involved in networking for a while or you've studied for the CCNA before (like me), taking these quizzes can keep you from wasting time reading about things you already know. Taking them also keeps you from possibly missing some arguably odd things that Cisco deem important enough to include in the exam(s).
- Odom and Cisco Press definitely do a much better job explaining networking fundamentals. If you're new networking and/or the CCNA, you'll definitely want to start with the INTRO volume. Basic concepts are covered there first and, in my opinion, covered well.
- The accompanying CDs include PDFs of the books. Also, the exam and router simulators on the included CDs are a nice bonus, but I already have a couple of 2501's and a 1900 at home I can use for lab scenarios.
Now, the bad news:
- The bane of all technical exam guides: ERRATA!!! Although the number of errors in these books is way down since the 640-607 Certification Guide (49 vs. 80 at last count), to me, nothing is more obnoxious or problematic than a test preparation book with errors. We use these books to learn and study. Whenever there's an error it undermines the learning and that defeats the purpose of the book. What I'd like to know is how those 49 errors got past the *three* CCIE's who were the Technical Reviewers for the books.
- Some of the figures are counter-intuitive. For example, some of the figures in the INTRO book showed data flowing from right to left. We read left to right, so using diagrams that move right to left seemed a little perplexing.
- For some inexplicable reason the PDF versions of the books on the CDs are of the 1st printing while the books are 2nd printings. This will drive you nuts when you start finding errors on the PDFs that aren't in the printed versions.
Even with these problems, this Library is the best bang for the buck when it comes to preparing for either the comprehensive 640-801 or the INTRO and ICND exams. As a bonus, it's written by Cisco Press, so it's much more likely the material you see on the exams will have been part of your reading. If you do get the library and install the exam simulators, make sure you download the update from the Cisco Press Web site; it takes care of some errata in the test engine.
I'm giving this Library 4 stars due to the number of errors in the books and the disparity between the versions of the printed books and the included PDFs. Overall, those may be small quibbles on my part. Regardless, short of attending the Cisco Networking Academy, this Library is the best prep you can get for taking either the comprehensive CCNA exam or the two separate exams.
The CCNA INTRO volume tries to prepare the reader for the CCNA ICND volume while addressing the content of the INTRO exam 640-821. With such a methodology, this textbook ends up raising more questions than answers in the mind of a candidate that will have to wait for the CCNA ICND volume to get clarifications on a great number of topics.
This new edition of the CCNA Certification Library has the following characteristics:
Pros:
- Odom makes the text accessible from the perspective of a CCNA candidate. Generally, topics are presented according to a progressive line of thought laid out in the introduction of any chapter. This plan usually presents what will be covered and what will not.
- The textbook is written in a conversational format and emphasizes on four things:
1. exam format
2. exam content
3. real world tasks. Odom presents not just how to configure network equipment but how to make effective configurations.
4. Practice, with the addition of the NETSIM LE simulator on the accompanying CD-Rom, along with a to-the-point guide about this software in Appendix C of the book.
The author also presents:
- An excellent comparative analysis of routing protocols.
- Some key sample configurations with interesting considerations about "real world" behavior of the Cisco equipment they run on
- An excellent coverage of Frame Relay, ISDN and IP Access Control Lists.
- Some good Design Principles
- A good collection of web links and RFC references
Cons:
Some chapters including "IP Addressing and Subnetting" and "RIP, IGRP, and Static Route Concepts and Configuration" (ICND volume) contain too many non technical illustrations and lack a precise conceptual framework. This makes it difficult for a CCNA candidate to find and retain key points.
Overall, in this new edition of the CCNA self-study kit, a conscientious effort has been put forth by the author to make the content of the CCNA exam more accessible while still trying to provide a solid understanding of some key networking concepts and technologies. However, the degree to which the two volumes overlap along with the methodology adopted, sometimes make it very challenging for a CCNA candidate to get a clear and precise understanding of the technologies covered on the exam.
I think he does a great job making technical reading enjoyable. Come on people....all of you at one time picked up a book like this, started to read and found yourself asleep after 2 or 3 pages.
I chose the Cisco Press books because I'd learned that if you want to get the right material weighting for a Cisco exam, it's best to pick your apples right off of the tree. In my previous experience, Cisco Press books had a tendency to be somewhat dry but I quickly learned that this misconception is no longer true. I found that the author, Wendell Odom, brings a friendly approach to the material that makes it quite readable. His examples are handled very well and his explanations are good. He doesn't write in the "just-the-facts-ma'am" way that tends to be the norm in technical books, so I will definitely be looking for titles by him in the future.
The books are intended for someone fairly new to networking, so I experienced a bit of the "duh" factor. However, I was still able to learn a few interesting facts and reinforced a lot of what I already knew. The biggest change since I last took the CCNA exam is that Cisco now offers the option of taking it as 2 separate tests or as the single exam. I was pleased to see that, although the CCNA has been split into 2 books, the author has included a reading plan that allows you to read the 2 books in a back-and-forth order that makes it easy to use the same set of books to study for the single test version.
Overall, the books are well written and readable. A little more care should have been taken into the spell checking prior to publishing, but that's far from a deal breaker on these books. Overall, I'd give them 4 stars out of 5. Here's the individual run-down on the books...
CCNA INTRO (ISBN: 1-58720-094-5)
This book can be used by itself to study for exam 640-821(Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies). The exam covers the basic principles behind basic network topologies, cabling, switching, routing, TCP/IP, IP addressing and WAN technologies. The book approaches this material in a very shallow way. Without going into too much depth on most topics, it covers a very broad range of material. If you are studying for the single CCNA exam, you can bounce back and forth between this book and the ICND book, reading the basics in this book then going to the ICND book for the nitty-gritty details. The one exception to the rule is the topic of IP Addressing, which is covered entirely within this title. Probably the most important topic in this book, it is very well explained and there are plenty of practice IP addressing exercises on the CD. This book covers the material adequately for a beginner who is just learning the networking principals. On it's own, I'd give this book 4 stars out of 5.
CCNA ICND (ISBN: 1-58720-083-X)
This book can be used to study for exam 640-811 (Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices). The exam covers basic switch configuration, basic IP routing, basic access list configuration and basic remote access configuration. This book takes each topic and explains the details regarding its implementation. The basic configuration commands are presented, explained and then given in the form of an example. The examples are generally pretty clear and the commands are shown in relation to the surrounding commands, so the context of the command is clear. This book is the opposite of the Intro book, as it covers a small amount of material to a deeper level. There are some new topics presented, like route summarization and Link State protocols, which weren't on the old CCNA exam. If you're wanting to recertify, but aren't ready to move on to CCNP, then this is the book to pick up. I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Extras
The CD's also include a pair of excellent test banks. I found them to be very useful in preparing for the test and working through the book. There were a few answers that were just plain wrong, but I've come to expect a little inaccuracy with my test banks. The questions are not overly easy, but they're also not all that tricky. They're about the right level of difficulty for this exam. One especially cool feature is the "Study Saver" which makes the question bank your screen saver.
Cisco has an affinity for simulation questions on their exams, so it's good that they included the Boson Netsim LE on the CD. The bad news is that all the functions and labs are not unlocked unless you go through the "upgrade process" which consists of downgrading your wallet to the tune of $125, which is supposed to be a great deal compared to what they usually charge. I didn't want to spend a lot of time with what is essentially a simulator demo, but feel free to give it a try. However, if the interface doesn't really make you comfortable, try something else like the Cisco Interactive Mentor CD's (which I recommend) or one of the many other simulator options out there before shelling out your hard-earned money.
In addition to the test banks and Netsim, the CD's also include PDF versions of the books and 25 IP subnetting practice exercises. All in all, I'd give the extras 3 stars out of 5. The test banks are good, but I'd have like to have seen the CIM simulator instead of the Netsim.
His first two books were great, if not a little overwhelming. I find myself constantly returning to them as a reference in the field.
But these latest 2 books, "Intro to CCNA" and "ICND" (included in the library) are right on target.
Beginners will find the Intro book a great place to start learning the technology.
The ICND book gets a little deeper but builds upon the foundation laid by the Intro book.
I found the questions in the beginning of each chapter helpful as they let me assess my knowledge of a subject and it gave me an idea if needed to go over a chapter again.
I loaded the CD that comes with Books and it had practice questions. I did find a couple of questions that seemed incorrect, but over all a huge improvement over the Cisco Press CD's of the past that were full of errors.
All in all, I believe that the Certification Library set is the best CCNA title from Cisco Press yet. I found them highly informative, easy to read, and the "Wow this is a thick book" factor has been toned down considerably. Plus the 2 book approach makes it easier for a non-technical person to ease into the CCNA at their own pace.
I think if you are pursuing the new CCNA 640-801,811,821 or for those looking for a great reference book. This set is a good buy.
Philosophy will clip an angel's wings.
-- John Keats
Parts that positively cannot be assembled in improper order will be.
