CCNA Training Guide Exam 640-407 (The Training Guide Series)

Kevin S. Mahler

While not really aimed at the beginner--the CCNA Training Guide gives short shrift to fundamental concepts like networking topologies and what routing actually is--the book is nevertheless a fine reference for novice network professionals looking to step up into the world of Cisco routing.

The book gives extensive coverage to TCP/IP and IPX configuration and WAN protocols. It also covers the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model, networking security, LAN switching, and the basics of working with the Cisco IOS. The writing is clear and condensed, giving the essential facts with a minimum of extraneous prose. Case studies at the end of each chapter help to flesh out your knowledge and present business applications for some of the concepts. The cases are usually short and fairly simple, which helps set the tone for how CCNA knowledge works in practice.

The end-of-chapter tests are comprehensive, although each test consists of only 10 multiple-choice questions. The scarcity of useful content in the end-of-chapter quizzes is, however, more than made up for by the 70-question final quiz and the comprehensive Top Score CCNA Review software--which also provides flash cards to help you study.

A 120-page (!) glossary and 20 pages' worth of "Fast Fact" summary info finishes up the Training Guide. If this book can be said to have a major flaw, it is that it concentrates more on training you than it does on preparing you for the quiz--but if you study the book diligently, you'll certainly be properly armed with the knowledge you need to pass the CCNA. --William Steinmetz

1 OK, but lacks detail
The book is well layed out, making it easy to focus on the exam objectives, and mostly easy to read and understand. But the content is too brief and some exam information missing. The TCP/IP protocol lacked detail for those who are unfamiliar with the protocol and the ISDN and frame-relay sections were lacking information. I consider this book to be very brief and suited only to those that have a background in this technology.

2 a GOOD REFERENCE BOOK TO HAVE.
I have read and reviewed over ten books on the CCNA exam 640-407. New Riders Next Training Guide for the CCNA exam is the latest in the series. The book will give you enough information to pass the exam, but is that enough to satisfy you?

Overall this 500-page book is good with the exam tips in each section. The books does cover each objective and also includes step-by-step exercises to help you learn as you study. There are an abundance of hands-on exercises, but you have to have the equipment in order to perform most of them.

The book gives you case studies along with review and exam questions. The questions are excellent and they too cover each exam objective. What the book may need in the next edition is more detailed information on some sections.

Covering exam areas like the OSI model, TCP/IP Model, IOS fundamentals and commands. Protocols, routing and an excellent breakdown in detail of the TCP/IP protocol and subnetting. There was a great number of pictures, diagrams, tables and figures also included.

New Riders also enhances this book with the Top Score Software simulation on cd-rom. The software has several modes of learning and can assess you progress along the way. The 640-407 is retiring in July and this book needs to updated to the next exam. I think that a free upgrade should be included, but overall a decent value for the money.

3 Outstanding Book
This has to be the best written CCNA book! I have the books by Lammle and others. They just can't compare. This book is clear and concise with many good case studies. I found the CCNA Traning Guide to be the most complete! Lammle's book doesn't even discuss BECN and FECN. This book covered it very well. I would have been lost without this book on the exam. I had several questions that Lammle's book didn't even cover that the CCNA Training Guide did.

4 Good enough to pass the test
This book was my only study material for the CCNA exam and I passed with room to breathe. I have never seen, let alone touch, a Cisco router, so the book must have contained enough info to pass.

Having said all of that, I found the book to be lacking in many areas. I thought that the section on ISDN was confusing and lacking in information. Many topics were lacking in detail that should have been included. About 30% of the pages are devoted to a glossary that I never even looked at. These pages should have been used to fill in some of the blanks in the technical information. In the exam, there were lots of questions about how data is encapsulated and very detailed quesions about the OSI model. I think that this area was not covered in adequate detail in the book. I also found that the practice exam that came with the book was not as difficult as the exam itself.

So, if you have a strong computer and networking background (like me) you may be able to pass the test with this book alone. Otherwise, get additional training materials.

5 Good but Not Enough!
This book is an easy read an a good intro to the material that you will need to be familiar with for the exam. The one problem is that a great many areas of the book lack the substance and detail needed to pass the test. For instance, the OSI section doesnt even touch on some of the important info for the test. It gives you a brief over view of what each layer is about but not the detail that you WILL need for the test. All in all its a good book though.

6 Jerry
I agree with the first two comments about this book. It is a very good book to learn the basics of Cisco routers. However, I don't feel it goes into the depth of the CCNA exam. I passed my test yesterday after reading this book and using additional third party resources. I feel this book is great for giving you the basics and a pretty good understanding of Cisco routers. However, I feel it isn't enough, you need to look into additional resources to pass the test. Good luck in your studies and certifications.

7 Outstanding CCNA Review Book !
The CCNA "Next Generation Training Book" is an outstanding Book. All of the key topics are covered deep enough for the exam. The best feature of this book over others suchs as Lammle's is the actual content and how it is divided. Each chapter begins with a very nice Bolded overview of what you will learn. Sub chapters are well organized. Clear examples of all of the commands as well as screen shots are given. A very nice feature in each chapter is called the Case Study. This is an actual example of trouble shooting the material you just learned on a an actual router. All of the screen shots are presented so you really don't need to be connected to a router. In the longer chapters, the author inserts "study breaks" which reviews the material you just read in a bulleted fashion. Review questions as well as simiulated test questions are given at the end of each chapter and this is very nicely done. The cd-rom that is included with this book is vastly improved over your typical random question test generator that you would find in most of the other CCNA review guides. The cd-rom is able to generate random tests based on specific topic material or the actual exam. It also has several additional features that were very useful. If you miss an item, it has the ability to "item review" and show you the right answer. It can also display the exact text information from the text book (entire copy of book is on the cd-rom) so that you can read that entire section. The flash card section of the cd-rom is just that. It contains "index cards" that you must try and answer. As a former math teacher, I know that learning needs to take place in small chunks to be effectively remembered. This book divides the topics very well in regards to this matter (much better than the other 2 more popular study guides). You can pass the CCNA without any prior hands on experience using this book. This book is clearly better written and more manageable than the other 2 major guides. If you can buy the separate routersim software (you get a copy of lamme's similation labs);I think this would be just right for someone who does not have a large budget. This book was obviously written with imput from educational specialists which makes it vastly superior when it comes time to remembering the material you just read. This book is worth it!

8 Concise, complete and good study guide
I used the New Riders books to get my MCSE. The CCNA Training Guide fits the high standard that New Riders has set. The author explains Frame Relay in a new useful way. The exam in the book is a good prep for the real CCNA test.