Todd Lammle
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.
1 Good Book
Although it is used for CCNP 1.0 exam, I think it is a good book anyway. It can give you a good explanation on the VLAN, especially the explanation on the product. You can get much information on Catalyst 5000/5500 series, 3000 series etc. That is the main point you should buy it.
2 Great information, especially on ATM
This book has an awesome ATM section. The price of the book is worth that chapter alone. Although Sybex has an updated switching book out, this book has some seriously great information.
3 Uneven, need to supplement with other material
This book is OK as an introduction to switching and for basic exam prep. Some parts, notably the chapter on ATM LANE, are quite good. However, several key areas are very poorly covered (the CLI, the Cat3000 series) or not treated at all (design concepts such as demand vs resource nodes--the 404 exam has a number of questions on this). You need to compensate by reading all relevant white papers and hardware specs from the Cisco website, and gaining all the hands-on practice with the CLI that you can. As with many of the Sybex books, the format is dull, unimaginative, and lacking in useful diagrams, but the material seems pretty accurate. What bothered me most about the Lammle CLSC book is that entire paragraphs were copied word for word from the Cisco Press book, without attribution. Aren't there laws against plagiarism?
4 Needs a lot more work, less plagiarism
Plagiarism seems to be alive and well in the certification book industry--I found entire paragraphs in Lammle's CLSC book copied word for word from the Cisco Press CLSC Exam Guide and Cisco documentation. What have these guys got against footnotes and attributions? There are some important gaps, for instance, the book does not really cover Cisco's concepts of resource nodes/demand nodes, even though the 640-404 exam does have a number of conceptual and design questions. Before taking the exam and to fill in the gaps, you're well advised to review all the LAN switching white papers plus the hardware specs. available on the Cisco website. Like most books in the Sybex series, this one is sorely lacking in useful diagrams and illustrations--this is one advantage that the Cisco Press series has, but again you can compensate by hitting the website. Another inadequacy in the Lammle book is its poor presentation of the switch OS commands. I gave this book 3 stars because despite its shortcomings, it is somewhat more palatable and easier to follow than the Cisco Press one, and because some of its chapters are actually quite good--such as the one on ATM LANE. I got 100% correct in the ATM category on the 404 exam even though I didn't know much about this area before I picked up Lammle's book.
5 Not Todd's best work
Todd Lammle's CCNA study guide is legendary and so I purchased this book hoping for the same performance. I was disappointed and felt that this book had no flow in its presentation and the concepts kept going back and forth.
I also felt that the technology sections in this book were weak, although that may have been a result of preparing the reader for CLSC, which is much more product specific than BCMSN (which is what I passed). This one definitely does not prepare you for the technology; only for the test.
If you plan to take BCMSN, do not buy this or any other CLSC book. You will not pass if this is all you use to prepare. There are several books out by now that are geared more for BCMSN. I personally recommend Cisco LAN Switching (Cisco Press) by Kennedy Clark.
6 Just not enough...
Lammle's books are always excellent jobs except this one...true, it's very easy reading, but is just far beyond enough...CISCO PRESS CLSC exam guide is much deeper-solution book for CLSC exam.Just passd the CLSC exam with CISCO PRESS CLSC exam guide with this book as back up.
7 Adequate for passing the exam
I passed the exam last week using this book primarily to study....however, I also have attended the actual course and have experience working with many of the switch families. I would recommend this book only in conjuction with the CLSC exam certification guide by cisco press....should one use only this book to prepare for the test, they may only pass with a score in the low 800s (if it is important to you not just to pass the test but achieve a high score) and certainly not come away with much valued knowledge to apply to the field. Personally, I will be using only Cisco press books from now on in my quest for CCNP.
8 You WILL NOT PASS Cisco tests with this, or ANY Lammle book
Lammle leaves a LOT to be desired. I have recently completed my CCNA, CCDA, CLSC and ACRC and will not spend a cent on a Lammle book again. I have read all 4 and would have failed had I not picked up a Cisco Press book. MANY topics are not covered that the tests require you to know.
9 Good but does not cover for the new CLSC exam - Beta
I did like the CCNA book by Todd, but this book does not cover the new CLSC exam which is in Beta I was not very happy with this book. But it gives a good insight into switching tech... Thanks Todd.
10 Good Enough to get an idea of Switching
I have read both Todd Lammle's CLSC Study and Exam Notes and felt that is did not do as good of a job like his CCNA Study Guide or Exam Notes. The main problem of the books was the review questions which contained questions that you will not see on the test. The book did not go in much detail when it came to source-bridge routing and other aspects that require a more detail explanation to, if you want to pass the exam. But I must admit that the book was easy to read despite its complicated of trying to teaching something as hard as Cisco Switches. It contained a lot of info that will help you on the test, but I am not sure if it is enough to pass. But what is a great Book is Richard Deal's CLSC Exam Cram Book. It is much more like a study guide but the review questions are questions you will most likely see on the test, and the explanations are very comprehensive.
11 Thank you Mr. Lammle and his team.
Very good studying material. Easy to read. Covers all of the objective. I will recommend to read his Exam Notes before actually take an exam. Good luck.
12 Good Prep For The Exam, But....
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.
13 Concise and easy to read
This book is concise and easy to read. It is much better than the one from Exam Cram which almost put me to sleep. Todd did a good job on this one!
14 Definitely an above-average book.
Surely focussed on the CLSC Cert. exam, it has a few minor glitches here and there like the end of the chapter questions on the default switching type for the 1900 and the 2820 series switches (it's Fragment-Free anyway). Also need to put in some more info. on the Cat. 3K switches although the 5K switches have been excellently presented. Passed the exam though. Surely one of the better books for the CLSC exam.
15 Good Preparation for the CLSC exam
I agree with the other reviewers this is a good book, but not enough to ace the exam. I would recommend this book along with "Clsc Exam Certification Guide" ISBN: 0735-7087-54 from Cisco press. After reading both and practicing the configurations, you should have enough knowledge to get pass this exam and carry it on for use in the CCIE lab. Two thumbs up to Todd, you definitely did your homework!
16 It is the best CLSC book on the market. Two thumbs UP!
I passed the CLSC exam using this book as my primary study guide. It had no errors that I found, and the review questions were close to the real exam. I recommend this book.
17 This book Covers it all.
I just passed the CLSC exam and I can tell you that this book does a wonderful job of covering all of the test objectives. I used this book exclusively to prepare for the test. Not only does it cover the objectives, but it is well written and easy to read and understand.
18 This book did it for me also!
I passed the exam using only this book and a 1900 switch, which I borrowed from work. I studied the Cat 5000 section hard, and went through all the review questions 3 times. Read and pass! This is the best CLSC book on the market!
19 It's no Cisco book
I'd wait for the CLSC Exam Certification Guide from Cisco. This book is ok, but Cisco's books tend to be organized and written better.
20 This Book Did it for me
I recently took this exam. It covered almost everything on the exam. The only thing that I wish it would have divulged into further is CLI's. I got several questions on the exam, which I luckily learned from working with the 5509's. I don't think I like all the new software that seems to be taking place of a lot of CLI users. The book is a pretty good reference.
Stephen Sims CCNP
21 The best CLSC book on the market.
I checked out Cisco and Exam Cram, the Exam Cram is the worst book of the lot. The Sybex book is by far the best CLSC book on the market. I recommend it highly.
22 I like the format and writing style.
I am not a friend of Todd's, but I've heard of him and read his CCNA book. This is a great book for the CLSC exam. It is easy to read and understand.
23 Wonderful study guide but ....
This book which has just been released provides the reader with all the necessary info needed to cover the CLSC exam objectives. I found some discrepancies however on the Edgetest disc. On the book it says the default switching method for 1900 is FragmentFree (which really is) but on the exercises it gives the answer as FastForward. There are also other sections for which an errata from Lammle is highly warranted. So all you friends of Todd who gave this book high ratings, get real, OK. In fairness to the author, it is still a wonderful book.
24 I agree, this is the best CLSC on the market.
I bought two other books, and this one is the best CLSC avialable. If you want to pass the CLSC exam, then buy this book. Easily worth the money.
25 Passed the exam- recommend this book.
This book is well written and gets right to the point. However, it is not as good as the Sybex CCNA Study Guide and CCNA Notes books. It is the best CLSC book on the market though.
26 Used this to pass the CLSC exam.
Easy to read, and less the 600 pages. The exam cram ,which I ordered first, is over 700 pages! I returned the Exam Cram since I was short on money and ordered this book. It is great and to the point. It is well worth the money.
27 Extrememly well written, great format!
This book is only about 450 pages long. I also bought the exam cram, which is over 700 pages long! This book is an excellent quality book. I don't know if I can pass the exam yet, but I'll let you know.
