Todd Lammle | Sean Odom | Kevin Wallace
1 Waste of time and money!!!
I really wanted to like this book. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent book but after using the Lammle/Sybex book to pass my CCNA this book is a let down. This book, though not intentionally, is two books. The first half is well-written and explains IGRP, EIGRP, and OSPF in an in-depth, easy-to-read fashion. The second half covers BGP and leaves you scratching your head. I don't know if the topic of BGP is so complicated it's hard to put into words, but considering how much of the book covers BGP (3/10)I will have to look elsewhere for more information.
Addendum - I took the routing test for the CCNP and I can honestly tell you this book is useless unless you like a birds-eye view of information. I knew this book cover to cover, and still there were topics and commands on the test I had never seen before. I also used the corresponding cram session (again I knew it cover to cover)...and the Sybex virtual trainer...and guess what...I failed! (In case you're wondering if it's just my intelligence, I have a master's degree in aqueous geochemistry).
Stick with the Cisco books...a bit more dry to read, but far more informative.
2 Good for the Exam, Not Good Enough If You're Out to Learn
This book is a good study tool for those of you preparing for the CCNP Routing examination. Although I have a good amount of experience with Cisco routers, which aided my preparation, there were several areas on the exam that I had no, or very limited, experience with. When combined with my previous experience this text, by itself, was sufficient to pass the exam.
For the most part the topics in the text were covered in a logical and thorough manner. Additionally, the topics discussed in the book were covered in sufficient detail to allow a person with limited router configuration experience to pass the test; however, there were a couple glaring areas of weakness in the text when compared against the exam. To score well on the exam you must have a fairly detailed grasp of EIGRP and OSPF configuration. This guide, though it provides sufficient information to pass both areas, does not provide enough depth and complexity in either area to score well.
I would not recommend depending solely on this reference to prepare for the test if you have very limited router configuration experience.
PJZ
3 THIS IS THE WORST CCNP ROUTING BOOK OUT THERE!!!
Exam Cram is a better study guide than this and that is not saying much. This book has approximately 250 pages of useful reading and 200 pages of Fluff. In depth protocols such as OSPF, and BGP are explained in less than 30 Pages. There is almost no way possible for someone to really get an understanding of these topics from this book. Cisco certification is highly regarded in the industry for certifing professionals that understand IP routing and this book is not the one to help you. Purchase the Cisco Press Book or Doyle's Routing TCP/IP Vol. 1 and stay away from this one!!!
4 Excellent Study Guides
I have used these books for two of my Cisco exams, and can honestly say that they really, really are worth every penny. The way that Todd writes such heavily technical material is wonderful. They're easy to read, easy to understand, thorough, and cover everything you need to know to pass! He has a style that is unique, and makes it easy to remember such complex content. I will buy all his study guides for my Cisco path!
5 Just don't like.
I used the Cisco Press Exam Certification Guide series to pass the CCNP exams. I got this one and I just don't like the higher level, skimming topics writing style. I'm not saying that I always understand the lower level stuff at first read, but I like the option of trying. The chapters I read of this book seem to offer not much more than high level topic summaries. The high number of typos bug too.
6 Lammle's CCNP Routing Book is the most comprehensive
Dear CCNP-to-be: don't loose much time looking for routing exam material, what you only need is Mr. Lammle's book from Sybex. I did it yesterday, and the only resource was this book.
All what you need to do, is to follow the book structure, solve the practice tests included, and read everything carefully, and I promise you will be there.
With my best wishes and thanks again to Mr. Lammle.
....
7 Get another Book to Replace the BGP Chapters
I used only this book to pass the CCNP Routing test, but let it be known that I had significant experience in BGP beforehand. The BGP chapters are vague and will easily confuse. Not to mention some mistakes are contained in those chapters. BGP is tough enough without the author fumbling through it. As for the other routing protocols, it would be a good idea to glance through a little more EIGRP documentation. I remember a question asking how many tables are required in a Cisco IOS router implementation. The answer to that question is not in the book (I never did bother to research it either).
In closing, this is the third and final book of that I have purchased of Lammle's. I would heartily recommend that if anyone has done the same, please seek a new author; just to get another viewpoint if nothing else.
8 Don't buy this book!
I don't know why everyone keeps giving this book 4 and 5 stars. The reviewers acknowledge the errors but seem to really underestimate the significance.
You will spend all kinds of time trying to figure out what a graph is trying to tell you etc, only to find you are dealing with a major Typo.
I answered all the questions in a quiz only to find that the book listed all the questions again in the answer section!
Also the questions in the book are too easy and there is no way to judge whether you are test-worthy or not. Often the answers are wrong or have nothing to do with the question.
Bottom line you can't trust anything the book says and you better double check everything. I will use the Cisco press books from now.
(Yes I passed, but only after giving up on this book).
9 Good for intro to concepts, not for exam prep.
In studying for my CCNP/CCDP certs, I read the full set from Sybex and also the Exam Preparation Library from Cisco Press. I found that the Sybex books did a better job of introducing certain topics and laying the foundation for further study - further study from Cisco Press, that is. If you are unfamiliar with a lot of the objectives for the exam, the Sybex book will put a framework in place. If you're looking for information that will help you answer and understand each question on the CCNP exams, check out the Exam Prep Library from Cisco. I've read many reviews that state the CP books are too technical and dry - hey, if you're going to be a CCNP, you'd better be able to handle the level at which the Cisco books are written. Yes, it's technical. Get used to it. Besides, the CD Test Engine from CP is MUCH MUCH better. Also, the essay questions at the beginning and end of each Cisco Press chapter really show if you "know" the material. Yes, this book has errors. They all do. Check the publisher's website for errata, and make the corrections. To sum up, CP's collection did a terrific job of preparing me for the tests. With careful reading, they'll do the same for you.
Jayson Tobias
CCNP CCDP
10 Routing Study Guide Exam 640-503
Yes, there are a couple of type errors in this book. These typos are very minor, and should be disregarded. Every chapter in the book, with the exception of Chapter 7, was very thorough and presented nicely. BGP is not clear; however, you can get more info on BGP from Cisco. EIGRP, OSPF, and Route Distribution was presented clearly. VLSM was presented clearly. The Routing Exam is very difficult, but if you study this book you will be able to pass this exam. You will not score over 90%, but you will pass. This book prepared me for the Routing Exam, and I passed with a score of 725. I think it is unfair to blame Todd Lammle for Cisco's poor tests. These test are written in Cisconese, but you can get through this exam with this book.
11 Routing Study Guide review
This is the third book I have purchase authored by Tod Lammle. The first was his CCNA which was very good, the 2nd was his Switching book which was okay but there were several topics not covered that were on the test. I expected the routing book to be as good as the CCNA, but it fell very short of that expectation. There was a lot of granular information in the book that is good to use when researching a problem but was not touched upon in the test. I had a decent understanding of BGP before reading this book and thought the BGP sections were hard to understand and in some cases the information was just wrong. There should have been a better review of this book before publication for technical accuracey.
12 Starts off good.
This book is very much below Todd Lammle. I think he needs to start taking more time with his books.
It seems that writers of this book know alot about Cisco and OSPF but only know what they have read about EIGRP and BGP. I say that because the BGP section is very hard to read and follow. It seems that they are just trying to get the information out as quick as possible. There are a few mistakes in the information and Diagrams.
This is a good book for reference but I would have used something else to study with if I had known.
13 This study guide alone is not enough
I have studied this book carefully and I found the book lacking in the materials that were tested on the exam. In fact, some of the exam questions were totally unfamiliar -- as a result I BARELY passed. Yes, the routing exam is more difficult in the CCNP cert. --- all the more reason for the author to expand on the subjects covered and, more importantly, to explain them better. Also, how about adding materials that were covered on the exam that were not covered or even mentioned in the book??
14 Routing for the test
I readed the whole book and I passed the exam.
This book is test-oriented, it?s not useful in case you're more interested in learning than passing the test. I miss more BGP and EIGRP staff, deeper, you'll need it.
The CD is great, you have a test for every chapter and a couple of final exams with all the material, it?s quite similar to the real one and it?s the best way to go ready.
With this book, mixed with other ones like Routing TCP/IP and Internet Routing Architectures, you should be able to pass the exam without academies and e-learnings.
15 Passed First Time Using only this book
I am going to keep this sweet and simple. I passed the exam the first time using only this book. Every topic was covered in the book in depth. In fact after reading the book and playing with two routers at work I found the exam rather easy. Even without the routers I think I would have passed. If you want to pass the test this is definately the book for you. Oh yeah, KNOW YOUR BGP. Live BGP, Eat BGP, Love BGP.
16 CCNP routing study guide
I used Todd Lammle's CCNA study guide with a good result. And as result I purchased this book without thinking about it. It was a bad decision. This book had lots of spelling errors and worst, incorrect material - which is really bad, I coudn't trust the material. Even though I did read the whole book, I ended up relying on another study quide (actually testing software) which explained things at a more detailed level. Simply, this book will not prepare you for the test, it's too simple and haphazard.
17 Way too many errors
I have passed my CCNA, CCNP switching and Support exams and I have used the SYBEX range of books for all of them, I found those books to be good and informative with no spelling errors, command line errors and information in the wrong places. This book is full of mistakes, the information within this book is very informative but also very frustrating when you spot all these obvious mistakes, this book was rushed to be put on the shelves that is for sure, it can't of been proof read because if it had there would be no where near as many mistakes as this. Yes this book i'm sure can help get your CCNP:Routing exam out of the way, but I really don't believe people should waste their money on something that clearly has not been throughly proof read. I now have questions on using the Sybex CCNP:remote access study guide.
18 Big Let Down
For all us Lammle lovers, who passed the CCNA with his book, this book turns out to be a serious let down. I passed my CCNA reading Todd Lammle is book and didn't have second thoughts buying this product for CCNP. I was in for a big surprise, I realize that Todd, has a tendency to over simplify the stuff for beginners and therefore was better suited to write for CCNA. Not only there are typos in this book but it also lacks in depth explanation and has little insight to any topic covered.
19 Decent Book; Stilll BE PREPARED!!
I have just returned from sitting the 640-503 exam; I scored 701 which is very borderline and am still very confused.
I used this book & nothing else for the exam and was scoring 95 to 100 percent on all the bonus, random and practice exams in this book; however this did not prepare me for the morning surprise I got!!!Beware!!!
The questions on the paper were very different and required a lot thought (and gambling). I would advise that you get a good understanding from the book and use lateral thinking!!. Having excelled at MCSE and CCNA levels with very high scores (85-95%) this paper was a leveller. Read (snd understand) EIGRP, BGP and OSPF very well. Don't let anyone discourage you about experience et all. Use your own instinct and understanding. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!
20 Good for the Fundamentals, but the exam will ask for details
This book was excellent for a general overview of Routing concepts and basic configuration; the exam I saw asked for a level of detail that the Sybex book didn't cover. (I took the exam in June of 2001, got an 839) Be sure you know redistribution well, or the exam will give you trouble...also know your command line, the exam will try to fool you with a drop-down list of commands that look similar.
21 A good book, but choppy coverage of BGP
I just finished reading this book the second time very carefully. The book flows well up until Chapter 7,8,9 where BGP is introduced and taught. At this point the coverage becomes unorganized and 'choppy'. The style of these chapters indicates poor mastery of these components by the author(s).
However this book is a good value because of the Sybex test engine that includes several hundred questions. Surprisingly, some of the test bank answers have better and more extended explainations that the text itself! Unfortunately, I feel I will need to buy Cisco's book to understand the test concepts well enough.
The other reason why this book is a good value is because it makes for a good introduction to other routing concepts for those with little hands-on. Todd Lammle's organization does offer a routing simulator that I purchased for getting some hands-on which has helped take up some learning slack this book leaves. It's affordable and a good alternative for those of us that can't practice on routers. It can be found at routersim.com.
22 Good study guide - need hands on experience
Using this book I passed the 640-503 exam, barely.
I am a CCNA, MCSE, MCP, etc and used Todd's CCNA book to prepare for the CCNA exam. I found that this book was just as good as the CCNA book however the material is a lot harder.
There were several typos in the commands and although the exam prep cd was good there were several typos in the choices and explanations for the answers on the cd.
The presentation of the information was excellent and it made understanding ospf and eigrp very easy, BGP was covered but is a complex topic.
I recommend getting some hands on experience with routers before attempting to take this exam although I passed this exam with just this book.
Would have been 5 stars but the typos in the book and on the cd cause it to be a 4, still an excellent resource.
23 Helpful reference but no exam prep.
I studied this book from head to cover. The book is easy to digest & is pretty consistent with the BSCN course that I took, with respect to the terminology & commands. However, this guide fell far short of preparing me adequately for the 640-503 exam. If you want a quick easy reference to Cisco's "Routing" concepts, Buy the book, however if you're looking for material & practice questions to produce succesful exam results, I recommend something with more detail.
24 BGP in this book is great!
I read the reviews from a few people on all the books and I found that between the Sybex, Coriolis, Cisco Press and McGraw that this book makes BGP seem the easiest. After getting a pretty good knowledge of BGP, anyone who jumps right in to a book without a few pointers on BGP is going to be lost. This book does the best in my view to overcome that. I guess that is why I am going to recommend this book to my students. Steve McIntyre Cisco Academy Instructor Buena High School
25 Very lacking
To make a long story short, do not get this book unless you already understand OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP. I work w/ EIGRP and OSPF so the chapters on those were decent (b/c I already know them). But the chapters on BGP were awful. I read them twice and still didn't understand what it was saying. At this point I went to the Cisco web site and printed out the white paper on BGP and read it. That made sense. Buy the book for brief overviews on the topics, but nothing more.
26 Used with RoutingSim to pass the exam
the key to sucess with this exam is hands-on. Since I couldn't afford routers I used www.routersim.com to get the Advanced routingsim product. Between the book and the software I passed the exam, but I really had to study hard. It is a tough exam. You must know your advanced IP and routing protocols.
27 It's amazing how uncritical some people are.
I saw some good reviews, so I bought the book. Then I learned why most reviews are worthless: too many people have been taught, "if you don't have anything nice to say . . .." I scored 900+ on the two CCNP exams I've taken so far (Switching and Support), so I have some idea of the sort of detail that is included in them. I have taken Cisco's routing course (BSCN), and reviewed Cisco's own materials. And I have plenty of hands-on; network engineering, mostly with Cisco equipment, is what I do. So let me tell you: this book is *hideous*. It is stunningly lacking in essential detail. Mr. Lammle, or anyone else for that matter, should be embarrassed to put his name on it. There is far less hyperbole in this review than you might suspect. This book leaves out far too much of what's in the course, in Cisco's own materials, what Cisco TELLS you is on the exam, and what you need to perform routing tasks effectively. This is more of a routing *pamphlet* than a "book."
Why two stars instead of one? This book could be of some use as a "starter" text for the novice before going to the actual Cisco course or reading the Cisco Press books. Some of the beginning chapters in particular provide a good review of basic concepts. (But then, the "novice" shouldn't be aiming at a CCNP exam.)
But to do well on the CCNP exam, and *certainly* to become skilled at routing tasks, I couldn't advise you more strongly to spend your money elsewhere.
I know. Everyone hates "negative" reviews. But love them or hate them, sometimes they're the truth.
28 Not up to Mr. Lammle's standards
Unlike the CCNA book published by the same author, the Sybex CCNP Routing book was not helpful in preparing for the Cisco exam. The book had an abundance of errors, especially relating to BGP (Chapters 7,8,9). The book also skimmed over EIGRP, which was covered heavily in the exam.
29 CCNP: Routing Study Guide Exam 640-503
In short this book is a waste of money. I have studied this book inside and out, and I had failed the exam. In retrospect, about 50 percent of the exam is not covered in this book. I am a veteran at test taking, and I know what I am talking about. Unfortunately, there is not a lot out there for the CCNP exams, but I would avoid this one.
30 Ankur Rawat CCNA,CCDP,MCSE, MCSE+I
Mr. Lammle Has done it again with another great book. This book as all the tools to make you pass the grueling CCNP Routing Exam. It covers all areas step by step including all high level protcols such as BGP, EIRGP,OSPF. Moreover what seperates this book from the rest is the hands on lab which can be performed using the routingsim software sold seprately. One Piece of advice buy the ccnp routing sim software. Its well worth the money since its impossible to pass the exam unless you have hands on exprience with Cisco IOS.
31 Ok book that could be better by removing typos
I applaud the authors of this book for condensing a lot of technical information into a book this size. A very hard task. But the book could have been much better if they set aside one qualified person to sit down and review the book as though he/she were going to take the test. This would have eliminated many of the typos and mistakes that exist in the book. It is very frustrating when you are trying to learn something from the book, but never be sure whether it is you or the book that is messed up! Forget the deadlines, and get the book right first! Very few of the questions in the book were on the test, if any. Overall though, the book IS good preparation for the test. I did not use any other books to study for the test, but I do have a few years of router experience. My recommendation is to augment preparation of the CCNP routing exam with other books, in addition to this book. By the way, I passed the test today. It was the first time I took it. A very difficult test!
32 It could be a great book if not for "Typos"
Lammle's and friends CCNP Routing Study Guide discuss everything you need to pass and ace the Cisco 640-503 exam, whats more there's a lot of configuration and debugging example on every routing protocol that is covered in the exam (i.e. OSPF, BGP, EIGP, etc.) and they even give you one chapter to refresh your memory about IP addressing and subnetting, which you should already know when you took the CCNA 2.0 exam. The only problem I found in this book is that it seems they rushed the production of this material. It's not fair to pay USD49.99 for a book with a lot of "typos" problem. If your not planning to take the exam now, wait for the second edition of this book.
33 Makes a hard subject eaiser to understand
The book is great. Be warned that it is not lite reading ,you will need to have an basic understanding of routers if you want to get anything out of it. Think of it as studying a college algebra book. If you have an understanding of math you will be ok if you dont know basic math you will get frustrated and slam the book. I use it in conjuction with the Cisco Press book to convert what they say into plain english. Todd and his group did a good job. But they can't spoon feed this stuff, you got to gear up and study.
