J.F. DiMarzio
1 A great place to start
This book does a good job of introducing the reader to many of the concepts covered in the CCNP cert exams. If you need a straightforward, plain-language primer on routing protocols, spanning tree, connection options, and support, this is a great book. Unfortunately, it usefulness is limited for some of the details on the 642 series of tests. I *would* recommend this book as part of a layered studying approach to the exams. Additional resources will be more clear after reading this book.
2 Not enough to pass CCNP
This book is more useful for final revision for the CCNP. It does not cover any topic in enough detail to give you the depth of understanding you need for the CCNP. The CD that comes with the book is TERRIBLE. It has errors, missing portions and shows that it was rushed out without any proper quality checking. In short, stick to the Cisco Press books for CCNP information.
