Joseph M. Soricelli | Juniper Networks | Sybex
1 A good supplemental reference
I got this book after I had already passed my JNCIS, but I still find it very valuable. I used it to help strengthen my understanding of JUNOS and the networking topics I was weak in. This book is a great supplement to the JUNOS reference materials available online which so often tell you vaguely what a command does, but don't give you any context for why you might need to use it. It provides good examples and gives good descriptions of what is going on and shows how to verify behavior with the CLI. I like to carry the CD with my laptop for reference.
The book assumes that the reader has at least a JNCIA level of experience, so it skips most of the introductory topics such as CLI and hardware architecture covered in the JNCIA guide. Although I think that a person could pass the JNCIS if they just studied this book very well, it would be much easier if they have some basic knowledge and experience with Juniper M and T series routers (at least at the "JNCIA level").
2 A good preparation guide
This book does a good job of explaining the different networking topics in a simple and clear manner. The topics covered in the book are comprehensive and more than sufficient to prepare the reader for the JNCIS test.
The book also has enough details to serve as a useful networking reference guide for readers who has already passed the JNCIS exam.
3 Solid Prep Material
Comprehensive, clear and accurate coverage of all areas of the JNCIS exam. Complicated subjects are discussed in depth, with explanatory diagrams and sample configurations.
Topics range from a demonstration of how OSPF calculates routes, with a sideline discussion of the new standard Graceful Restart to splitting multicast traffic onto different links than unicast traffic in a network that carries both types of traffic.
There is coverage of items that seem to often come up in Juniper study discussions, such as the differences between Martini and Compella layer 2 VPNs, for example, as well as example scenarios and sample configurations that show you how to get them working in your lab or in real life.
If you want to do some serious studying, and are willing to put the time and effort in, this book will help you pass the JNCIS exam.
4 An excellent preparation guide
I found this book to be an excellent preparation guide for the new JNCIS exam. It's written by one of the exam authors, and covers virtually everything in the exam. (I only got 2 questions on the exam that weren't covered in the book.) It's a fairly lengthy book that delves into a good bit of detail on all of the exam topics. Going in, I was very familiar with some of the topics (BGP/OSPF/ISIS) and somewhat familiar with others (Multicast/MPLS/VPNs), but extremely new to Juniper devices specifically. This book was my primary studying tool along with the JNCIA book (for introductory purposes), and lab time for hands-on. Highly recommended.
5 Not worth the wait
I was waiting for the book to release from over a month and finally when the book was out its been disappointing. So many things have been repeated again and again in the same chapter from routing policy to Layer 2 VPN , its boring to read the stuff 10 times and using one example for the whole chapter I didn't particularly like the idea at times you have to go back to first page or memorise the whole complicated diagram and see what was on page 1 and what the author is explaining on page 88... simply confusing.
If anyone has any suggestions for a good book for preparing for JNCIS pls let me know as I have read this book but i am not giving my test as i don't feel confident after reading this text.
