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Cisco LAN Switching: CCIE Professional Development
Customer Reviews: 8 Average Customer Rating:   Write a Review and tell the world about this title! People who purchase this book frequently purchase: - Routing TCP/IP, Volume II: CCIE Professional Development; Jeff Doyle, et al, $59.50, 30% Off!
- Routing TCP/IP, Volume I: CCIE Professional Development, 2nd Edition; Jeff Doyle, et al, $59.50, 30% Off!
- Troubleshooting IP Routing Protocols: CCIE Professional Development; Faraz Shamim, et al, $48.95, 30% Off!
- MPLS and VPN Architectures, Volume II; Jim Guichard, et al, $45.50, 30% Off!
Books on similar topics, in best-seller order:Books from the same publisher, in best-seller order:
The most complete guide to Cisco Catalyst(r) switch network design, operation,
and configuration
- Master key foundation topics such as high-speed LAN technologies, LAN segmentation,
bridging, the Catalyst command-line environment, and VLANs
- Improve the performance of your campus network by utilizing effective Cisco
Catalyst design, configuration, and troubleshooting techniques
- Benefit from the most comprehensive coverage of Spanning-Tree Protocol,
including invaluable information on troubleshooting common Spanning Tree problems
- Master trunking concepts and applications, including ISL, 802.1Q, LANE,
and MPOA
- Understand when and how to utilize Layer 3 switching techniques for maximum
effect
- Understand Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching configuration with the Catalyst
6000 family, including coverage of the powerful MSFC Native IOS Mode
Cisco LAN Switchingprovides the most comprehensive coverage of the best methods
for designing, utilizing, and deploying LAN switching devices and technologies
in a modern campus network. Divided into six parts, this book takes you beyond
basic switching concepts by providing an array of proven design models, practical
implementation solutions, and troubleshooting strategies. Part I discusses important
foundation issues that provide a context for the rest of the book, including
Fast and Gigabit Ethernet, routing versus switching, the types of Layer 2 switching,
the Catalyst command-line environment, and VLANs. Part II presents the most
detailed discussion of Spanning-Tree Protocol in print, including common problems,
troubleshooting, and enhancements, such as PortFast, UplinkFast, BackboneFast,
and PVST+. Part III examines the critical issue of trunk connections, the links
used to carry multiple VLANs through campus networks. Entire chapters are dedicated
to LANE and MPOA. Part IV addresses advanced features, such as Layer 3 switching,
VTP, and CGMP and IGMP. Part V covers real-world campus design and implementation
issues, allowing you to benefit from the collective advice of many LAN switching
experts. Part VI discusses issues specific to the Catalyst 6000/6500 family
of switches, including the powerful Native IOS Mode of Layer 3 switching.
Several features in Cisco LAN Switchingare designed to reinforce concepts covered
in the book and to help you prepare for the CCIE exam. In addition to the practical
discussion of advanced switching issues, this book also contains case studies
that highlight real-world design, implementation, and management issues, as
well as chapter-ending review questions and exercises.
This book is part of the Cisco CCIE Professional Development Series from Cisco
Press, which offers expert-level instruction on network design, deployment,
and support methodologies to help networking professionals manage complex networks
and prepare for CCIE exams.
About the Authors
Kennedy Clark, CCIE No. 2175, is the founder of Remote Technology
Solutions (RTS), a company that offers network-related products and services.
RTS's main product is AutoVerify, a tool that allows real-time grading and feedback
of hands-on labs in such fields as training, e-learning, and testing. Kennedy
also works as a consultant specializing in network architecture and design.
As a former certified Cisco Systems instructor, he was one of the original Catalyst
instructors for Cisco. Over the years, Kennedy has taught a wide variety of
switching classes and been involved in the design and implementation of many
large, switched backbones.
Kevin Hamilton is a certified Cisco Systems instructor and is
senior instructor for Riverstone Networks where he delivers courses and consults
on network topics such as LAN switching, MPLS, and routing. Prior to Riverstone,
Kevin was an instructor/consultant for Mentor Technologies (formerly Chesapeake
Computer Consultants) where he focused on Catalyst, ATM, and network security
technologies. Kevin obtained a degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania
State University.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews: 8 Average Customer Rating: Jan 4, 2005  Fouzan Pal from USA
Useful, practical guid to issues in cisco switching
Cisco LAN Switching by Kennedy Clark and Kevin Hamilton is considered a definitive guide to Cisco switching and rightly so. The book contains an exhaustive presentation on all aspects of switching from the basics of switching technologies, to the protocols and algorithms used in campus switching, to real-world designs of campus switching environments. All this with an added bonus of tidbits of humor thrown into the discussion of serious, no-nonsense topics!
The book is surprisingly well written and easy to understand for readers who have a basic understanding of switching and routing in the Cisco world. The formatting in the book follows the standard Cisco layout for advanced level books. The headings, diagrams, tables, and notes are laid out in a clear and easy-to-scan format. Each chapter ends with review questions for those who wish to test their understanding of the material these can prove particularly useful for the readers who may be studying for one of the Cisco certifications. The index is a crucial part of any technical book. Those of us working in the field can appreciate the importance of having a detailed and useful index when trying to put out fires at the workplace. This book offers a comprehensive, detailed index spanning over 30 pages -- which provided me with useful knowledge on the topic(s) that I was trying to look up.
While the book claims to be a switching resource for those studying for the advanced Cisco certifications, I personally selected the book in order to help me in my work environment. It has served its purpose very well. The sample configurations given throughout the book for various situations were particularly helpful in tying the theory to the practical and especially helped in troubleshooting some of the issues I encounter every day. Presentation of the inner workings of some of the advanced material like the Spanning Tree protocol was surprisingly detailed and practical, while being easy to understand at the same time. I have not read any other book that covers this topic effectively with such detail.
The only suggestion I have for the authors is to look into writing an updated edition. Some of the topics like layer 3 switching do not seem to cover the latest switch types offered by Cisco. For example, the Cisco 3550 layer 3 switch, a popular and important milestone in the Cisco switching hierarchy, is not covered in any significant detail.
Overall, the authors present the material in a very well thought-out way, making sure that readers at all (reasonable) levels can understand the topics. At the same time, the material is not fluffy like some other books; it is a detailed, no-nonsense study of the important field of campus switching.
Mar 17, 2004 Rich Hill from Kansas City, MO
CCIE Holy Trinity, Part One
I am reviewing Cisco LAN Switching (ISBN 1578700949), part of the CCIE Professional Development Series from Cisco Press. The book weighs in at around 900 pages and is divided into 6 sections covering topics related to understanding and implementing advanced Cisco switched networks. The authors are Kennedy Clark and Kevin Hamilton, who have worked as Cisco trainers in the past and now work as consultants. I like it when authors have taught courses in addition to having dealt with the hands-on aspects of their subjects. It lends balance to their writing, allowing them the technical acumen to relate to engineers while being able to put the concepts into understandable terms. Clark and Hamilton are good writers and were able to make the book as enjoyable to read as a 900-page technical book can be. The authors havent written any other Cisco books, but Id like to see them do more in the future.
Im ready to get serious about my CCIE studies, and the first stop on that journey is Cisco LAN Switching. This book is on every CCIE reading list Ive seen and is generally regarded as a must have. I was prepared for some pretty heavy reading and was pleasantly surprised and pleased with this book. This isnt a book thats just for CCIE candidates, but rather it should be part of every Cisco professionals library.
Ill take you through each of the 6 sections.
Part I Foundational Issues The first 5 chapters of the book take the reader from the very basics of switched networking, providing a fair amount of the history and theory necessary to understand the rest of the book. Even CCNA candidates should read this section, as it explains the basic elements of switching much better than any other book. The thing that surprised me was the authors sense of humor, which is surprisingly refreshing in a book of this size.
Part II Spanning Tree Ah, spanning tree. Theres nothing more exciting than reading about spanning tree. This book gets it all in within 2 chapters, again providing expert explanations laced with a sense of humor. The reader is taken from the very basics through very advanced spanning tree configurations. I would have like to have seen coverage of rapid spanning tree, but hopefully its in the works for a future edition.
Part III Trunking These 3 chapters, covering Ethernet trunking, LANE, and ATM, are sure to leave you a little numb. Since Ive never used ATM or LANE and have no frame of reference, the material was skim-able at best. Since LANE is no longer represented on the CCIE exam, you can get away with skimming some chapters for vocabulary words.
Part IV Advanced Features This section covers Layer 3 switching, VTP and multicast services. A lot of this stuff is rehashed from BCMSN, but its well explained here. There is a lot of good information on MLS and VTP, but I found that some of the gory multicast details were better explained in the BCMSN book. Chances are good, however, that most CCIE candidate readers are CCNPs and have read that book as well. By this point in the book, the sense of humor has pretty well evaporated.
Part V Real-World Campus Design and Implementation This section looks at a variety of network designs and the pros and cons of each. These chapters bring together a lot of the ideas expressed throughout the book and put them into real-world situations. A lot of this is boring, but there are some tidbits and tips you can pick up along the way.
Part VI Catalyst 6000 Technology I was greatly anticipating the coverage of Catalyst 6500s, since there is so little published work available for this platform, which I use extensively. They only gave me 34 pages (this was obviously an add-on to the original edition of the book), but Ill take what I can get. There was a lot of good information in this section, which Id like to see expanded in a later edition.
Conclusions This book is widely regarded as part of the Holy Trinity of CCIE preparation books, standing alongside Routing TCP/IP Vols I & II by Jeff Doyle as the essential books to read when preparing for the CCIE written exam. This is for good reason. It provides an explanation of a majority of the pertinent switching technologies and also serves as an ample design and implementation guide. My only real critique is that some switching technologies from the CCIE blueprint are conspicuously missing. Hopefully, this will be corrected in an updated edition. Still, I recommend this book, not only for CCIE candidates, but also as an essential book for anyone serious about a career in networking. On my 5 ping rating scale, I give it a 5.
!!!!!
Jan 29, 2004 Chuck from Austin, TX
Excellent switching reference
While I was preparing for the CCNP, I was hard pressed to find just the right book that explained LAN switching in depth. Now that I am preparing for my CCIE, this is the book I was looking for. This is one of the most comprehensive texts on Cisco LAN switching Ive seen. It breaks down switching concepts into easy to understand topics. You dont have to be an expert at switching to understand the topics addressed in this book. It begins with basic switching technologies and progresses into more advanced topics.
Cisco LAN Switching is broken down into 6 sections. Section 1 is concerned with foundational issues and gives an excellent introduction to bridging and switching technologies. The other sections progress through VLANS and STP to Trunking and advanced topics. Each chapter concludes with review questions and the later chapters have hands on lab configurations. The book ends with real world campus design models, implementation and case studies, which tie all the earlier sections together.
Each topic is thoroughly explained and the diagrams and definitions help clarify certain areas. I also found the tips and notes in the chapters very helpful in understanding the material better. Another interesting point is that the chapters dealing with STP were reviewed by Radia Perlman, creator of the Spanning Tree algorithm. Even without a whole lot of exposure to the spanning tree protocol, the material was presented in an easy to understand format. However there were a few issues I did have with the some of the content and the layout of the sections dealing with trunking.
The first chapter addresses the basics of LAN switching and bridging but does not go into enough depth on the different bridging technologies. I believe an expanded discussion on bridging technologies (SRB, RSRB and DLSW+) would have been helpful as well as a section on deciphering an RIF.
The section on trunking technologies goes into great depth about different types of trunking, including a wide array of diagrams and tables explaining each technology. While the subject matter is thoroughly covered, I do have an issue concerning the layout of the chapters. The authors devote an entire section of the book to trunking technologies, yet they place the chapter on VTP in an entirely different section of the book. I believe the flow of the chapters would have been more consistent if VTP was addressed in the section on trunking technologies.
These small issues aside, I found this book very helpful for my studies toward the CCIE and also in implementing better switching technologies in my companys network. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who plans on using any type of switching in their network environment or those studying for Cisco certification. However, this book should not be used solely as a study resource and then be put aside; it should be an integral part of any network administrators reference library.
Jun 27, 2001 fudamak@hotmail.com
Excellent Switch Bible, BCMSN and CCIE prep book
This is the switch book of all switch books. This book helped me to score 934 on BCMSN, and will be invaluable for my CCIE prep. Not only that, but book can be considered the 'black book' of cisco switching. Love the DOOM references. Also, check out Jeff Doyle's 'Routing TCP/IP vol 1' and vol2
Dec 5, 2000 M. Nisar
Excellent book from all aspects.
This is by all means one of the best books I have read on Switching. It is written in an excellent manner and gives a reader a great sense of how Switching works. I would highly recommend this book to any one working with Cisco Switches or working towards the Switching exam or CCIE.
Sep 6, 2000 Justin from Auckland, New Zealand
Excellent book - but how much is CCIE?
This book is a very good book - it is 5 stars for content. However, how much of this relates to CCIE stuff? I reckon just over half of the chapters. Alot of campus design material and Layer 3 switching that is not (yet) in the CCIE exam. Might help for the new CCIE Design Lab. Still, I would recommend this book for its LANE and Spanning Tree sections - it is a bit light on Token Ring VLANs, but has good coverage of VLANs in the Ethernet world.
Apr 29, 2000 Pete from Phoenix, AZ
Probably the best LAN switching book yet
This is probably the best of the books I have read on LAN switching. It even touches on Multilayer Switching on the Cat6000 series.
Oct 12, 1999 Richard Wheeler (richard.wheeler@crius.com) from Reston Virginia
Tremendous resource
I have just completed this book and it is an invaluable resource both from a study point of view but also as a deskside resource.
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