Cisco Systems Books

I recently purchased this book based on the rave reviews even with an updated second edition off the press. I can honestly say that this book is Awesome in detail and explanation and is still extremely relevant to understanding the how too's and processes involved in routing tcp/ip. The most amazing feature about this book is how well explained and the book makes topics that would normally seem dificult or confusing easily understood, in other words grandma could learn how routing tcp/ip works from reading this book!

Brandon, Rome, GA

Great book for understanding IGP in details.

If any book was ever considered as the MUST HAVE BIBLE for Interior Routing Protocols - then Jeff Doyle's first effort on IGPs is THE book (how many cliché's do you want in one sentence)!! The book goes through at a very even pace - dissecting and describing the majority of both open-standard IGPs (OSPF, RIP and a little on ISIS) and Cisco-proprietary IGPs (IGRP and it's beefier brother - EIGRP). The book also includes some invaluable appendixes - including tutorials on working with Binary and hex.

But let's focus on the book's main reason for being - explaining IGPs. Take for instance OSPF - one of the most popular and widely implemented routing protocols in use today. On page 416-417, the book correctly discusses virtual links as a type of network type. The OSPF chapter typically employs 5-8 routers (and shows the required configs). Such a daunting exercise may at first seem like overkill, but Doyle is able to show how (and why) the all these router configs are necessary (to show, for instance, how they interact with or whether a DR or BDR). The book does have it's typos though, as the table on page 484 incorrectly documents stub networks as allowing type 5 and 7 LSAs (not so - thus a stub!)

I cannot imagine there are many CCIEs out there that do not have this book on their bookshelf.

I give this book 5 pings out of 5:
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I am reviewing Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 (ISBN 1578700418), part of the CCIE Professional Development Series from Cisco Press. This book is widely regarded as part of the "Holy Trinity" of CCIE preparatory books. In addition to CCIE prep, it is also highly valued as an essential desk reference for anyone pursuing a career as a senior-level routing engineer. The author, Jeff Doyle, having written the two most recognized tomes on IP Routing, is a respected authority on the topic. His writing style is very clear and not at all difficult to read, which sets him apart from a lot of the authors in the "high-end routing book" category.

The book is part of a set of two books. TCP/IP Volume 1 contains coverage of the major interior routing protocols (RIP, IGRP, EIGRP, OSPF & ISIS) and follows it with coverage of route redistribution, filtering and mapping. TCP/IP Volume 2 covers the BGP exterior gateway protocol and follows it with coverage of advanced IP routing issues. As someone who's come up through the CCNA-to-CCNP-to-CCIE-candidate path, I recognized all of the topics from the BSCI curriculum. All this book really does is takes them to another level of depth. I highly recommend this path of coming at the CCIE, because unless you've done it all and seen it all, there's way too much information to take in during a single reading. Reading the BSCI book first gets you familiar with all of the topics, so that you're not overwhelmed when reading the Doyle books.

While many pan this book as being outdated since it was written in 1998, my contention is that all of the covered topics are still fair game for the CCIE qualifying written exam and the book still retains all of its original value. There are a lot of topics which are on the test which are not in Doyle's books, but if you look at the CCIE blueprint, the topics covered in the books map exactly to the topics in the IP Routing & IP Multicast sections of the blueprint. You can't treat any book as being a one stop shop for CCIE preparation. That's impossible. The book would be the size of my desk. I would actually contend that, on the next rewrite, they should break the 2 volume set into 3 volumes, one for the interior protocols, one for BGP by itself, and one for all of the advanced routing issues and multicast. This would make the volumes a bit less daunting and also somewhat easier to carry.

But, carry-ability issues aside, this is a very good book. It takes all of the topics to the degree of depth which you would expect for a CCIE-level book and explains things in a way that doesn't lose the reader. I had to work to keep the examples straight in my head, but no one said becoming a CCIE was easy. On the downside, the book contains no disc. This is unfortunate, because I always like to have the book on PDF. Also, it would be nice to have the review questions and answers put into a question bank. The book is also missing the "Do I Know This Already" section for each chapter, which is present in all of Cisco Press' certification guides. I realize that this is probably due to the fact that this is more of a desk reference / learning book than an official certification guide. However, as someone who's studying for an exam, I always like as many free practice questions as I can get.

I give Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 a 5 on my 5 ping rating scale and look forward to reading Volume 2.
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Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 by Jeff Doyle (ISBN 1578700418) is an advanced level book on the theory and practice of routing and its implementation in Cisco routers. The 1026-page book (with a 50+ page index - always an important part of any technical book) is packed with useful information, example network architectures, and sample commands and their corresponding outputs to help the reader get a thorough grasp of real-life application of the theory.

The book is meant for working professionals in the network and routing field. Part I presents some basic routing theory along with the routing types - static and dynamic. This section, as in other books, is meant as a review for those seasoned engineers who have been working in the field for some time. It also helps to bring up to speed the other readers who may lack the necessary background. Part II contains the real substance of the book. It covers the interior routing protocols in detail including RIP 1 & 2, IGRP, EIGRP, OSPF, and IS-IS. The material presented in these chapters is definitely solid enough to give a detailed understanding of the subject matter and provide the necessary knowledge to allow one to troubleshoot the problems that creep up in maintaining networks running these routing protocols. Part III presents the issue relating to the optimization of networks running these routing protocols such as filtering and redistribution. Part IV consists of the appendices.

The most useful part of the book in my opinion is the examples and sample outputs. These really help the reader to understand the details on implementing the concepts presented in the book. Jeff presents a sample network architecture and uses that architecture to explain various aspects of the topic being discussed. For example, to illustrate various aspects of EIGRP routing and load balancing, a 5-router mesh architecture is presented followed by a detailed discussion of concepts such as succession, load sharing, route transitions and updates, etc. This approach really helps in understanding all aspects of a particular topic with concrete examples to relate to.

I took hold of this book not to help in preparing for the CCIE but to assist in the understanding of routing protocols that I use in my work life. As such, I can not comment on the applicability of this book to preparing for the CCIE exam but as for its application to real world scenarios, this book far exceeds any other on the topic of routing in the Cisco environment.

I am really impressed with the material presented in this book. The book is thorough and detailed in its coverage of interior routing protocols. Jeff Doyle is an expert in his field and this book proves it. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest, I give an enthusiastic 5 to Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 by Jeff Doyle. I can't wait to get my hands on Volume II.

I am about 3/4 of the way through at this point. It is a fantastic book with a lot of good information. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good methodology for network design. There is also a lot of good hints for things to keep in mind while designing the network.

This book is a very comprehensive reference source and working guide for 3G mobile networks. If you're only going to buy one book on the subject, this is it.

I purchased this book with the intent on gaining a further understanding of the network design process. I really didn't expect the book to give me as through an understanding of network design as what has turned out to be the case. Coming from the network support side this book has been a tremendous compliment to my support and logic in how traffic flows from A to B. I feel now that after having read the book which is an EASY READ that I have come away with enough knowledge to auctually design and implement a small to midsized company network. The authur does an outstanding job of presenting to the reader the many processes involved in through network design, network logic, and what exactly happens when your pc 1st boots and why it takes so long for the logon screen to appear "if this is the case on your network", and countless other topics. If you are just getting into network design or have been in the field and are a seasoned veteran I highly recommend that you add this book to your networking library.

Like the carpenter, the network designer does well to develop a plan before purchase. The title, Top-Down Network Design, is accurate because the author's key approach throughout the book is to consider what works best for the end user and meet the goals of a Request for Proposal. Priscilla Oppenheimer has presented a well structured textbook that covers every facet of networking in general with the intent of training the reader in the best practices of network design. The point of this book is to discourage going straight to product catalogs and picking out hardware when assigned a network project. Even if the customer is not given an RFP, the designer should present an overview of the project that includes the goals and how those goals will be measured.

The reader should have some basic knowledge of networking. However, this would make an excellent text book at a university or trade school since Oppenheimer covers all of the logical concepts and physical aspects of modern networking. The well read and experienced network engineer will find it a good review with a unique insight or tip sprinkled just often enough to make it worth the read. Except for the CCDP exam, the book is primarily a supplement to the student, but a must have reference for the consulting and design professional.

Oppenheimer gives well thought through, easy to read descriptions of technologies. For example, page 208 gives the most succinct explanation of how IPv6 works I have ever read. Another practical lesson is her definition of the "Heisenberg uncertainty principle" as "the act of observing something can alter what is observed." Consultants should be careful that their analysis doesn't become a problem in itself. Top-Down Network Design is a reference you will want to check yourself and those you hire.

Top-Down Network Design, Second Edition is both a new terrific book and still a terrific book. The original took a systems approach to designing a network which could provide the service the people paying for it expected, partly by getting them to clarify their expectations and needs. The new Second Edition does this, too, but it includes material relevant to the networks being implemented today, and they are very different networks than we saw even three or four years ago.

New technologies, such as VPNs, VoIP, IPv6 as well as v4, Gigabit Ethernet and 10GigE, etc. are covered as part of a networking solution, not just as cool and sexy technologies to be rolled out for that reason. Likewise, new business emphases like reliability, redundancy, resiliency (which are not the same thing), security, and even survivability are addressed. Not all new technologies will help solve these problems, and, more often than not, they aren't even necessary. Thoughtful planning is far more important, and working with the network as it is now, toward what it is desired to become, is how you can really solve these problems.

I think one of the greatest techniques you can learn from TDND, 2e is to characterize the flows of traffic on the network. Priscilla Oppenheimer gives several examples of developing such analyses in a variety of situations - campus networks, WANs, a design testing scenario, and so forth. The Appendix with workstation bootup traffic information is especially helpful - the only thing I would have liked to see that I didn't was a little more detail on the contents of the various packets involved, but it is an Appendix, and using a sniffer will let you see them for yourself.

I have both the original and the new Second Edition - and getting the new one is definitely worth it. Networking has changed, and this book will help you handle the new material.

I bought this book for reference rather than than study use, but it has served its purpose well. First, this book provides decent coverage of Cisco Pixes. Brief overviews are provided of key technical concepts - enough that you can understand what exactly you're configuring. Secondly, the book provides excellent example configurations, even going so far as to step you through basic software setup. (i.e. A step-by-step guide to setting up the integrated PPTP Windows 2000 VPN client, including screenshots). Finally, it provides some of the best coverage of Cisco Pixes that I've found outside of Cisco's website.

There is only one thing I would have liked to see included in this book: A basic configuration example for those who want to use the Cisco Pix as a termination point for Cisco VPN Client connections. For THAT, I had to go hunting for information on Cisco's website. Thus far, this is my only complaint about the book.

I can whole-heartedly recommend this book for anybody who needs a good reference on setting up, configuring, and managing Pix firewalls.

Excellent book, everything you want to know about the Pix. Very thorough, topics are explaned well, in great detail and with good examples. This is the best Pix book on the market that I know of.

I got this book to configure a Cisco Secure ACS with VPN clients, and i reached my goal. And you can get many other topics in a cookbook style. You can read the technical information or only take ideas from examples. Excellent PIX firewall book.

This book well and truly paid for itself after the first couple of chapters. We found a number of areas where our setup was wrong and this book provided a very indepth look at the PIX product and enabled us to fix this easily and quickly. Good book for all users.

If you use PIX, get this book, it has a LOT of great info.

This book may be overkill for the CCIE R&S track, but if you want to UNDERSTAND VoX and related technologies, this book is awesome. Now I feel like jumping over to the C&S track.

I haven't read the whole book, I'm 50% done, but the first impression is that there's too much theorical information, but I think we really need that. That's absolutely a wonderful resource. After reading some parts of this book I was able to setup a successful VoIP connection. This book also helps to understand the codecs, problems you can find, etc..

Good choice!

Daniel Lafraia
CCNP,CCDP

I bought the 1st edition back in 2000 and since then it is still the most frequently visited reference when I helped my clients to build VoIP networks. It was written completely from a hands-on engineer perspective, aiming at getting the job done. So you would expect very detailed description on signaling ..., design scenario, IOS programming and trouble-shooting in debug mode. My favourite parts are the coverage on Echo, dial-peer programming and SIP. After finishing a SIP network project, I'm just amazed how a book in year 2000 can provide such a farsighted material.

Keagy brings up a lot of important issues a level deeper than most books on the subject. It is a great reference book but most sections are readable all the way through. If you are moderately technical or very technical you'll get something out of this book. The more books you buy the subject the more you'll appreciate this one for its attention to detail and clarity.

I'm a qualified Cisco CCSI/Microsoft course trainer, and needed a book to get me started in the area of Voice networks in a reasonably technical, practical and non-trivial manner. I definitely found it in this book. Keagy provided an excellent overview of the operational details of voice networks & SS7, and married this well to Voice-IP networks and WAN technologies. It was refreshing in that, although Cisco oriented, you are thankfully spared the worst of Cisco's product placement sales pitch (for which you'd need the CVoice book). In fact I can concur with other reviewers in that Keagy's obvious practical experience, mature expressive style with plenty of useful figures/illustrations (which I personally as a trainer really appreciate) and ability to impart knowledge in an enjoyable worldly manner shine throughout in the text in a style that is remniscent of Doyle Routing - I look forward to more books by Keagy (hopefully his wife will let him :o)
Although you can buy books that cover the individual chapters in more detail (Keagy provides numerous references), this single tome is a must for anyone breaking into the trendy area of Voice from a predominantly data networking background.

Since i had it, it has been a good source of information. The autor has shown the vast of experience in troubleshooting cisco router and i thank for the diagrams that clearly support all the examples in the book. It brings with tips and identify common and uncommon pitfalls. I like the very explained part about routing protocols. I would like a new release with more tips about layers 1 and 2.

"A good book is which you open with interest and close it with benefits"

This book is well-written and accurate. The writing is easy to follow. I read it very quickly, but didn't notice any errors. I plan to keep it as a reference for when I need to troubleshoot particular internetworking problems. I think it will be quite useful for typical problems. (It's somewhat basic, so may not cover the more bizarre problems, but that's OK. No book can cover every possible problem.) I have never met the author, but he seems like a wise fellow, with a lot of good advice to offer to the Cisco networking professional. This book is an accomplishment that he should be proud of.

This is a good book which will help you to perform better in basic troubleshooting but it's not great as I was expected. The best part of this book is easy to read and understand. However for anyone who is preparing the CCNP, this book will be very much useful.

not configured a router properely so i was a novice. however my work needed good knowledge of this so when i saw this book i thought i`ll try it. superb i`m now telling engineers in the uk and europe what to do..

Normally, I wouldn't buy a text that involves Cisco routers/switches from anyone else other than Cisco Press; but, after researching the author's background (and since this was backed by IDG books, which has a pretty good record of publishing quality texts), I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed (well, only that I didn't purchased it sooner).

The book is excellent! When a book is about troubleshooting, I expect it to contain real-life situations that can help me at closing time, on a Friday afternoon. This book does not lack that, as opposed to Cisco Press' CIT guide. If you're a network engineer or administrator in-charge of administering and maintaining your Cisco environment, buy this book! I am sure you would not regret it.

This book is excellent. Complete focus on outdoor wireless networks. Primary focus is 802.11-based bridging and outdoor end-user-to-AP connectivity, but information, advice and site survey content is absolutely applicable to WiMax-based networks as well. If you want to learn anything about outdoor wireless bridging site readiness and design, this book is a solid reference. Solid editing job as well with very little fluff. Highly recommended.

Maybe just a tad bit too technical for a neewbie like me. Lots of great info.

This book is a very good reference and starting point to examine the Wireless ISP business. The only problem I have with this book is that it is outdated. I knew that before I bought it. I recommend this book and it is easy to follow along.

Great Book. The autor balances theory and practice perfectly. I just build a WISP from the scratch. I wouldn't be able to do this as fast and good as I did without the help of Mr. Unger's book.

As an owner of a mid sized WISP, the author has captured the real life problem we experience both from a strategic and field perspective. From antenna alternatives, pros and cons of varying polarization, business issues to consider and multitudes of other factors that must be balanced to support a customer service organization delivering wireless internet services. Thanks! My entire staff was required to read this book cover to cover.

This is a very long book. It is full of detail, with configs & scenarios backing up the theory.
Although if you are interested in following the scenarios on real equipment, you will need to take out a hefty bank loan to cover it.

If anyone is having trouble understanding certain topics in BCMSN especially when it comes to practical configuration, then this book is a good addition to your existing BCMSN study guide.

I really like the chapters on AAA and Multicasting. The author explains on how to configure a Cisco Secure ACS 3.2 along with router/switch configuration command. Other BCMSN study guide just throws you the router/switch configuration command and let you figure out the AAA server configuration by yourself.

The multicasting chapter explains step by step on how sparse & dense mode, multicast routing table, IGMP really works. The step by step explanation on how the IGMP packet flows when the client first request a multicast group in sparse mode and step by step explanation on packet flows when a source initially multicast a group in dense mode.

Overall, this is a good book with many practical configuration examples. Howerver, I wish that this book would also include MST.

There is a new contender in the heavy weight LAN switching category of networking books. Justin Menga's CCNP Practical Studies: Switching, is an excellent addition to the Cisco Press family. Many consider the Clark and Hamilton book the acme of LAN switching, but Menga's book stands right there in the upper echelons.

The book starts off with basic switch connectivity - identifying the different Cisco Catalyst switches, operating systems, supervisor engines and switching modules as well as installing, configuring, monitoring and troubleshooting a Catalyst switch on a network.

More advanced topics such as VLANS, trunking , spanning tree, inter-VLAN routing, layer 3 switching, multicast and security are covered in depth. Each chapter has several configuration scenarios that help in understanding the subject matter and reinforcing concepts.
Working with actual equipment would be best but for those who do not have access to switching equipment; the configurations are detailed and clear enough to follow.

For those who will be implementing VoIP on their networks, a good grasp of QoS is essential. The QoS chapter adequately covers how to configure end-to-end quality of service on a LAN.

This work is a great effort by Justin Menga and I highly recommend this book both as a reference book and to prepare for the CCNP switching exam.

This book is certainly "practical". There are some passages in each chapter for just reading, but the majority of pages in this book are showing actual commands and outputs from several models of Cisco switches. I intend to keep it arms lenghth from my desktop at work as a reference. What if you have a switch down one day because the operating system is corrupted? CCNP Practical Studies: Switching has what to do in this situation for both the Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS.
Justin Menga's 958-page manual is not for beginners to Cisco, or for the CIO who just wants to know the "skinny". In these pages are the dirty details of how the lower layers of the OSI model work in today's campus LANs. Besides CCNP and CCIE candidates, any LAN administrator will find this book useful. The individual who reads this book should have a basic understanding of networking and Cisco equipment.
The first chapter reviews the specifications and capabilities of at least six families of Cisco switches, familiarizing the reader with the equipment that will be used throughout the book. Special attention is placed on the 3550 series switch, which is covered in the CCIE exam. VLANs are covered from many angles in several chapters. This includes concepts, how it works with the big expensive switches verses the lower end models, and the Catalyst versus IOS models. Multilayer switching (MLS) is compared to the next-generation CEF-based Layer 3 switching. However, both are covered thoroughly since both will around for awhile.
A great extra in the book for the certification candidate and teacher are the labs in Chapter 11 and the solutions to them in the appendices. I would really consider the entire book sort of a lab. But the ending labs cover the major parts of the book with two comprehensive assignments. Menga does seem repetitive at times. For example, he remids us several times that if we manually set the speed and duplex on one end of a switched Ethernet connection we should manually set it on the other end. This redundancy is perhaps justified by the probablity that Justin Menga has seen this error many times in network troubleshooting and it can also be an intermittent problem: the worst kind to solve.
One can appreciate the amount of time it takes to write a book of this magnitude. The author had to have access to a number of switches and routers to produce all the output and screen shots in the book. He also shares a number of "notes" that are helpful. Such as, that Cisco has discontinued supplying a tftp server program and recommends a place to download freeware that he has tested.
When reading computer self-study guides, occasionally one finds a volume that accomplishes its goal so well that no other book is needed. CCNP Practical Studies: Switching comes close to this ideal. Improvements that the book could have include a small glossary to help the student define terms that are unfamiliar.

This book is a great book. Doesn't get any deeper than this, but I had a very hard time with the figures and the numbering. The text would refer to a figure that didn't exist but the figure above it would be the right one (with a wrong number). Also, a lot of the figures were missing components called out in the scenerios or text. As a previous technical writer, this book drove me insane to read. Also, the chapters needed to be broken up a little more. 100 pages per chapter is way too long.

Otherwise, yes it is a good book. Tons of detail, however, you will be handicapped considerably without having $10,000.00 worth of switch and router gear just laying around. I bought Boson's Netsim hoping to help, and it didn't have any of the commands needed to do these labs. Bottom line, get the real thing if you can.

The collaborative work of Lee Dryburgh, Jeff Hewett, Lee Dryburgh, and Jeff Hewitt, Signaling System No. 7 (SS7/C7): Protocol, Architecture, and Services teaches aspiring engineers SS7/C7 architectures and expertly shows just how to maintain their operations. Complete with coverage of both North American and international standards, the student engineers and computer network and communication system developers will learn about basic call setup, management, and tear down, personal communications services (PCS), wireless roaming, and mobile subscriber authentication. A seminal and highly recommended work of technical excellence, Signaling System No. 7 (SS7/C7) is enhanced with local number portability (LNP), with toll free (800/888) and toll (900) wireline services are also being covered, as well as other enhanced features and security management.

The book provides comprehensive coverage on the topic of SS7, including less discussed topic such as SS7 security as well as new areas of SS7 over IP. I find it quite readable due to the frequent use of examples to explain the concepts, and figures to illustrate how things work. The authors also tried to cover both ITU-T and ANSI variants of SS7. While that gives the reader a wider perspective of the subject, it can sometimes be confusing, especially to one who is new to the area. Another point I like about the book is its appendix; it makes a good quick reference guide.

This book covers everything in SS7 including TCAP, AIN, & ANSI. It is a great read and easy to understand if you have a working knowledge of the protocols.
To follow on after reading this book I would recommend Lee's training course, Lee not only covers the topic's in his book, he applies his expertise and real world knowledge for you to learn from. A great book to have if you are in the telecommunications industry.

I agree with all the positive comments on this book. It's really great. But there are *many* typos on the book. Sometimes, the typos can make it more difficult to understand the matter. Like when calling and called are interchanged. But I recommend the purchase of this book.

This is an excellent tutorial and reference book for the Signaling System No.7 (SS7/C7).It is the same useful both for those that have no previous knowledge and/or exposure of SS7 and those that have already some experience or knowledge in it.I already had some elementary theoretical knowledge and some working experience in SS7 softstacks and simulators but this book gave me a thorough and complete information step by step to the different stack layers, functions of each, message structure traversing each as well as a clear and consise overview of the PSTN network, the GSM network and the Sigtran protocol. Sigtran of course is not the main focus of this book so it is covered briefly but in a sufficient degree in one chapter.Those who are interested in a deeper study of Sigtran can read the recommended references by the author.
Some minor mistakes mostly typos that are counted to the fingers of both hands may be forgiven for a book of almost 700 pages covering such a complicated technical subject as the SS7 Signaling System, which gives such a detailed,elaborated and beautifully structured knowledge useful and digestible even for the most unfamiliar reader.
Also, unlike someone's assumptions that since the book is published by Cisco Press it would give Cisco point of view and solutions description for SS7, it is not the case.It is cleverly written as a no-vendor technical tutorial in SS7, based exclusively in the standard bodies specifications (ITU-T, ETSI, ANSI etc) as well as in various no-vendor reference sources (more than 150 in number).To this the authors vast experience in SS7 apparently contributes greatly.
Consequently, a future work on SS7 that we would greatly welcome is a book of how to program in SS7, install SS7 hardware and configure an SS7 network.

Learning to troubleshoot, whether it's hardware or software or router for that matter, requires and understanding of the way troubleshooting works. Cormac Long put together and excellent reference manual to make sure you have the ability to make router work with little help.

In the first three chapters you get material on testing and diagnostics and the tools you'll need. Chapters 4 & 5 take on topics like serial communications, X.25 and frame relay. Finally in chapters 7 & 8 comes the routing protocols like RIP, IGRP, EIGRP, OSPF and BGP. There is also trouble-shooting help for other operating systems like Novell, AppleTalk, and IBM and switched Ethernet. Long includes review questions, hands-on exercises as well as diagrams, figures, tables and screen shots.

Overall a very complete reference manual to have with you.

I do not get much infomation from the author's 12 years internetworking experience. It is just like a debug commands DIRTIONARY. When in troubleshooting not just do debug commands, an engineer should also pay attendation in the global view of the problem. That's need some experience but seldom in the book.

I passed the CCIE lab 2 months ago. I fortunately bought this book in April and it was my number one reference by far! Packed with complex configurations and troubleshooting scenarios. All are explained in a detailed step by step manner. It covers everything EIGRP,OSPF,BGP,DLSW,IPX,Apple the works. I feel the need to express my gratitude to the author especially when I saw a review that is completely at odds with the other glowing reviews. I notice this reviewer (unlike the other ones) gives no information as to why they formed this opinion... Interesting... Anyway, my advice is simple- don't ignore a book that could help change your career, like it did mine.

Not much I can add to the already glowing reviews of this book, but I'll try. I used this along with several other books in prepping for the CIT exam, but this is the one I'm already rereading after successfully passing the exam.

Plenty of real-world information is packed into this highly-readable book. This one might not have the hype other Cisco books do, but it should. Just enough screen readout to illustrate what's going on. Great review questions.

I really cannot recommend this book highly enough. I started using it late into my CIT prep and found myself wishing I had gotten it earlier. Do yourself a favor and pick up this excellent work. I look forward to the author's next book!

I found this book the best for indepth detail into troubleshooting a variety of issues. Goes further than any of the other troubleshooting books( Syngress and even Cisco's CIT book) and actually the best Cisco book that I have read. It covers troubleshooting BGP and DLSW, unlike any of the other books and has been extremely useful for the job and for studying for the CIT exam.

A very good reference guide for any new/existing cme/cue deployment. Specifically the sample config guides were very useful. Overall this book is well written.

Cisco IP Communications Express: CallManager Express with Cisco Unity Express (ISBN 1-58705-180-X) is an all-in-one resource for configuring, managing, and troubleshooting the Cisco CallManager Express (CME) solution. It is almost 900 pages and is well organized into five parts: overview, feature operation and applications, administration and management, maintenance and troubleshooting, and appendices. If you are involved in configuring or maintaining the Cisco CallManger Express, this book will provide you with all the information you need to get your work done.

Cisco CME is an integrated solution offered by Cisco for meeting the IP telephony needs of small businesses or branch offices. The CME solution, which consists of the call processing feature and the voice mail feature, runs on the Cisco routers ranging from the 1700 series to the 3700 series and beyond. Whereas the CallManager suite offers centralized approach to building out an enterprise wide VoIP network, the CME is meant to serve the needs of smaller businesses or to integrate seamlessly into the larger, enterprise solution.

The book is well written and starts out with a high level architecture of the deployment scenarios for CME. The second part gets into the features and applications side of the solution. This part is where the crux of the book lies. It presents a detailed coverage of the commands used to configure the CallManager solution under various scenarios such as implementing different call features, integrating VoIP with PSTN, and deploying CME as part of a larger CallManager solution. This part presents a thorough coverage of Unity Express (UE), the voicemail module of the CME. The third part relates to the management of CME. Particularly useful in this part is a real-life configuration example as it illustrates and brings together a lot of the material covered in the earlier part of the book. Part four gets into the essential topic of troubleshooting the CME solution. It provides useful tips and solutions for common problems found in deploying the call processing and voice mail aspects of CME. This is definitely a very useful section of the book. The last part, the appendices, has reference materials and scripts used in the book to make daily tasks easier etc.

One of the strong points of the book is a multitude of sample configurations. The authors provide sample configurations throughout the book to help illustrate the concepts being presented. This sample configuration goes a long way if the reader has the task of actually configuring CME. The other strong point of the book is the depth of coverage given to each topic that is discussed. With the exception of a handful of topics (one in particular which I'll mention), the book never glosses over any topic; rather it covers it in detail, ensuring that most aspects of the topic are addressed. The exception to this was the coverage of the D/A module(s) used for attaching analog devices to CME, such as a fax machine. Given that analog fax machines still constitute a critical part of any business, I would expect this topic to be covered in detail. However, I found that no configuration examples were provided on how to configure this in the CME suite.

In summary, this book is a great all-in-one reference for configuring and managing CME. I would highly recommend it to any professional tasked with working on Cisco's CallManager Express.

overall this book is very good. I like the examples it presents to make thing clear, and also the broadness of topics it covers.
Since Cisco IP Telephony evolves so quickly, I wish Cisco will release newer editions with updated technologies. in particular I was hoping this book should contribute some to SIP and its deployment in UCME environment.

I've used this book as a main reference for my first complete implementation of CCME and CUE. I said "main" reference instead of "only" reference, because there are few small gaps to be filled by Cisco on-line documentation, but the deficiencies are too small to justify anything less than 5 stars. Additionally, there is a lot of general (IP and traditional) telephony information so even a relative beginner, after reading this book, will be able to intelligently interview future users (Chapter 5 is simply brilliant!), design quite complex system with many fancy call features, and even create scripts for quite sophisticated Auto-Attendant options. Certain concepts are not explained in complete detail (for example dial peers or voice ports), but deeply enough for the needs of CCME.

A must have book


This book is a great tool for full and complete understanding of Cisco's IP Communication Express. The structure is geared to first provide a foundation with an overview, then moves into design and implementation the book is organized into different parts that provide great coverage of all aspects.

Part I starts with introducing IP Communication. The coverage begins by taking you on a journey into what Cisco IPC is, the benefits of IPC, and the architecture of IPC networks. The one thing you notice is that the authors took great care in organizing the chapters. Each chapter is well written and easy to follow along. This makes the book a great choice as either a first learning book or as a refresher book for experienced professionals looking to augment their knowledge. One of the first chapters shows you the features and functions of the various gateways, WAN interfaces and IP phones available for use in an IPC network. This allows you to pick the best equipment for your particular solution. I believe this is great because it allows you learn some features of the product in order to decide if you would like to research it further; this helps streamline the process of design and political issues. Another section of the Part 1 goes over the architecture of IPC. You will learn the ins and outs of what happens at a low level. You will learn a-lot of core information; get an introduction to equipment and technologies that can be utilized.


Part II of this book is where the fun begins. Chapter 4 goes over the IP phones in more detail. You are taught about features and how to configure the individual phones. The chapter is short and to the point. Chapter 5 is an incredible book where the engineers' ears will perk up. Call Manager Call processing features are presented in this chapter. The topics here include hunt groups, call parking, shared lines, intercom, paging and much more. I really like the configurations and examples in this book. With this chapter you will be able to quickly implement the CM features.
The next chapter deals with Connectivity to the PSTN. The focuses in this chapter are signaling and how to handle the inputted digits. One of the only faults I think with this book is that chapters 5 and 6 should be swapped.

Part III and IV cover Administration, Management, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Now is really where the techies cheer up. Here is all the goodies on how to setup CME, UE, and what to do if problems arise. The gold mine is located in these 2 parts.
These chapters provide the reader with detail and examples to help reinforce all that is being explained.

I don't want to spoil this book or be long winded so I will say the remaining pages of this book are well worth the read. It covers everything you need in order to obtain a solid understanding of Cisco's IPC. There is no area that isn't covered with attention to detail. The authors provide quality information that is very useful in all areas of understanding and implementation of Cisco IP Express. The reader will come away with exceptional and relevant knowledge to do anything needed with IPC. I got this book to help augment my 4+ years with Cisco Voice products, I feel that it did help cement my knowledge and also taught me quite a few new things.


Brion S. Washington