Cisco Books

The number of changes that Microsoft implemented when they went from Visual Basic 6.0 to the .NET Framework are huge. This book takes you through the steps to not only convert your current code, but to get you into the correct mind set to program in the .NET architecture.

The examples in the book are clear for the basic programmer to learn from, and at the same time cover all of the steps one needs to be aware of to make a successful program.

This definitely should be your first book to read when planning the updating of your current code and future code plans.

With all that has changed from VB 6.0 to VB.NET, you need a solid starting place for our personal migration. This book provides that solid starting place with a good mix of theory and examples, organized in a very easy to follow natural progression.

The book takes you through the basic changes to Visual Basic .Net, to the new features of the language, and finally how to make it all come together.

The author has a solid grasp of the material and presents it in a way that allows you to get a working knowledge of VB.Net in a short amount of time.

Great book on the OSPF protocol. Everything is covered in great detail. All protocol components are presented in an easy to understand manner. This book will be very useful to any network engineer that works with OSPF implemented by any vendor, not only Cisco.

OSPF being one of the core topics for the CCIE exams, you simply cannot know enough about it. Andrew's book is an excellent text on this important topic. It's a concise overview of the different area types and many small details involving those areas that can make the difference on the exam. My congratulations to Andrew on a fine book. Well worth the money.

Chris Bryant
CCIE #12933

This is really a great book for guys who need to know details about DOCSIS and PKTC phone. I used it as my reference as well.

I found Jeff's book to be very well written and a thorough reference on the topic of PacketCable. I had a fairly good knowledge of PacketCable when I started reading and this book helped fill in the details I was lacking. I referenced material in the book almost instantly in my daily role as an engineer. This book provided the information I as unable to find on websites and didn't have time to decipher from standards documents. I personally felt the sections on CPE provisioning and quality of service helped clarify my understanding of PacketCable the most.

I read the book cover to cover; however, the book is logically divided in to sections and chapters so readers can move around to get the information they need. The material is presented well enough that I think even readers with limited knowledge of PacketCable will find it very helpful.

The book also includes typical configurations for network elements that may not be of interest to some readers but that information is done in sections which can easily skipped over.

I did a lot of reading while traveling and this book is something you will have to work to fit into a carry-on bag. At over 1050 pages, I hope you believe me when I say above that it is thorough.

I like the book for the following reasons and many more: -covers both routers & switches -covers the show commands as well as the equivalent SNMP objects -tells me the inside information (e.g.) Which ver of IOS started supporting sub-interfaces, IOS hidden commands -tells me how I can leverage applications like HpOV NNM, MRTG etc

And it tells all this and more in a simple language (e.g.) The chapter on monitoring CPU & Memory resources explains lucidly how one can be proactive about monitoring these 2 key elements.

The chapter on VLAN management is another good example. One of the topics it covers is about monitoring spanning tree topology changes, how you can use community string indexing to get vlan information for each individual vlan

I am certainly not a professional but found this book very informative. The writing was "reader friendly" but, of course, having a computer and being networked certainly are not enough credentials to fully understand the nuances of this book. I highly recommend this book for people "in the business."

Let me just say, Wow! I have really enjoyed reading this book! I thought it was a refreshing twist to most romances. I love the mix between mystery and romance. Even with the bit of fantasy, I found the characters believable. I also loved the way the story kept you glued to the book. I want more!

I really loved the characters in this book. The focus on the true emotions and life situations made the characters seem real. I also enjoyed the way the story kept moving with never a dull moment! It was a hard book to put down. I wanted to read it from cover to end without stopping. I have heard there is a second book due out that I just can't wait to read. I know this author is also a very talented artist. I have also looked up her artwork online. It's as passionate as her writing!

This book is perfectly focused on the intention of setting Public Wi-Fi Hotspots. By this I mean that the book doesn't load you down with all the technical details of how wireless networks work, but instead dives right into the business/organizational benefits of running such a network as a hotspot. There is a very brief chapter at the end that gives an overview of RF or wireless signals (literally 14 pages) and this is perfect. Great job staying on focus.

The book presents the implementation of Wi-Fi Hotspots from start-to-finish covering these topics:

-Why Implement a Hotspot
-Simple Quick-Install Hotspots
-Adcvanced Hotspot technologies
-Marketing your hotspot
-Avoiding freeloaders who consume your bandwidth
-Common problems and resolutions
-Hotspot safety and security

...among others. If you are considering implementing a hotspot for pay or for marketing purposes, this book is a great place to start. -Tom Carpenter, Author: Wireless# Certification Official Study Guide, CWNA Certification Official Study Guide 4th Edition, CWSP Certification Official Study Guide 2nd Edition

Have not settled down to read the contents, but have flipped through the pasges. Very well presented, with tons of graphics - drawings, images, pictures etc make it look like an easy to read and digest book. If the contents are anything like the presentation, it'll simply A1 material.

The authors have done an excellent job of cramming a great deal of useful information into a concise guide to Cisco VPDN.
This book is pretty well written, is covered in a clear and easy to read manner and It's so excellent for the theoretical explanation of VPDN.
It explains as well how to configure the ios in so many different networking scenarios.
Finally, you get quality with this one.

This book covers the WAN concepts that you will encounter on the CCNA Exam. It has chapters covering Basic WAN Concepts, PPP, Frame Relay, Network Security, ACLs, IPv6, NAT, DHCP, and Network Troubleshooting. The beginning of each chapter lists the exam objectives in the format of questions, and it also lists the key terms that you can look up in the glossary. I found this helpful because I could easily look up whatever term I was unfamiliar with before I started reading each chapter. I could also get an idea of what I was expected to learn from this chapter by reading the exam objectives. The diagrams in each chapter were explained in an easy to understand format, and that really helped me understand the concepts. The activities with each chapter helped me reviewcthe concepts that I learned in each chapter. There is also a "Check Your Understanding" and a "Challenging Questions" part at the end. These really tested me and helped me make sure I understood the concepts in each chapter. I was easily able to figure out what areas I needed to improve in. After going through this book I'm very confident of all the material I learned in it. I now have a clear understanding of WAN concepts, access lists, and network security. I highly recommend purchasing the CCNA Exploration Accessing the WAN Labs also for hands on experience.

IT organizations face pressure to increase productivity and improve application performance, and the two authors here review how network professionals face special problems in delivering applications to globally distributed workforces. From how accelerators are changing application business models to using NetFlow to baseline application requirements and leveraging WAN optimization technologies to improve applications, this is a top pick to advanced WAN optimization issues and guidelines, recommended for any collection strong in the topic.

Ever wished you grabbed a network security title off the shelf and found it to be comprehensive enough, covering hot topics such as security policies, risk management, top-level attacks and security threats in a non-technical manner, but without compromising quality and important information?

If so, then this is your book. Catherine Paquet, Warren Saxe and Cisco Press have managed to produce what seems to be more than just `another fine title'.

The Business Case For Network Security is a book aimed at people.

The book is well written using simple English language, allowing people of all levels to clearly understand the topics analysed. The target audience would seem to be people in a managerial position or network professionals who require basic understanding of network threats, security measures, risk assessment tools etc., without getting into the details required by a programmer or security auditor.

So what's covered?

The book has 3 main sections:
1) Vulnerabilities and Technologies
2) Human and Financial Issues
3) Policies and Future

Vulnerabilities and Technologies

The first section is certainly a favourite!

It starts by introducing the reader to the world of security by exposing the damage caused by exploits and hackers in general.

Continuing with a small yet effective analysis of `the hacker', where they come from, how they are categorised, the authors then move into the popular topic `categories of attacks'. Here are just a few illustrated and well documented attacks outlined in the book:
* Buffer Overflow and Bandwidth Consumption
* Domain Name Hijacking
* Mail Bomb
* Distributed Denial of Service Attack
* Footprinting
* Eavesdropping
* Password Attack

Even the new wireless attacks are included here, along with the famous `Social Engineering Tactics'!

The authors take the reader through ways to protect a network from these types of attacks. Virus protection, traffic filtering, encryption, content filtering, assessment and auditing are a few of the methods and tactics analysed.

Human and Financial Issues

The second section is where this wonderful book starts to really move away from your everyday security book. It discusses in detail how company managers are able to `secure' their network by enforcing policies and providing strict guidelines to their employees.

This is a topic many books fail to cover in the detail required. Some don't mention it at all. If you consider that the `human factor' still remains the greatest threat of all, then you'll understand how important this topic is. The book does a great job by not only fully covering the topic, but also providing useful information to help managers start thinking and acting accordingly.

A generous 130 pages are devoted to this section and here are a few of the topics discussed:
* Securing the Organization: Equipment and Access
* Managing the Availability and Integrity of Operations
* Mobilizing the Human Element: Creating a Secure Culture
* Determining Rules and Defining Compliance
* Ensuring a Successful Security Policy Approach
* Involving the Board
* Recognizing the Goals of the Corporation
* Outlining Methods IT Managers Can Use to Engage the Organization
* Risk Aversion and Security Topologies
* Return on Prevention: Investing in Capital Assets

We don't want to tell you all the topics, but from this sample you get the idea. Guidelines for creating policies is not something you'll find easy and most IT Managers end up turning to security companies to provide them with the information contained in this book!

Policies and Future

The last section of the book extends the policies to provide more sophisticated technical `hands-on' policies. These polices are the key elements your engineers (or you) will use to ensure your security systems and network(s) are safeguarded from the prying eyes of hackers.

The reader is given an understanding of the purposes of the various policies available and how they can be implemented. Physical security policies, access-control policies, VPN and encryption policies, Data sensitivity, retention and ethics policies are just a few.

The authors make it clear that `Security is a Living Process' and describe methodology required to ensure you're not caught off-guard by uninvited guests.

Overall the book gets the thumbs up, and is highly recommended to IT Managers, networking professionals and business executives seeking to asses their organisations risks and introduce mechanisms to protect their investments, data and integrity.

This book is a goldmine of vital information, so get out there and grab yourself a copy - you surely won't regret it!