Intranet Books

With 'Windows PowerShell Cookbook: for Windows, Exchange 2007, and MOM V3' learn how the old way of writing scripts for Windows is in the past and it's better that way!

PowerShell (released in 2006) is quite simply a new way of shell scripting for Windows that takes the old command way of doing things and injecting it with super steroids. By leveraging the power of .NET and giving the user a good way to use it via the command line, PowerShell is the end result. Everything that administrators or power users ever did before or wanted to do in Windows can now be done faster and better than before and this is the perfect guide to help you do the things that you never thought were possible before.

Chapter Overview

01. Intro to Windows PowerShell
02. Pipelines
03. Variables and Objects
04. Looping and Flow Control
05. Strings and Unstructured Text
06. Calculations and Math
07. Simple Files
08. Structured Files
09. Internet-Enabled Scripts
10. Code Reuse
11. Lists, Arrays, Hashtables
12. User Interaction
13. Tracing and Error Management
14. Environmental Awareness
15. Extending Windows PowerShell
16. Security and Script Signing
17. Files and Directories
18. Windows Registry
19. Comparing Data
20. Event Logs
21. Processes
22. System Services
23. Active Directory
24. Enterprise Computer Management
25. Manage and Exchange 2007 Server
26. Manage an Operations Manager 2007 Server
A. PowerShell Language and Environment
B. Regular Expression Reference
C. PowerShell Automatic Variables
D. Standard PowerShell Verbs
E. Selected .NET Classes and Their Uses
F. WMI Reference
G. Selected COM Objects and Their Uses
H. .NET String Formatting
I. .NET DateTime Formatting

With around 270 recipes, this is a full reference. If you use PowerShell or are and admin that needs to learn it you would be wise to pick this book up and start using it, it's a great resource to have by your side.

***** RECOMMENDED

I got this book to learn Powershell, but I'm most interested in writing Cmdlets. The first chapter is a great overview of what PowerShell can do, and the subsequent ones are what you'd expect (more detail, good examples, well chosen topics).

I really wanted more on extending Powershell, but it's more meant as a user's guide, and it does a good job at that. I liked that when he shows how to do extend Powershell, he does it with csc instead of visual studio -- to show that you can easily do it with a simple editor if you don't have VS.

Lee Holmes' WINDOWS POWERSHELL COOKBOOK comes from a Powershell team developer who provides hundreds of tested recipes to get Microsoft's new tool working. Over 150 recipes combine with an introduction to the Windows PowerShell scripting language to make for an excellent 'cookbook' packed with code and discussions of how and why it works. It's an excellent technical survey programmers will relish.

This PowerShell book is one of three that I own. As with most other O'reilly cookbooks, I recommend PowerShell Cookbook as not a beginner's guide (for that I recommend Wrox's Professional PowerShell) but as a reference for those who are somewhat familiar with the language and looking for solutions to everyday and not-so-everyday tasks. Even so, I did use this book to learn PowerShell so if you have the budget for only one book, I'd suggest buying this one. If you have the budget for two, also go for Wrox's Professional PowerShell. If you have the budget for three, add Bruce Payette's incredible "PowerShell in Action" to your collection to learn not only how but why.

Windows PowerShell Cookbook makes it apparent that the author, Lee Holmes, is an accomplished and articulate coder as his solutions are often quite elegant. Because of this, I would also recommend this book for those looking to sharpen their scripting style.

As with much 1.0 software, PowerShell is missing a few things -- most notably deep Active Directory integration. I look forward to PowerShell 2.0 and with it, the second edition of this book.

Windows PowerShell Cookbook: for Windows, Exchange 2007, and MOM V3

I bought this book for two reasons. 1) to get up to speed on powershell and various use cases. 2) to get up to speed on powershell with respect to Exchange specific tasks and MOM specific tasks.

With respect to #1, it is an adequate book and I would give it 4 stars. With respect to #2, it is a dismal failure and I would be generous by giving it two stars. There are roughly 5 pages on both Exchange and MOM. You are better off using the help files or online docs.

Summary statement: This is a good generic powershell book but is poor in its attempt to provide an adequate resource for the Exchange 2007 and MOM sections.

This book contains lots of good info for a person new to SharePoint but I found the "Try It Out" sections to be an exercise in frustration. Many of the "Try It Out" sections do not pick up from where the previous one left off and do not provide instructions on getting to the point where Step 1 of the section can be performed. Very annoying.

In between Sharepoint for Dummies and the MOSS Administrator Manual is this book - how to actually use SharePoint in the organisation. It has everything you need to know about the different components and what to do with them. A lifesaver!!!

I've read a lot of books about Sharepoint and MOSS and actually I can say that this is my personal "top of the list" for ayone who wants to be introduced into the Sharepoint and MOSS world.
The book is simple to read and rich of guided samples, it covers all the aspects you need in order to start working with Sharepoint and MOSS.
If you're a developer that wants to customize the engine, this is not the right book for you... but if you've the needs to learn Sharepoint and to work immediately with it, this is extremely recommended.
As usual, Wrox is a guarantee...

(by http://www.demiliani.com/blog)

As the title states I find this a great place to start learning or use as a reference. You can never have enough good references!

I found this book to be inline with the other "Beginning" Wrox books. It outlines key concepts within the SharePoint platform and provides examples of how to use those concepts to build team solutions.

From outlining site columns and content types to working with ECS and the BDC this book is sure to provide you with essential SharePoint knowledge to get you going!

When I started learning SharePoint, one of the biggest fundamental problem I had was to understand the new terms used in SharePoint. Sites, Site Collection, Web Application, Site Column, Content Types are some of those terms. Without understanding these basic terms, its hard to understand power of Sharepoint. Doesn't matter whether you are great SharePoint programmer or administrator, you need to have your fundamentals right. That's where this book comes from.

Learning SharePoint starts with basic terms like - Lists, Document Library, Sites, Site Collection, Workspaces, Site Columns, Content Types, Workflows, Web Part, Security Groups, Forms Services, Excel Services, BDC, WSS Search and Enterprise Search, Portals for internal and intranet and that's what this book provides. It gives a foundation what every new SharePoint power users, administrator, or developer needs.

This books focuses on out-of-box customizations targeting Power Users and Administrators, mainly for former group. It starts with what Lists and Document Library is and then focuses on what kind of customization you can do with them. From then, it moves on important WSS concepts like Web Parts, Workflow, and Content Types. Once you have your WSS concepts covered, it moves on the advanced MOSS subjects. It has many real world Try it out examples. In short, this book is for power users. There is nothing for developers and this book doesn't pretend to be for admins and programmers.

Forget about its title being Wrox Beginning series, If anyone wants to start learning SharePoint, I must suggest to go through this book first and then move on more advanced subjects like Administration and Custom Customization with WSS and MOSS programming model.

Nik

This book is a MUST for anyone who wants to enter the computer field. The information is interesting and informative. And it provides well-qualified opinions on the future of computing.

Use this book while working on your resume. Great for identifying skillsets required for various tasks in positions throughout the industry.

I agree with the reviewer who said this book does not meet expectations.

I had hoped for a book that would help me manage my technology career and what I found was a book aimed at people who knew nothing about computers and introduced them to topics in Computer Science.

That's fine for students but not for professionals who need to know how much training is enough, where to get it, and how to manage their careers at their companies, or as independent consultants.

As a 3rd year student interested in the computer field, I found this book extremely helpful in identifing which classes to enroll in and how to educate myself to be more competitive in the modern work world. It is nice to hear from leaders in the technology field giving advice to students on how to better educate themselves. I would recommend this book to any student who is interested in a "cybercareer."

The book was easy to read and the little notes they posted out to the side to offset certain important points were helpfull and easy to follow. It was much similar to a textbook in that students can use the index and read only the chapters or topics that apply to them. While technology is changing and some topics in this book will become out-of-date, there are still some good fundamentals to be gleaned from this book.

I read a lot of hype in various places about this book and I guess my expectations were too high. I have been in the computer field for 25 years. It is continually changing at an exponential rate. I thought the book would give some insight into keeping up with these changes. It did not for me. The primary focus seemed to be people brand new to this field and particularly students. I gave it 3 stars as it may truly benefit these people. Disappointing.

The Linux networking cookbook is very specifically orientated to Linux networking tasks. While this book would give useful ideas for other *NIX operating systems the real value is for Linux users.

The book is orientated for Fedora and Debian (Ubuntu) users as these are the basis of a number of the Linux distributions available. The book also shows how to compile required software from source.

The book is task orientated and each chapter relates to a specific task such as setting up a VPN. The range of tasks is very extensive and include Firewalling, wireless networking, VPN, VoIP servers, routing, SSH etc.

The required software is defined along with how to install it. The chapter then goes on to describe configuration and set up for the required purpose. The book is straightforward and describes the process in a simple way without requiring vast amounts of Linux interior expertise. This is not a novice book and it does require some knowledge of Linux however it is very good at describing how to perform most networking tasks for people who are not expert in networking.

I have been using Linux as my desktop for around 2-3 years and I found this book very useful. I recommend it for people who want to do something with networking in Linux and don't want to spend forever looking up howto's on the Internet.

The 'Linux Networking Cookbook' is a wonderful addition for any admin or developer that is using exactly what the title of this book states: Linux Networking. With over 600 pages of content spread over 250-300 pages of helpful recipes, this is a welcome addition to a Linux admin's bookshelf.

Easy to recommend, hard to live without for this niche audience.

***** RECOMMENDED

I have gone through the entire book and I feel ready to transition from the familiar MS world of Server 2003/8 to Linux. The tips and tricks contained in the book will enable me to do all the things I want to do with my servers and desktops.

Fantastic book.

If you want to leverage your existing Linux admin and configuration skill, you should have one of this. Even if you don't dirty your hand with it, it gives you the scope of work and resources require when you are proposing to your boss or your customers. It will make you boss happy.

I bought this book because I enjoyed the Linux Cookbook book that Carla also wrote. This book is formatted much the same. I don't have to read pages and pages of discussion just to find what I need. It's a handy reference.

Network stuff can be complicated. Thanks to this book, I'm better at it.

I only hope that Carla is working on the next "cookbook"!! 8-)

I ordered this book but didn't notice that it was an E-Book.
How can they charge the same price for an E-Book? Personally, I think the Acrobat Reader sucks when compared to a real paperback or regular old HTML.
Anyway, I figured I'd try to download it since I'd placed the order. WOW, there is Adobe DRM and MS Passport to deal with. Way too much trouble, I just called Amazon and cancelled the order.
Maybe the content of the book is OK, I don't know. If I were an author I don't think I'd let them offer my books in PDF form just yet.

This book covers all main areas associated with a SharePoint implementation project, focusing on:
- Planning the deployment
- Deploying and integration with other platforms
- Monitoring and performance measurement
It addresses all topics comprehensively and discusses web part development, customisation and extensibility options. I concur with the prevailing sentiment amongst the other reviewers and would add that this is one of the best technical books of any kind that I have seen lying around!

SharePoint products have come together to produce a more tightly integrated and richer platform, upon which successful collaboration and information sharing can occur. Authors Kevin Laahs, Emer McKenna and Veli-Matti Vanamo have done an outstanding job in this book of covering almost every single aspect of SharePoint.

Laahs, McKenna and Vanamo begin this book by looking at the architecture of Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). In addition, the authors look at how a WSS site is used for the purpose of supporting multi author document collaboration. They also take a look at the architecture of SharePont Portable Server (SPS) and the key features that it brings to the collaboration landscape. Then, they focus on site personalization, delivered by WSS; profiles, delivered; personal sites, delivered by SPS; audience targeting, delivered by SPS; and, IM integration, delivered by Office 2003 and Messenger. The authors then look at the major components of search and how they can affect the features available to end users. Next, they introduce you to software and hardware architecture concepts that you should familiarize yourself with. Then, they take a brief look at the core server products you may want to integrate with your deployment and then focus on planning the features you can enable for SharePoint Products and Technologies. The authors continue by delving further into capacity and hardware planning for SharePoint Products and Technologies. Next, they cover the major aspects of deploying SharePoint Products and Technologies and walk you through a few example installation scenarios for both products. In addition, they cover some of the typical migration scenarios and tools available for you to perform them. The authors then look briefly at the architectures of both SPS 2001 and STS and how they evolved into the current SharePoint platform. Next, they examine the concept of Web Parts and Web Part Pages and where they fit into the overall SharePoint architecture. They then continue to expand upon the topic of deployment and explain the security framework surrounding Web Parts. In addition, the authors focus on the aspects of FrontPage and SharePoint integration that have the most impact. Finally, they take a look at some of the more advanced methods of customizing and extending your SharePoint implementation.

With the preceding in mind, the authors have done an excellent job of providing you with the basic knowledge and tools to begin applying the common customizations applicable to many organizations. Obviously, your requirements may be more specialized and require additional knowledge beyond what they were able to provide.

I found this book a very helpful reference and companion while implementing Sharepoint technologies
The authors have planned it carefully based on actual experience
Some other titles are just a copy of the help files or they tell you what you can easily find out yourself
Only drawbacks which (i forgive):
1. the index is not comprehensive, so it is sometimes difficult to find certain topics quickly
2. some issues are not addressed, viz. bugs, problems etc
3. a section on tips and tricks would have been very helpful (like adding friendly URLs in announcements)
All in all a great value for money and thumbs up to the authors.

I had to search and collate a lot of information off the MSDN library, couple of other SharePoint books and newsgroups -- which I could have easily obtained from this book at first glance.

The book approaches Microsoft's portal (and underlying) technology from an architecture perspective and dives into the various phases of any real SharePoint engagement; as promised by the book's title. I would recommend it for people new to SharePoint who are going to be involved seriously, and also to "experienced" people as a good source for reference.

If there was an advanced version of this book, I'd buy it!

Of the books that deal specifically with Nagios, this is a good one. It goes into greater depth on topics the product documentation doesn't, such as passive checks. On other topics it makes a good companion to the documentation, providing additional examples and alternate explanations.

Only down sides are several typos, and that Nagios v3.0 is nearly ready for release! So I can only hope these authors are encouraged enough to do a second edition when that happens.

I recently received review copies of Pro Nagios 2.0 (PN2) by James Turnbull and Nagios: System and Network Monitoring (NSANM) by Wolfgang Barth. I read PN2 first, then NSANM. Both are excellent books, but I expect potential readers want to know which is best for them. The following is a radical simplification, and I could honestly recommend readers buy either (or both) books. If you are completely new to Nagios and want a very well-organized introduction, I recommend PN2. If you are somewhat familiar with Nagios and want detailed descriptions of a wide variety of Nagios plug-ins, I recommend NSANM.

PN2 is an extremely well-written book. James Turnbull's style is very easy to understand and his message is well thought-out. One of my favorite aspects of PN2 is the author's multiple recommendations. He doesn't just explain options and features; he says what he thinks works best. Turnbull's syntax examples are very helpful and thorough.

I found PN2's approach to be just what I expected and needed. A basic Nagios user could read the first five chapters (Installation, Basic Object Configuration, Security and Administration, Using the Web Console, and Monitoring Hosts and Services) and have a working, capable Nagios installation. The last five chapters (Advanced Commands, Advanced Object Configuration, Distributing Monitoring, Redundancy, and Failover, Integration Nagios, and Developing Plug-ins) address more advanced topics.

I was particularly glad to see security addressed as an important topic. I liked his explanation of why not to use .htaccess files with Apache (p 92-93). PN2 also introduces working solutions for redundancy and failover (topics not explicitly covered in NSANM). The author takes steps to ensure readers really understand Nagios; for example, he explains macros well, while NSANM mentions them without much thought.

I did not encounter any real technical problems with PN2, hence its high rating. I saw the author mention TCP as the transport protocol for SNMP on p 181; it should be UDP.

PN2 is an ideal book for anyone who wants to run Nagios. I believe new Nagios readers should read PN2, and strongly consider NSANM as a complementary reference volume.

This book is great as an introductory book for Nagios. Although it doesn't cover some advanced functionalities of Nagios in depth, it tells you enough to know about them and research more.

It takes you step by step to configuring your Nagios the right way, and exploring all of it's many features along the way. I bought this book to start with Nagios, and it has succeeded to completely fulfill my expectations.

There are good checkpoints on the end of each chapter, which is a nice touch.

What I liked the most myself, is that author has put in "best practices" to show you not only how to do things, but also how to do them the way they should be done, which is what I expect to get out of a good book.

A very good introduction to Nagios. V. thorough and detailed. I would have liked more detail on monitoring SNMP devices and server monitoring especially gathering stats from HP servers with Compaq (HP) agents installed but this may be too specialised for this book. Basic Windows server monitoring is covered. Highly recommended for Nagios novices.

Nagios is an open-source software tool that constantly monitors your system and provides feedback when it appears that there may be a problem. Nagios is a Linux based product that allows the administrator to track a wide variety of hosts, systems, services, and just about anything else they would want to know about. Completely configurable, the administrator sets thresholds and the system creates and alert any time this threshold is met. The beauty of this sort of system is that it allows the administrator to be notified of potential problems before they become major problems.

Even the notification method is configurable as it will email a message, create and instant message, use SMS paging, text messaging, etc. Once you are notified if you want to check on the system you can enter the web interface and view the current network status, notifications, problem history, log files, etc.

As is often the case with open-source applications, the product is fantastic but the documentation not quite up to par. That is where this particular book comes in handy. The author goes through all the details of setting up a Nagios server from the beginning decisions of just where to place the server to the set up of individual objects, notifications, groups, permissions and exactly how to check services and objects. He even goes so far as to discuss how to integrate Nagios into other products such as Snort and developing and writing and plug-ins.

Written in a style that is easy to follow for the average Linux user who is comfortable with the Linux filesystem, editing configuration files, and generally working with the command line. This is not for the new user familiar only with the graphical desktop environment. But for the Linux system administrator with an intermediate level or higher skill set Pro Nagios 2.0 is an excellent resource and is highly recommended.

If you need another good reference then this book will help. It has several examples and suggestion that all levels of experience can use.

I am an IT executive who has been a heavy SPS user for the last 1.5 years. During that time I have met with many companies that have an interest in Sharepoint, but who do not have a good vision on how to use it. I have seen a gap in understanding the core capabilities as well as how to put the pieces together into a solution. This book fills that gap. It covers all the core capabilities of Sharepoint in a clear, understandable way. In addition, it shows how to put the pieces together into solutions such as document collaboration, project collaboration, meeting mangement, and information centers. This book will appeal to a broad audience, from IT and business/IT execs to information technology implementers. This book is a good place to start if you are considering implementing Sharepoint or you just want to learn more about it. If you have already implemented Sharepoint, this book can fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

You will have more help on the help menu or much more help on the discovery kit that you can get downloaded from Microsoft.

This book doesn't give you a needed view and does not give you a real example of a deployed scenario. It does not explain the role of the Active directory and how to take advantage of it. It does not explain why you would need to create a Portal Area and why you would need to change the factory properties (like Division, Region) that come with the product.

The explanation is very straightforward but it's useless for a project leader.

I have used this comprehensive users guide as my support for any and all issues regarding development of the sharepoint site. Online blogs didn't help. Microsoft phone support didn't help. This book helps. It has a description of every aspect of the sharepoint system and is just unbelievably helpful. This book has already paid for itself in terms of time and money saved. GREAT!

Excellent read! The book held my hand through some of the rough areas of Sharepoint and helped me set up a comprehensive Project Management site for my team. The samples were very helpful and covered the right topics. You get a good appreciation for what Sharepoint has to offer and how you can customize it to your needs.

I recommend this book to anyone just starting off with Sharepoint. No deep technical knowledge required.

Not all is useful to me - but what I didn't need might be useful to you.

Some books about XP only tell a reader things he has probably figured out on his own, but this book will actually take you to the registry to fix problems. For this reason it is worth a good review. I only wish that the registry introduction were a tad more step by step.

If you want some really good information on Windows XP and hacks, this is the book. You have to be really interested in doing this kind of thing as it is not for a user, but an indepth computer person.

I thought this book was great. I'm an intermediate level user with XP using it every day and this book is just outstanding, even just for speeding up the star up for my computer.

This isn't a book for anybody just learning how to use a computer. If you know your stuff then this book can be very helpful in getting the most out of your Windows XP Operating System. If an individual is in the market for a computer and reading this review I HIGHLY recommend that you get a computer without a Windows OS. This is especially true if you plan on doing online banking and/or shopping. Windows is the WORST OS system out there when it comes to security. I have an old e-machine, that has windows xp, which I use every now and then. That is why I own this book, but I also own a Mac. Purchase a Mac or if you really want to get serious, get something based on Linux.

This is a good first book to purchase if you're getting into Linux Administration. It focuses more on common practices rather than configurations and how-to's. If you're looking to get an idea of how to build your environment (or make it better), this is a good book to start with, then purchase the specific manuals once you've decided on a course of action.

I was very suspicious of this book, because I knew it was available online for download. I thought at first, why not just print it and read it. A friend of mine told me this is something completely different. And he was right. It was worth every penny (cent).

The book is a great introduction to Linux networking theory and practices. Although it's lightweight in size, it makes it up with easy to read high quality content. I think even some experienced sysadmins might find a lot of interesting information inside.

The guide is very well written, with nice and self explaining graphics.

This is an excellent book to start with if you are considering setting up a Linux network for your home or small office. The intended audience is assumed to have some basic programming skills and understands the priority of network security. If you have never written a make file or know what make is, you might want to start with a more fundamental book; you will struggle understanding the concepts of this book. If you have never used UNIX or Linux, you will be quickly LOST!

It is important to realize that this book is a guide and not a reference. Each chapter covers a major system vital to the Linux operating system. Book(s) are written for each system, yet the author covers enough information to get you started and keep you from being dangerous.

The book also indoctrinates you to the procedures and mindsets of Linux. If a specific tool is not covered in this book, you will know how to search for it, read the configuration man pages, build it, and install it.

My background: Mixed Signal IC Design Engineer (20 years), C/C++, C#, Perl Literate. Converting from Win2K OS to Linux because of corporate directive. I have been a user of UNIX and Windows OS for 25 years, however, I never had to administer a network. I wanted to start up a Linux network at home to act as a Subversion server and a general file server.

This book fits into the space between the general everything there is to know about Linux books (which give limited space to each subject) and highly specialized books that cover only one application such as Apache or sendmail. It's a niche book intended for people aministering a Linux network. It contains what you need to know to set up a network and keep it up.

This is the third printed edition of this book. This has given time for the original work to be expanded and rewritten to satisfy the needs of readers who down through the years have sent in questions on various subjects.

This book is based on the on-line Linux documentation but bound into a convenient book, cleaned up professional illustrations, better indexing. While it costs a bit, it is probably no more than the cost of the ink cartridge it would take to print it out.

A good education in how to use the Internet, in the context of a linux network. The authors provide a nice lucid explanation of DNS, as a globally distributed database that underpins the Internet. An entire chapter is allocated to this most crucial of ideas. The sort of thing you should have down pat.

Other network aspects are covered elsewhere in the book. Notably sendmail. The most important configuration ideas and settings are shown.

Though, for an edition printed in February 2005, the book only seems to refer to version 8.12 of sendmail. Whereas 8.13 has already been out for several months, and contains much enhanced Milter capabilities for fighting spam. But perhaps the discussion about 8.12 is simply due to the realities of how long it takes for a book to be published and printed.

A very topical chapter is offered last in the book. On wireless networks. It's a decent synopsis of a hugely popular occurrence. But given the rapid hardware upgrades in this field, and the still evolving wireless standards, you may want to seek out a more extensive text.

Although the explanations for the various concepts could be presented a little better, the subject matter and content is excellent. This is one of the books where the meat outweighs the fluff.

The MPLS concepts and applications, clearly explained in this book, constitute the foundational knowledge required by any design engineer working in the service-provider arena.

As the only text I've seen that comprehensively addresses the cutting edge of multiprotocol label switching technologies, "MPLS-Enabled Applications" is an advanced book for people already familiar with MPLS basics. If you don't know what those are and how they work, you need to get up to speed before you'll be ready to read this. But once you are ready, this book is the best way I can imagine to understand the details of the most important new applications in the fast-moving world of MPLS.

The authors divide the text into two sections, the first dealing with the infrastructure elements of MPLS and the second dealing with applications, making it clear where each of the chapter topics fits. There is a short MPLS technology review in the beginning, but the first section rapidly progresses to tight explanations of TE, protection, MPLS QoS, and the other table-stakes parts of MPLS services. The second section is about the money-making parts of MPLS - namely, the services that provide customer value and how they work. This means it's mostly devoted to various VPN technologies at layers 2 and 3, but also discusses management and some very interesting conclusions about the meaning and future of MPLS.

The best thing about this book is the high signal-to-noise ratio. So many technology books today fill their pages with chatty observations, endless anecdotes, and dubious opinions that overwhelm the exposition of the technology or solution. Not this book, though! While the style is friendly, engaging, and very readable, it's also right to the point, almost tersely presenting the essential facts of the solution under discussion and leaving you with a compelling command of it in as few pages as possible. If you're a busy network engineer or architect who needs to know how fast reroute or martini VPNs work, but don't really need comparisons with X.25, or longwinded discussions of the importance of reliability, you'll appreciate this approach.

Another outstanding attribute of "MPLS-Enabled Applications" is the real-world focus. Despite working for a vendor, Minei and Lucek have somehow written from the perspective of a working network engineer, always keeping in mind the very real concerns of cost, scalability, and return that are critical to using any technology successfully. It doesn't matter if an MPLS solution is technically beautiful if it's too expensive to deploy or lacking in reliability, and each of the applications chapters makes sure to avoid the navel-gazing "isn't this neat" approach, instead concentrating on solutions that help providers and customers stay productive and profitable.

At its core, though, "MPLS-Enabled Applications" is a book for network engineers who appreciate clear, concise explanations of how the various MPLS techniques work, and how they are best used. At the end of it, I'm left with the impression of having attended a series of lectures or lessons from a couple of fantastic professors, who gave me exactly what I needed and wasted none of my time. This book is an must-have for anyone who wants to understand what MPLS is from a technical and design perspective, how you can use it to design better networks, and what it can do for the provider and enterprise networks of today.

This book has quickly found a home among the essential technical references sitting on my desk within quick reach. As a specialist in MPLS network design, I would like to think I understand all aspects of MPLS and its related protocols; yet the comprehensive organization of MPLS-Enabled Applications allows me to quickly check facts or refresh my memory of some arcane aspect of MPLS networking.

The authors form an ideal team, with an accomplished protocol coder (Minei) providing an "under the hood" look, and a highly experienced network designer (Lucek) providing real-world views on the applications. This is indeed the only MPLS book you will need.

This book is one of the best technology books that I have read in years. I've been sharing my elation about this book with my customers and I'm getting the same feedback from them on the quality of the explanations within the book after they go out and get it. What is so nice about this publication is the fact that they don't get into nitty gritty explanations of signalling messages and protocol headers. I'm reluctant to call it high level, but they avoid getting bogged down on those details and stick to explaining the technologies and showing the application of those technologies. A lot of the time other books that I have read get so bogged down in those details that you walk away without being able to "see the forest for the trees". With this book, Ina and Julian articulate each topic so well that you walk away with a clear understanding of the drivers for the technology, how the technology works, and the issues being debated regarding the technology in the standards bodies. I would highly recommend using this book to understand the technology and then coupling that with another book that gets into the nitty gritty details for a reference.


Here is a breakout of the book:

Part 1
1 - Foundations
2 - Traffic Engineering with MPLS (MPLS-TE)
3 - Protection and Restoration in MPLS Networks
4 - MPLS DiffServ-TE
5 - Interdomain Traffic Engineering
6 - Point to Multipoint LSPs

Part 2
7 - Foundations of Layer 3 BGP/MPLS Virtual Private Networks
8 - Advanced topics in Layer 3 BGP/MPLS Virtual Private Networks
9 - Hierarchical and Inter-AS VPNs
10 - Layer 2 Transport over MPLS
11 - Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS)
12 - MPLS Management
13 - Conclusions