Cisco Certification: Bridges, Routers and Switches for CCIEs (2nd Edition)

As author Andrew Bruce Caslow so eloquently states, Cisco Certification: Bridges, Routers, and Switches for CCIEs is focused solely on providing a structured roadmap to Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) certification. At the very least, it will help you master the portion of certification that pertains to configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting the Cisco equipment referenced in the title. A massive volume--the table of contents alone is 34 pages long--the coverage within ranges from general guidelines for port configuration to information on bridging nonroutable traffic to details on navigating the Cisco Internetworking Operating System (IOS).

As is common to this genre, the book is replete with configuration commands, diagrams, and tables. However, it maintains a more pragmatic tone than most as each chapter ends with some or all of the following elements: a summary, a professional development checklist, references for further study, and a "Can You Spot the Issues?" section containing networking word problems. The answers to these problems are found in one of the book's appendices. Also included is a section devoted to test preparation and test-taking techniques that details the skills assessed during the CCIE exam as well as commonly encountered testing landmines. An admirable effort, this granular but well-organized tome certainly appears to meet its stated goal. --Sarah L. Roberts-Witt