Internetworking Technologies Handboook, 2e

This is it. Internetworking Technologies Handbook represents conventional wisdom about the universe of Cisco Systems data-networking products (with the exception of Voice-over-IP products), condensed into a single volume. You ought to have this book on hand for frequent consultation, if you're engaged in running local or wide area networks (LANs or WANs) that are equipped with Cisco hardware. Don't be concerned with whether or not your data-networking environment is sufficiently complex to merit investment in this book, as operators of even the simplest setups will benefit from this authoritative work. Although it's not meant as a study aid, this book will prove helpful to candidates who are studying for Cisco professional certification; review questions at the end of each chapter bolster that application.

This book's greatest strength might be its authors' assumption of compartmentalized knowledge among their readers. The authors have (correctly) organized their work around the idea that someone who knows, for example, IP addressing rules backwards and forwards might not know much at all about the telephony services that local-exchange carriers (LECs) sell. As a result of this editorial decision, chapters are technically deep, but easy to get into. Numerous conceptual diagrams clarify hard-to-visualize phenomena, while frequent references to RFCs (and other standards documents) facilitate primary research where the reader requires it. This latest edition reflects changes to the Cisco data-networking product line as of the last quarter of 2000. --David Wall

Topics covered: Everything Cisco Systems does to facilitate the efficient flow of data among hosts on networks big and small, except those products that have to do with Voice over IP (VoIP). Beginning with the essentials of internetworking, and proceeding through LAN and WAN protocols, multiservice access technologies like digital subscriber line (DSL), switching and bridging (with emphasis on virtual LANs), and routing protocols, this book covers the state of the Cisco Systems art.