I read this book over and over...
The good thing is that the author try to put EVERYTHING about CCNP routing in this book..
The bad thing is that this topic is SO HUGE and the ideas were not presented in an easily and organized way that after a few pages you have no idea what are you studying about...
When you are in the middle of the books , you got so many links to so many places that you forgot what you were studying about.
They are missing a lot of labs as well, and when is presented it wasn't in a clear way.In other words, we should follow the process of other people labs, when they were explaining step by step in an easy way why he was doing this and that.
This book was made for people with a VERY good understanding of CCNA, or in other words, got a very fresh memory of CCNA concepts..
As a self study guide is TOUGH to study from there..So, after a while and realizing how hard it was , specialty with a topic so wide and confusing as CCNP Route.
Please remember that CCNP and specially CCNP Route is on the threshold of CCIE ( the most difficult certification on earth in any professional field..) So, to study from there ain't gonna be a walk in the cloud..
So, to understand the concepts and see how the different protocols really work, I used :
-CCNP route CBT Nuggets Videos;for a guide and explanation
- I used "cisco CCNP routing and switching Quick reference" book;to do labs ,
- I used other books; to understand everything properly in an organized way
- I used the internet;
- and if there is a VERY specific topic to consult..I do a research in this book..As my last resort when I am absolutely clueless about certain topic..
Right now I am studying for my CCNP Route exam , and THANK God , I didn't use this book as my only resource, because after consulting in international forums, and Cisco forums, I know FOR SURE, this book alone wouldn't help me at all.. it will bring more confusion than clarity to the already complicated concepts..
By the way, I know people that did that, and didnt pass the certs..
If you are studying for CCNP Route , this book got everything ( and you must have it) ,but in a disorganized and unclear way,not to mention the erratas, so please dont you use this book as the only reference for studying because it ain't going to happen.
This book is not well suited to experienced operators or engineers. The explanations go out of their way to explain concepts and details in excruciating, overly-wordy details. Way too often the author will use 500 or even 1000 words when 50 well-chosen words would have been even more helpful.
The flow and layout of this book are just as bad. Frequently diagrams are not on the pages for which they are used but are presented later or after the related content. As such the reader is forced to search forward for the diagram and then flip back-and-forth and back-and-forth to walk-through a concept between the wording and the diagram. This may be occasionally necessary but this book seems to follow this as the norm.
Frequently, bullet-lists contains items which should be separate and not part of a specific list. As such it leaves the reader scratching the head wondering how the items fit neatly when actually they shouldn't be asked to try.
The book is littered with wording errors but only a handful of techical errors. Mainly there are just extra words that were probably meant to be deleted but were forgotten or just missed.
Otherwise, in spite of the author's way overly long-winded approach, this is a reasonably good book at explaining the target content. But, it speaks to an audience that is completely unfamiliar with the subject matter. The reader should plan to spend lots of time re-reading and disecting to find the kernel of appropriate information. Experienced time-starved technicians looking for the walk-through of concepts as a reminder for Cert-time should seriously consider looking elsewhere. Seriously...
I have read dozens of tech books and manuals over the years. This one was one of the worst where the actual information was spot-on accurate but the presentation lacked any level of editing polish. Good luck to anyone looking to Re-Cert like me. Cisco and Cisco Press have basically just let us down on this one.
Coming from a CCNA certification, I decided to pursue my CCNP starting with the ROUTE exam. I've used books previously from Wendell Odom to pass my ICND1 and ICND2 exams. For those coming from CCNA get ready to have your head explode from the knowledge dropped on you from this book. I was fortunate enough to get a 5th printing of the book which corrected many of the errors others have stated (which can be found in the errata). So if you pick up this book, please make sure you have the latest printing or you will have to correct the book using the errata.
As for the book itself, as others have stated, the first time I read this book it seemed a little confusing. Although the topics were laid out in a clear and concise manner. I felt like I would have to already know what the book was discussing so I could just fill in the gaps because the topics are discussed in a very in-depth manner. This book was nothing like the books written for the ICND1/2. This book expects you to have expert knowledge in OSPF, EIGRP, Frame Relay, etc before even attempting to read it. Which is why I say to get additional training material if you are coming straight from a CCNA perspective. Once I took more training (Simplified Route Book, CBT Training and lab time) I went back through the book and it made more sense and I was able to comprehend what it was actually trying to teach me.
Overall, I rate this book 4 stars because it will help you pass the ROUTE exam, but you will definitely need additional resources and a lot of hands-on experience/lab time. My one grip with the book is it doesn't cover enough information on the branch topics (Hence the 4 stars). Make sure you follow up with the technology used for branched networking with additional resources to supplement the book! I recommend this book for your exam study, but I would encourage those studying for the exam to use additional material (as always) to fill in any holes/gaps.
First of all great book and the go to for study material. However, as someone has already stated alot of misinformation in this book. Especially with EIGRP about 4 errors that will seriously mess up your understanding of the material. If you find something your not sure about look it up. And make sure you do all the labs and show commands so you can find the errors and correct your understanding.
The route exam was by far the hardest Cisco exam I've taken yet. This book surely helped me prepare, but it's not the only source you should use. If you only read this book and do nothing else, you may have a difficult time passing the exam. Supplement this book with some training videos and hands-on practice.
That said, the book overall was a great read and for the most part it was to-the-point. Some chapters seemed to go on longer than necessary, but that could have been partly my interest in the specific topic. I didn't really use the CD too much, but it has some helpful content and practice questions.
I don't know why they stopped providing a PDF version of the book on the CD. There were a few times I would have preferred reading this on my tablet instead of lugging around the extra weight. Cisco Press really should consider a free digital copy from Safari, similar to how they provide a code for the Boson exam questions.
Bottom line: Get this book if you are studying for the Route exam.
This book is great like any other written by Wendell Odom. However, there is not enough information in order to be well prepared for taking exam. I found out that it is possible to find a lot of additional learning material in Foundation Learning Guide (Implementing Cisco IP Routing). Also, when I was trying to make all of examples from the book working I found a lot of errors. Therefore, some information has not been sticking together. In general, I have never been trying to study for exam using V5 of CCNP that's why I graded this book for 4 stars.
Product Details :
Hardcover: 768 pages
Publisher: Cisco Press; 1 edition (February 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1587202530
ISBN-13: 978-1587202537
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 1.8 x 9.5 inches
More Details about CCNP ROUTE 642-902 Official Certification Guide, Exam Certification Guide 1st edition
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