I used this book in coordination with some Cisco Packet Tracer labs, specifically the ones on the CD that came with the book. Some of the smallest bits of instruction don't match on random activities, which caused a great deal of frustration. I threw the book away to prevent any future frustration.
Another reviewer remarked negatively about the so-called poor quality of the paper in the book. I simply do not see this with my copy. The pages are high quality and quite reflective, without being actually glossy. In the printing business, there are grades of paper quality, and while I'm not in that field, the pages are certainly not low grade.
As to the actual contents on those pages :) -
It looks like comprehensive coverage. Remember that this is a Cisco produced book, for a Cisco certificate and where the hardware used is Cisco. So by definition, you are getting an authoritative reference for exam preparation. Unlike a third party offering [I don't know if these actually exist for this Cisco exam/certificate]. So to play it safe, if you are serious about getting the qualification, this text may be the best choice.
The book has many examples of how to configure and otherwise manage routing. Instead of merely passively reading the text, you should manually try all the examples. Well, to save you time, these have been included in the accompanying CD. Related to this is the single most important point in the book. You need the Packet Tracer simulator. This does not come with the book, which advises you to ask your instructor, who has to be part of the Cisco Networking Academies. If you are trying to learn the material strictly on your own, then this will be harder to assimilate, short of you having access to another simulator or an actual network where you have administrative permissions.
Having said that, a subsidiary role is possible for the book. If you already run a network, which might have Cisco hardware, and you need a solid reference on routing protocols, try using this. It explains the common protocols at a level deep enough and suitable for a network administrator. And of course, while the protocols are meant to be implemented the same way, regardless of vendor, when it comes to the diagnostic output from Cisco hardware, the book is relevant to what you should see.
This series is the required reading for my CCNA program at my college. I have every book in the series, and so far have gotten through this and Networking Fundamentals. I think both books are great. They follow the Netacademy curriculum, but there is way more information in the books than is in the online modules. These books are very technical, and are not just exam study guides. If you are serious about getting your CCNA, you need a series like the Exploration series. The Lammel/Odom books are not going to have as much info as this. However, you do need the Lammel/Odom books too because those are tailored more for the exams. The Exploration series gives you a TON of information, but no indication about what they will be looking for on the CCNA exam. So if you get this book, make sure you have a study guide such as Lammel or Odom to accompany this.
So anyways, this is great material, but I did have to give this one 4 stars. I have both the hardcover version of this one and the Kindle version, and they both have flaws. First off for the hardcover, the paper for this book just sucks. It is actually paper and you can see right through it, and I am worried about tearing the page every time I turn it. The paper in the Network Fundamentals book and the Accessing the WAN book is a heavier weight and is a little glossy. For some reason this book and LAN Switching and Wireless have different cheaper paper. As far as the Kindle goes, I really like it, but the router output formatting is atrocious. They should have incorporated the output as image files. It looks just fine on Kindle for PC, but on the actual device it is pretty bad. I do love having the book on Kindle though, I did probably 80% of my reading on Kindle and Kindle for PC. I will probably end up getting the Kindle version of the next two books even though I own them on hardcover already, just because on Kindle it is so convenient and much easier to read for extended periods, because these are big heavy books. Oh and a quick tip for the Kindle purchasers, go all the way to the end first because that is where your CD download key is.
All in all I would highly recommend the Exploration series. You get a ton of information, and it is straight from the source so you can't beat that. Remember though, that as far as test preparation, these aren't that kind of book so still pick up a Lammel or Odom.
I like another reviewer bought the book as required material for a course. I already earned a CCNA through personal study and the use of other Cisco Press study materials. The CD contained is useless unless you have access to a Packet Tracer environment because the only thing contained on it are PT scripts (not even a pdf copy to carry on your eReader). The content is very superficial on the protocols covered (only mentions IS-IS by name) with little to no additional information on it. Sample configurations covered are limited to the minimum necessary to enable the various protocols.
If your looking for a product which will contribute to an already basic knowledge of routers and routing protocols, there are other more complete products available. If you don't know even the basics of Cisco IOS commands and routing protocols, it will provide you a good, but very high level overview.
I purchased this book because I was forced to as a textbook for my Networking course with Devry University. I would never have spent money on this product otherwise. Why? Because first of all I am an avid reader, technical, recreational, educational - all kinds of material - and I hate printed material that is set in a font that is "itty-bitty" for people with AMAZING VISION. I don't have amazing vision and this book is hard to read as all the Cisco Press literature I've encountered so far because of the small typeface and point-size.
The book content is okay, not great, typical for an electronics technical book. The visual aids are a bit legacy and boring. I would rate the graphics and visual aid resources in this product ancient. The price of the product matches what you get inside the covers however so what's to complain about unless you are paying top-dollar for the best?
A bad point about the resources that come with the book; CD and Packet Tracer activities, they are worthless unless you have access to a Cisco Networking Academy server to run the activities on. This access comes from being enrolled in a course which provides that key and Devry doesn't. The content of the CD is wretched and can be obtained for free on the Internet. I don't understand why Cisco wasted the plastic providing the CDs with the book. The most useful content on the CD is the Packet Tracer Activity files and those are worthless unless you have access to the Cisco Networking Academy servers which I mentioned earlier. The CD contains the Packet Tracer Activity files; Taking Notes (a text file of chapter objectives), IT Career Information, and Lifelong Learning in Networking - a Cisco self-promo ditty. As I said before; why press all this plastic for that yuck when the big thing today is GO GREEN.
The book covers the salient points about Static Routing, Dynamic Routing Protocols, Distance Vector Routing Protocols, RIP, VLSM and CIDR, EIGRP, Link-State Routing Protocols, and OSPF. You will get little visceral networking education from this book alone and I would caution against purchasing it as a stand-alone textbook. You get no lab experience on the protocols discussed and with the routers and other physical equipment that are exercised within the virtual laboratory using the Packet Tracer Activity. Devry has us using Element K labs which do not follow this textbook and it is like learning about cooking pasta from two different cookbooks - one written in German and the other in Chinese.
The books title is generically inclined in subject context (Routing Protocols and Concepts) but the perspective of all that is taught in the book is through the operation of Cisco devices. You have to do any translation to other equipment in the networking world using your own initiative. The virtual labs work with specific devices and the operating systems implemented on the devices are not generic. All of the CCNA books talk about the Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) because these books deal with their devices. Cisco does not own the World Wide Web and all of its architecture though so your getting an education on Cisco products for the most part. If that is what you are after then you have one on the proper tools with this book to get a Cisco CCNA certification.
All in all the book provides a great deal of good information on the subject matter but the fact that you cannot work any of the labs activities is sort of like getting half-educated.
Product Details :
Hardcover: 606 pages
Publisher: Cisco Press; 1st edition (January 19, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1587132729
ISBN-13: 978-1587132728
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
More Details about Routing Protocols and Concepts: CCNA Exploration Companion Guide, Cisco Systems Networking Academy Program 1st edition
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