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Title: CCNP(TM) Switching Study Guide (Exam 640-504) (Book/CD) by Syngress Media Inc, Inc Syngress Media ISBN: 0-07-212540-3 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 04 December, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.58 (31 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Should be better!
Comment: All right fellow readers, bad news first!
Let me explain why I took away 2 stars.
Firstly, this book misses 1 * for numerous of typos, syntax errors, and logic errors all around the book. These errors will slow your study time down.
- Typos: when you see inconsistent diagram or R1 and R2 mistakenly switched, you'll have to think twice and reread the whole paragraph again to fit all things together. You can find this kind of errors all over the place. I found out that they're really annoying! They're not 'normal' typos like 'advaned' instead of 'advanced' which can be corrected quite easily using any word processors.
- Syntax error: if you take all the command syntax for granted and sit for the exam, you'll be in trouble. Always double check with Cisco web site or actual router commands or even another chapter of the book. For example, one chapter tells you that the command to change EIGRP hello-interval is ip eigrp hello-interval, while another chapter tells you is ip hello-interval eigrp which is off the correct one.
- Logic error: this is the worst error of all! I couldn't believe my eyes the Advanced EIGRP chapter teached me that the best path for EIGRP is the one with the highest metric, while the previous chapter just explained quite clearly that is the lowest one. It seems that the author of this chapter doesn't even understand the basic concept of EIGRP!
Secondly, I took another 1/2 * for lack of 100% of coverage as advertised. Where are the bgp peer group and bgp community sections as stated by official curriculum from Cisco? The basic coverage of BGP is also shallow.
Lastly, I took another 1/2 * for:
- Bad ExamSim software not as promised. The ExamSim only contains 65 questions taken from the book and that's it! No pools of questions and the test engine is not as sophisticated as it's advertised!
- Inconsistent style of writing
- Lack of correct configuration mode for the commands explained, i.e. you don't know whether the command is for interface or router configuration mode
- Not providing summary of commands in the end of chapters.
It will make the readers' life easier if the editors did their jobs properly to eliminate typos and errors and to make the style of writing consistent throughout the book. Anyway, that's what they are paid for, right?
Now, the good news for the sake of fairness!
The overall coverage of the book (although not 100% as explained before) can make you pass the CCNP Routing (640-503) exam, if you read careful and sceptic enough and given the pass mark of the exam is still 690. That's what the 3 * for. I hope the publisher can make the book better in the next edition.
Conclusion: My suggestion is to get a better book while you could, like Cisco Press' CCNP Routing Exam Certification Guide, which is the best book I've ever seen so far for the Routing exam (their test engine is superb!). If this book is your only choice, just take it. Be patient, and cross check. You still can pass the exam like I did!
Router#end-review my-off
Rating: 3
Summary: Can it Be anymore Boring
Comment: This book is so incredibly boring and that is coming from a person who eats up technical books, i found the chapters on appletalk extremly hard to follow! i would not use this book as your only source to study from, if you are depending on this book to pass the test, be prepared to take it again, cause it just doesn't cover the bases correctly. I recommend the Cisco press books covers the material without the flood of typos. After reading this book i really can't say i learned anything, definatly not worth the 50 bucks i paid for it!
Rating: 2
Summary: Wading through the typos
Comment: This book does have a fair coverage of the various topics required for the Cisco exam, but is absolutely riddled with typos, inconsistencies and downright errors. A single thorough editing would have cleared up the vast majority of these problems.
I had to augment the book information with other information, including another 640-604 book, web information, etc. before I felt comfortable with the covered material.
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Title: CCNP Practical Studies: Routing by Henry Benjamin ISBN: 1587200546 Publisher: Cisco Press Pub. Date: 11 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Cisco Security Specialist's Guide to PIX Firewall by Umer Khan, Vitaly Osipov, Mike Sweeney, Woody Weaver ISBN: 1931836639 Publisher: Syngress Publishing Pub. Date: December, 2002 List Price(USD): $59.95 |
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Title: Microsoft Windows 2000 Scripting Guide by Microsoft Windows Resource, Microsoft Corporation ISBN: 0735618674 Publisher: Microsoft Press Pub. Date: 06 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
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Title: CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide, 4th Edition (640-801) by Todd Lammle, Sybex ISBN: 0782143113 Publisher: Sybex Books Pub. Date: 24 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
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Title: CCNA Certification Library (CCNA Self-Study, exam #640-801), Sixth Edition by Wendell Odom ISBN: 1587200953 Publisher: Cisco Press Pub. Date: 14 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $59.95 |
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