Gain necessary hands-on experience implementing CCNP BCMSN concepts with this practical lab guide

• Lab configurations include explanations of equipment set-up and execution

• Valuable reference tool for Catalyst switches, including shortcuts, caveats, and application of the most advanced features

• Real-world scenarios represent the whole range of CCNP BCMSN 642-811 exam topics

CCNP Practical Studies: Switching (CCNP Self-Study) provides CCNP candidates with an in-depth, hands-on experience in configuring Cisco Catalyst switches. This practical guide shows intermediate level networkers how to apply the theoretical knowledge they have gained through CCNP coursework and exam preparation. Configuration labs performed within this book will cover all technologies tested on the BCMSN 642-811 exam, as well as a number of real world scenarios that will test users' overall understanding of multilayer switching. The labs come complete with full explanations, highlighting why the chosen commands and techniques are recommended.

In addition to applicable labs, this book also provides general information on various switching technologies, as well as tips, tricks, shortcuts, and caveats for deploying Cisco switching gear in production environments. This book also includes exercises (similar to traditional mathematics exercises) that will help readers internalize, practice, and memorize certain concepts and thought processes necessary to successfully deploy a switched network.

Part of the Practical Studies series from the Cisco Press, CCNP Practical Studies: Switching provides self-study based hands-on experience. As such, it can be used in conjunction with other Cisco Press titles and is an excellent companion to instructor-led training from a Cisco Learning Partner.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 10 Ratings

Hire an editor for crying out loud!!! - 2004-05-07
Reviewer Rating:
This book is a great book. Doesn't get any deeper than this, but I had a very hard time with the figures and the numbering. The text would refer to a figure that didn't exist but the figure above it would be the right one (with a wrong number). Also, a lot of the figures were missing components called out in the scenerios or text. As a previous technical writer, this book drove me insane to read. Also, the chapters needed to be broken up a little more. 100 pages per chapter is way too long.

Otherwise, yes it is a good book. Tons of detail, however, you will be handicapped considerably without having $10,000.00 worth of switch and router gear just laying around. I bought Boson's Netsim hoping to help, and it didn't have any of the commands needed to do these labs. Bottom line, get the real thing if you can.

More than the Skinny - 2004-02-11
Reviewer Rating:
This book is certainly "practical". There are some passages in each chapter for just reading, but the majority of pages in this book are showing actual commands and outputs from several models of Cisco switches. I intend to keep it arms lenghth from my desktop at work as a reference. What if you have a switch down one day because the operating system is corrupted? CCNP Practical Studies: Switching has what to do in this situation for both the Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS.
Justin Menga's 958-page manual is not for beginners to Cisco, or for the CIO who just wants to know the "skinny". In these pages are the dirty details of how the lower layers of the OSI model work in today's campus LANs. Besides CCNP and CCIE candidates, any LAN administrator will find this book useful. The individual who reads this book should have a basic understanding of networking and Cisco equipment.
The first chapter reviews the specifications and capabilities of at least six families of Cisco switches, familiarizing the reader with the equipment that will be used throughout the book. Special attention is placed on the 3550 series switch, which is covered in the CCIE exam. VLANs are covered from many angles in several chapters. This includes concepts, how it works with the big expensive switches verses the lower end models, and the Catalyst versus IOS models. Multilayer switching (MLS) is compared to the next-generation CEF-based Layer 3 switching. However, both are covered thoroughly since both will around for awhile.
A great extra in the book for the certification candidate and teacher are the labs in Chapter 11 and the solutions to them in the appendices. I would really consider the entire book sort of a lab. But the ending labs cover the major parts of the book with two comprehensive assignments. Menga does seem repetitive at times. For example, he remids us several times that if we manually set the speed and duplex on one end of a switched Ethernet connection we should manually set it on the other end. This redundancy is perhaps justified by the probablity that Justin Menga has seen this error many times in network troubleshooting and it can also be an intermittent problem: the worst kind to solve.
One can appreciate the amount of time it takes to write a book of this magnitude. The author had to have access to a number of switches and routers to produce all the output and screen shots in the book. He also shares a number of "notes" that are helpful. Such as, that Cisco has discontinued supplying a tftp server program and recommends a place to download freeware that he has tested.
When reading computer self-study guides, occasionally one finds a volume that accomplishes its goal so well that no other book is needed. CCNP Practical Studies: Switching comes close to this ideal. Improvements that the book could have include a small glossary to help the student define terms that are unfamiliar.

A good book for those who wants more configuration examples - 2006-02-24
Reviewer Rating:
If anyone is having trouble understanding certain topics in BCMSN especially when it comes to practical configuration, then this book is a good addition to your existing BCMSN study guide.

I really like the chapters on AAA and Multicasting. The author explains on how to configure a Cisco Secure ACS 3.2 along with router/switch configuration command. Other BCMSN study guide just throws you the router/switch configuration command and let you figure out the AAA server configuration by yourself.

The multicasting chapter explains step by step on how sparse & dense mode, multicast routing table, IGMP really works. The step by step explanation on how the IGMP packet flows when the client first request a multicast group in sparse mode and step by step explanation on packet flows when a source initially multicast a group in dense mode.

Overall, this is a good book with many practical configuration examples. Howerver, I wish that this book would also include MST.

Practical Switching guide - 2004-02-13
Reviewer Rating:
There is a new contender in the heavy weight LAN switching category of networking books. Justin Menga's CCNP Practical Studies: Switching, is an excellent addition to the Cisco Press family. Many consider the Clark and Hamilton book the acme of LAN switching, but Menga's book stands right there in the upper echelons.

The book starts off with basic switch connectivity - identifying the different Cisco Catalyst switches, operating systems, supervisor engines and switching modules as well as installing, configuring, monitoring and troubleshooting a Catalyst switch on a network.

More advanced topics such as VLANS, trunking , spanning tree, inter-VLAN routing, layer 3 switching, multicast and security are covered in depth. Each chapter has several configuration scenarios that help in understanding the subject matter and reinforcing concepts.
Working with actual equipment would be best but for those who do not have access to switching equipment; the configurations are detailed and clear enough to follow.

For those who will be implementing VoIP on their networks, a good grasp of QoS is essential. The QoS chapter adequately covers how to configure end-to-end quality of service on a LAN.

This work is a great effort by Justin Menga and I highly recommend this book both as a reference book and to prepare for the CCNP switching exam.

Excellent - 2007-02-04
Reviewer Rating:
This is a very long book. It is full of detail, with configs & scenarios backing up the theory.
Although if you are interested in following the scenarios on real equipment, you will need to take out a hefty bank loan to cover it.

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