Rating: 
Summary: The real DEAL for CCNA!
Review: About 3 years ago I was teaching a CCNA Class when I discovered Richard Deal had practice test at Boson.COM. I have been a true fan ever since and was eagerly awaiting this release for the new CCNA exams.One thing that has always impressed me about Deal is that he goes far beyond the exam requirements giving you the best chance to pass the exam on the first shot. This 800 plus page book covers all 3 CCNA exams and the book and the add-on cd you have a first rate study tool. Seeing how the new exams now covers even more topics than previous exams and can be taken in 2 sperate exams, it is good to see that this book shows you the best way to make excellent use of the material based of the exam you are planning to take. The cd has a limited edition of the Boson NetSim and there are a number of labs in the book that coincide with the simulator. I think that if you need more labs than you should go to Boson.COM and purchase the full version. There are also practice question ont he cd, coupled with what is in the book you have over 750 questions. Knowing Richard Deal, I am sure that there will be more practice exams for sale at Boson.com, which would add even greater value tothis book. 2 utilites that come with the book, the subnet calculator and the config register, will be highly useful in real life. While they are not allowed in the exam, they will be extremely handy to have around when you begin working on your network(s). A couple of things to add to the next edition, first a few more labs, since I think more is always better. Second the NetSim be a full version allowing to study beyond the exam. Overall if you are serious about the new CCNA exam, than here's a good place to start your training.
Rating:
Summary: Passed CCNA with 950 Score Review
Review: For CCNA 640-801, i used sybex and passed in the 1st try with 950 score, so i gave that book 5 stars. and i used to recommend that book for exam preparasion in the past, but now, not any more.
i found this 10 stars McGraw-Hill book on CCNA title, OMG, it is even better than what i already impress from sybex. if i can choose only one CCNA study guide it will be this one (in the past few months, it would be sybex). I highly recommend this book for both (especialy !) educational purpose and exam preparasion.
i already passed CCNA with 950, i can really tell u this is the best book on CCNA title, even better than CCNA from Sybex (i used sybex befor). This book come with very good learning packet: video clip, router simmulation, flash card, exam prep software, e-book. The book is easy to read, beginer can read this book without problem (unlike sybex book, which i don't recommmend for beginner in my review).
The best parts i like most from this book are (beside hard copy):
-" Interactive Video clips" that show you how to perfom each excercise in the book, i really like this, it fell like i am sitting just beside the author and look at how he perform a task.
-"Router sims tool" that allow you to practice and get yourself familair with router and switch (sybex won't give this); these are the things i gave this book more stars than sybex book.
Beleive me, you can't find a better book than this one, this packet will educate and entertain you in the netwoking world.
I realy hope that McGraw-Hill/Osborne continue produce the same quality product in CCNP, surely i will buy them.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read!!!
Review: I am cureently studying for the CCNA. Being that I work full time and needed a book that was easy to read, concise, and full of examples to follow, I chose this one. One of the best choices I had ever made! I really like his style and the book is put together well. Do get the errata, though. It will help on a few points. The extras on the CD are great too. This book is worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!!!
Review: I am cureently studying for the CCNA. Being that I work full time and needed a book that was easy to read, concise, and full of examples to follow, I chose this one. One of the best choices I had ever made! I really like his style and the book is put together well. Do get the errata, though. It will help on a few points. The extras on the CD are great too. This book is worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: some error but is a good CCNA book
Review: I bought this book and read through, pass CCNA. some errors on Cisco IOS command, but concepts are good and precise. you need other sources too.
Rating:
Summary: Review- Revisited
Review: I honestly had to come back and re-do the review on this book. I believe I was a bit too harsh on this book based on the errors in the book ""with no errata" available. I am already a CCNA so this was a book for another individual that works with routers and switches daily but needed a good book to pass the new 801 test. It is important for anyone that is using a book as a study guide, to have their confidence reinforced by a book that has few errors or errata immediately available. I contacted the author (so he will know who is writing this review) and he immediately placed a copy of the errata on his personal web site. He also contacted his publisher who stated they would have the errata on that following Monday. Big kudos to the author and he certainly gained my respect by his reply emails and follow ups to the publisher. With errata in hand, careful and purposeful study with Richard Deal's book will most assuredly quarantee a pass on the 640-807. If you want to take the smaller sub tests, the book will work perfectly as well to one's success. To all students: do all the examples, and exercises, questions and labs and you will have the confidence needed to pass this test. This book has a load of all the above mentioned so one cannot go away not understanding it if they put forth the effort. Do not skip anything and complete the book, learning what the author is teaching. Don't just complete the book to say you finished it. PS - Know your subnetting inside and out and be able to subnet in your head for CLass A, B, and C subnets. Thanks Richard Deal. I have re-evaluated your book. I took a second reading of your book with errata in hand at Barnes and Noble as well as look over the rest of the book and I am thoroughly confident in stating this is the 640-801 and subtest book for everyone. Excellent job and thanks for the assistance!
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading
Review: I just got through reading the first 3 chapters and I cannot go on any further. Reading this book will lead you on the wrong path. There are just some fundamental concepts that are just plain misleading. I will give 2 examples from chapter 3 on IP Addressing.
1) The author explains that the TCP/IP stack has 5 layers - Application, Transport, Internet, Data Link, and Physical. Maybe initially when TCP/IP came out it was 5 layers, but from at least 3 other books I've referenced (one of them being from Cisco Press) they all state that it's a 4 layer model. There is a correction for this in the errata; however, the naming of the layers was not corrected. The consensus is that the 4 layers are Application, Transport (or Host to Host), Internet (or Internetwork) and Network Interface.
2) In the subnetting section, all his examples assume that you can use all subnets. Again, as referenced in at least 3 other books, the commonly used formula is: Number of subnets = 2^number of subnet bits - 2. The author fails to add the -2 part. He does explain that some networking equipment cannot process the first and last subnet, but he goes on to use all available subnets in all his examples, so this is just plain misleading and will probably confuse the heck out of someone who sits for the exam.
I actually liked the author's writing style, but these fundamental oversights are just scary. I'm rather disappointed. The rest of the book might be right-on, but I'm not going to waste my time and risk failing the exam. I think I will read the Sybex CCNA book for the rest of my exam preparation.
Note: I've learned TCP/IP from many sources: computer school, CNE and MCSE exams, and over 6 years in the IT profession, so I'm pretty familiar with networking and TCP/IP, that's why when I started to read chapter 3 I was like "wait a minute, this doesn't look like anything I've read before." Maybe technically the author could be right, but his explanations are not ones that are considered to be de facto, so I doubt that the exams will cover them the way he does.
Rating:
Summary: A well thought out study guide
Review: I purchased this book with the hopes that I would not only learn to pass the test but learn to configure routers as well. The book is well written each subject area is thought out and as lab exists in each chapter that can be completed with Boson's NetSIM LE. I upgraded to the full version and it was well worth it. The test engine used in the book is the industry standard and the questions are well written. Overall, this is one of the best certification books that I have used.
Rating:
Summary: Best Networking Book Ever
Review: I thought I was ready to take the 640-801 exam having studied other books for a little while and having taken and passed the original CCNA exam back in 1999, but I swear I learned something new on almost every page. You think you know something very well, but then you see a book like this that tells you little tidbits of in-depth information. This has to be the greatest foundational networking volume ever written. It is an absolutely amazing book. There may be errors (are you perfect?) and the videos may be very boring (very!), but perfect is based on something fulfilling its purpose. This book does that and is therefore perfect. It is absolutely amazing, it needs 6 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book as long as it's not your only study tool
Review: I used this book along with 2 others (sybex and ccna fast pass for review) as study material to take 640-801. Overall I'd have to say this one was the most in depth of the three. The concepts are generally covered fairly well, more so than the test requires but you will know the material in the end. I passed my CCNA on the first try with a 945.
That said, this book was obviously rushed to press. There seemed to be an error every other page while I was reading. This comes up a lot during the practice tests since half the time the trick questions were really just errors. So, as long as you don't use this as your only study material you should pass just fine.
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