Rating: 
Summary: Mark Gallo
Review: CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide is a comprehensive reference for preparing for CCNP recertification. It provides the theory behind Layer 2/3 Switching topics as well as numerous questions/answers within each chapter. The book also includes many exhibits and tables to complement the text. Each chapter ends with a summary of the key topics presented for quick reference. The book also includes a CD that provides practice exams. This book has been a tremendous help as I prepare for my CCNP re-certification.
Rating:
Summary: Mark Gallo
Review: CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide is a comprehensive reference for preparing for CCNP recertification. It provides the theory behind Layer 2/3 Switching topics as well as numerous questions/answers within each chapter. The book also includes many exhibits and tables to complement the text. Each chapter ends with a summary of the key topics presented for quick reference. The book also includes a CD that provides practice exams. This book has been a tremendous help as I prepare for my CCNP re-certification.
Rating:
Summary: 1-Stop Shop for the BCMSN
Review: Great book - All that one needs to pass the BCMSN which I just did with a terrific score.
Rating: 
Summary: Not good enough
Review: I am dismayed at buying this book. I am sure Cisco would have many better authors than David Hucaby. This book is an introduction of many different technologies which the author struggles to explain.Bad attempt, Ciscopress .......... can do better.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book!
Review: I used this book as my primary self-study material for the exam. If you know this book you will pass. I did find that some topics covered in the practice tests and on the exam were not covered. These cases are very few. The BCMSN Exam Cram 2 is a good companion to fill in any minor gaps this title may have. Like I said, "if you know this book, you will pass".
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for CCNP Recertification
Review: The CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide is a great resource for CCNP recertification. The material is not in-depth but informative enough for those that have taken a BCMSN exam before. The accompanying CD-ROM with sample test questions is also very helpful. With this book, along with the CCNP BSCI Exam Certification Guide and related Transcender practice exams, I was able to pass the CCNP Composite exam (642-891) and complete my CCNP recertification.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for CCNP Recertification
Review: The CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide is a great resource for CCNP recertification. The material is not in-depth but informative enough for those that have taken a BCMSN exam before. The accompanying CD-ROM with sample test questions is also very helpful. With this book, along with the CCNP BSCI Exam Certification Guide and related Transcender practice exams, I was able to pass the CCNP Composite exam (642-891) and complete my CCNP recertification.
Rating:
Summary: "CCNP BCMSN: Exam Certification Guide"
Review: The complete title "CCNP BCMSN: Exam Certification Guide" (ISBN: 1-58720-077-5, David Hucaby, Cisco Press) by itself does not convey very much. However, by examining the exam topics (from www.cisco.com) for the "Building Cisco Multilayer Switched" exam (BCMSN 642-811), the reader will be able to see that the subtitle, along with the content of David Hacaby's book are very much connected. Nothing more than a CCNA level of knowledge is required to digest the concepts and subjects covered in this book. Certainly, those persons who will find the book most useful will be those who are preparing for the "BCMSN 642-811" exam. However, anyone seeking to strengthen their knowledge of switching concepts will definitely benefit from reading this book. The "CCNP BCMSN: Exam Certification Guide" text is comprised of 21 chapters, with the majority of the chapters focusing on topics that relate to building a campus network - switch configuration, VLANS, Trunks, Spanning Tree Protocol, etc. Four of the book's 21 chapters pertain to the Spanning Tree Protocol, which is a good indication of the importance of this protocol in the overall performance of switched networks. Each chapter begins with a set of multiple-choice questions. Each chapter also concludes with a set of questions, but not in a multiple-choice format. Instead, most of the questions at each chapter's end require the user to provide an elaborative response -- compelling the reader to apply a little more recall to what was (hopefully) learned in the chapter. So, by concluding the chapter with questions in this format, the reader is challenged to acquire a deeper understanding of the chapter's content. The book does not contain a surplus of examples but, those that do exist, provide more than adequate coverage for the topic previously discussed. The examples are easy to follow, and really serve to reinforce the concept that prefaced the example. The illustrations and diagrams that appear in the book lend an immense amount of support to each chapter's contents by providing a visual aid that really connects to the particular concept being presented. The great majority of the diagrams relate to the position of switches in a network design, which most readers should find very supportive in understanding the campus network design. Included with "CCNP BCMSN:Exam Certification Guide" is a companion CD. Although the CD contains the same questions from the chapters in the book, it does also contain an entirely different set of questions; some of these questions requiring (and allowing) for the configuration of a router and/or switch. To accomplish the router/switch configurations, the companion CD contains software that makes it possible to simulate the configurations for the particular question. Not only does the router/switch simulation software develop some comfort in configuring a router or switch in a switched network but, the questions themselves do a great job in simulating a live exam - getting the reader ready for the "BCMSN 642-811" exam, if that is a goal. Those persons not having access to any network (router or switch) equipment will really benefit from the simulation software. If a sample question on the companion CD is answered incorrectly, immediately the test taker is provided with not only the correct answer but, a reference to the subject that was being tested is also provided, along with the location in the text where the subject can be reviewed. However, whether the correct answer is displayed upon the selection of an incorrect answer is configurable with the exam software. There are a total of 344 questions on the companion CD - 244 questions from the text itself (multiple choice type ), and 104 that are not from the text that are of the multiple choice, fill-in, drag & drop, and simulation variety. CCNP BCMSN was very well laid out. The book delivers information to prepare the reader for the Cisco's 642-811 exam, and a little more. For the person that puts in the time to really digest the information in this book, it's hard to imagine an unsuccessful attempt at the exam - again, provided this is a goal of the reader. The book is essentially a "text" for the outline of the exam goals. With this book's ability to assist the reader with the successful completion of the "BCMSN 642-811" exam, along with elevating the reader's knowledge about switched networks, the rating I would assign to the content of "CCNP BCMSN" is a 5 - with 5 being the highest on a scale of 1-5. The subtitle of the book "Exam Certification Guide" is not a misnomer. Even without the exam outline from Cisco, you can be assured that you are getting the necessary coverage for the "BCMSN 642-811" exam. If future titles from David Hucaby are produced in the same fashion as this title, I will absolutely read and recommend them!
Rating:
Summary: "CCNP BCMSN: Exam Certification Guide"
Review: The complete title "CCNP BCMSN: Exam Certification Guide" (ISBN: 1-58720-077-5, David Hucaby, Cisco Press) by itself does not convey very much. However, by examining the exam topics (from www.cisco.com) for the "Building Cisco Multilayer Switched" exam (BCMSN 642-811), the reader will be able to see that the subtitle, along with the content of David Hacaby's book are very much connected. Nothing more than a CCNA level of knowledge is required to digest the concepts and subjects covered in this book. Certainly, those persons who will find the book most useful will be those who are preparing for the "BCMSN 642-811" exam. However, anyone seeking to strengthen their knowledge of switching concepts will definitely benefit from reading this book. The "CCNP BCMSN: Exam Certification Guide" text is comprised of 21 chapters, with the majority of the chapters focusing on topics that relate to building a campus network - switch configuration, VLANS, Trunks, Spanning Tree Protocol, etc. Four of the book's 21 chapters pertain to the Spanning Tree Protocol, which is a good indication of the importance of this protocol in the overall performance of switched networks. Each chapter begins with a set of multiple-choice questions. Each chapter also concludes with a set of questions, but not in a multiple-choice format. Instead, most of the questions at each chapter's end require the user to provide an elaborative response -- compelling the reader to apply a little more recall to what was (hopefully) learned in the chapter. So, by concluding the chapter with questions in this format, the reader is challenged to acquire a deeper understanding of the chapter's content. The book does not contain a surplus of examples but, those that do exist, provide more than adequate coverage for the topic previously discussed. The examples are easy to follow, and really serve to reinforce the concept that prefaced the example. The illustrations and diagrams that appear in the book lend an immense amount of support to each chapter's contents by providing a visual aid that really connects to the particular concept being presented. The great majority of the diagrams relate to the position of switches in a network design, which most readers should find very supportive in understanding the campus network design. Included with "CCNP BCMSN:Exam Certification Guide" is a companion CD. Although the CD contains the same questions from the chapters in the book, it does also contain an entirely different set of questions; some of these questions requiring (and allowing) for the configuration of a router and/or switch. To accomplish the router/switch configurations, the companion CD contains software that makes it possible to simulate the configurations for the particular question. Not only does the router/switch simulation software develop some comfort in configuring a router or switch in a switched network but, the questions themselves do a great job in simulating a live exam - getting the reader ready for the "BCMSN 642-811" exam, if that is a goal. Those persons not having access to any network (router or switch) equipment will really benefit from the simulation software. If a sample question on the companion CD is answered incorrectly, immediately the test taker is provided with not only the correct answer but, a reference to the subject that was being tested is also provided, along with the location in the text where the subject can be reviewed. However, whether the correct answer is displayed upon the selection of an incorrect answer is configurable with the exam software. There are a total of 344 questions on the companion CD - 244 questions from the text itself (multiple choice type ), and 104 that are not from the text that are of the multiple choice, fill-in, drag & drop, and simulation variety. CCNP BCMSN was very well laid out. The book delivers information to prepare the reader for the Cisco's 642-811 exam, and a little more. For the person that puts in the time to really digest the information in this book, it's hard to imagine an unsuccessful attempt at the exam - again, provided this is a goal of the reader. The book is essentially a "text" for the outline of the exam goals. With this book's ability to assist the reader with the successful completion of the "BCMSN 642-811" exam, along with elevating the reader's knowledge about switched networks, the rating I would assign to the content of "CCNP BCMSN" is a 5 - with 5 being the highest on a scale of 1-5. The subtitle of the book "Exam Certification Guide" is not a misnomer. Even without the exam outline from Cisco, you can be assured that you are getting the necessary coverage for the "BCMSN 642-811" exam. If future titles from David Hucaby are produced in the same fashion as this title, I will absolutely read and recommend them!
Rating:
Summary: Could be a lot better
Review: The reason I am giving one star to this book is because a lot of people have given 5 stars to it. Personally I would give it about 2 and a half stars.
The main reasons for my low rating are:
- The book jumps in to configuration commands without giving the proper links. The information is too disjointed. Too few actual configuration examples. The book seems littered with config commands without talking much about what info is shown by the specific show commands. How to use the commands in troubleshooting scenarios et al.
- The way in which the information is presented could have been better. Concepts seem to have been explained in a half hearted manner. And per point one, the author jumps directly to config commands.
+ The book does a good job at covering the exam. If you wanna clear the exam, this book is for you. However, if you wanna understand stuff and then actually clear the exam, be prepared to go to other sources. One excellent reference source is the CCIE Cisco LAN switching book. I ended up reading about 18 chapters (out of 20) from this book, and I only came to know about the CCIE book later on. I got it and yes it was worth every cent. Any concept (except QoS) that I needed clarification was present in the CCIE book.
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