Rating: 
Summary: Scored 899 With this book
Review: I used this book to study for the 640-606 and passed today with a 899. Very well written, cuts all the useless information and helps you focus on what you really need to learn.
This Book + Boson practice test = Pass exam
Excellet source for future reference as well. It's Money well invested.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Study Guide
Review: I used this book to study for the Cisco Support Exam 640-606. The book is well done covering the exact subject matter needed for the exam. There is little in the way of fluff in the book (IETF RFC's, OSI model rehash, IEEE specs) and it is to the point. The author clearly has good hands on experience with the material that is covered in the book.
I found this book to be an easier read and more appropriate for my needs then the Cisco Press title Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting (CIT) edited by Laura Chappel and Dan Farkas. There were several times I did some cross-referencing to the CIT book but I found the Support Exam Cert Guide exactly that, what I used to study for the Support exam. The included CD testing materials has enough questions (200 or so) to allow you to hone in on what you are weak at and review and study that topic in more detail. Each chapter has a "Do I Know This Already?" Quiz and a Q&A section at the end. The one and only appendix is the answers to both of these for each chapter.
Overall, this is the text to get if you have good practical experience and you want to take the Support exam. I like many others took this last since it covers all the materials on the other CCNP tests. Oh, and I passed.
Ed Horley - CCNP, CCDA
Rating: 
Summary: CCNP CIT Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition
Review: I was recently studying for my CIT exam, in order to finish off my CCNP. I'd heard that the CIT exam was extremely easy, so I was tempted to just go into the exam cold. When I looked at the Cisco exam description, though, it mentioned a lot of stuff about troubleshooting approaches and documentation standards and I knew right away that I was going to need a book. Cisco has a tendency to have an approved method and that's what you'd better know for the exam. So, I got my hands on the CCNP CIT Exam Certification Guide (ISBN # 1587200813) by Amir Ranjbar (Cisco Press). Ranjbar teaches the course for Global Knowledge and GK is the official Cisco Trainer. Might as well go straight to the horse's mouth, right? Taking a quick practice test before starting the book confirmed what I'd felt looking at the exam description. I was okay on the troubleshooting commands, but light on the methodology.The book itself is a bit light, at around 300 pages and the author acknowledges this in the book's intro. He states that the book is intended as a condensed exam preparation book and only presents what he feels is absolutely essential in order to pass the exam. As a book intended for someone with CCNP level skills, I found it to be a little too light on technical info, presenting only the basic troubleshooting commands. The author addresses this, as well, stating that the new CIT exam has a lessened emphasis on technologies and more emphasis on the troubleshooting methodology. I suppose this is because the other 3 exams have some fairly in-depth troubleshooting command questions that are technology-specific and there was no need to duplicate. Lack of sheer volume aside, the book is quite well written and clearly mapped to the exam objectives. Chapters 1 through 6 focus on the documenting and troubleshooting methodologies that I bought the book for. A lot of them are common sense things we should all be doing, but probably aren't. I actually learned quite a few things that I'll be applying to my own troubleshooting and documenting techniques. The book has improved me as a technician, so I guess the mission is accomplished. Chapters 7 through 12 focus on isolating and correcting problems at different layers of the TCP/IP model. These chapters have commands aplenty, but they're very basic commands and nothing new if you're taking this as the final exam of your CCNP. In hindsight, I should have taken this exam first and that's what I'd recommend to anyone wondering in what order to take the CCNP exams. To finish up, lucky chapter 13 is a capstone chapter that walks you through several troubleshooting scenarios. The CD that comes with the book contains the test bank and an electronic copy of the book, which is actually how I did the majority of my reading. I love having the PDF, because I can read it on my computer while at work and it looks so very official, as opposed to sitting around reading a book, which can raise eyebrows of V.P. types looking for people who don't have anything better to do. I used the test bank a lot, as well, since all of the "Do I Know This Already" quizzes are there and can be taken individually. It saves a lot of flipping back and forth in the book checking your answers. The full test bank is also pretty good, with some useful simulations. There were a few questions that didn't work right, but it was better than a lot of test banks I've used. All in all, I have to give kudos to the author for a well-written and accurate book. I noticed something was distinctly absent from this book that had bothered me immensely the last time I read a Cisco Press book... the misspellings. The last book was littered with them, but this book had none that I noticed. I don't know if this is attributable to the author or the editor, but I have to say that it would certainly contribute to me looking for titles by Mr. Ranjbar in the future. In addition to the good spelling, the author gives very clear examples and diagrams. It's a small thing, but I like that he names his routers and switches with names that resemble names of real routers and switches (i.e. Columbia, Columbia_SW, Washington, etc). Seeing routers named R1 and R2 then trying to follow those names through a 2-page example makes the example harder to read. The author avoids this and I appreciate it a lot. The book has a suggested retail of $49.95, which is a little off on the weight-to-price ratio, but since it's a certification book, I guess you have to take it to get the anointed Cisco info. I read the book in 3 days and feel very prepared for this exam, so using my rating scale from one to five pings, I give this book a 4. Mission accomplished. ! ! ! . !
Rating:
Summary: A Little Light Reading
Review: I was recently studying for my CIT exam, in order to finish off my CCNP. I'd heard that the CIT exam was extremely easy, so I was tempted to just go into the exam cold. When I looked at the Cisco exam description, though, it mentioned a lot of stuff about troubleshooting approaches and documentation standards and I knew right away that I was going to need a book. Cisco has a tendency to have an approved method and that's what you'd better know for the exam. So, I got my hands on the CCNP CIT Exam Certification Guide (ISBN # 1587200813) by Amir Ranjbar (Cisco Press). Ranjbar teaches the course for Global Knowledge and GK is the official Cisco Trainer. Might as well go straight to the horse's mouth, right? Taking a quick practice test before starting the book confirmed what I'd felt looking at the exam description. I was okay on the troubleshooting commands, but light on the methodology. The book itself is a bit light, at around 300 pages and the author acknowledges this in the book's intro. He states that the book is intended as a condensed exam preparation book and only presents what he feels is absolutely essential in order to pass the exam. As a book intended for someone with CCNP level skills, I found it to be a little too light on technical info, presenting only the basic troubleshooting commands. The author addresses this, as well, stating that the new CIT exam has a lessened emphasis on technologies and more emphasis on the troubleshooting methodology. I suppose this is because the other 3 exams have some fairly in-depth troubleshooting command questions that are technology-specific and there was no need to duplicate. Lack of sheer volume aside, the book is quite well written and clearly mapped to the exam objectives. Chapters 1 through 6 focus on the documenting and troubleshooting methodologies that I bought the book for. A lot of them are common sense things we should all be doing, but probably aren't. I actually learned quite a few things that I'll be applying to my own troubleshooting and documenting techniques. The book has improved me as a technician, so I guess the mission is accomplished. Chapters 7 through 12 focus on isolating and correcting problems at different layers of the TCP/IP model. These chapters have commands aplenty, but they're very basic commands and nothing new if you're taking this as the final exam of your CCNP. In hindsight, I should have taken this exam first and that's what I'd recommend to anyone wondering in what order to take the CCNP exams. To finish up, lucky chapter 13 is a capstone chapter that walks you through several troubleshooting scenarios. The CD that comes with the book contains the test bank and an electronic copy of the book, which is actually how I did the majority of my reading. I love having the PDF, because I can read it on my computer while at work and it looks so very official, as opposed to sitting around reading a book, which can raise eyebrows of V.P. types looking for people who don't have anything better to do. I used the test bank a lot, as well, since all of the "Do I Know This Already" quizzes are there and can be taken individually. It saves a lot of flipping back and forth in the book checking your answers. The full test bank is also pretty good, with some useful simulations. There were a few questions that didn't work right, but it was better than a lot of test banks I've used. All in all, I have to give kudos to the author for a well-written and accurate book. I noticed something was distinctly absent from this book that had bothered me immensely the last time I read a Cisco Press book... the misspellings. The last book was littered with them, but this book had none that I noticed. I don't know if this is attributable to the author or the editor, but I have to say that it would certainly contribute to me looking for titles by Mr. Ranjbar in the future. In addition to the good spelling, the author gives very clear examples and diagrams. It's a small thing, but I like that he names his routers and switches with names that resemble names of real routers and switches (i.e. Columbia, Columbia_SW, Washington, etc). Seeing routers named R1 and R2 then trying to follow those names through a 2-page example makes the example harder to read. The author avoids this and I appreciate it a lot. The book has a suggested retail of $49.95, which is a little off on the weight-to-price ratio, but since it's a certification book, I guess you have to take it to get the anointed Cisco info. I read the book in 3 days and feel very prepared for this exam, so using my rating scale from one to five pings, I give this book a 4. Mission accomplished. ! ! ! . !
Rating: 
Summary: C I T seems to be the best for the Support Exam
Review: I'll suggest you for the C I T preperation guide from Cisco Press,by Laura Chappell,Dan Farkas,Thomas Kelly and Daniel Farkas To write technical matter in an understandable way without losing the technical aspects is really appreciatable.
Rating:
Summary: The best I've seen for the Support Exam.
Review: If I am trying to find information about a certain company I go to that company's website. The same principal applies to certification material. I am looking to become a CCNP and Support is one exam I have to take and that's why I am going to Cisco Press for the information. In the 475 plus page manual the Author walks you through the topics of Resources for troubleshooting and troubleshooting methods. The authors ability to simply the troubleshooting process is excellent, he is able convey his expertise in an easy to understand manner. Also included are the areas of Cisco Troubleshooting tools and troubleshooting TCP/IP, AppleTalk and switch problems. Then you have troubleshooting techniques for ISDN, VLANs, Frame Relay and ATM. You are given an extensive coverage of the Cisco IOS commands associated with troubleshooting process with a great explanation of why and when to use the commands. You have router screen shots, figures, diagrams, tables and end of chapter questions and answers to help in your studies. The cd-rom included has practice questions and a practice test, which can be setup to focus on one topic or random coverage of several areas and topics. Overall this book would make a great classroom guide and is well worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: CISCO Press is best for CISCO
Review: It took 7days for passing CIT with this book.
Rating:
Summary: A complete CIT referance
Review: Not much to say, this book has almost a complete coverage of the exam topics and enough to pass the exam if supported with on the job experience. CD has been prepared carefully and has valuable questions. Thanks to Ranjbar for his efforts.
Rating:
Summary: If you'll count on a book... this is it.
Review: Ok, here is the deal: the exam is about troubleshooting... it really needs work experience. Passing this exam only by using a book is not that easy. And of course the questions are pretty bad worded in the exam. I used this book. I read it 3-4 times, solved the Q/A parts, used boson tests and at last passed the real exam. Book is very well written, easy to read. While reading it you'll understand the knowledge level of the author. He is a CCNP but he seems to be more than a CCIE when it comes to troubleshooting. He gives sample outputs of the commands and focuses on the vital parts. Those outputs will be very useful if you do not have equipment to play with. Be careful! The exam will be pretty hard if you do not have enough work experience. It needs a little knowledge and a LOT of troubleshooting experience.
Rating:
Summary: This is a terrible book, just terrible
Review: Poorly written, badly formatted, it just couldn't be worse....forget about it!
| 
