[.ca] Cisco Catalyst LAN Switching (ISBN 0071349820)

From Amazon.com:
Cisco Catalyst LAN Switching explains how Cisco's line of Catalyst network switches work in theory and in practice. Written by folks who teach Cisco engineers for a living, this book has the feel of a classroom lecture in which the instructor projects an image onto a screen and then proceeds to discuss it. As such, this book demystifies important concepts and provides an introduction to practical experimentation. Switching and bridging are complex tasks that the authors ably explain, along with the differences among the components in the Catalyst line and strategies for fitting Catalyst switches into virtual local area networks (VLANs). This book provides detailed configuration information on the Catalyst 5000 series. Ultimately it shuns Cisco Works for Switched Internetworks in favor of the raw command line in order to highlight the differences between the Catalyst operating system and standard Cisco Internetworking Operating System (IOS). You'll find concise statements describing many administrative tasks, including the configuration of Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) and Token Ring networks. Here, the authors support their command and output listings with conceptual diagrams that show the effects of the command sequences. You can use this book as a training aid for the Cisco professional certification exams too--review questions appear at the end of each chapter. --David Wall Topics covered: Switching and bridging concepts, contrasting bridging architectures, virtual private networks (VPNs), virtual local area networks (VLANs), and details of configuring the Cisco Catalyst 5000 series of products.

Need different text for new Switching exam:
Although if you like manual type books, this is a fine book, it doesn't cut to the point and give you what is needs for the new CCNP Switching exam. Hard to read, with typos make it not a good choice.

It's no Danielle Steele, but you'll pass the test!:
Succeeds in breaking down complex subjects like STP and 5500 aggregate switching backplanes in ways that I can understand. Well written. The author does a good job in bringing to life a subject that is about as interesting as Al Gore. Would have gotten five stars, but they skimp on 5500 bus architecture just a little. It's the only book you'll need!

Good Writing, Older Technology:
The book is very well organized and written. However, if you want to implement the newest generation of switched Ethernet based on gigabit Ethernet technology, you need to use several series of new Catalyst switches, which are not covered in the book. You will also find a few errors and typos in the book.

Excellent Reference:
This book is the best switching resource I own. I found it to be very readable, concise, and yet thorough. It's true that it suffers from many typos and it is getting rather dated, but most of this book is still extremely useful. (I very much hope that the authors are working on the 2nd edition.) To expect this book to read like an exam cram is hardly fair. In the preface, the book itself claims to be intended as a reference for an intermediate level reader. Still, I used this book as my primary means of studying for the 640-504 exam, and easily passed.

Covers Cisco Well!:
This is a great book if you are needing to learn the latest in Cisco Multilayer switching! It gets into all of the gory detail and more. It's only drawback is that it seems to be written for those who allready understand a lot, I found myself having a hard time tracking the concepts, particularly when to not use dynamic vlan. Overall, the book meets it's objective well.