Automated Network Management Systems (ISBN 0132393085)

For non-technical managers, very low-level in terms of technical explanations:
This book is in no way a description of how to automate the management of your network. Instead it is a list of functions that any automated system must perform. While valuable for the non-technical manager who wants to learn what is needed, the person with technical expertise will find little to increase their level of competence. For example, chapter 10 is called Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It is a fundamental set of objects and standards that can be used to monitor and configure devices on a network. Yet, there is not one actual example of an SNMP command in the chapter. Since I am a technical person, I find it difficult to understand how fundamental network control operations can be described without using some technical jargon and examples. A firewall is a fundamental component of the interface each network has with the Internet and therefore every network manager will need to know how they work. However, only one-half of a page is devoted to an explanation of what a firewall is and how it functions. Other applications that are just as fundamental to the effective functioning of a network are given similar short shift. I read this book because I was looking for a text to use in my networking class for the 2007-2008 academic year. While it would be fine for a course designed for people who are more in the area of business majors, it is much too weak in the technical areas for me to use it in my classes.