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| Author: Wendell Odom
Publisher: Cisco Press
Category: Book
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $37.79
You Save: $22.20 (37%)
Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 2432
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 3
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1475
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.6
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 8.1 x 4.2
ISBN: 1587201836
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.6
EAN: 9781587201950
Publication Date: September 14, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great New CCNA Study Guides April 25, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Having taught the Cisco Certified Network Associate Certification class at local community colleges, I am always interested when new Exam Certification material is published. This new CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, which is in its Third Edition, provides the individual who does not have the time or the funds to take an actual class (like I occasionally teach), a complete, step by step approach to studying and passing the current CCNA exams (ICND1-640-822 & ICND2-640-816 or CCNA-640-802). These volumes provide a solid explanation of networking fundamentals and provide a logical progression of topics and understanding, focusing on building an overall solid technical foundation and, of course, passing the CCNA examinations. The current CCNA exams are much more detailed in scope than in past tests, requiring the student to have specific concept and configuration knowledge encompassing internetworking fundamentals and progressing into routing protocols, switching, including Spanning Tree, WAN protocols, Wireless, IPv6, Access Lists, etc. Because the course material has grown in depth and breadth, the book strives to simulate, in some ways, a class environment by having pre-chapter quizzes to allow the student to assess their current knowledge on the chapter's topics as well as a syllabus or foundation topics to review as a roadmap. Included in each chapter are key topic reviews, lists of key terms and command reference tables. These are critical for the self-study individual since there is no teacher to ask questions - and this is where the other features of the book come in handy.
Since I teach, I wanted some true `students' opinions, so I handed off my copy of this Library set to a number of individuals who had either just passed their test or were studying with other materials. I asked them their opinion of this new edition, asking them to look at all the new study materials and features included in these volumes. The comments I received back were very enthusiastic. They really liked the fact that the books contain both DVD and CDrom resources. The DVD has a series of videos on IP addressing and subnetting, while the CD has several practice scenarios with excellent step by step of explanations how the answer was achieved (just like in a class room). There is even a companion book website that assists the student in further clarification of questions in the book and new postings by the authors on relevant topics. One response back on the book especially liked that it spoke clearly to what is on the CCNA exam and the fact that there was an exhaustive table of Exam topics and where in the book the subject was covered. Other feedback from my small group referred to the testing engine from Boson that provides the student a chance to test just like the real thing. Suffice to say, my little group students wished they had had these great resources when studying for the CCNA.
As for my opinion of the book, I think that the writing and clarity of the composition, in logical progression and consistent format, is what I strive to deliver when I teach, so I really appreciate the effort that went into the creation of these books by the authors. I understand the amount of work it takes to create solid educational materials. Lastly, there is a good last chapter that goes into final preparation, including study plans, relating how and what to practice and how to approach the CCNA testing. This is the same advise that I give students when I teach. This new CCNA Library is a great resource and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a self-paced, study program or as supplemental material in addition to other CCNA learning materials.
Gary Roesler, CCIE #11451
Thorough Coverage of CCNA Topics, and a Great Value May 2, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I'm a full time instructor of Cisco courses and a CCIE. My students sometimes ask for book recommendations for further study and review. So, I hope that this review of Wendell Odom's "CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, Third Edition" will provide some insight for CCENT and/or CCNA candidates considering the purchase of this library. Following are my observations:
-The "library" contains two separate books: (1) CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide Second Edition and (2) CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide Second Edition.
-Unlike some competitive titles you might come across, this CCNA library cleanly divides the topics of the 640-822 (CCENT/ICND1) exam and the 640-816 (ICND2) exam. So, if a candidate wanted to achieve their CCNA certification by taking the individual exams, they could study the corresponding book from the library. Alternately, if they wanted to take the composite 640-802 CCNA exam, they could study the entire library.
-Cisco Press' "Official Exam Certification Guide" series contains several features that readers can benefit from:
oIcons identifying key topics
oA "Do I Know This Already?" pre-test at the beginning of a chapter
oMemory tables
oIdentification of key terms
-Each of the two books in the library contains a DVD and a CD. Each DVD contains personal Video Mentor-style demonstrations of topics by the author.
-Each CD allows you to install a corresponding practice exam from Boson, which has a nice testing engine supporting simulation and testlet questions, in addition to the traditional multiple choice questions found in many competing products.
-The author doesn't just hit the high points, but rather provides in-depth treatment to the myriad of topics on the CCNA exam.
-Binary math and subnet masking are major CCNA topics, and one of the CDs contains a binary math game, which plays much like a video game.
The think I find most striking about this library is the price. It includes a total of two books, two DVDs, and two CDs for a list price of $59.99. As an owner of many Cisco Press books, I consider this to be one the best values out there for CCNA prep.
 You've got to be kidding me. November 2, 2008
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I'm weighing in here because I have to question the integrity of many of these "customer reviews". Take a good hard look at all the 5 star reviews and you will see a common thread - namely, they are not people looking to pass the CCNA. If you are like me, you have some working knowledge of networking and routing but much of the material will be new to you. You are not the Author's "Technical Reviewer" You are not a CCNA instructor. You are not someone who has read all the other author's books and came here to proclaim that he has "done it again." You are not a veteran of the industry who has nothing better to do than read 1200 pages of entry level material.
Here is how I describe this set. Get ready for hundreds of pages of this:
"Classful Routing: When a packet's destination only matches a router's default route, and does not match any other routes, only use the default route if this router does not know any routes in the classful network in which the destination IP address resides."
I hope my weighing in here helps because I think these other reviewers were here to help the author sell the book, not help you pass the CCNA.
Best alternative to instructor led training June 3, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I am intimately familiar with these contents, having been the author's technical editor for almost all of the editions of this book (and other Odom titles). I'm also a professional trainer in the computer security arena.
Odom has a remarkably clear way of explaining sometimes complex material. He ties things together and gives good memory aids for remembering related terms and concepts. The books are organized in a logical progression, but the individual chapters do not assume that the reader is treating the book like a novel and reading each word in sequence. You could begin your studies on page one of book one or you could use the book as a reference -- just looking up topics that you're finding difficult while taking a course, for example.
The exam engine is easy to use and the questions are at the right depth for the exam. There are no "gimmes" in the pool (for example, a question with a long answer that's correct and a several short wrong choices). Even a question asking the reader to match a binary number with part of an IP address has 4 good choices (many competitors make elimination easy by choosing an even number in decimal then providing two or three obviously odd numbers -- last digit is 1 -- in the binary answers).
The actual Cisco CCNA tests have simulation questions. Rather than just asking about concepts and syntax, you have to act as if you were connected to a router or switch and configure it. This book has software from Boson that gives you the same experience.
The bottom line is this: When you do these assessment tests, you'll know that the score you get reflects your level of preparation. You'll know your strong areas and you'll know where you need to focus your studies in order to get the cert.
The single topic that most new CCNA candidates have trouble grasping is subnetting. The good news is that once you get it, you wonder what was so hard about it. This book gives you a DVD with Odom explaining subnetting; in less than an hour you'll be in the "that was easy" camp.
This is a highly recommended resource.
 Good Book November 1, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This books contains more than enough information to pass the exam. It also serves as a good book to keep for future reference. The writing style of the author is highly technical. Definitely a must have.
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