Product Description

Get ready for the new CCDA exam with the updated CCDA: Cisco Certified Design Associate Study Guide, 2nd Edition. Organized for optimal learning and retention, this book provides in-depth coverage of all exam objectives along with practical insights drawn from real-world experience. The accompanying CD includes hundreds of challenging review questions, electronic flashcards, and a searchable electronic version of the entire book. Cisco recently "refreshed" the CCDA exam, adding new questions and question formats to the pool, but leaving the previous set of exam objectives intact. The CCDA certification validates a foundation or apprentice knowledge of network design for the small office/home office (SOHO) market.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #889209 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 672 pages

Amazon.com Review
Of the preparation guides available for the Cisco Certified Design Associate exam (640-441), CCDA: Cisco Certified Design Associate Study Guide comes out on top. Authors Todd Lammle and Donald Porter clearly explain what you need to know, both to pass the exam and to prove yourself a competent network technician once on the job. Some of the material that appears in these pages--a table listing various Cisco router product lines, their capabilities, and suitable applications for them, to cite one example--makes great reading, and will prove useful long after the exam is over.

The authors' presentation style uses text to great effect, explaining potentially confusing topics with clear, fact-rich prose that rewards close attention from the reader. There are plenty of helpful conceptual diagrams (illustrating network segmentation with a bridge, for example) and flow charts (a good one illustrates packet-switching logic) as well.

It's sometimes possible to forget that this is an exam preparation aid, but realistic problems and multiple-choice review questions bring readers back to the task at hand. Elaborate solutions to the problems and quick answers to the review questions appear in the back of this book (along with an excellent, extensive glossary), but the answer key would be more helpful if it included brief discussions explaining the reasoning behind the correct answers. --David Wall

Topics covered: All proscribed elements of the CCDA exam (640-441), including the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, Ethernet, network topologies, network protocols, routing, bridging, switching, and the fundamentals of Cisco hardware and software products.

From the Back Cover
Here’s the book you need to prepare for Cisco’s revised CCDA exam, 640-861. This Study Guide provides: In-depth coverage of every CCDA exam objective Practical information on Cisco design solutions Hundreds of challenging practice questions, in the book and on the CD Leading-edge exam preparation software, including a test engine, electronic flashcards, and simulation software Authoritative coverage of all exam objectives, including: Gathering and evaluating information regarding current and future network requirements Identifying possible opportunities for network performance improvement Evaluating solutions for meeting IP addressing, routing protocol, and network management needs Incorporating equipment and technology within a campus design Applying the Enterprise Composite Network Model Addressing the issues of delivering voice traffic over a data network Evaluating solutions for compliance with SAFE architecture

Developing implementation, prototype testing, and verification plans Featured on the CD The enclosed CD is packed with vital preparation tools and materials, beginning with the Sybex test engine for the CCDA exam. Loaded with hundreds of practice questions, it lets you test yourself chapter by chapter and review your score by objectives area. You’ll also find electronic flashcards for PCs, Pocket PCs, and Palm handhelds; two bonus exams that will help you prepare for the test; and a fully searchable electronic version of the book.

About the Author
Todd Lammle, CCDA, CCNP, has over 20 years of experience working with various LANs and WANs and has been working on Cisco router networks since 1986. He is CEO and chief scientist of RouterSim, LLC and president of GlobalNet Training, Inc. Todd was voted "Best Study Guide Author" in the CertCities 2002 Readers’ Choice Awards. Andy Barkl, CCDP, has over 18 years of experience in IT. He's the owner of MCT & Associates LLC, a technical training and consulting firm in Phoenix. He is an online editor and regular contributor for MCPMag.com, TCPMag.com, and CertCities.com.

Customer Reviews

Doesn't cover the scope of the exam
I just passed the CCDA yesterday. If you are going to buy one book for the CCDA test, then buy the Cisco Press Book by Kim.

Nothing against Todd Lammle, this book is well written and a valuable source of information. But it does not cover all the information that Cisco wants you to know for the CCDA test.

I found Lammle's CCNA book to be invaluable for that test (which I just passed several weeks ago). But this book is lacking in areas such as: 1. Cisco's approach to designing a "cisco network solution" 2. It does not cover the "cisco" product line as much as I would have liked, as I do not have a ton of experience with their products. 3. Many of the questions in the review sections and CD tests are extremely poorly worded and very vague.

In my opinion the Cisco Press book (by Kim) does a much, much better job at covering this material.

Best CCDA available
Don't waste your money on the Cisco self-study, nor the Cisco Press book. They are both over priced and worthless. If you want to know what to expect for the CCDA exam, then this is your book. Easy to read and understand, and I also found the reveiw questions were mostly the same as the real exam. Made it even easier.

Passed the CCDA with ease. This is a must have.
If you want to know how to pass the CCDA, then this is your book. Well written and organized, it helped me pass the CCDA easily and quickly the first time. The Case Studies in the book are exactly what you'll see in the real exam. I am really impressed with the writting style and ease of study this book provides.