Network+ Guide to Networks, Fourth Edition (Networking)

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




Grueling Course, February 5, 2008
By Steven R. McEvoy (Canada)
This book is officially approved courseware for the CompTIA Network+ exam. It has been approved also by the CSSIA (Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance). The book is very comprehensive. But as all textbooks go it has both strengths and weaknesses. In this review I will try to highlight some of both.

Like most computer industry books, this one comes with a supplemental CD. That CD includes the Certblaster and MeasureUP self-test software and other files the student will find useful.

Each chapter begins with a highlight box that will outline what will be covered in the chapters. Then it includes a letter or story from someone working in the industry. At first these seemed a little cheesy, but as I moved further and further into the book I realized that they were a great source for a feel for the material in the real world, and not just in the classroom or self-study. On the side of the pages are some green bars; these bars highlight specific information you are required to know for the CompTIA exam, and which exam objective they are part of.

One of the greatest strengths is that each chapter ends with a mini glossary of key terms or new terms from that chapter. There is also a complete glossary of all of these terms at the back of the book. Then at each chapter's end there is a series of review questions - multiple choice questions much like those found in self-test software and on the actual exam. Finally, each chapter has a series of hands-on projects. Each project gets progressively more difficult.

The greatest strength of this book is that it has all-encompassing hardware, software, different OS's. The weakness is that it is a lot of material packed very densely into nearly a thousand pages. When I did the school program, we did this book in 3 weeks. For most it was a little overwhelming.

If you want to write the CompTIA Network+ exam, this is a great book to help get you there. Pay special attention to the Novell Netware sections. There were a lot of questions on the exam about those. And Good Luck!



Great Book for learning networking, not for passing Network+, August 30, 2007
By Matt Lakin (Walnut Creek, CA United States)
This is a great book for beginners to learn about networking. This was my first networking book for my first networking class, and I will always remember it. I'm reading a lot of bad reviews for this book and I just have to say; this book is not for idiots. If you just "want to pass the Network+" but have no experience, self-study, or interest in networking, then this is not the book for you. If you are interested in networking, and want to learn a lot more, this book does a great job of delivering important information to your brain in an easy to read and enjoyable way. It is a very large book, and contains a LOT of information (yes, some of it is outdated by now, but it's all good to know...if not just for being able to impress your older colleagues/bosses with your knowledge of vampire taps, Banyan Vines, and Thick/Thinnet, then just for a greater understanding of the history behind networking, which will lead you to a broader knowledge of the concepts and enable you to learn new information more easily).

Once again, let me say that this book, despite its title, is NOT good for studying for the Network+. This is a great book to learn the basics of networking from, but when studying for the test you really need to use an Exam Cram 2 and some computer-based practice tests. These practice tests are ESSENTIAL for passing the test. I used TestOut and whatever random ones I could find on the net, but I'm sure they're all pretty equal. If you want to pass the test, get the Exam Cram 2 Network+ book, and install practice test software on your PC.

When you have finished the Exam Cram and can answer every test on the practice test correctly, you will be over-studied for the test, which is the best way to approach any test (especially ones that cost $250). If you're not interested in this stuff enough to spend so much time studying for it, please choose a different career. Leave IT to the people who love it :D



Poorly made, not for an entry level student, April 17, 2007
By B. Bernier (canada)
I am using this book for my IT class to get my certification for network+.

My classmates and i have discussed the layout of the book and our findings are that while the book contains tons of information that are necessary to get your certification but it was too much to assimilate in a short amount of time.

The problem with this book is that it tries to fill your head with so much text information that by the end of a chapter you are lost because their was too much info to digest. You have to reread the chapters several time in order to try to grasp what the author is trying to teach you in said chapter.


All we get his info over info but we have no clue as to where it is really applied or why we are learning this information at all. It would have been nice to see pictures associated with the concepts that the author was talking about.

As an analogy, i felt like i was trying to get a surgeon's certifcate but all the teaching i got was from a book that had no pictures to show me what to do in order to perform surgeries. How can i operate if i can't make the difference between organs inside the body....

At the end of my readings I did not feel confident at all in my knowledge of this book and was doubtfull i could get my certification on a first try relying on this book information and the way it was presented to me.

This book becomes nothing more than a big memory exercise and if you have a poor memory be prepared to fail your certification.

The only reason we had to use this book in our class is that the company that certifies you is the company that made this book.

I would not recomment this book as an entry level book to this subject as it is too much info to digest in one book.

In my opinion, if you have to read a chapter several times in order to understand what the author is trying to convoy it means to me that the book was not done properly.

This book needs to be revised with the mindset that it has to include more visuals and be an entry level book to certify people for the job.

If you plan on becoming Network+ certfied and you are a huge visual learner stay far way from this book. Get another book that bears the CompTIA seal and check if it is the right book for you.

This book here clearly wasn't the right book for me and my classmates.

Thanks



Not really all that wonderful, February 25, 2007
By David Wills
I've had to use this for a Networking+ class and have hated and dreaded having to read it and prep class for it. The writing is vague and sloppy and there are many dubious and wrong statements. Some diagrams do not correspond to the text and/or are confusing. You will not get a good idea of many concepts. It's been very frustrating.
I give it two stars because it is specifically for the Network+ test, but would rate it only one star as a general intro to networking because in addition to the above problems it is full of obsolete and legacy stuff like token ring, coax, NetWare.
The chapter on "Networking with Unix-like OS's" has nothing about networking with them.
My copy will be dumped into the library's free box as soon as the course ends.



Good reference/textbook on the subject - very thorough, December 30, 2006
By P. Tcholakov (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Does what it says on the box - it's a good reference, with much detail and useful practical advice for the upcoming network technician or IT support professional. I think its usefulness is fairly limited outside of those fields but as an introduction to computer networking, it will give you plenty of information. Unfortunately the general tone of the book is reflective of its introductory purpose and more experienced readers might find it slightly annoying. If you are a software professional who is more interested in the programming aspects of networking, consider W. Richard Stevens's "TCP/IP Illustrated" series.