Books for knowledge!? THE SHAME

Hokay, so the CCNA and studying for the BSCI have got me started on a lot of great fundamental networking knowledge...but what I'd also like would be a book that was maybe a practical guide to networking. Mostly, I'm interested in learning more about various toolsets and techniques that are used pretty widely in the networking world (monitoring tools and such.) If anyone knows of any such book (or links to articles/websites that have that kind of information) that would be great.

I want to supplement my certified knowledge as much as possible.

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dynamik

I was initially pretty upset about my crushed dreams, but your kindly worded PSA has let me leave those bitter feelings behind.

I've heard many good things about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Gary-Donahue/dp/0596101511

I haven't read it myself, so I don't know if it is exactly what you're looking for.

GT-Rob

Its hard to put a lot of that into a book as it changes all the time, and it can get outdated in a hurry.

Best bet is forums like this

c0d3_w0lf

Thanks for the tip dynamik (and sorry about the crushed dreams...I knew someone would be hurt =\), I'll have to take a gander at that one and see if it's what I need.

And continuing on from GT-Rob's implied suggestion...what are some tools that you guys in engineering/administration positions have found especially useful?

mwgood

I second the Network Warrior book - a lot of great stuff in there.

Here's another one along the lines of your request - http://www.amazon.com/Network-Administrators-Survival-Networking-Technology/dp/1587052113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201753395&sr=8-1

seuss_ssues

dynamik wrote:

I was initially pretty upset about my crushed dreams, but your kindly worded PSA has let me leave those bitter feelings behind.

I've heard many good things about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Gary-Donahue/dp/0596101511

I haven't read it myself, so I don't know if it is exactly what you're looking for.

While reading the initial thread this was the book that i was going to recommend. So if i counted right ill "3rd it."

mikej412

dynamik wrote:

I've heard many good things about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Gary-Donahue/dp/0596101511

I guess I'll +4 this one.

It's been mentioned a couple of times in the Cisco forums already -- while not a "certification book," it may give you a more "real world" take on networking (and what you may be getting yourself into).

2 thumbs up

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sprkymrk

While Network Warrior is a great book, it's still just about Cisco.

I got the impression you wanted something a little more diverse, in which case I can recommend:

Network Troubleshooting Tools (O'Reilly System Administration)

shednik

dynamik wrote:

I was initially pretty upset about my crushed dreams, but your kindly worded PSA has let me leave those bitter feelings behind.

I've heard many good things about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Gary-Donahue/dp/0596101511

I haven't read it myself, so I don't know if it is exactly what you're looking for.

I'm about a 1/3 through this book it's a good book but occsionally he'll say something i'm not sure I agree with 100% or maybe its how he worded something....but it's a good book to read!

c0d3_w0lf

sprkymrk wrote:

While Network Warrior is a great book, it's still just about Cisco.

I got the impression you wanted something a little more diverse, in which case I can recommend:

Network Troubleshooting Tools (O'Reilly System Administration)

Ooh, that's pretty much exactly along the lines I was looking for. Thanks! I'll still probably check out that Network Warrior book by Donahue, but this is more in line with what I was thinking.

liven

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

Thanks for the tip dynamik (and sorry about the crushed dreams...I knew someone would be hurt =\), I'll have to take a gander at that one and see if it's what I need.

And continuing on from GT-Rob's implied suggestion...what are some tools that you guys in engineering/administration positions have found especially useful?

For me networking trouble shooting tools:

***tcpdump****
etherreal
wireshark

always pump logs to syslog, and learn the unix style file parsing commands = GREP etc...

PERL!!!!!

Most will probably think these are lame suggestions but they save me all the time!

Claymoore

shednik wrote:

dynamik wrote:

I was initially pretty upset about my crushed dreams, but your kindly worded PSA has let me leave those bitter feelings behind.

I've heard many good things about this book: http://www.amazon.com/Network-Warrior-Gary-Donahue/dp/0596101511

I haven't read it myself, so I don't know if it is exactly what you're looking for.

I'm about a 1/3 through this book it's a good book but occsionally he'll say something i'm not sure I agree with 100% or maybe its how he worded something....but it's a good book to read!

I know what you mean. I started reading Network Warrior last night, and in the first chapter he defines what he means by a network. One of the statements is "For those of you old enough to remember the program Laplink...". I remember Laplink, my first network was a Laplink network, and I don't feel that old. Maybe I'll agree with him more in the later chapters.

Aquabat [banned]

arg i hate o-rielly books.

i wanna read network warrior i think it would help me more than a cisco press book when it comes to digging into a real world network.

yea it might be based on all cisco- but honestly i've been in literally hundreds of datacenters/ all over the state of pennsylvania. and i've only seen one juniper product at one place.

for managed devices it's like ALL cisco products, and the occaisonal adtran, which is basically cisco anyways

sprkymrk

Aquabat wrote:

arg i hate o-rielly books.

I normally don't care for O'Reilly either, but Network Troubleshooting Tools is one of the exceptions for me.

dynamik

Do you guys read their programming books at all? I've liked those, but I haven't been impressed with their network/systems administrator offerings.

Turgon

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

Hokay, so the CCNA and studying for the BSCI have got me started on a lot of great fundamental networking knowledge...but what I'd also like would be a book that was maybe a practical guide to networking. Mostly, I'm interested in learning more about various toolsets and techniques that are used pretty widely in the networking world (monitoring tools and such.) If anyone knows of any such book (or links to articles/websites that have that kind of information) that would be great.

I want to supplement my certified knowledge as much as possible.

Public Service Announcement - The title of this thread was intended solely to capture attention and garner reads. c0d3_w0lf will not accept responsibility for disappointment and/or crushed dreams resulting from preconceived notions developed about this thread from the title alone. You may now return to your regularly scheduled browsing.

Cisco Press, some of them are ok but you are quite right to look at fundamental books on networking as Cisco Press take standards and apply them in a vendor setting.

Here are some stock in trade books that as useful today as they were before all the certification guiides came out.

Interconnections - Radia Perlman
Data Communications - Stallings
TCP/IP Illustrated - Stevens

As for the 'toolbox' book you are looking for I can't advise you but the ones I have listed will open your eyes.

dtlokee

Best o'rielly book ever

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winlog/

networker050184

ANy book by that author gets an A+ in my book