O'Reilly Releases New Edition of Cisco IOS Cookbook

Authors Kevin Dooley and Ian Brown have worked together on more than a few large networks and, over the years, they've observed that there are usually several ways to solve any given problem, but certain choices make it much easier to support the final network. "We started out just trying to document these good solutions," recalls Dooley, adding, "There's a joke we use to describe the problem: there are many ways to skin a cat, but most will get you in trouble with the RSPCA (RPCA in the US)."

Their new book, Cisco IOS Cookbook, is a compendium of recipes based on these "good solutions" that show how to perform common configuration tasks. The solutions and extensive explanations in the book are designed to give network administrators new ideas and insights into the complex world of Cisco IOS, without landing them in trouble with the RSPCA.

Dooley and Brown went out of their way to make Cisco IOS Cookbook useful to anyone who uses Cisco routers. The book includes basic recipes for less experienced administrators as well as recipes for advanced network engineers who need to tackle more sophisticated tasks. They note that Cisco adds more interesting and useful features to each IOS release-knowing when to use them can make the difference between a stable, happy environment and a nightmare.

The first edition of the book was titled, Cisco Cookbook. This second edition is more accurately named The Cisco IOS Cookbook to reflect its focus on Cisco's Internetwork Operating System (IOS), the software that runs on most of Cisco's routers and switches. With more than 350 recipes - thoroughly revised and expanded - the book adds sections on MPLS, security, IPv6, and IP Mobility. Because it explains background theory and shows how to actually configure the router, the book is also useful to those studying for Cisco certification.

"We cover a lot of material and hopefully should give readers the tools they need to solve just about any problem their network might throw at them," say Dooley and Brown. "We both keep a copy of the book handy and reference it frequently. There are just so many features that you can't commit everything to memory anymore."

Ian J. Brown is a Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert with more than 12 years of experience in the networking industry. His areas of expertise include TCP/IP and IP routing, as well as management, security, design, and troubleshooting for large-scale networks.

Kevin Dooley has been designing and implementing networks as an independent consultant for more than ten years. He's built large scale Local and Wide Area Networks for several of Canada's largest companies. Kevin holds a PhD in physics from the University of Toronto and is the author of Designing Large-Scale LANs (O'Reilly).

[I haven't read the Cisco Cookbook but I still remember learning a lot from Dooley's Large Scale LAN book - in fact it is among the handbooks within reach from my chair --Ed].

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