The Title CCNP BCMSN (ISBN: 1-58720-077-5, David Hucaby, Cisco Press) by Itself Does Not

CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide

Reviewer Name: Trevor Chandler

Reviewer Certification: CCNA

Rating: ***** out of *****

The complete title CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide (ISBN: 1-58720-077-5, David Hucaby, Cisco Press) by itself does not convey very much. However, by examining the exam topics (from for the Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks exam (BCMSN 642-811), the reader will be able to see that the subtitle and content of David Hucaby’s book are very much connected.

Nothing more than a CCNA level of knowledge is required to digest the concepts and subjects covered in this book. Certainly, those persons who will find the book most useful will be those who are preparing for the BCMSN 642-811 exam. However, anyone seeking to strengthen their knowledge of switching concepts will definitely benefit from reading this book.

The CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guide text is comprised of 21 chapters, with the majority of the chapters focusing on topics that relate to building a campus network – switch configuration, VLANS, Trunks, Spanning Tree Protocol, etc. Four of the book’s 21 chapters pertain to the Spanning Tree Protocol, which is a good indication of the importance of this protocol in the overall performance of switched networks.

Each chapter begins with a set of multiple-choice questions. Each chapter also concludes with a set of questions, but not in a multiple-choice format. Instead, most of the questions at each chapter’s end require the user to provide an elaborate response -- compelling the reader to apply a little more recall to what was (hopefully) learned in the chapter. So, by concluding the chapter with questions in this format, the reader is challenged to acquire a deeper understanding of the chapter’s content.

The book does not contain a surplus of examples but those that do exist provide more than adequate coverage for the topic previously discussed. The examples are easy to follow, and really serve to reinforce the concept that prefaced the example.

The illustrations and diagrams that appear in the book lend an immense amount of support to each chapter’s contents by providing a visual aid that really connects to the particular concept being presented. The great majority of the diagrams relate to the position of switches in a network design, which most readers should find very supportive in understanding the campus network design.

Included with CCNP BCMSN Exam Certification Guideis a companion CD-ROM. Although the CD contains the same questions from the chapters in the book, it also contains an entirely different set of questions; some of these questions requiring (and allowing) for the configuration of a router and/or switch. To accomplish the router/switch configurations, the companion CD-ROM contains software that makes it possible to simulate the configurations for the particular question.

Not only does the router/switch simulation software develop some comfort in configuring a router or switch in a switched network but, the questions themselves do a great job in simulating a live exam – getting the reader ready for the BCMSN 642-811 exam, if that is a goal. Those persons not having access to any network (router or switch) equipment will really benefit from the simulation software.

If a sample question on the companion CD is answered incorrectly, immediately the test taker is provided with not only the correct answer but also, a reference to the subject that was being tested is also provided, along with the location in the text where the subject can be reviewed. However, whether the correct answer is displayed upon the selection of an incorrect answer is configurable with the exam software.

There are a total of 344 questions on the companion CD: 244 questions from the text itself (multiple choice type), and 104 that are not from the text that are of the multiple choice, fill-in, drag & drop, and simulation variety.

CCNP BCMSNExam Certification Guidewas very well laid out. The book delivers information to prepare the reader for the Cisco’s 642-811 exam, and a little more. For the person that puts in the time to really digest the information in this book, it’s hard to imagine an unsuccessful attempt at the exam – again, provided this is a goal of the reader. The book is essentially a text for the outline of the exam goals.

With this book’s ability to assist the reader with the successful completion of the BCMSN 642-811 exam, along with elevating the reader’s knowledge about switched networks, the rating I would assign to the content of CCNP BCMSNExam Certification Guideis a 5 – with 5 being the highest on a scale of 1-5. Even without the exam outline from Cisco, you can be assured that you are getting the necessary coverage for the exam.

If future titles from David Hucaby are produced in the same fashion as this title, I will absolutely read and recommend them!