SPARK : CCIE RS v5 certification guide ROUGH CUT

I am currently working on my CCIEv5 RS. The new blueprint change has added some good new information and removed obsolete technologies from the test. The rough cut of the new CCIE Routing and Switching v5.0 Official Cert Guide v1 5e book (which at this stage has chapters missing) appeared on Safari Books recently. This was great for me as my workplace provides me a subscription. Written by the ever so smart Narbik Kocharians this book takes the certification series to the next level. I thought I would post my thoughts on it so far.

Writing style

Narbik has a legacy around how much he knows. He can recite all sorts of technology details and is big on what he terms ‘chalk talks’. These ‘chalk talks’ are deep dives into a technology leave no stone unturned into why the technology we use behaves in the way it does. The best part about this is that this has translated into his book. The book is filled with examples of how and why the technology works. This is also followed up with an analogy or an explanation. What is good about this is that most topics have two examples where he explains a topic. Many times its reading the first or second explanation I understand the interpretation and it sticks in my head.

The best example of this was feasible distance with EIGRP!

Code and example output

The book is an epic two parter. It makes it an awesome reading source. It should come with must, dust and cobwebs because the size of the collective book makes TCP/IP look small. This is in part to the detailed and in-depth examples for many if not all of the topics. The best part, in true Narbik style, the code blocks are commented. This provides context around what is being discussed and ensures that the reader is following the authors train of thought.

Thoughts

I will be buying this book. I will get a hard copy because books such as these server as a great reference. Alone a certification guide will not pass an exam for you but what it can do is allow an author to explain a topic or concept in a different fashion. This is great for someone like me to ensure a concept sticks.

Rough Cut
> Whilst the rough cut is not a finished publication there is a lot of information in there to glean. It is important that you’re viewing an early copy of the book and it should not be a reflection of the final product.