Cisco Routers for the Desperate: Router Management, the Easy Way

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Cisco Routers for the Desperate: Router Management, the EasyWay

ASP.NET developers working for a large organizationrarely, if ever, need to concern themselves with the considerable task oflearning and managing network routers. However, for many ASP.NET programmerswho work for small to mid-size businesses and/or those who have no choice butto take on the multiple personalities of Webmaster, network administrator, helpdesk manager, and developer, CiscoRouters for the Desperate was written for you. In fact, this book isn t areference it s a survival guide, a break glass in case of emergency safetyharness that helps dissolve the mystery behind the Cisco label and the row ofblinking lights.

This is a short book that can be read in a single sitting.However, like most hands-on technology books, it s best to read it in front ofa computer accessing the resource being discussed. In this case, a Telnetsession with a Cisco router is the fastest way to learn and retain the survivallessons taught. Author Michael Lucas has obviously read many of those thickCisco router management books, and has effectively distilled the most importantmorsels of information into this brief handbook. By Chapter 4 (there are ninechapters in all, plus a useful Appendix on IP addresses and netmasks), the bookhad worked its magic on me. The black rectangular Cisco box sitting in theserver rack was no longer the mysterious 2001-like monolith that hummed alongand somehow had something to do with delivering my executing Web code to theworld. Rather, it was just another computer that could be told what to do. Moreimportantly, it was now a system that I could understand and eventroubleshoot when the time came.

The book quickly teaches readers about working with theCisco command line, which is the entry path into router configuration,management, WAN connections, and even upgrading Cisco s Internetwork OperatingSystem (IOS). Chapter 5 on troubleshooting routers is the book s most importantsection, and is the real reason behind buying the book in the first place. Focusingon the two primary problem areas for routers (crashes and/or network failure orslowness), the suggestions offered should ideally be incorporated into adisaster recovery procedure for router recovery. At 25 pages, Chapter 7 on redundancywith BGP and HSRP is the book s lengthiest and most complex chapter, requiringa re-read to grok all the router concepts and blocks of capital letters (ARIN,ASN, BGP, HSRP, MRTG, and RADB). Nevertheless, once these initially crypticconcepts are understood, they not only make sense, they also bring an evendeeper appreciation for the complexity that Cisco routers are capable ofmanaging.

What I found remarkable about this book was how it wasobviously written for people like me those of us who have little interest inrouter management but whose jobs depend on the consistent, trusted functioningof such infrastructure. In fact, by lifting the veil on how Cisco routers canbe controlled, the book has removed the last big concern in the delivery of myASP.NET applications; namely, what happens if the router fails? Before thisbook came along, I probably would have had to call an authorized Ciscoconsultant and stew in frustration until that person was available to solve theproblem. With Cisco Routers for theDesperate standing by, I ll be better prepared, and possibly even be capableof quickly resolving the problem without ever having to resort to an expensiveconsultation.

Mike Riley

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Title: Cisco Routers for the Desperate: RouterManagement, the Easy Way

Author: MichaelW. Lucas

Publisher: NoStarch Press

ISBN:1-59327-049-6

Book Web Site: http://www.nostarch.com/cisco.htm

Price: US$19.95

Page Count: 132pages