| Cisco is almost synonymous with networking.There is almost no area of networking in which
Cisco is not a key player, or is not making inroads.You name it Cisco makes it—routers, switches,
firewalls, management software, and so on. It can be quite an undertaking to locate and acquire
all of the information needed to configure, monitor, and manage these discrete Cisco parts of a
network.
Our goal in assembling this book is to create a handy resource for networking (and internetworking)
with Cisco.We called on our experiences as networkers to identify and produce information
that would be particularly useful consolidated into a single source.The result is what you
now hold in your hands.
We know firsthand how rapidly technology changes, and that there are many hidden methods
that have not yet been documented.You will discover many of these methods as you configure
the topics discussed in this book.
Chapter 1 provides useful information about Cisco networking products, such as its Internet
Operating System (IOS), its routers, and its switches. Cisco has standardized management sessions
that you will establish to configure Cisco hardware and software.
A fundamental knowledge of networking technologies is essential.This chapter provides a
working knowledge of local area network (LAN) technologies while wide area networking (WAN)
is covered in Chapter 2.We review network fundamentals in this chapter, as they are a building
block to information presented elsewhere in this book. It is important to know and understand the
different network technologies, their specific operations, and how they interoperate, if at all.
The Cisco operating systems (OSs) are the heart of all Cisco hardware.Without an OS to tie
it all together, the hardware would be just so much silicon and metal.You need to understand
how the software and hardware interoperate and their interdependent relationship.The ability to
configure and deploy both successfully is your goal, regardless of whether you are doing it to pass
an exam, or enhancing your production network. |
