Reviews for Designing Cisco Network Service Architectures (ARCH) (Authorized Self-Study Guide)

1. Good book, but not for the exam

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2009

   I picked up this book to get back up to date for my CCNP/CCDP recertification. As Cisco have changed the areas covered in this level of exam, I needed something to bring me up to speed in the new areas.
   
   It does a reasonable job of explaining a lot of the important concepts of network design. As such it will fit comfortably onto my bookshelf as a reference book. If you are starting work in network design, I can recommend the book as a tutorial.
   
   It falls down in two areas however.
   - The formatting detracts from the overall text. Several of the diagrams etc. are on the wrong pages to link with the topic they are illustrating. This means when reading a section or paragraph, you frequently have to flick to a different page to find the diagram that it references. This breaks concentration and makes it difficult to study.
   
   - It doesn't seem to emphasise the specific terms that are tested. It's all well and good understanding how or what a function does, but Cisco use specific names and wordings to describe and communicate particular areas or ideas. These are important to be able to show that you understand the area.
   
   I've been CCNP/DP for around 8-9 years now, working with extensive Cisco and multi-vendor designs day-to-day, and yet I was unable to pass the exam (several times) using this guide. Having started to run through the Element K e-learning course I can start to appreciate why and link what I've learned here to specific questions that I've seen on the exam, understanding the reasons I failed. It comes too late for me however, so I'm having to squeeze some other professional level exams in on my last day of certification in the hopes of retaining the qualifications. As a result this book has comprehensively failed to do what I needed it to. If I can't pass the exam with this guide, I can hardly imagine what a newcomer to this area would make of it.
   
   Interestingly, I seem to be getting approximately the same scoring on the CCDE written exam, as this one (just short of the pass mark unfortunately), which indicates to me that my understanding of professional level design is probably OK, but needs a little refinement/updating. My scoring hasn't really changed since reading this book on either exam.
   
   In short, I would recommend this book to learn network design, but I wouldn't recommend it's use to learn what is needed for the ARCH exam. As the book is targetted at those seeking CCDP qualification, I'm giving it a lower score than It would otherwise deserve.

2. Big Fish in a Small Pond

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, May 12st, 2009

   I gained my CCNP using a combination of the Cisco Press Exam Guides, and Video lectures. I made the mistake of buying the study guide, rather than the Exam guide for the BSCI exam, and was rewarded with waffle, needless density and irrelevant detail.
   
   Sad to say, this book follows the same path - needlessly verbose in sections, leaping entire concepts with a single sentance in others. I would have waited for the exam guide, but wanted to get this exam out of the way in order to pursue other studies. I dislike this book, but it meets the requirement.
   
   In short, if you have the option, wait for the exam guide. Otherwise - I'm afraid this is about your only option.