This book gives readers all of the necessary knowledge for appropriately using the Cisco IOS command line interface (CLI) to configure Cisco 800 and SOHO series routers. Furthermore, its goal is to provide this knowledge fast. There are no long theoretical chapters or paragraphs to read; each chapter gets straight to the point (or command, to be precise). The book is written as a practical manual, containing step-by-step instructions for performing typical tasks on a Cisco router. It assumes that your Cisco hardware has an IOS version of 12.4 or above.

The target audience is network administrators and information technology (IT) professionals who manage small networks with Cisco hardware. However, the audience can be extended to anyone who has some basic knowledge of networking and wishes to learn Cisco IOS popular commands. The book can also be used in preparation for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.

The book contains eight chapters and five appendices. It is well written, structured, and easy to read. The first five chapters explain how to configure a router for typical access network use. After reading the first two chapters, readers will know how to connect and log into their routers, and how to configure interfaces, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), domain name system (DNS), access control lists (ACLs), network address translation (NAT), and firewalling. Chapter 3 details the configuration of a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection over point-to-point protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE). Chapter 4 shows how to set up a virtual private network (VPN) using Internet protocol security (IPSec). Chapter 5 goes one step further by explaining some advanced tasks, such as recovering a lost password, upgrading the IOS, backing up a configuration, and configuring logging.

These chapters give basic explanations about the protocols involved and step-by-step instructions about the commands needed to perform a task, with explanations of their effects. Each instruction to be typed is given with keystroke precision, for direct use on a Cisco router. At the end of each chapter a summary section reminds readers of the commands used in the chapter. This is very useful for readers who need a quick refresher on a particular task. The last three chapters provide useful background information on subnetting, dynamic routing (mainly routing information protocol (RIP)), and variable-length subnet masking (VLSM). These chapters will help with forgotten Internet protocol (IP) networking topics and CCNA exam preparation; they can be skipped if you are not in one of these two categories.

The first three appendices provide sample configurations for cable modems, DSL, and IPSec VPNs. Appendix D is a reference of all the commands on the CCNA exam. Appendix E is a summary of the naming conventions used. Finally, the book concludes with an index.

All in all, this book is a very good primer for anyone sufficiently versed in networking, but who knows little or nothing about Cisco routers and wants to start using them immediately. It is equivalent to a driver’s manual for SOHO routers.