Computing Reviews

Cisco IP routing :packet forwarding and intra-domain routing protocols
Zinin A., Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc.,Boston, MA,2002. 635 pp.Type:Book
Date Reviewed: 07/02/02

Routers are specialized computers used to provide connectivity between remote hosts and remote networks. Internet Protocol (IP) routing, the design of computer networks, and the configuration of routers are considered to be complex topics. This book attempts to remedy this situation.

The book provides essential background information on how IP networks operate, how routing of IP packets is performed by a Cisco router, and how the routing table is structured and maintained. It presents the most commonly used routing algorithms, techniques, and protocols.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the basic functions of a Cisco router for installing, configuring, and monitoring its functions. Chapter 2 presents the basics of IP addressing, including subnetting, classful and classless addressing, and variable-length subnet masks (VLSM), and shows how to assign an IP address to each physical interface attached to a Cisco router.

Chapter 3 provides a theoretical background for the processes of routing. This chapter identifies the sources of routing information, presents the routing operations for static and dynamic routing, explains the basic forwarding algorithm, and, finally, describes the operations for classful and classless routing.

Routing table maintenance is covered in chapter 4. In this chapter, the routing table structure is presented, and the routing table construction and update functions are illustrated using C-like pseudocode for classful and classless networks.

Chapter 5 presents the processes for packet input, the forwarding engine, packet delivery, packet switching methods, and load sharing methods in Cisco IOS. Static routing is presented in chapter 6, and dynamic routing is presented in chapter 7.

Chapter 8 discusses distance-vector routing protocols based on the implementation of the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm, and focuses on the routing information protocols (RIPv1, RIPv2), and on Cisco's proprietary Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP). Chapter 9 describes the algorithms used in link-state routing protocols, namely the topology abstraction mechanism, the flooding algorithm, and the Dijkstra algorithm. Finally, chapter 10 presents the principles of hybrid routing techniques, with a focus on the Enhanced IGRP (EIGRP) protocol.

The book has been written for networking professionals who wish to specialize in Cisco routers. Both theoretical and practical issues are presented with coherence and balance. Descriptive text, flow charts, network diagrams, and C-like pseudocode assist the reader in gaining a good understanding of the topics covered, and the use of real-world examples throughout the book suggests that the reader can also use it as an implementation guide. I highly recommend the book for candidates for Cisco certification exams, for academics and postgraduate students with specializations in computer networks, and for networking professionals.

Reviewer:  Nikolaos Tsarmpopoulos Review #: CR126238 (0209-0480)

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