Network Engineers' Reading List

[that1guy15]

Poorly explained, out of date, very little design/best practices/integration info. The Cisco design guides are where it's at

I can see that. I read it when it first came out and it was solid and gave good insight into the Nexus family. The design guides and CiscoLive presentations is where I spent most of my time when creating my Nexus blog series.

[NetworkGroover]

Poorly explained, out of date, very little design/best practices/integration info. The Cisco design guides are where it's at

+1 from what I remember when I was learning Nexus a few years back....

[routerdork]

Cool thanks for the heads up. I'll save my money and take the free docs.

[deanwebb]

This is now a sticky topic, thanks to SimonV's suggestion.

[DuneTroop]

Over the past few months I've been working a Cisco solution with several types of DMVPNs, point-to-point and multipoint, with NHRP OSPF and BGP encryption with IPsec for more security. I've gotta say, Google didn't provide too much for examples. So I got CISCO Intelligent WAN and man its been a huge help and a pretty good read IMO.

[SimonV]

Ok, I've added it to the first post in a new category for SDN and SD-WAN. Any more recommendations on this topic, and perhaps Automation?

[deanwebb]

For TCP/IP:

The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference
by Charles M. Kozierok

It's available online for free, but it's so awesome, I'm buying a copy.

For a great history of computing from a security perspective:

Cyberspies: The Secret History of Surveillance, Hacking, and Digital Espionage
by Gordon Corera

I enjoyed this read not only for the cool stuff about how computers arose out of the espionage community, but how that relationship actually hampered the development of security countermeasures. It also examines high-level motivations and methods of state-sponsored espionage and how it is conducted with entities that are at an arm's length from the government that sponsors them.

[SimonV]

For TCP/IP:

The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference
by Charles M. Kozierok

Is that this version of 2005?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TCP-Guide-Comprehensive-Illustrated-Protocols/dp/159327047X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504104149&sr=8-1&keywords=The+TCP%2FIP+Guide%3A+A+Comprehensive%2C+Illustrated+Internet+Protocols+Reference

Missed your last post, was on vacation then. 

[wintermute000]

Dunetroop DMVPN stuff is everywhere.... Something's not right with your Google fu

Cisco live slides, CCIE tutorials, CCDE tutorials, numerous CVDs, ipspace.net has an entire design book... Ffs I cut my teeth on the configuration and phase two to three migration guides

Iwan is a bit of a dumpster fire and that book is already out of date....

[deanwebb]

For TCP/IP:

The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference
by Charles M. Kozierok

Is that this version of 2005?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TCP-Guide-Comprehensive-Illustrated-Protocols/dp/159327047X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504104149&sr=8-1&keywords=The+TCP%2FIP+Guide%3A+A+Comprehensive%2C+Illustrated+Internet+Protocols+Reference

Missed your last post, was on vacation then. 

That's the one, yes. Still relevant.

I started reading Mitnick's book "The Art of Deception" from my Humble Bundle purchase, but it's very dated. Lots of reliance on landline phone technology, lots of reliance on phones and fax lines in general. Nowadays, if someone asked me to fax them a document, I'd decline unless it was some wacked-out lawyer office needing a specific legal document. And then I'd send it by courier service. There's some interesting stuff in it, but once you get to the point where you're able to guess what happens next ("OK, at this point the scammer asks for the victim to install the malware after establishing trust"), you've gotten your value from the book.

[deanwebb]

Time to epically gravedig:

Everyone needs to be up on soft skills when it's around review time. Chester Karrass' Give and Take is still my go-to for negotiation skills, and I'm using Earl Nightingale's recording "The Strangest Secret" to get me to set goals and to keep them. It's great to play often and on days I can't play it, I review my Notepad++ tab that has my goals and key phrases from his presentation. I chose it to be my motivator, and therefore it motivates me.

After the first listen, the second half is all you need for a refresher. But there are days I like the whole thing, the guy's got a great speaking voice. His other recordings are pretty solid, too.

[networkloser]

you guys are so motivated.

[deanwebb]

you guys are so motivated.

Gotta do what you gotta do.