What? You want more?

I am always pretty amazed when people email me, and say that they have bought and enjoyed the books I have written. I am also always surprised when they ask me to write more.

Writing books takes quite a while, somewhere between three and six months each. It's a long process, and has to be juggled between regular employment, my own studies and family life. But it is a rewarding process.

One very common request is for a book on QoS and Multicast, and this was planned, and started many moons ago, but it stalled as I concentrated on getting my own CCIE.

But the voices should not be ignored.

So far I have had requests via email (Ionut and Marino), LinkedIn (Noore) and Twitter (Mark) all asking if I intend to write a book on QoS, and it was part of my original plan, in fact, here is the intended releases, which actually includes Services, and the IGPs:

BGP, MPLS, and VPNs and NAT have already been released, and the CCNA book (now called CCNA and Beyond) will be released at the end of the month. The personal folder is just a few tax documents, it's not my memoirs of anything like that. The UNetLab Cookbook stalled as the guys keep changing it, and the new version is so much different to how it was when I started writing that book.

So the next volume in the series would have been/will be Multicast and QoS. The biggest issue, and perhaps the reason why I stopped writing it was that I could not make a proper Multicast server.

I think I have fixed this issue, as I found, whilst doing my CCIE Security studies, that SUSE Studio is a great way to create custom VMs, and get them in Qemu, which is ideal for UNetLab. So, that is a manageable hurdle.

The next issue is time management. Can I write another book at the same time as studying for my CCIE Security, and maintain a happy work/home life balance? Not sure the wife wants me to write another book at the moment, I think we could do with some "us" time.

So, what to do??
Well, I guess that's where you lot come in.

There is a poll on the menu to the right. I reckon 100 "yes's" should cover it. Leave a comment below. I'll probably ditch Kindle, or keep the Kindle price the same as the printed price. Kindle sales are not as good as printed, and I am actually quite happy about this. I much prefer printed textbooks.

The price would be about the same as the other books, but the platform would move to UNetLab. I havn't touched GNS3 since finishing VPNs and NAT.

The other question is would you support a Kickstarter project for this? If so, for how much and what would you want in return? I have seen other people doing Kickstarters for books, and I'd quite like to turn this into a full-time thing, but at present this is not feasible. Maybe a Kickstart project would be the way forward. I could do things like your name in the book, and so on.

If there is enough people who would like me to write it, then I will do it.

I won't give any timelines for it, but I would keep people updated via the website.

Let me know your thoughts via the poll and feedback below.

CCIE Security Topics and Reading list

I have started to get my reading list ready. I definitely need to get some more shelving in the house.

I think it might be easier to break each section down, and find the appropriate books and documents. That way I can work on the essential books first.

There are six major sections in the CCIE Security exam. You can download the complete list of topics from here. The reading lists I will be using are from Cisco, and from INE.

Section 1.0 System Hardening and Availability:

• 1.1 Routing plane security features (for example, protocol authentication and route filtering)
• 1.2 Control Plane Policing
• 1.3 Control plane protection and management plane protection
• 1.4 Broadcast control and switch port security
• 1.5 Additional CPU protection mechanisms (for example, options drop and logging interval)
• 1.6 Disable unnecessary services
• 1.7 Control device access (for example, Telnet, HTTP, SSH, and privilege levels)
• 1.8 Device services (for example, SNMP, syslog, and NTP)
• 1.9 Transit traffic control and congestion management

Fairly general protection. There are a couple of books that will work here. Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security, and Designing Network Security (Second Edition). The first book is part of the CCNA series, so the second book might be a better option.

Essential purchase: Designing Network Security.

Section 2.0 Threat Identification and Mitigation:

• 2.1 Identify and protect against fragmentation attacks
• 2.2 Identify and protect against malicious IP option usage
• 2.3 Identify and protect against network reconnaissance attacks
• 2.4 Identify and protect against IP spoofing attacks
• 2.5 Identify and protect against MAC spoofing attacks
• 2.6 Identify and protect against ARP spoofing attacks
• 2.7 Identify and protect against DoS attacks
• 2.8 Identify and protect against DDoS attacks
• 2.9 Identify and protect against man-in-the-middle attacks
• 2.10 Identify and protect against port redirection attacks
• 2.11 Identify and protect against DHCP attacks
• 2.12 Identify and protect against DNS attacks
• 2.13 Identify and protect against MAC flooding attacks
• 2.14 Identify and protect against VLAN hopping attacks
• 2.15 Identify and protect against various Layer 2 and Layer 3 attacks
• 2.16 NBAR
• 2.17 NetFlow
• 2.18 Capture and utilize packet captures

Network Security Principles and Practices has good coverage of NBAR, most of these are fairly easy to mitigate, just need a decent explanation for those tricky written exam questions. This is where the CCNA study material will come in useful.

Essential purchase: Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security

Section 3.0 Intrusion Prevention and Content Security

• 3.1 Cisco IPS 4200 Series Sensor appliance and Cisco ASA appliance IPS module
• 3.1.a Initialize the sensor appliance
• 3.1.b Sensor appliance management
• 3.1.c Virtual sensors on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.d Implement security policies
• 3.1.e Promiscuous and inline monitoring on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.f Tune signatures on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.g Custom signatures on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.h Actions on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.i Signature engines on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.j Use Cisco IDM and Cisco IME to manage the sensor appliance
• 3.1.k Event action overrides and filters on the sensor appliance
• 3.1.l Event monitoring on the sensor appliance
• 3.2 VACL, SPAN and RSPAN on Cisco switches
• 3.3 Cisco WSA
• 3.3.a Implement WCCP
• 3.3.b Active Directory integration
• 3.3.c Custom categories
• 3.3.d HTTPS configuration
• 3.3.e Services configuration (web reputation)
• 3.3.f Configure proxy bypass lists
• 3.3.g Web proxy modes
• 3.3.h Application visibility and control

Luckily I have done a fair bit of work on IPS modules, nevertheless, I'll need something to fill in my weak areas. The ASA book; Cisco ASA: All-in-one Next-generation Firewall, IPS, and VPN Services, will be good here.

In terms of the WSA there is a good document from Cisco.

Essential purchase: Cisco ASA: All-in-one Next-generation Firewall, IPS, and VPN Services
Essential download: http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/security/wsa/wsa7-1/user_guide/Cisco_IronPort_AsyncOS_7-1-0_User_Guide_for_Web_Security_Appliances.pdf

Section 4.0 Identity Management

• 4.1 Identity-based AAA
• 4.1.a Cisco router and appliance AAA
• 4.1.b RADIUS
• 4.1.c TACACS+
• 4.2 Device administration (Cisco IOS routers, Cisco ASA, and Cisco ACS5.x)
• 4.3 Network access (TrustSec model)
• 4.3.a Authorization results for network access (ISE)
• 4.3.b IEEE 802.1X (Cisco ISE)
• 4.3.c VSAs (Cisco ASA, Cisco IOS, and Cisco ISE)
• 4.3.d Proxy authentication (Cisco ISE, Cisco ASA, and Cisco IOS)
• 4.4 Cisco ISE
• 4.4.a Profiling configuration (probes)
• 4.4.b Guest services
• 4.4.c Posture assessment
• 4.4.d Client provisioning (CPP)
• 4.4.e Configure Microsoft Active Directory integration and identity sources

Clearly the winner here will be Cisco ISE for BYOD and Secure Unified Access: BYOD Network Security with ISE. The clue is in the title, the other one will be Cisco Access Control Security: AAA Administration Services. Two obvious choices.

Essential purchase: Cisco ISE for BYOD and Secure Unified Access: BYOD Network Security with ISE
Essential purchase: Cisco Access Control Security: AAA Administration Services

Section 5.0 Perimeter Security and Services

• 5.1 Cisco ASA firewalls
• 5.1.a Basic firewall Initialization
• 5.1.b Device management
• 5.1.c Address translation
• 5.1.d ACLs
• 5.1.e IP routing and route tracking
• 5.1.f Object groups
• 5.1.g VLANs
• 5.1.h Configure EtherChannel
• 5.1.i High availability and redundancy
• 5.1.j Layer 2 transparent firewall
• 5.1.k Security contexts (virtual firewall)
• 5.1.l Cisco Modular Policy Framework
• 5.1.j Identity firewall services
• 5.1.k Configure Cisco ASA with ASDM
• 5.1.l Context-aware services
• 5.1.m IPS capabilities
• 5.1.n QoS capabilities
• 5.2 Cisco IOS zone-based firewall
• 5.2.a Network, secure group, and user-based policy
• 5.2.b Performance tuning
• 5.2.c Network, protocol, and application inspection
• 5.3 Perimeter security services
• 5.3.a Cisco IOS QoS and packet-marking techniques
• 5.3.b Traffic filtering using access lists
• 5.3.c Cisco IOS NAT
• 5.3.d uRPF
• 5.3.e Port to Application Mapping (PAM)
• 5.3.f Policy routing and route maps

The ASA part is obvious, and already recommended in section 3. For the zone-based firewall? Not sure what the best book is. It's kind of an old technology now, so i'll be using the Cisco white paper referenced below.

Essential download: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/security/ios-firewall/98628-zone-design-guide.html

Section 6.0 Confidentiality and Secure Access

• 6.1 IKE (v1/v2)
• 6.2 IPsec LAN-to-LAN (Cisco IOS and Cisco ASA)
• 6.3 DMVPN
• 6.4 FlexVPN
• 6.5 GET VPN
• 6.6 Remote-access VPN
• 6.6.a Cisco EasyVPN Server (Cisco IOS and Cisco ASA)
• 6.6.b VPN Client 5.X
• 6.6.c Clientless WebVPN
• 6.6.d Cisco AnyConnect VPN
• 6.6.e Cisco EasyVPN Remote
• 6.6.f SSL VPN gateway
• 6.7 VPN high availability
• 6.8 QoS for VPN
• 6.9 VRF-aware VPN
• 6.10 MACsec
• 6.11 Digital certificates (enrollment and policy matching)
• 6.12 Wireless access
• 6.12.a EAP methods
• 6.12.b WPA and WPA2
• 6.12.c wIPS

Easy VPN is covered pretty well in Advanced IPSec VPN Design. The Complete Cisco VPN Configuration Guide covers a lot of the rest, however both seem to be a little light for FlexVPN and GET VPN. My own book, VPNs and NAT for Cisco Networks covers DMVPN pretty well. MACsec is covered well in this document. I do need to find a decent Wireless book to cover 6.12. Cisco Wireless LAN Security seems like the obvious choice.

Essential purchase: The Complete Cisco VPN Configuration Guide
Essential purchase: Advanced IPSec VPN Design
Essential purchase: Cisco Wireless LAN Security

There are some notable exception. The Cisco guidelines for the CCIE Security v4 exam make no mention of IPv6. I am sure this will probably appear somewhere. The v4 is only a couple of years old so there must be some IPv6 in it somewhere. The book IPv6 Security seems like an obvious choice

So now we have a workable book list. It is fairly short, but here it is, the ones with a red star are the ones I have already purchased. The links will take you to the appropriate Amazon page, in case you are joining me on this trip!

Designing Network Security (2nd Edition)
Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security
*Cisco ASA: All-in-one Next-Generation Firewall, IPS, and VPN Services (3rd Edition)
*Cisco ISE for BYOD and Secure Unified Access
*Cisco Access Control Security: AAA Administration Services (Networking Technology)
*The Complete Cisco VPN Configuration Guide
*Advanced IPSec VPN Design
Cisco Wireless LAN Security

IPv6 Security

Not too bad! It will also be nice to add a little color to the bookshelves and get some orange in there.

If you can think of any essential books I should add then please comment below. 

Volume 3: VPNs and NAT

With just a mere 45 days until my lab exam, I am happy to announce that the third volume in the Routing and Switching series; VPNs and NAT for Cisco Networks, has been published to the Kindle store today.

Getting the Kindle formatting has been much easier this time around, as I have used Kindle Textbook Creator, taking the printed version's PDF file, and converting straight from that.

The end result is that it looks the same as the print version (which should be available in a couple of days) which is out now.

This volume starts off with basic GRE tunnels, and build them into an IPSec-secured, optimized and tuned DMVPN network. We also look at "standard" site to site VPNs, before moving onto NAT, and IPv6 transition mechanisms.

I have kept the cost the same as the other volumes, and as usual, it's closely aligned with the CCIE Routing and Switching v5 syllabus. That said, I hope that it is accessible to readers of any level.

I am currently working on volume 4 (Multicast and QoS), and looking at volume 5 (Services). Volume 5 will, most likely, be the end of this series. I could go further, such as IPv6 and the IGPs, but to be honest I don't see that happening at the moment, as after volumes 4 and 5 I have another two books in mind, which are not (directly) related to the Routing and Switching track. This is, of course, unless anyone has any excellent ideas for more books, then I am all ears!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Top 10 presents for the CCIE

Merry Christmas everyone! Alternatively, for those non-Christians - Happy Holidays!

With Christmas on the horizon, you may be looking for some ideas for presents for the CCIE student, or the network nerd in your life.

I have put together a small list of some ideas for suitable presents.

1. Noise cancelling headphones

Chances are, if your loved-one is studying towards their CCIE, then they will be watching a lot of training videos. A decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones serve two purposes. Firstly to allow the student to block intrusive noise and pay closer attention, secondly, so that you don't have to hear the noise from the training videos. Everyone is a winner!

These Sony MDR-V55 DJ headphones offer superb sound along with great noise reduction.

Available from Amazon.com for just $54.95 or from Amazon uk for just £34.55.

2. Improve their memory

Their is a lot of information to be learnt for the CCIE. Whilst having years and years of experience in al the topics is obviously the best way to be ready for the exam, most people don't get this kind of experience, so reading, practice and memorisation is the next best thing.

This book teaches memory techniques from a Grandmaster of Memory. If this cant help in remembering all the OSPF LSAs types and functions, I don't know what will! This great book is available for a stocking-filling $8.78 from Amazon.com or for £6.39 from Amazon.co.uk.

3. Take a break, you deserve it!

Everyone deserves a bit of relaxation. What better way to do this than with a superb box-set? Breaking Bad has been one of the most heralded series of all time, so grab the box set and put your feet up for a while! What better way to do this than to follow Walter White and family!

Breaking Bad is available on Amazon.com for $132.96 and from Amazon UK for £55.00

4. Study, study everywhere

Having physical books is great, but the entire 20-odd book CCIE reading list doesn't exactly make for portable reading. Invert in an iPad mini, which will easily hold all the PDFs for the reading list, run the kindle app (see item 9), hold all the training videos, and will work great with the noise cancelling headphones from item 1.

The iPad mini 3 will do all of the above and much much more. Available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions , prices start from just $364.49 on amazon.com, or from £280 in the UK

5. No sleep till lab day

Coffee; it keeps us alert and awake. Kiss good bye to sleep with a 16oz bag of Death Wish ground coffee beans, the worlds strongest coffee!

Grab a bag for just $19.99 in the US, or £19.00 in the UK!

6. Play time!

Let's face it, you are buying presents for a geek. What could possibly be better than the combination of two of the greatest things in the world; Star Wars and Lego! The Lego Star Wars Death Star is huge! It has everything, so you can recreate all your favourite scenes!

Included in the box are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO, R2-D2, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight), Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, Emperor Palpatine, 2 Stormtroopers, 2 Emperor's Royal Guards, R2-Q5, and mouse droid.

This will provide some much needed time away from studying!

Prices are from around £315 in the UK, and $399.95 in the USA.

7. Geek? Wear?

Geeks love t-shirt, so how about the evolution of the Geek t-shirt?

At just $14.99 in the US, or £11.99 in the UK it makes for a great socking filler!

8. Spend some quality time - in binary

Let them know that you'd like to spend some time with them, by spending on some time for them, and get them the Compasso Binary watch from Detomasso. This stylish watch tells the time in binary, which will also help them when doing subnetting! Stylish and functional!

Priced at $174.90 on Amazon.com, or £63.90 on Amazon.co.uk.

9. Some good study books

It would be remise of me not to pimp out my own books at all available opportunities, so get them MPLS For Cisco Networks available from Amazon.com for $12.91, and from amazon.co.uk for £9.82.

While you are there, grab BGP for Cisco Networks for just $12.28 or £8.42. Great value!

10. Celebrate in style

There is always time to celebrate, and always a reason. Celebrate Christmas. Celebrate the New Year. Celebrate passing the CCIE lab exam. Celebrate being together with family. Celebrate the weekend. Just celebrate.

How about a 2004 bottle of Dom Perignon, available for $175.00, or £114.95?

MPLS for Cisco Networks now available!

It's been a long ride. Finally, though, it's finished and being published.

MPLS for Cisco Networks is here!

So what has changed and what's stayed the same?

The format is the same. We have one main topology, it grows and changes as we cover all the topics on both the official CCIE v5 blueprint, and also the INE expanded blueprint. There are smaller, sub-contained, topologies where appropriate. We now have a longer troubleshooting section, with one topology and seven different tickets.

The biggest difference is that we have an editor for this one. Beau emailed me, asking would I like him to edit the second volume (after he read the first one). At first I was a little unsure. The BGP volume was my baby, in a way, and would you let a complete stranger look after your baby? Well, its not like handing over my children, and his credentials looked good (ex-Teacher, Network engineer - so what more could I want!). I do not regret taking the chance and asking him to join me. Together we have created, in my opinion, an excellent book. He's been juggling parenthood, work and being a husband, with hours and hours (and hours) of correcting my grammar, making sentences shorter and more concise. If I gave a penny to my children for every time he's had to add a comma, they'd be rich by now! Seriously, I cannot say enough how he turned the book around. It's far more readable. My sentences do have a tendency to be a little long, it's all to do with how it comes out of my head as I am working through it. So when you are reading it, and you pause for breath in a paragraph, you can thank him! It's not just the grammar though, he's been through the topology with such dedication. It's been excellent to have another pair of eyes on it. He must be a glutton for punishment though, as he's agreed to do number 3 as well!

We have more pictures. This does influence the size (for Kindle), and has meant that printing costs (as well as the fact that its much longer) have increased. It is slightly more expensive than the BGP book, but still very reasonable. I am not out to make a fortune from these, I am doing it because I enjoy it.

We are still using GNS3. It's probably the most familiar to people, but IOU topologies will follow in due course.
In all, I am more pleased with this one than the BGP book. In hind-sight I think I rushed the BGP book. I never expected it to ever be as popular as it has been. When I published on Kindle (not even thinking at that stage it would appear in printed format), I said to my wife that if a couple of people enjoyed it, then it would be worth it. I am still very proud of it, nonetheless. It's a learning process, not just in the material, but in how to write. It will become a more honed process as I write more. I hope I have listened to all of the requests that have come in (apart from one, which, I think, was just asking me to write it exactly like an O'Reilly book - still not sure of that conversation, I was very confused).

I hope you enjoy it.

Sneak peek at volume 2

It is not quite ready yet, it's still being proofed by my technical editor, but I thought I would get a proof copy or two so that I can make sure formatting is right  and that the pictures are coming out properly.

I must say I am pleased so far. So, want a sneak peak?

Here you go!

As you can see it has become a much longer book than the BGP volume! We have many more pictures for a start. 

It's still based around GNS3 and IOU topologies will follow. 

I am very excited by this latest volume. 

Work on volume 3 is already underway. 

Design the next cover, win an Amazon voucher and a free copy of the next book!

Volume 2 is nearly completed, I have ordered the first proof copy so I can check layout, image quality, and how things line up compared to the first one (purely from a layout perspective). Beau, my technical editor, is still going through it, but it should be coming soon.

So, what's next?

Originally I had planned to to the IGPs (RIP, OSPF, EIGRP and IS-IS) next, but instead I have chosen to do "VPNs and NAT for Cisco Networks" for volume 3. In this volume I'll cover GRE, DMVPN, GETVPN and NAT technologies for both IPv4 and IPv6, I think this follows the progression nicer as we have started off with the global view of BGP, the larger scale enterprise with MPLS, and not we can start to look at connecting smaller sites together using VPNs, and with that NAT technologies. I think it'll lead on to the IGPs for volume 4 better this way.

Now I need a new cover design, and this is where you come in.

Have a look at the existing covers:

BGP (in my view) looks like a very interconnected world, highlighting the importance of BGP in our global internet, and MPLS looks like fewer connections, for the company to company networks.

For the next volume I am looking for something similar, abstract, yet understandable within the context of the book. I would like to use the same colors to keep within the running theme, or as this is a steady progression as we move into the IGPs, then maybe green, I like green as well. We don't have to stick with the circular "globe".

So if you want to have a go, then hopefully you can see what I am looking for. I would need this in a Photoshop PSD file of 7.5 x 9.25 (inches), I can handle the text part.

The end date for this will be December 1st.

The winner will receive a copy of the next book, and a £50 Amazon voucher (or equivalent in your local currency, i.e. $80 USD).

Email me: stu @ 802101 .com (remove the spaces...)

BGP for Cisco Networks for IOU!

Hot on the heels of releasing the topology for BGP for Cisco Networks for GNS3 1.0 Beta comes the topology for IOU-WEB.

Firstly I must say that I did not create this, not that this is any form of get-out-clause, but because all the thanks go to a great guy, who has done a GREAT job on it, it really does look fantastic!

I mean check this out, how good does this look?

That's one lovely diagram there.  I wish my Visio diagrams looked that good!

Along with the IOU topology is a Visio drawing of the topology.
I have updated the downloads section for the book with the links to the files. Now it's just waiting for ViRL to be released and we have every platform covered!

I am very thankful to the guy who has done this, and he's offered to do the IOU typologies for the MPLS volume as well. If they look anything like the ones that he's done for the BGP book then they will be great as well!

Either way I will be sending him a free copy of the MPLS book when it's published. I have just completed a couple of chapters this week, and this weekend should finish another, then it's just one last chapter to do, which is all planned out, then ready for proofing and publishing!

BGP book topology updated for GNS3 1.0! MPLS book coming soon!

BGP for Cisco Networks & GNS3 1.0

I had a request hit my inbox last month for the topology for my book "BGP for Cisco Networks" to be updated for GNS3 1.0.

I must confess that with trying to finish off "MPLS for Cisco Networks", which is looking great and should be out soon(ish), I didn't do this very quickly.

But thanks to a great guy called Dan over at GNS3 and his nifty python based converter I have been able to do this in under half an hour.

So thanks Dan!

If you are currently using GNS3 1.0 and want to load up the topology, its available in the Downloads section.

MPLS for Cisco Networks

The MPLS book is taking a lot longer than the first, for a number of reasons.

I had a pretty good grounding in BGP when I started, but not so much with MPLS, and MPLS feels like such a bigger subject, the book is certainly longer if that's anything to go by!

I have learnt some things from the first book, mainly due to the comments made by my readers, so there will be more diagrams, more configurations, and hopefully a sense of being part of the book, rather than just a reader... That last bit should make more sense when you read it.

I am just finishing off a couple of bits; VPLS, OTV, IPv6 for VRF-Lite, and need to do the troubleshooting chapter - which is all planned out, and then its a matter of proofing, sending over to my technical ed, and then publishing!

Again topologies will be available in GNS3 0.8 first, with GNS31.0 and ViRL (whenever that eventually turns up) at a later stage.

MPLS for Cisco Networks - technical editor in, color pages out!

My second book entitled "MPLS for Cisco Networks" is coming along really well. I have had some very good feedback for my first book "BGP for Cisco Networks" so I am really encouraged that people are finding it a worthwhile read.

Self publishing CCIE books and pricing

I have learnt a few things from writing my first book, mainly about pricing. 

Firstly no matter how low you price it there will be people in a certain certification forum who will still ask for copies for free. You would think that with it being priced reasonably people would be more inclined to purchase it, but there are still some people who want everything for free.

Secondly price does matter. Publishing on Kindle is a pretty good way (not saying that it's foolproof) to make sure that it doesn't end up being shared for free across the globe, so my intellectual property is fairly well secured, plus as the kindle app is available on pretty much everything it can reach a very wide audience. Kindle allows me to be flexible on price, and overheads are low. That said the print version does just as well as the mobi version. Reading on a tablet is great, but there is nothing like holding a physical book, but pricing a printed book can be tricky - which I'll explain in a moment.

Anyway, back to the subject in hand, I am not digressing (much) as there is a purpose to all of this. 

A technical editor!

So firstly the good news. I got an email a little while ago from someone who had bought my book and he said (in a nice way) that it had a couple of run on sentences and a few bits of train of thought in it, and would I like him to do some technical editing. Some might have thought this to be a bit cheeky, but in no way was it phrased like a sales pitch, and he has a good history in teaching and in networking. I thought it would make a lot of sense. Hopefully he can polish off my book, and together we can create something a little larger than me just working by myself. His name is Beau, and hopefully we'll do a little introduction for him later.

On to the less good news - it's not bad news, but it's a little gripe more than anything.

MPLS for Cisco Networks in black and white

One of the feedbacks that I received was that it would have been nice to have color pages. I totally agree with this, especially as the next book has different areas referred to by colors of Red, White and Blue, rather than say Company A, Company B etc. This looks great so far, but something will be a little lost in translation to black and white print.

So what are the options? Well, the printed version which is priced at a mere $14.99 does not make much in profit. Once Createspace/Amazon have taken their cut, I get about $5, there is also a holding tax of 30% on top of that because I am a UK resident, so really its not looking like I can retire any time soon, I am doing this because I wanted to write a book and do something creative that people would find beneficial, money is not the primary objective. Nonetheless, if I wanted to create a 250 page book at $14.99 in black and white then we are looking at $5 royalty. If we switch to color print then I would actually owe Createspace over $9. So to make the same royalty of $5 the book would have to cost over $39! This goes against the whole idea of making the books affordable.

I am not Cisco, I can't release a book at ridiculous prices - such as the kindle only CCIE v5 Route and Switch Configuration Practice Labs at $50+, or the official v5 certification guide at $99. Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking these books as they are really good, and well worth the investment, I just don't see why they have to be so expensive. The exam is expensive enough, so there needs to be a break in expenditure somewhere. Which is why I priced my books at what I think is a reasonable level.

So sadly color print will not be an option. There will be color diagrams available on the website under the CCIE books menu when its released, probably in PDF or jpg, or both. If anyone has any recommendations then I am all ears.

Amazon suggested I might like to buy my own book

As many of you probably are more than aware of Amazon often send out emails based on your browsing history, and on products similar to ones you have looked at.

Imagine my amusement when I got this email:

I already have a few copies, so I am sorted, but if you havn't already got a copy of the first of my CCIE books "BGP for Cisco Networks" then head over to the Books link on the menu which has links for your local Amazon retailer.

BGP for Cisco Networks now available in paperback!

A colleague at work mentioned that it was actually pretty easy to get a printed book out there. Initially I was resigned to the fact that it would probably Kindle only, but I decided to take the plunge.

I am glad that I did, and now "BGP for Cisco Networks" is available in paperback!

You can get it from Amazon:

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
and all other Amazon shops!

Book sales first week.

Sales of my book "BGP for Cisco Networks" have been pretty good for the first week, considering the limited market the book is aimed at.

I have sold:

• 12 in the USA (and three have been borrowed)
• 3 in the UK
• 1 in Germany
• 1 in Spain (Hi to Nersas!)
• 2 in Japan

I might never be the Stephen King of the networking world, but I am really pleased that its being read and that I have had some good feedback.

I have started on the MPLS volume, not sure when it will be completed, but I am really spurred on now!

Thanks to everyone who has bought it so far.

Amazon	Paperback	Kindle

24 hours in and the book is doing well

I have had some good feedback so far from the book.

I have been asked if I will post the GNS3 topology files in full, and I will do this shortly.

It's doing all right at the moment. On Amazon.com it's number 10 in the best sellers rank under Intranets and Extranets, 21 under Bridges and Routes and number 22 in Cisco!

Month nine done - I wrote a book!

I decided a few months back that in order to do well in the CCIE exam that I would need to know the various protocols like the back of my hand.

Several pages of BGP notes soon started to become a mountain of papers, and in the end it seemed pretty obvious that this was starting to look more and more like a book. 

So why not I thought. So three months later I gave just published my first book "BGP for Cisco Networks". It's available on the Amazon kindle book stores across the world, and for what I believe to be a very reasonable price - around the same price as a decent cup of coffee.

It presents a large topology to worm through and will take you from basic iBGP and eBGP peer creation through to all the advanced topics such as multiprotocol BGP, dynamic peering, BGP security, and loads if ither good stuff. 

It's closely aligned with the CCIE v5 exam topics, and I hope it will be the start of a series. 

If you have a Kindle Fire then I have made it part of the borrowers library so you can borrow it for thirty days without having to pay a penny!

You can get it from the Amazon.co.uk store here, or from Amazon.com here.

I hope you enjoy it!