Cisco Routers for the Desperate, 2nd Edition—New from No Starch Press
A Vital Resource for the System Administrator in Crisis

San Francisco, CA, February 25, 2009—Cisco routers and switches are the backbone of many small business networks. While Cisco's hardware is typically reliable, things can break—and when they do, most administrators don't want to wade through lengthy product documentation to solve their problems. They need to be able to fix things fast.

This second edition of the critically acclaimed Cisco Routers for the Desperate (No Starch Press, February 2009, 144 pp, ISBN 9781593271930) gives readers exactly the information they need to solve router problems when things go south. Building on the same "in case of emergency" basics and quick fixes that made the first edition a success, the second edition takes a completely command line-oriented approach to working with the Cisco operating system and adds coverage of switches and the latest Cisco terminology.

"Cisco routers and switches are mysterious black boxes to many people," said No Starch Press founder William Pollock. "But not every sys admin is or wants to be a Cisco expert. Cisco Routers for the Desperate is for those sys admins who aren't Cisco experts but who know that when the router goes down, they've got problems. The book is short and sweet; designed to be read once then literally left by the router in case something bad happens."

In addition to sections on basic router maintenance and circuit troubleshooting, Cisco Routers for the Desperate, 2nd Edition covers:

• Configuration—setting up router and network connections correctly
• Troubleshooting—how to determine whether a failure or slowdown is due to an ISP problem or your hardware
• Security—how to keep network equipment safe from attacks and install a private network between two offices
• Network redundancy—how to reduce downtime using BGP and HSRP
• Integration—how to update and maintain routers and switches and add new hardware into existing networks

Cisco Routers for the Desperate, 2nd Edition gives readers what they need to know to provide reliable network services, keep their router buzzing along, and fix problems fast.

For more information, to schedule an interview with the book's author, or for a review copy of Cisco Routers for the Desperate, 2nd Edition, please contact Travis Peterson at No Starch Press ([email protected], +1.415.863.9900, x300), or visit www.nostarch.com.

About the Author
Michael W. Lucas is a network/security engineer with extensive experience working with high-availability systems. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Absolute FreeBSD, Absolute OpenBSD, Cisco Routers for the Desperate, and PGP & GPG, all from No Starch Press.

Additional Resources
Chapter 5: "Troubleshooting Routers" (PDF)
Table of contents overview
Detailed table of contents (PDF)
Index (PDF)
Large cover image

Cisco Routers for the Desperate, 2nd Edition
by Michael W. Lucas
February 2009, 144 pp
ISBN 9781593271930, $24.95 USD
[email protected]
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

Available in fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or directly from No Starch Press (http://www.nostarch.com/, [email protected], 1-800-420-7240).

About No Starch Press
Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent technical book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. See http://www.nostarch.com/ for a complete catalog. (And most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding that won't snap shut.)

About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

# # #

O'Reilly is a registered trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.