Mpls and Label Switching Networks

If you already have some basic knowledge of networking, this is a great book to introduce yourself to MPLS. Though the author could make a better use of graphics, if you like reading, this a self contained book. It has a very good review of basic networking and routing concepts.

I read the entire book over the course of a weeklong vacation...mostly on the airplane. It's relatively easy to digest, and can be covered quite quickly.First, a few minor critiques: the book seemed rushed to print, possibly because of the new technology and publishing race to get books out. Addison Wesley typically publishes excellent quality books. There were grammatical and spelling errors, and a few diagram errors. Other than that, the book is clearly written. My other critique is when Black chooses to just block-quote large sections of the RFCs, instead of spending some time exploring the author's intent, and perhaps giving an example of his own to clarify these points. This, again, this is probably an indication of the "rush to print" syndrome. Other than that, he covers the RFCs well. He takes a vendor-independent approach, which is important to me, and precisely why I avoid most Cisco Press books. Half of the Cisco book on MPLS and VPN concerns learning IOS commands, which is useless to me. He first covers label switching basics -- why there is a need for it, what it is, what it does, and the different types of label switching and networks it can be applied to. Then he delves into MPLS specifics, following with LDP, the IETF's distribution protocol. He also covers RSVP and BGP as alternatives for distribution which is a nice touch. He then covers label switching with ATM and FDDI networks (the one chapter I skipped). Then he discusses DiffServ and how MPLS and DiffServ can work together. Then he discusses Traffic Engineering (a very useful chapter that discusses shaping, policing, etc. algorithms from a higher level). Many of these topics are covered in other texts I have, but Black explains it in layman terms, such that one can easily grasp the algorithms associated with traffic shaping for different classes of network traffic. It may turn out that I will have to implement MPLS on a switch. I bought the book to familiarize myself with it. It is not recommended for that level of detail (obviously). It gives an excellent text read of the topic, including some helpful design principles. If one is tired of the terminologically-thick RFCs - and tired of printing out ASCII tomes of RFCs, this book provides an easy read on the topic with which to verse yourself on the topic. However, nothing in the book isn't freely available in any RFC document, so it's simply a matter of reading preference. Read all the RFC docs and get the full story, or get a nice overview package which provides a medium-depth overview of MPLS and other QoS technologies and approaches. I would recommend the text for engineers that need to digest MPLS concepts very quickly, and then go on for the meatier stuff. I would highly recommend it to those in technical marketing / sales / writing who need to get the concepts down, as well.

I read the whole book. I found it to be a good introduction to MPLS and Tag switching concepts. It does not go into extreme detail so it probably is not a good reference for someone building MPLS into a product. Unfortunately, the editing seems a bit rushed. I found problems with descriptions and diagrams in almost every chapter. I am not talking about picky grammatical errors but actual problems in the text and/or the diagrams that would be confusing or just didn't match with what I have learned from other sources. I personally recommend the Davie and Rekhter MPLS book as an in depth introduction to MPLS.

I pick this book up at one of your competitors stores and it is a page tuner. The author doesn't assume anything and takes the reader by the hand and delievers the knowledge.