Networking Lab Practice Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The book is OK - concise, with good illustrations. It's a detailed study guide rather than the simple lab manual I expected. The complete book is recorded on the CD and set up for web-style browsing. You can search for specific text or click on technical terms to get on-line definitions. Practice tests are also included.
The "interactive real-time virtual simulations" are the disappointing feature. They work like this:
You are presented with a picture of a server desktop and a message at the bottom of the screen tells you where to click. Following the instructions, first you click on the Start Button. Then you click on Programs. Then you click on Administrative Tools. Then you click on a certain utility. Then you click on a menu. Then you click on a tab. Then you click on a button. Congratulations! You are done.
What what happens if you open the wrong utility? You can't. Click in the wrong place? You can't. Want to repeat the exercise without being told where to click? You can't.
These are not exercises that let you apply concepts or learn real-world skills. I realize that any simulation program has limits, but the software in this kit is not something thrown in for free. It is billed as an integral part of the kit. In the introduction the author states, "Your learning experience will be as if you were sitting in front of a server, or directly connected to the console of a Cisco router." Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth.

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