CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks (CSVPN), Second Ed.
Reviewer Name: Mark G. Reyero
Reviewer Certification: CCIE No. 12932
CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks is the Cisco authorized self-study book for the CSVPN Exam 642-511. I personally used this book as my primary study resource for the CSVPN exam, which I passed with flying colors (934/1000), thanks in most part to this book.
The book format mirrors the CSVPN class format. The first chapter is nearly identical to all the other CCSP courses, discussing the general principles of network security, including types of threats and attacks. The opening chapter also reviews the fundamentals of VPNs and IPSec, which should be a review for those readers who have already passed the SECUR exam.
Chapter 2 jumps right in the meat of the course material, with an introduction to the 3000 Series VPN Concentrators. Subsequent chapters walk the reader through setting up the VPN Concentrators, from Quick Configuration mode, through complex configuration scenarios using Preshared Keys, Digital Certificates, Load Balancing, and Redundancy. Additional topics also cover the 3002 Hardware Client as well as the Cisco VPN Software Client.
The book does a terrific job presenting the material. Each chapter includes numerous screen shots relating to that chapter’s specific topic. In fact, I was able to replicate many of the example configurations in my home lab.
The book obviously does not cover the latest Concentrator Release 4.7. While it is probably too soon to expect Cisco to begin testing the new 4.7 features (such as SSL VPNs), the student is advised to check www.cisco.com for the latest exam roadmap. As mentioned earlier, I highly recommend this book for any student preparing for the CSVPN Exam 642-511. Every question that I encountered in the exam was covered in the book. When Cisco does begin testing 4.7 features, the student should be able to easily augment this text with additional information from www.cisco.com.