| Interviewer:
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Please take a minute to
provide our readers with a brief introduction/background. |
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| Author: |
I am the Senior
Protocol Analyst for the Network Analysis Institute (www.netanalysis.org).
My primary focus is on protocol performance, network design and data
flows and network troubleshooting and optimization. In 1999, I began
releasing my own research materials and books through podbooks.com,
my Internet-based publishing company (www.podbooks.com). Through the
Network Analysis Institute, I perform on-site analysis of network
communications with a focus on health, security, and growth. To
date, I’ve written, co-written and edited the following titles:
Using Novell’s NetWire (Know, Inc.), Novell’s Guide to NetWare
LAN Analysis (Novell Press/Sybex Books), The Complete Guide to
Network LAN Analysis (Sybex Books), Novell’s Guide to Internet
Access (Novell Press/IDG Books), Novell’s Guide to Multiprotocol
Internetworking (Novell Press/Sybex Books), Novell’s Guide to LAN
Analysis: IPX/SPX (Novell Press/IDG Books), Introduction to Cisco
Router Configurations (Cisco Press/Macmillan Technical Publishing),
Advanced Cisco Router Configurations (Cisco Press/Macmillan
Technical Publishing), Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting (Cisco
Press/Macmillan Technical Publishing), Introduction to Network
Analysis (podbooks.com) |
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| Interviewer:
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Where are you from?
How--if at all--has your sense of place colored your writing? |
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| Author: |
I was born and raised
in San Francisco, California (and in the Northern California Bay
Area). I spent most of my spare time between the age of 6 and 15 in
the swimming pool – working out between 4 and 5 hours a day –
swimming was my life. At 15 I quit swimming and was shipped away to
an all-girl private Catholic boarding school – guess I was a bit
wild at home grin>. I’d always been a bit of a prankster and at
boarding school, I had a captive audience. The nuns did not
particularly care for my sense of humor sigh>. My mother’s side
of the family is the joke-telling side…. They can keep you in
stitches for hours. My father’s side of the family is very
business-minded. The two sides balanced each other out and made for
some very interesting family get-togethers. I believe their humor
and diversity helps me relate to a wide variety of people. |
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| Interviewer:
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When and why did you begin
writing? When did you first consider yourself a writer? |
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| Author: |
I wrote my first book
in 1992 with a fellow Novell employee (Brent Larson – anyone know
where he is now?). I wrote the text and he arranged for the
technical review, formatting and artwork. We tried to release the
book under our own publishing label, but never advertised it. I
didn’t consider myself as a writer until my 3rd or 4th book. When
other people started referring to me as an author and asked me to
sign books, it was a strange and foreign experience. I still
consider myself a researcher and presenter first and foremost. |
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| Interviewer:
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Who or what has influenced
your writing, and in what way? What books have most influenced your
personal and professional life? |
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| Author: |
I would have to say
that C.W. Rogers and Audrey Pine of Vitek had the most profound
affect on my career in general, my presentation style and my writing
style. When I attended a course taught by C.W. in 1988, I
experienced a whole new style of presentation – it was filled with
humor and confidence in the audience’s ability to follow along.
The analogies were priceless and they really enabled me to remember
the materials long after the class was over. Audrey and C.W. hired
me as an instructor at Vitek (a role I’d never considered – I
thought they’d want me as a phone sales person). They allowed me
to use my humor as a teaching tool (in presentations and in printed
matter). As far as books that have influenced me, I’d have to say
the RFCs and IEEE specifications were the best ‘jewels’ I
discovered early on in my analysis career. It is fascinating to read
about the intended performance and functionality of the protocols as
well as the possible field values and uses ok… sounds nerdy,
eh?>. I will always fondly remember John McCann and Patrick
Corrigan’s books since they really launched the technical book
industry. |
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| Interviewer:
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What is the most romantic
book you've ever read? The scariest? The funniest? |
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| Author: |
I don’t read
romantic books. I do read any book by Paul Riser – his view in
“Parenthood” is a classic. I also listen to tapes and read
materials by Dennis Miller (a tremendously intelligent comedian).
Alternately, I read books about psychotic killers (many true-life
books that focus on the mind of killers) and, since my visit to
Moscow several years ago, I have focused on learning more about the
Soviet empire (and even considered learning Russian for a while). I
think I’ve read everything ever published about the Romanov family
and their tragic murder. What a strange mix of titles, eh? |
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| Interviewer:
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Who is the target audience
for the ICRC book? The ACRC book? The CIT book? What should their
level of technical knowledge be? |
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| Author: |
“Introduction to
Cisco Router Configuration” (ICRC) is based on the
highly-successful Cisco course by the same name. The book contains a
broad range of technical details on routing models, processes and
designs that can be used as a chapter-by-chapter guide to the
technology or as a reference. Even if you are not specifically
focused on Cisco routing products, you can gain an insight to the
functionality of LAN and WAN routers in general. “Advanced Cisco
Router Configuration” (ACRC) is based on the Cisco course by the
same name and a natural follow-up to the ICRC book. ACRC assumes the
reader has some experience with Cisco routers and routing
technologies in general. ACRC details ISP interconnectivity, traffic
manageability and in-depth configuration options for link state
routing protocols (such as NLSP and OSPF). “Cisco Internetwork
Troubleshooting” (CIT) is the finishing touch to the set and is
based on the course by the same name. This book focuses on the tool
and techniques used to troubleshoot TCP/IP, IPX/SPX and AppleTalk
networks as well as various WAN environments. In order to ensure
that this book (and course) could stand on its own, a very heavy
‘introduction to the protocols’ section was inserted in the
middle of the overall materials. |
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| Interviewer:
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How are the books
organized? |
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| Author: |
I have included my
final drafts of the Table of Contents for ICRC, ACRC and CIT for
your review. ***Note you can find them with each book under
NetSource*** Although some sections have changed titles slightly
before going into publication, the general flow and content is the
same. |
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| Interviewer:
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Tell us how your
background and experience enabled you to write about this topic? |
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| Author: |
I did not write these
books – I adapted the Cisco courses into book format. Along the
way, I had to add some descriptive text, reorganize the materials
and build up some of the graphic-to-text references. Cisco was my
first client as an independent protocol consultant when I left
Novell in 1993. I traveled around the world doing protocol-level
courses for Cisco SE’s and key accounts. My closeness to the Cisco
routing protocols and configurations and my experience writing for a
“press” line already enabled me to edit these books in
accordance with the Cisco Press design. |
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| Interviewer:
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Can your book be helpful
in preparing for Cisco certification? If so, for which
certifications or exams? |
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| Author: |
Yes. These books were
adapted from the courses that were the basic for the CCNA® and CCIE®
certification programs. I also believe that the materials in CCIE®
should be required for other certification programs that deal with
LAN and WAN connectivity. |
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| Interviewer:
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What other projects are
you planning? Will we see another book from you? If so when? |
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| Author: |
Cisco Press and I are
talking about some future projects, but my focus now is in
podbooks.com. We may come out with some joint productions –
nothing I can talk about or announce yet. You can join the mailing
list at www.netanalysis.org to receive release dates/announcements
on upcoming titles, lectures and projects. |
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| Interviewer:
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What did you thinking of
the writing process? How long did it take you write your book? |
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| Author: |
“Introduction to
Network Analysis” was an interesting title to write because it was
the first ‘pod’ from podboosk.com. It was tough to focus on the
formatting, artwork, release method, and all when my typical focus
is the technical content side only. The book took a total of 2-1/2
months to write, but encompassed materials that had been worked on
over several months earlier. |
