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I was on Amazon.com to look at some of the next books I will be reading to prepare for the CCNP. While browsing around I found this article written by one of the member customers. I thought this list could be pretty helpful for me to give me ideas of the things I can be learning to be a good engineer.

Here’s the link for complete page. Below is the complete excerpt (minus all the pretty pictures)..

So You’d Like to… be a Network (or Cisco) Engineer

by. M. Hawk

No doubt if you’ve scanned job postings, you’ll see that there is a wide definition of “Network Engineer” that exists in the marketplace. This guide is for what I consider to be a traditional network engineer – someone who designs data networks and configures and manages Cisco, Juniper, Foundry, or other top line routers, switches, firewalls, and network appliances.

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Fundamentals and TCP/IP
First, a solid grounding in TCP/IP is needed. The most valuable network engineers have an in-depth knowledge of TCP – including the “three-way handshake”, MSS, windowing and congestion avoidance. Additionally, they can apply that knowledge to real-world networks. Start with Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet (3rd Edition). Not only does this book cover TCP/IP, but it also provides an excellent overview of many network topics. It is a great start to get a taste of everything from the application layer to the physical layer, including HTTP, TCP, UDP, IP, routing protocols, multicast, security, and more.

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However, to become a TCP/IP guru, you must purchase the bible of everything TCP/IP – TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series). Stevens is a legend for his three part series, though volume I is the most useful for Network Engineers. You’ll learn the details of how TCP works, and see the transaction process for common protocols like traceroute, FTP, etc.

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Basic Networking
After getting a handle on TCP/IP, it’s time to improve practical network skills. The best way to start is by obtaining a certification, such as the CCNA – Cisco Certified Network Associate. The CCNA has two options – a comprehensive single test, or two separate tests. This certification process will insure a basic knowledge of standards, router and switch capabilities, and configurations. It is an excellent resume builder to get your foot in the door. Start with CCNA Certification Library (CCNA Self-Study, Exam #640-801) (Self Study).

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Note that other vendors also offer quality certifications. I recommend starting with Cisco, as Cisco gear is still the most widely deployed throughout a variety of industries. The fundamentals learned from the Cisco certifications can be applied to other vendors gear, too.

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After obtaining the CCNA, it is strongly recommended to pursue the next level of certification – CCNP – Cisco Certified Network Professional. This certification requires 4 additional tests specializing in Routing, Switching, Troubleshooting, and Remote Access. The four tests can be taken over a period of time, and can be taken several months apart. The most beneficial place to start is with routing or switching, as these fundamentals apply to almost all networks. These tests will insure a solid knowledge of RIP, OSPF, and EIGRP routing, along with spanning tree and basic router and switch configuration. Next, the remote access tset will help provide a knowledge of WAN protocols. The troubleshooting test introduces additional commands and processes to use to isolate/repair problems.

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These books are beneficial in studying for and learning the content of these tests:

• CCNP: Routing Study Guide Exam 640-503 (With CD-ROM)

• CCNP Practical Studies: Routing (Practical Studies)

• CCNP(R) Practical Studies: Switching (CCNP Self-Study) (Practical Studies)

• CCNP Practical Studies: Remote Access (CCNP Self-Study) (Practical Studies)

• CCNP Practical Studies: Troubleshooting (CCNP Self-Study) (Practical Studies)

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However, if you want to take some time off from studying for certifications, consider reading Radia Perlman’s classic, Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series). Like TCP/IP Illustrated, this is a must-read for network engineers. Interconnections provides fundamental knowledge in networking, including routers, bridges, switches, routing protocols, IPv6, multicast, and more. Radia’s writing style makes it an easy read.

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UNIX and Scripting (Automation)
The most valuable network engineers are excellent UNIX scripters. You can get by without knowing much UNIX, but nothing beats being able to automate tasks with some simple Perl or Shell scripts. Before you can script, you must learn vi (or vim), the most powerful text editor in UNIX. Learning the vi Editor (6th Edition). Next, basic shell scripting. Unix Shell Programming (3rd Edition) Then step up to Perl, which is perhaps the simplest, most powerful scriptinglanguage. If you aren’t overly enthused about scripting, you could probably hold off on learning Perl for awhile. But if you take the plunge, the O’Reilly series of books is the way to go. Learning Perl, Fourth Edition Programming Perl (3rd Edition) Learning Expect programming is also beneficial. Expect is a language that allows for interactive programming (i.e. allowing interaction with a router or switch, such as responding with a certain response based on the output of the issued command). Exploring Expect: A Tcl-based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Programs (Nutshell Handbooks)

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Specializing
Network engineering is such a vast field, at some point you’ll want to specialize. Areas of specialization include network security (firewalls, VPN), datacenter networks (more switching oriented), backbone networks (BGP routing, MPLS, QoS), Voice over IP (VoIP), and more. You may encounter other vendors with unique hardware and software (i.e. Juniper, Foundry, Force10, etc). Below are additional recommendations for various specializations.

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Security

• Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World (2nd Edition) (The Radia Perlman Series in Computer Networking and Security) – Destined to be a classic

• Firewalls and Internet Security: Repelling the Wily Hacker (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) – A classic

• CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure PIX Firewall Advanced (CSPFA) (2nd Edition) (Self-Study Guide) – Useful if considering a Cisco Security Certification

• Incident Response and Computer Forensics, Second Edition – General data forensics processes and procedures

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Datacenters

• Data Center Fundamentals – Overview of many datacenter topics, including IBM networking

• The Switch Book: The Complete Guide to LAN Switching Technology – Solid LAN switching reference

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Backbone Networks

• Internet Routing Architectures (2nd Edition) (Networking Technology) – the de facto standard for learning Cisco BGP

• BGP Design and Implementation (Networking Technology) – Practical optimizations for BGP

• Definitive MPLS Network Designs (Networking Technology) – MPLS is the enabler of high performance, multi-service networks

• OSPF: Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol – Written by the creator of OSPF, John Moy

• End-to-End QoS Network Design: Quality of Service in LANs, WANs, and VPNs (Networking Technology) – Backbones are multi-service, so QoS is needed

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Voice over IP

• Voice over IP Fundamentals – An overview book

• End-to-End QoS Network Design: Quality of Service in LANs, WANs, and VPNs (Networking Technology) – QoS is important to voice traffic

• SIP Beyond VoIP: The Next Step in the IP Communications Revolution – The SIP protocol is the future of VoIP