IS-IS Network Design Solutions
Introduction
The Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS) Routing Protocol is a versatile and robust routing protocol suitable for both IP and CLNP applications. In the IP world, it has emerged as the only practical alternative to the Open Shortest Path First Protocol for Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) applications in Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks. IS-IS is the IGP of choice in most tier one ISP environments and its significance certainly explains why it features in the CCIE Routing and Switching, as well as the CCIE IT recertification exams. Despite the importance of IS-IS in IP networking, it has received little coverage in the technical press and networking literature. You could gain more information about the same if you join the Lab Courses, offered by the SPOTO.
Most of the users, as well as networking professionals, would be relying on scanty literature and the configuration manuals from Cisco and other major router vendors to boost their knowledge on IS-IS. Many routing protocol texts from Cisco Press cover IS-IS in sections, yet OSPF is covered in many book titles. This first book title on IS-IS breaks the tradition of inadequate IS-IS coverage by focusing primarily on IS-IS. IS-IS Network Design Solutions would be following the much-cherished Cisco Press approach of combining theory and practice within the setup of the Cisco Routing environment. The text would also be including an elaborate comparison with its competitor, OSPF.
Interior gateway protocols such as Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS) are used in conjunction with the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to provide robust, resilient performance and intelligent routing capabilities required in large-scale and complex internetworking environments. In spite of the popularity of the IS-IS protocol, however, networking professionals have depended on router configuration manuals, protocol specifications, IETF RFCs, and drafts. Mastering IS-IS, regardless of its simplicity, has been a daunting task for many.
IS-IS Network Design Solutions would be providing the first comprehensive coverage available on the IS-IS protocol. Professionals of all levels in the Networking Field now would be having a single source for all the information that would be needed to become true experts on the ISIS protocol, particularly for IP routing applications. You are also going to be learning about the origins of the IS-IS protocol and the fundamental underlying concepts and later on move to complex protocol mechanisms involving building, maintaining, as well as dissemination of the information found in the IS-IS database on a router.
Objectives
The overall objective of this book is to bring comprehensive knowledge about the IS-IS routing protocol to the IP networking professional at any career level. Like most IP routing protocols, IS-IS is still evolving with various enhancements still being discussed and formalized within the IETF. This book builds a bridge between the original IS-IS protocol, which is specified for routing of ISO connectionless network protocol (CLNP), as well as all recent IP related enhancements. Its practical slant, which exploits the ubiquitous Cisco IOS environment, is designed to provide you hands-on experience for usage and configuration of the IS-IS protocol. In the grand scheme, the material presented must be provided to you with the necessary advanced skills for understanding, designing, and application of IS-IS as an IGP in IP environments.