Sach Kangovi

Here is a review of the "Peering Carrier Ethernet Networks" book by Jedadiah Casey on LikedIn November 10, 2016 • 2 Likes • 1 Comments Jedadiah CaseyFollow Senior Network Engineer, CCIE This is a really good book that is pretty comprehensive in its treatment of Ethernet itself, including historical innovations that led to its creation, as well as different turning points that ultimately led to Ethernet’s success and ubiquity. Each chapter builds on the last, beginning with history coupled with theory, and going over the many different changes to Ethernet over the years. The book then progresses from Ethernet in the LAN to how Ethernet is now used in the WAN with Carrier Ethernet. The majority of the topics covered in the latter two-thirds of the book are mapped very nicely to different MEF standards. Essentially, this book walks you through the major MEF standards coupled with background and examples, which leads to a more enjoyable read as compared to just reading the MEF specifications themselves. Peering Carrier Ethernet Networks provides a nice view into the modern Service Provider network, one which is based on Ethernet switching and moving away from legacy MPLS routing. A very nice treatment of service provider terminology and examples is provided throughout the book. Perhaps one of the nicest things about this book is that it gives an overview of service provider management and ordering systems. I don’t believe too many technical service provider-oriented books provide this sort of insight; it is usually a detail that is glossed over. Finally, the book details current trends and progressions in the Carrier Ethernet space, including the latest buzzwords SDN, NFV, and VNFs. One thing I took away from this section that wasn’t very clear to me before was the difference between NFV and VNFs. These terms are often incorrectly used interchangeably. NFV is the overall concept, while a VNF is an individual item. For example, a router can be implemented as a VNF. A firewall or IDS can be implemented as a VNF. But they are both a part of the overall NFV ecosystem. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is more on the beginner side of service provider technologies and is looking to increase their base of knowledge on it. This book definitely helps to put some of the pieces of the puzzle into place.