Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

Kennedy Clark: An avid reader of all things nerdy, I have always taken acknowledgements and dedications fairly lightly. Having now been through the book-writing process myself, I can assure you that this will never be the case again. Writing a book (especially one on technology that is as fast-moving as switching) is an incredibly demanding process that warrants a huge number of "thank yous." In the brief space I have here, I would like to express appreciation to a small number of the people involved in this project. First, I would like to thank Kevin Hamilton, my co-author. Kevin was willing to jump into a project that had almost been left for dead because I was feeling completely overwhelmed by the staggering amount of work it involved. I would like to thank Radia Perlman for reading the e-mails and Spanning Tree chapters of an "unknown author." Also, the people at Cisco Press have been wonderful to work with (I would encourage other authors to check them out). Chris Cleveland and Brett Bartow deserve special mention. There are many people at Cisco to thank… Jon Crawfurd for giving a young NetWare guy a chance with router technology. Stuart Hamilton for taking this project under his wing. Merwyn Andrade for being the switching genius I someday hope to be. Tom Nosella for sticking with the project through its entirety. I owe many thanks to the people at Chesapeake Computer Consultants. I would especially like to thank Tim Brown for teaching me one of my first network courses and remaining a faithful friend and mentor. Also, Tom Van Meter for showing me the ropes with ATM. Finally, a very special thanks to my wife for her never-ending love and encouragement.

And, to God, for giving me the ability, gifts, and privilege to work in such an exciting and fulfilling career.

Kevin Hamilton: A project of this magnitude reflects the hard work of many individuals beyond myself. Most notably, Kennedy. He repeatedly amazes me with his ability to not only understand minute details for a vast array of subjects (many of which are Catalyst related), but to reiterate them without reference to written materials months and even years past the time when he is exposed to the point. His keen insights to networking and unique methods of communicating them consistently challenge me to greater professional depths. I, therefore, thank Kennedy for the opportunity to join him in this endeavor, and for the knowledge I gained as a result of sharing ink with him. I also must thank the staff and instructors at Chesapeake Computer Consultants for their continuous inspiration and support as we at times felt discouraged thinking we would never write the last page. And Tim Brown, who taught me that technology can be funny. And lastly, the staff at Cisco Press. Brett Bartow and Chris Cleveland must especially be commended for their direction and vision in this project. They worked hard at keeping us focused and motivated. I truly believe that without their guidance, we could never have produced this book on our own.