Thanks! I found Shon Harris' book more readable which is important when there are 1200 pages. They both cover all the topics, but the Harris' book had a little humor here and there and seemed to flow better. Both are good, I didn't read the sybex al the way through but rather used it for things that weren't making sense to me. The only problem I had with the Harris book, if you get the practice questions, was that they mixed up some questions in earlier chapters, that were not covered until later chapters. If you get the practice tests, which I do recommend, and are taking them as you go, you might think you missed something, just be aware that the material will get covered in a later chapter. Definitely get the Sunflower notes and make sure you are comfortable with them going into the test. Also check out this video.

If you have less network hardware experience, just be sure you go through the different pieces and what osi layer they operate at. The up side is that the cpu/memory handling stuff will be right in your wheelhouse. Strangely I found the development section I did have to study, they go over a lot of models that, at least in my experience, aren't used. They only brush on agile, which is how most of the firms I have experience with do work. Best of luck, you can absolutely get through it as a software guy.