CCNA
- Thread starter Viro
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Apr 2003
- Posts
- 3,938
- Location
- InterZone
Yes - it's a great cert if you are looking for entry into networking professionally. Do you have any previous experience of working on Cisco gear?
Nah this would be my first time doing anything to do with Cisco. Thanks for getting back to me.
Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Apr 2003
- Posts
- 3,938
- Location
- InterZone
I did my CCNA a couple of years ago, it was split into two exams that you study for separately in order to to get a CCNA. The first exam you pass gets you the CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Technician) and the second bumps you up to CCNA.
I also used Packet Tracer to simulate the switches and also paid for Boson NetSim. Look those up, you'll find them to be useful. Good luck with your studies, I really enjoy getting on the Cisco gear at work when I get a chance.
I also used Packet Tracer to simulate the switches and also paid for Boson NetSim. Look those up, you'll find them to be useful. Good luck with your studies, I really enjoy getting on the Cisco gear at work when I get a chance.
A few of us are cisco certified, have a look here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18547834&highlight=CCNA
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18547834&highlight=CCNA
Be sure you want to do networking - when it all goes horribly wrong (and it will) it affects everyone else so it can be a stressful environment! At least operations wise, you need to be able to think on your feet and work under pressure in most environments.
What can make the job frustrating is when a company penny pinches and won't pay for proper redundant infrastructure. Been there in the past.
Good luck!
At least operations wise, you need to be able to think on your feet and work under pressure in most environments. What can make the job frustrating is when a company penny pinches and won't pay for proper redundant infrastructure. Been there in the past.
Good luck!
Its a Cisco exam, one of the most saught after vendors in the networking world, and one of the most saught after certification programmes
Iv been in networking for 7+ years, mainly in the colo/network routing & switching and network security arena.
Because of being bogged down with work all the time I never got a chance, but passed my ICND1, doing ICND2 now, then going down one of the other routes.
Also doing some F5 Load balancer study soon.
For CCNA (ICND1 & 2) if you are good at self studying, grab the CBT Nugget videos (latest ones) ICND1 - 100-101 and ICND2 - 200-101, watch those
Watch one through, watch again take notes, lab (I use GNS3 rather than packet tracer, it uses real IOS images and more realistic and you can do a lot of cool stuff with GNS3), move to the next video.
Use online matirial, and Cisco press guide.
Iv been in networking for 7+ years, mainly in the colo/network routing & switching and network security arena.
Because of being bogged down with work all the time I never got a chance, but passed my ICND1, doing ICND2 now, then going down one of the other routes.
Also doing some F5 Load balancer study soon.
For CCNA (ICND1 & 2) if you are good at self studying, grab the CBT Nugget videos (latest ones) ICND1 - 100-101 and ICND2 - 200-101, watch those
Watch one through, watch again take notes, lab (I use GNS3 rather than packet tracer, it uses real IOS images and more realistic and you can do a lot of cool stuff with GNS3), move to the next video.
Use online matirial, and Cisco press guide.
Last edited:
You can do the single exam route as well which is 200-120, this combines ICND1 and ICND2 if you're feeling confident, that's the route I'm taking but I've been working with Cisco equipment for 10 years and I work at CCNP level, I just need the bits of paper.
Tip for exam.
Be smart, dont panic, before the exam starts use the plastic sheets to write on, and write out your subnetting table, I found writing down any times table that you dont remember that well, I wrote out 8 and 16 times table, know the rest, makes it easier when quickly picking out a particular network range. Most of the other stuff you memorise that might be useful, chuck it down.
Time management is key, so the **** easy questions, look, select an option, have another quick look and press next, move on, do this with all obvious questions.
Subnetting, find a quick way, CBT nuggets gave a good example of how to subnet, however I found an even quicker way, you should be able to subnet very quickly by using shortcuts to answer the few different styles of subnetting questions and if you have to work out higher ranges, this is where the times table shortcut comes in.
OSPF config and debugging, in the exam you will encounter simulations, you think before getting to them you will only answer 1 question, wrong, there is a simulation, with 4 embedded questions in ICND1, you usually get two types of these styles of question, you need to think and debug fast.
Some NAT questions, I didnt have ANY ipv6 questions in ICND1. VLAN questions came up, ad distances, nothing came up about DR's or BDR's with routing.
There are more but I will let you learn.
Be careful with time otherwise you will find yourself runing out of time and panic
I had 30 minutes left on my timer when I finished
However my first attempt that I missed by a few marks even though I was doing ok up to question 25, I didnt know about the SIM questions with 4 embdedded ones, and I was ******* around taking far too long on earlier questions which were obvious, in the exam you have to answer the question to move forward, there is no marking questions to go back to later, and there is no going back once you have answered.
Be smart, dont panic, before the exam starts use the plastic sheets to write on, and write out your subnetting table, I found writing down any times table that you dont remember that well, I wrote out 8 and 16 times table, know the rest, makes it easier when quickly picking out a particular network range. Most of the other stuff you memorise that might be useful, chuck it down.
Time management is key, so the **** easy questions, look, select an option, have another quick look and press next, move on, do this with all obvious questions.
Subnetting, find a quick way, CBT nuggets gave a good example of how to subnet, however I found an even quicker way, you should be able to subnet very quickly by using shortcuts to answer the few different styles of subnetting questions and if you have to work out higher ranges, this is where the times table shortcut comes in.
OSPF config and debugging, in the exam you will encounter simulations, you think before getting to them you will only answer 1 question, wrong, there is a simulation, with 4 embedded questions in ICND1, you usually get two types of these styles of question, you need to think and debug fast.
Some NAT questions, I didnt have ANY ipv6 questions in ICND1. VLAN questions came up, ad distances, nothing came up about DR's or BDR's with routing.
There are more but I will let you learn.
Be careful with time otherwise you will find yourself runing out of time and panic
I had 30 minutes left on my timer when I finished
However my first attempt that I missed by a few marks even though I was doing ok up to question 25, I didnt know about the SIM questions with 4 embdedded ones, and I was ******* around taking far too long on earlier questions which were obvious, in the exam you have to answer the question to move forward, there is no marking questions to go back to later, and there is no going back once you have answered.
Last edited:
Hu? Are you saying that the CCNA is more layer 2 and not layer 3?
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 4,681
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Literally rubbish. The CCNA focuses on L2, L3, services and protocols of all kinds. Naturally not as in depth as a higher level exam, but that is pure twoddle
- GP
Be sure you want to do networking - when it all goes horribly wrong (and it will) it affects everyone else so it can be a stressful environment!
What can make the job frustrating is when a company penny pinches and won't pay for proper redundant infrastructure. Been there in the past.
Good luck!
excellent point, like you been there and got the tshirt
I work in security now, and I work on principle be proactive rather than reactive, spend the extra money now rather than getting hit by an attack and then spending the money and at same time reputation of company down the toilet and fines by various regulatory bodies
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 4,681
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Best of luck, shout if you need any help 
- GP
- GP
Associate
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2014
- Posts
- 141
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Yes definitely worth it. Is a good start into networking.
Just don't let it expire after 3 years like I did The 1 exam route was ok but you need to know your networking basics pretty well.
The whole SDN is putting me off networking a bit. As someone else said, F5 or Netscaler path might be the way to go as those things are not going anywhere anytime soon.
The 1 exam route was ok but you need to know your networking basics pretty well.The whole SDN is putting me off networking a bit. As someone else said, F5 or Netscaler path might be the way to go as those things are not going anywhere anytime soon.