The CCNA/Cisco Certifications Thread

Serial to USB adapters for me :)

I plug a bunch of them into a Raspberry Pi, which acts as an access server of sorts (using Ser2net).

If using Windows then I stick with SecureCRT, or if that's not available, one of the Putty variants.
Using the CLI in Linux is preferable though. I like to use Terminator when using Ubuntu.
It's free, pretty customisable and has the ability to split the window into multiple terminals.

E.g. one window with multiple terminals active on the screen at once. Also lets you create groups
for broadcasting keystrokes.
I just keep a few shortcuts on the desktop. Each one uses a different profile.
I.e. one of them opens 6 terminals in one tab, and 6 more terminals in another tab, automatically
using telnet to connect to the console cables on the Raspberry Pi :)
 
Pro tip: if you're willing to wait a little bit, you'll save a lot of money by bidding instead.

Managed to get 2x 2611XM, 1x 2620XM, 1x 2621XM, 1x 2811, a NM-8A/S and 4x WIC-1T's plus 8x serial cables for about £200.
 
As far as I know, only 2950 switches that have Gigabit interfaces can use the Enhanced Image, which gives you some extra features. Worth buying them if possible.

If you can get them cheap enough (mine were about £20 I think) then buying a couple of GBICs and a cable for them could be useful if you're going to look at UDLD.

It's not a big deal if they don't have them though. Just a nice little touch if they do :)
 
GNS3 are now crowdfunding.

Certain donations will give you early access to their new version, expected in Q1 2014.

Apparently going to have proper switching support. Unsure how they are managing that though.

Worth considering at least. I've already donated my $25 :D
 
Could you remove the link to that website please, it's used for cheating. I take a strong stance against that kind of thing.

If you have access to CBT Nuggets videos, Jeremy Cioara's explanation is pretty good IMO.
 
Thank you AStaley :)

My apologies for not being as active in this thread as I should be. I've recently started a degree and haven't had much time to devote to Cisco stuff.

I've got a manageable PDU coming soon, as well as an electrician to install a new socket for it.

Once it's installed I plan to power my home lab through it, so that I can remotely power devices on and off for remote labbing. If things go to plan then I will try to make my lab available to those who need it. Obviously I can't keep it on 24/7 or help everybody, but I will try to make some kind of timetable available for those who are interested.

Atm the lab consists of 2x 6509 (SUP2-MSFC2), 1x 3550, 2x 2950, 1x 2811, 1x 2621XM, 1x 2620XM, 2x2611XM. I'd prefer not to provide access to the 6509's though because they are quite power hungry. :)
 
I've got 5 which are working well.

Also have a few of the NewLink quad serial > USB adapters too. Been working fine for a year and a half now.
 
I'd stick with the CCNA R&S first. Then decide whether to specialise or do the CCNP R&S after that. Pretty much everybody I know recommends not specialising until you've got the CCNP at a minimum.

It's personal preference really though. What's the job market like where you live? See what people are looking for and use that as a reference for your goals. Personally I'd get the CCNP before specialising. The R&S stuff you'll learn will always come in handy, and the specialisms tend to build upon R&S anyway.
 
I think that would be the best course of action tbh. The CCNA level specialisms don't seem to have that much depth. By the time you get the CCNP you should have a better idea of what you want to aim for in your career, and what will help you most in terms of employment.

Might I ask what training you are receiving for the CCNA at the moment?
 
Do the CCNP exams have time limits? I.e. must take your second exam within x amount of moneys of taking your first exam.

Like how the CCIE lab exam has to be taken within a certain timeframe of passing the written exam.
 
Judgement call really. Kind of depends on why you're doing the cert in the first place.

If you're doing it just to get the cert then you can get by with packet tracer/GNS3 just fine. If you're planning on going further in the Cisco world then access to lab equipment is a big plus. The CCNA is just the tip of the iceberg, so if you are hoping to go for the CCNP I'd recommend getting a couple of switches to go with your 1841s at least.

You can buy used gear with IOS 15 on it but it can be expensive. The difference between IOS 15 and IOS 12.4T is fairly subtle at the CCNA level anyway. Grabbing a pair of 2950 (EI versions) is only about £35 and they'd be useful for the CCNA and CCNP.
 
The CCNA may help you get an interview but it's certainly not the only requirement for a job. It's as good a place as any to get started though. Take a look at the curriculum ( http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/exams/list/ccna_composite2.html#~Topics ) and check for any knowledge gaps. One of the most valuable attributes is experience, it trumps everything. Take any opportunity to gain experience that you can.

Search for job vacancies in your area and see what they are looking for in an employee, then go from there. Generally speaking the lower paid jobs tend to be for people with a broad range of skills, you tend not to specialise until you get higher up the ladder. I'd just apply for a few jobs even if you're just starting out in the networking world. Get a feel for what qualities employers are looking for and set your targets accordingly. You may get lucky and land a job early on with a company willing to invest in you so it's worth trying.

Try a few different things out and see how much you enjoy them and what the market demand in your area is for them. I.e. I see that a lot of the networking jobs in my area are for people with cisco/juniper/f5/checkpoint/linux/vmware experience, rather than specialists in any one of those particular fields.

Come back here if you have any queries. :)
 
Will Gill:

Depends on how much money you're willing to spend as well as your current experience really.

Virtual labs are certainly cheaper and more flexible. Letting you share topologies and create new ones quickly. Also depends on what tracks you want to pursue. Cisco are planning on making the CCIE R&S v5 use virtual devices for the lab exam. So you can expect to learn pretty much everything you need to know in a virtual environment.

The problem with virtual devices is that you miss out on the hands-on aspect of physical kit. Nobody will hire you if you don't feel comfortable working with real equipment so you'll need to get familiar with real devices from somewhere. You also miss out on speccing equipment to meet your requirements and that sort of thing. It's embarrassing seeing a fresh CCNA/CCNP who has never even touched a router/switch. The same goes for somebody who has never had to use whitesheets and the like for meeting a set of requirements or never had to troubleshoot physical issues or issues with IOS releases because they've just downloaded pre-made virtual environments and issued a couple of commands.

If it's CCNA through CCIE in R&S then 1800/2800 routers and 3560/3750 switches are great. You only need to buy a single router with IOS 15.x with these devices then you can simply share that image with other devices of the same model. I.e. I bought a 2811 with IOS 12.4T on it. If I want to upgrade it to IOS 15 I can just buy another 2811 which already has IOS 15 and then copy it over to the first router. Unfortunately you can't do this with the Gen2 (1900/2900/3900) devices.

Zarf:

There are a couple of legit free ones available online but I don't know of any that closely resemble the actual exams. The issue is that almost all of the ones that do resemble the real exams are braindumps and break the NDA. If you know your stuff then you shouldn't need to use practice exams really. The FREECCNAWORKBOOK have one available on their website:

http://www.freeccnaworkbook.com/workbooks/ccna/ccna-practice-exam

Cisco also have some online quizzes available:

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccna
 
If Cisco are offering it for certification purposes then they'd have to create some less resource intensive stuff. Perhaps it'll be a cloud-based thing where you just connect to the devices via a web browser/terminal emulator.

For now Will Gill I'd just try GNS3.
 
I would assume so.

I haven't taken the new CCENT and I'm not familiar with the scope of it. I think it'll be fine, probably overkill. If need be you could always add in another router or PC though? It's not like it's difficult with GNS3. :)
 
Hey guys. Has anybody tried a 1801 router using adsl in their home?

I've been considering buying one since they're so cheap but I'm not sure how well Cisco kit plays with consumer ISPs. Has anybody tried it and seen any performance increases or decreases on the butWAN link? For lan access I think I'd be perfect for my current setup but I'm concerned that I'll lose WAN performance. Cheers
 
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