The CCNA/Cisco Certifications Thread

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. :)
 
Okay guys, I need some suggestions on a USB console adapter. Before I used an old PC with a serial port on it but I've had a major clear out so got rid of it. Would anything off ebay be ok?
 
Normally use the Startech ones at work. My first and only experience of buying a cheap one from eBay wasn't worth the few pound I saved/
 
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.
 
Hi guys,

I recently passed my CCENT and I am about to start preparing for the CCNA. Cisco are offering specialized certifications at the associate level now, should I consider specializing so early? I don't have enough experience to be honest to know what area I prefer but will specializing now make me more employable? What would you do? I am planing on pursuing the the CCNP later in the year if that effects your response.
 
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.
 
Personally...

CCIE-RS
CCIE-SP
JNCIE-SP
JNCIP-ENT

Which got me to a place where I no longer do hands on technical work very much (it's a personal decision, but if I want to earn what I do then it's either contracting, which I don't enjoy at all or moving towards the business side).

Hence I'm now doing a masters in Strategy instead of further technical qualifications...

Ask any questions and I'll try and answer, obvious ones being:

- CCIE is harder than JNCIE generally as it's broader scope and JNCIE is more 'real world'
- RS was harder than SP for me but SP is my background so may vary
- SP needs hands on IOS-XR
- I work for a company big enough that Juniper and Cisco fall over themselves to give us lab gear, even so I have used online rack occasionally (we're not a big Cisco shop so we don't have much XR kit in house).
 
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Thanks for you're input, I was thinking of waiting till after the CCNP myself. I watched a few YT videos promoting training series for the new certifications and wondered if I was missing an opportunity.

CCIE feels like a lifetime away bigredshark but if I stick with this I be in touch!
 
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?
 
I have done two fast track courses and the CBT videos. I practice configuration with two 1700s and two 2950s. The courses didn't really work for me, the instructor blazed through topics without checking comprehension. I think I have to tools to get me through the ICND2. I will probably buy a layer three switch for the CCNP and prepare a few months before taking a course in India.
 
Uh..... this thread reminds me how I need to do my CCNP route + tshoot still. I think it was late Jan last year I did switch and then been so busy ever since with work.

I should have more time at work now as I've changed team, but it's that motivation to start studying again and get in the swing of things.. painful!
 
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.
 
Hmm, I doubt it... better check though.

Got a colleague doing his CCIE voice in a few days time, it generally is considered to be one of the hardest CCIE exams from what I hear around the office. Only got 1 chance though before they change it to "CCIE Collaboration"

Edit:
Taken from another forum, "In the case of the CCNP exams, you have 3 years from the date you passed the first one to pass the other two" /phew
 
For CCENT/CCNA is it worth picking up physical kit for a personal lab to practice on? The revised CCNA is supposed to be geared around IOS 15, but the kits I've found available will only run IOS 12.

I do already have PacketTracer 5.3.3 and 6.0.1 along with the revised Cisco Sim Software. I also have 2x Cisco 1841's which I can load IOS 15 onto.
 
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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.
 
I'm doing the CCNA mostly to get the cert and to give me some grounding in networking. After that I'm then likely to look into either Microsoft certification or something along the lines of security.

The lab I'm looking at comes with 3x2610xm routers and 2x2950 EI switches. I was thinking of installing a quad port Ethernet card in my PC and assigning ports to different VM's to use with the switches etc. Down the line the PC will be switched for a microsever. This should give me quite a good platform to try out different things around networking and later on security. At least that's how I'm looking at it.
 
Newbie question!

I am getting to grips with subnetting and I think I have nearly got it cracked.

In most of the lab questions the lan setups stay true to class, If they start with 192.168.1.1 and begin to slice up, they always use a 255.255.255.0 mask. If I was going to do this in a live setting I would be limited by the number of hosts. Could I use a 255.255.0.0 on a 192.168.x.x and carve into the third octet, or is there a reason that this is a bad idea?
 
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