CAPPS (4/5) track

negru_tudor

Hi guys,

So I've started studying for the CAPPS exam for about 2 weeks now. Am using the Cisco Press book (3 volumes) and will probably use INE's videos after I get through the material the 1st time around. Then I plan on going through the material another time to make sure I don't miss anything essential in my notes.

So far I've managed to cover about 3/4 out of the 1st volume which talks about the general stuff (VPIM, Messaging Gateways, Digital Networking etc) and Unity Connection.

Am finding the material to be a bit more (not sure if it's the right word but..) boring or a bit long winded maybe...I mean it kind of seems too much info on setting up auto-attendants and user mailboxes and, ironically, too little stuff about concepts that give you the creeps when going through the 1st few pages (Messaging Gateways, VPIM, Digital Networking). I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel it's dragging on a bit.

I'm pretty sure Unity Express (volume 2) will be the hardest one for me as I have no hands-on with the product yet. On the other hand, I've managed to get Presence installed in a VMware environment so I hope that studying for that one (volume 3) will be a bit more interesting.

I know people usually say that this should be the easiest one of them all but I found CVOICE, CIPT1 and CIPT2 more engaging (even if more difficult at times, they kept you hooked in).

I'll be posting back with study progress and/or exam schedule/results. By my calculations, I'm looking at going for the exam sometime between the 18th and 22nd of May but that might change.

Alex90

You Sir are a machine!!!!! Best of luck with it, keep us posted!

negru_tudor

Will keep you posted for sure. How did CCNA Voice go for you? Was it today or last Wednesday?

Alex90

What books are you using for CAPPS? I've had a look and the only book I can find is a quick reference ebook, but you say there is a 3 volume book? I'm thinking of doing CAPPS first you see

negru_tudor

Hi Alex,
Well it's 3 books that came with a white plastic casing (for the lot). I they're part of the "Cisco Training and Certifications" lot (much like the hard-copies you usually get when attending a bootcamp.

The one I'm studying Unity Connection from is about 250 pages and is titled "Integrating Cisco Unified Communications Applications" Volume 1, Version 8.0, Student Guide (Text Part Number: 97-2895-01).

There's also a small code on the white casing that the books came with: TRNSK-687.

I got them off a guy who worked for AT&T a while ago on Cisco UC.

Hope this helps.

Alex90

negru_tudor wrote: »

Hi Alex,
Well it's 3 books that came with a white plastic casing (for the lot). I they're part of the "Cisco Training and Certifications" lot (much like the hard-copies you usually get when attending a bootcamp.

The one I'm studying Unity Connection from is about 250 pages and is titled "Integrating Cisco Unified Communications Applications" Volume 1, Version 8.0, Student Guide (Text Part Number: 97-2895-01).

There's also a small code on the white casing that the books came with: TRNSK-687.

I got them off a guy who worked for AT&T a while ago on Cisco UC.

Hope this helps.

Thanks mate! I've just had a look on amazon and found these books, should cover most of it! All of them apart from one are on Safari books so I may just get a months subscription to that while I study for the exams...it will cost me about £200 in books otherwise

Cisco Unity Connection (IP Communications)

Cisco IP Communications Express: CallManager Express with Cisco Unity Express


Configuring Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Unity Connection: A Step-by-step Guide (Cisco Press Networking Technology)


Cisco Unified Presence Fundamentals: Installation, Integration, and Practical Use of the Cisco Unified Presence Server and Client (Fundamentals (Cisco Press)

negru_tudor

Alex90 wrote: »

Thanks mate! I've just had a look on amazon and found these books, should cover most of it! All of them apart from one are on Safari books so I may just get a months subscription to that while I study for the exams...it will cost me about £200 in books otherwise

Cisco Unity Connection (IP Communications)

Cisco IP Communications Express: CallManager Express with Cisco Unity Express


Configuring Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Unity Connection: A Step-by-step Guide (Cisco Press Networking Technology)


Cisco Unified Presence Fundamentals: Installation, Integration, and Practical Use of the Cisco Unified Presence Server and Client (Fundamentals (Cisco Press)

Hi Alex,

Found some scans of the books I have on some dude's blog here. They're exactly from the books I'm using but scanned; some might be better than others..here's the link: Книги | ciscomaster.ru

Alex90

Thanks very much for that - very handy to have! I'm moving jobs next week so it's going to get busy with that plus the study! I'm just hope that when they say CCNP Voice is being retired in Q4, that it is literally 31st December to give me enough time!

negru_tudor

Alex90 wrote: »

Thanks very much for that - very handy to have! I'm moving jobs next week so it's going to get busy with that plus the study! I'm just hope that when they say CCNP Voice is being retired in Q4, that it is literally 31st December to give me enough time!

Good luck with the new job! Yeah, life tends to get in the way (myself and the wife are looking at buying a house now) of studies but, as they say, "where there's a will, there's a way".

As long as you're looking at knocking over CAPPS, CIPT1 and TVOICE until Q4, I'd say you should be on track.

TVOICE might be a bit difficult without CIPT2 and CVOICE but with the above "books"(they're literally word-for-word like the originals I have) and on-the-job experience I think you should do just fine!

You could tackle CIPT1 say in about 1 month's studies and CAPPS in the same timeframe I'd reckon since you have the years to back it up. That's 2 months, say maybe 2.5. That would mean that by July '15 you could be looking at beginning studies for TVOICE. Say you study for TVOICE for 2.5 months (although I'm pretty sure this won't be the case since you've worked in a CISCO UC support role) that would still mean you'd be good to sit the exam by mid-September which is still in Q3 2015

So yeah, jump right in, the water's great!

negru_tudor

negru_tudor wrote: »

Hi Alex,

Found some scans of the books I have on some dude's blog here. They're exactly from the books I'm using but scanned; some might be better than others..here's the link: Книги | ciscomaster.ru

..and here's the TVOICE one (642-427) 'cause it wasn't showing up on the page above: http://ciscomaster.ru/sites/default/files/TVOICE_VOl_1&2_v8_642-427.pdf

EDIT: been looking through them and can see that these scans also include the LAB books (they're separate from the course ones) so looks to be the whole study lot.

Alex90

Thanks again mate! Really handy to have copies of these!

I am going to do as you said and focus my attention on those three exams, if worst comes to worst then at least I will only need to do one more exam to get CCNP Collaboration. I'm going to try my best to get the full CCNP Voice before it retires though!

negru_tudor

Hi guys,

Word of warning for anybody setting up CUPS 8.6.3 in VmWare to work with CUCM/CUC 8.6.2.

If you think you've tried EVERYTHING but you simply can't control the deskphone from the CUPC client (even though CSF softphones work just fine) then you might need to check this in CUPS: Application>Microsoft RCC>Settings

Even though it's named Microsoft RCC, it was named Desk Phone Control in earlier release (pre-8.6.3) so you might tend to overlook it...but it will give you a lot of headaches..Some other things to check related to this:

- Create an application User in CUCM Administration (ex. CTIGw)
- Assign the phones you want the CUPC clients to control to this User
- In CUPS, Application>Microsoft RCC>Settings make sure you put the user in exactly as defined in CUCM and leave the Microsoft Server Type set to MOC Server OCS; also put in the CUCM IP address as the 1st out of 8 servers
- Lastly, restart the SIP Proxy service (Presence>Routing>Settings) and log the clients back in again...VOILA! Should work assuming the CTI Gateway was defined automatically from the CUCM integration

Sources: https://wiklunds.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/installing-cups-8-6-3-and-integrating-with-cucm-8-6-part-3-of-3/

Very good read!

negru_tudor

Right, so I've gone through CUC, CUPS and left CUE for last. Since I don't have CUE in my home lab I will just watch the INE vids on it and read through the course book (bout 300 pages)...I'm not too comfy with this but I hope to make up for it in the CUC and CUPS sections.

So, am looking at scheduling the CAPPS exam sometime next week. With the official CCNP-V retirement date being set for the 20th of October 2015, I'd still have enough time left to tackle the TVOICE beast (bout 5 months...but i hope to be done with it all by early July).

Hope I manage to bag this one although I don't feel very confident on my CUE skills. Out of all of them so far, this one's been the most toughest for me to tackle from a motivational point of view. Will post back once I've sat this one down.

cisco_nerd

Good luck!!

negru_tudor

Just got the news that testing center's fully booked in until the 20th of May so that's when I'll be sitting this one. Was hopping to do it a bit sooner but it is what it is.

Am going to start my TVOICE studies in the meantime and will look into booking this one for somewhere around the 1st of June, give or take a few days depending on how studying works out.

negru_tudor

..and we have ourselves a PASS ...my lowest score yet for any Cisco exam to date but a pass is a pass..mid 800s, passing 810.

The questions were properly worded so the difficulty wasn't artificially bloated or anything..not many "sales-like" questions either but some of the questions left me scratching my head..don't recall seeing some of the stuff in any of the books or videos I went through..

Anyway...one more left struggling now to put it together for one final push!

ITDad

Congrats


Thanks

cisco_nerd

negru_tudor wrote: »

..and we have ourselves a PASS ...my lowest score yet for any Cisco exam to date but a pass is a pass..mid 800s, passing 810.

The questions were properly worded so the difficulty wasn't artificially bloated or anything..not many "sales-like" questions either but some of the questions left me scratching my head..don't recall seeing some of the stuff in any of the books or videos I went through..

Anyway...one more left struggling now to put it together for one final push!

Nice work - congrats!

Makes me very jealous, I still have to sit all 5 by Oct 20!!!!!!!

negru_tudor

Thanks guys! Wasn't easy though..took a lot of time and I still have TVOICE left..

negru_tudor

Note to self: on CUPS 8.6 in VmWare the eth0 adapter shuts down for some reason:

Solution: CLI (set network status eth0 up)