STP killed me on ICDN2...

Deathmage

So since I figured the OCG would be enough with Laz's videos on Udemy I got over confident on the exam.

I'm doing things different....much different...I'm watching Rob Ricker's CCIE level R2 concepts on Youtube and on INE.

My thought is this will fill in gaps, the CCNA videos I watched I guess I missed things or it wasn't explained.

Also just ordered two more 2960G's for the lab, so I'll have 6 switches at L2 Area 1, PVST+ got me and RSTP. Need to split up my root's on different switches and then intentionally break it with high/low port number on redundant links and what happens when I manually change root priorities and KISS of simply removing a cable and watch STP work or...fail...

These failures make me want to know it even more, many get discouraged I get more pissed off cause I'm like well sh*t I guess I need to know more!!!

Also had a CCIE friend of mine at the gym just send me a Packet Tracer lab on L2, which is neat! ... nice having friends.

[Deleted User]

I hear you on the Spanning Tree questions. Look into Paul Browning's CCNA in 60 days ebook for $10. I think you will be surprised at how this book helps out. I'm willing to bet if you use his guide for the ICND2 portions and only use that, you will pass! i did at least. He really has hacked the CCNA exams with his books. Written by 3 CCIEs and Paul himself a CCNP, you really can't go wrong. Better to spend $10 on an ebook then $150 for a new exam. Best of luck with your ICND2.

http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-CCNA-Days-Paul-Browning-ebook/dp/B00IY5FP2G

late_collision

Which part of STP got you? I've got an STP post floating around on here somewhere, that seemed to be popular.

Edit: http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/97465-stp-question.html

Deathmage

Well I just had a one-on-one with a CCIE on Google Hangout for a good 2 hours. he explained STP better than a video could....

Will be using his videos on the topic now to get more indepth, plus he's mentoring me along the way. it's kind of kool have to say...

He looked at my lab and blog and said I'm farther into CCNA than the CCNA level but missing some concepts, i can actually talk with him and understand what he says.

kMastaFlash wrote: »

I hear you on the Spanning Tree questions. Look into Paul Browning's CCNA in 60 days ebook for $10. I think you will be surprised at how this book helps out. I'm willing to bet if you use his guide for the ICND2 portions and only use that, you will pass! i did at least. He really has hacked the CCNA exams with his books. Written by 3 CCIEs and Paul himself a CCNP, you really can't go wrong. Better to spend $10 on an ebook then $150 for a new exam. Best of luck with your ICND2.

http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-CCNA-Days-Paul-Browning-ebook/dp/B00IY5FP2G

I was up until 3 am last night and be back at it since 11 am after 2 hours at gym doing 250 lb tire lifts, now I'm lazer focused on L2 videos....

Doing Rob's L2 CCIE's, then Chris Bryanr's Udemy series for CCNA. and then once these other two 2960's arrive I'm making a big Area 1 Distro/Access layer with root's of different switches for PVST+.... also messing with FR more and I have another 3750G arive that I will make another Area 5 w/ a loopback purely for testing.

I knew this was never going to be easy, but meh i'm already committed.... going deep...

Nans

Chris Byrant's videos are great and do some practice on labs. The most important thing is you need to practice the practice questions there are less practical and more theoritical. Although you are sound in STP if you cant understand the question that sound= dumb. So try answering different quizzez bro..!!

Deathmage

Nans wrote: »

Chris Byrant's videos are great and do some practice on labs. The most important thing is you need to practice the practice questions there are less practical and more theoritical. Although you are sound in STP if you cant understand the question that sound= dumb. So try answering different quizzez bro..!!

Indeed, I suck at written questions. so I'm labbing the **** out of my lab and using different practice exams.

Deathmage

this is what I'm doing...

learning everything L2....

Deathmage

completed 7 hours of CCIE L2 videos today on INE, really has cleared up a ton of things for me for CCNA L2 concepts. Still got 15 more hours to go in the series but man things are so much clearier now....

I will pass this exam....

4 years from now when I'm a CCIE I'll look back on myself and be like you n00b!

TWX

You've probably already realized this Deathmage, but for everyone else, once the root bridge is elected, it is now the only bridge/switch that originates BPDU packets on a converged L2 network. As each bridge/switch receives those BPDU packets it amends them, adding its own cost information, but the only time a non-root bridge originates BPDU packets is when it has lost its connection to the root bridge and announces itself as the root bridge until proven-wrong by BPDU packets originating from the real root bridge with a better hello, sent through intermediate switches/bridges until they reach that bridge and re-establish a path back to root.

volfkhat

Excellent insight, TWX :]

Deathmage

TWX wrote: »

You've probably already realized this Deathmage, but for everyone else, once the root bridge is elected, it is now the only bridge/switch that originates BPDU packets on a converged L2 network. As each bridge/switch receives those BPDU packets it amends them, adding its own cost information, but the only time a non-root bridge originates BPDU packets is when it has lost its connection to the root bridge and announces itself as the root bridge until proven-wrong by BPDU packets originating from the real root bridge with a better hello, sent through intermediate switches/bridges until they reach that bridge and re-establish a path back to root.

Indeed, I'm blown away from STP after these videos.... I'm learning them from CCIE level cause I truly hate it in the book when they say "this is outside of the scope of this book" ... well if it was why does Cisco expect you to know it on the exam

Deathmage

whelp heading home for more labbing. Just spent the whole day in the rafters..... ran 30 runs of CAt5e myself for a new vLAN. I feel better knowing things if I do it myself from layer 1 upward...

UpAndComing

Maybe this will help? Scaling Networks
I found this to be a great resource

TWX

Deathmage wrote: »

whelp heading home for more labbing. Just spent the whole day in the rafters..... ran 30 runs of CAt5e myself for a new vLAN. I feel better knowing things if I do it myself from layer 1 upward...

Did you vary the spacing of your J-hooks and fire-stop all of the penetrations, and keep your sleeves limited to 40% fill?



We're T568A at work. You would not believe the number of times I've had to scold cable vendors that didn't want to follow our standards.

Deathmage

Got a little carried away with labbing for STP it was supposed to be just STP but i got carried away after I figured out STP..... made a Medium Sized Campus Network in Packet tracer with 5 OSPF Area's with all the bells and whistles, if I could do VRRP in packet tracer I'd add that...

Tomorrow I'm adding a Area 6 above the core to mimic a distro/access layer for a VMware cluster. The two Area's 1 and 2 represent a two building campus and just imagine the core to distro links being 3000ft 10G bonded links....

The area in the Middle is just for WAN and internet access....

the two routers at the top right for test have loopback with 8.8.4.4 and 8.8.8.8 for easy of testing. ooo Google how we use you so...

Deathmage

bigger screen at work vs the laptop I did this on last night labbing from 5:30 pm till 12 am.

slow day today at work, adding a area above the core and working on the internet area in the middle, then I'll transcribe this to the home-lab equipment for the VMware cluster.