Starting CCENT

cfloener

Looking for recommendation on what to use for studying?

DerekAustin26

Todd Lammle books. Explains the subjects in great detail, especially subnetting. You want to make sure you're a wiz on subnetting for the CCENT.

GDaines

I started with the Todd Lammle book but didn't always 'get' everything. Some things I Googled which helped sometimes. Next I purchased the Chris Bryant video course on Udemy and that helped clarify some subjects a little better and made me understand some others I just hadn't got my head around. Most recently I've been trying to set up different labs on equipment I'd bought and that has really helped subjects like RIP, EIGRP and to some extent OSPF sink in.

I found some labs here, and the video explanations here, but I've got to say at this point in time the OSPF lab and video make no sense to me at all so still some work for me to do on that particular topic. I found a different lab here which is the one I've been setting up.

Someone posted a link to this site in another thread some time back, it's a really useful site for practicing your subnetting.

And of course there's always Youtube, just type 'CCNA' and you've got lots of options. I've downloaded a couple of the courses but tend to just watch specific videos if I'm having trouble on that particular topic.

cfloener

I will look into the book.

Any good sources for videos, practice test and Sim's?

cfloener

GDaines wrote: »

I started with the Todd Lammle book but didn't always 'get' everything. Some things I Googled which helped sometimes. Next I purchased the Chris Bryant video course on Udemy and that helped clarify some subjects a little better and made me understand some others I just hadn't got my head around. Most recently I've been trying to set up different labs on equipment I'd bought and that has really helped subjects like RIP, EIGRP and to some extent OSPF sink in.

I found some labs [URL="http://##########.net/ccna/free-ccna-challenge-labs/"]here[/URL], and the video explanations [URL="http://##########.net/CCNA_Videos"]here[/URL], but I've got to say at this point in time the OSPF lab and video make no sense to me at all so still some work for me to do on that particular topic. I found a different lab here which is the one I've been setting up.

Someone posted a link to this site in another thread some time back, it's a really useful site for practicing your subnetting.

And of course there's always Youtube, just type 'CCNA' and you've got lots of options. I've downloaded a couple of the courses but tend to just watch specific videos if I'm having trouble on that particular topic.

Thanks fro the info. The first two links do not lead anywhere

doctorlexus

cfloener wrote: »

Any good sources for videos, practice test and Sim's?

CBT Nuggets w/ Jeremy Cioara. Boson ExSim Max.

cfloener

Also I would like a recommendation on a lab kit. I have packet tracer but it's hard to sim Id10t errors like not pushing a network cable all the way in or even a bad cable.

doctorlexus

Not sure on the lab kit. They were all several hundred dollars on eBay when I looked, so I've just used GNS3. Maybe someone else knows.

GDaines

cfloener wrote: »

Thanks fro the info. The first two links do not lead anywhere

Free CCNA Challenge Labs
CCNA Videos

GDaines

cfloener wrote: »

Also I would like a recommendation on a lab kit. I have packet tracer but it's hard to sim Id10t errors like not pushing a network cable all the way in or even a bad cable.

I started with an 1841 router, two 2811 routers, a 2960 switch and two 3560 switches. I had four WIC-1T serial cards plus all the necessary serial, network and power cables to link everything up. Depending where you live, different cards are more popular in the US.

Before you know it you get the bug to keep expanding your setup. I bought a 12U rack and a 16-way PDU, picked up two more 2811 routers (and a PIX515E firewall), added an 8-port serial card into one of the 2811's, expanded all four to 512mb and installed IOS 15 on a couple. Latest addition is a 3560-TS switch onto which I'll install IOS 15, and once I find another I'll probably sell my layer2 2960, otherwise I'll have to buy a bigger rack

Check out these older threads as there's a lot of useful info in them:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/119854-can-you-help-me-finish-bits-my-ccna-lab-please-bit-confused.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/119880-how-many-smart-crossover-cables-needed-3-x-wic-2ts-ccna-r-s-study-please.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/119793-cables-modules-ccna-lab-please.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/119211-switch-options.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/119771-ccna-r-s-lab-set-up-help-pleeeaaaassssseeeeee.html
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccnp/119064-home-lab-ccnp-switch-beyond.html

cfloener

I see a lot of resources are still on 100-101, should I wait for the content to get upgraded or are the changes miner in the 105?

GDaines

cfloener wrote: »

I see a lot of resources are still on 100-101, should I wait for the content to get upgraded or are the changes miner in the 105?

Based on what I've read other people write in previous posts, it sounds like the majority of material is still the same with just a few changes here and there. I believe some serial stuff has been dropped but it's not going to hurt if you learn the odd bit extra as it gives you a good foundation to understand the newer technologies and why they replaced the old ones, you're just less likely to see questions in certain technologies.

My advice would be start now with what's available, and work out later what's been dropped or added, then study any new stuff you've not covered before you take the exam. I'm planning to take the v2 for the first exam, but I'm sure I'll miss the deadline for the second exam so will have to take the v3. I'm not, however, going to throw out all my current study material and buy it all over again when so little has changed.