Sitting my switch Saturday week

adrianm68

Hi guys,

So I am not moving my exam again! I have shifted it a few times now, but I think I am ready, so pass or fail, I'll be there. I've not sat an NP exam yet, so it will be an experience in any case.

I have been studying the OCG, INE, Nuggets, and getting into the TSHOOT book to review. I have a couple of 3550's and been using GNS3 for any router bits. So I will be a pvlans and POE virgin going in.

I am reviewing some of the physical cable configs. I hope I don't need to remember the difference between 10GBASE-SR and LX4 or the other variants and their respective reaches?? I think I have most of the 100 and 1000 standards down.

Other than that, I feel I can config and verify all the concepts, so this week and next is down to just review. If I keep looking, I am sure I can find a topic I don't feel comfortable in, and want to reschedule, but I'll never get my NP by rescheduling, so its locked in. Even if I'm not ready, the exam itself is a great learning tool, should things go awry.

/adrian

Node Man

Good luck!!!

(or in Cisco command : "no bad luck")

ande0255

I felt when I failed ROUTE I had to get that first Fail out of the way to soak in the questions and like someone else said sims.

Really hope I get lucky and get 1 or 2 of the same sim so I can roll through them this time!

Good luck!!

adrianm68

ande0255 wrote: »

I felt when I failed ROUTE I had to get that first Fail out of the way to soak in the questions and like someone else said sims.

Really hope I get lucky and get 1 or 2 of the same sim so I can roll through them this time!

Good luck!!

HeyAnde,

You might have already checked it out, but I am looking at the 'switch simplified' book from Amazon. It's a bit outdated but stacked with info, and refreshingly written with bits and pieces I have not found anywhere else. They also have a 'Route simplified' book that is also available. Probably too late for you for this exam, but perhaps as a last minute cram it could be worthwhile.

Good luck on your exam!

/adrian

adrianm68

Question about equipment - there are some good deals on Ebay at the moment for 3750's - around $60 each here in AUS with a stackwise cable.

If I pass switch this weekend, and start getting into Route, will a couple of 3750's in addition to my 2 3550's be necessary? Or can I get away with GNS3 for route?

On a similar note, I spent some time this weekend getting the IOU images for switches working in vmware + GNS3. I have to say I kind of like it, even though it's not real hardware. I did all my testing of pvlans and it worked flawlessly. Less successful was routing over SVI's - they never did allow a packet to route and it crashed a few times. Really burnt a few hours trying to figure out whether it was me or the fake switch. I think that is the main problem (or teacher, depending on your point of view) - you don't know if it's your config that is causing the problem, or the simulation. It makes you think, which is a good thing.

adrianm68

It pains me to say it, but I failed this one. Some of the questions were tough - not seen them anywhere in OCG, Nuggets, Bryant, INE....

I knew I had failed. Timing was an issue, and I was presented with a sim 8 minutes from the end. Rush job and all wrong. Kevin Wallace talks about watching the time, but if you are half way through the questions, at the half time mark, that means nothing if you have yet to do 2 sims.

Got back on the horse, booked for next week, at least I got to see the beast, next week will be better.

joshuamurphy75

Sorry to hear that adtrianm68. These are tough exams. Let us know when you do pass.

adrianm68

Holy **** I passed! Recieved an 860 and just sat there, staring at the CONGRATULATIONS page for a minute or so!

Managed my time better in this one, and I think that was the primary difference.

Time to take a few days off study before putting a plan together for route. Super pleased to be moving on!

Adrian

joshuamurphy75

Congrats. I bet that was a relief.

[Deleted User]

Congrats! Next up is Route?

MAC_Addy

Well done! I failed SWITCH a few weeks ago, it sucked, bad! I had A LOT of drag and drops that caught me out. The Switch Simplified book; did you want to sell that by any chance? I looked on Amazon and it's $60.

Danielh22185

MAC_Addy wrote: »

Well done! I failed SWITCH a few weeks ago, it sucked, bad! I had A LOT of drag and drops that caught me out. The Switch Simplified book; did you want to sell that by any chance? I looked on Amazon and it's $60.

You can also get the digital version for $10. Which is also especially helpful for the companion lab book at the end.


Congrats on the pass OP.

MAC_Addy

Danielh22185 wrote: »

You can also get the digital version for $10. Which is also especially helpful for the companion lab book at the end.

My wife does have a Kindle, so I might have her buy it on her account. Though, I do love a physical book. Maybe I'm too old-school?

albinorhino187

you dont need a kindle for a kindle book. You can get a kindle app to run on almost anything.

Danielh22185

albinorhino187 wrote: »

you dont need a kindle for a kindle book. You can get a kindle app to run on almost anything.

^^^ This.

Kindle Cloud Reader on Amazon. I used this all the time when studying NP. I would have a lab book open on one of my monitors and the CLI on the other.

MAC_Addy

albinorhino187 wrote: »

you dont need a kindle for a kindle book. You can get a kindle app to run on almost anything.

Can you put the book on the Kindle and read it via a laptop/desktop PC?

Danielh22185

MAC_Addy wrote: »

Can you put the book on the Kindle and read it via a laptop/desktop PC?

If you purchase it through Amazon the book is added into you digital library you can access from anywhere / anything.

shimasensei

Good luck! Switch is the 2nd most fun exam of the CCNP trio (after TShoot).