Go for CCSP or not??

agustinchernitsky

Hello friends!

I was thinking about CCSP. The first and only "problem" I see is that I have no way to do lab practice on PIX and IPC since I don't have such hw.

I do have some router and switch emulators (ie bosom) but I don't think that will help for CCSP (at least not for PIX and IPS).

So, I would like some suggestions... If anyone sat for these exams and were on the same situation as I am or how did you prepare for CCSP, etc, etc, etc.... Did the exams requiered a lot of practice and such.

Any suggestions are welcome!

PS: I found an emulator for PIX... didn't try it yet!

Saludos y gracias!

BubbaJ

agustinchernitsky wrote:

The first and only "problem" I see is that I have no way to do lab practice on PIX and IPC since I don't have such hw.

You could rent rack time on the Internet, or you could buy something on EBay.

mikej412

I'll second the lab rack rental.

Each device -- PIX/ASA, IDS/IPS, VPN Concentrator has its own command set and/or web interface. Without the hands on experience it is hard to keep the stuff straight in your head.

agustinchernitsky

Interesting... do you know how much they are charging for the rental??

Any sites you could recommend?

Thanks for the info!

Saludos!

mikej412

agustinchernitsky wrote:

Any sites you could recommend?

eBay

Some sites offer a discount through eBay auctions to attract customers to their sites. One site is currently offering 52 hours for $99 (but it has an IDS rather than and IPS).

I bought my security lab components as I was doing the CCSP, so its been a while since I looked at rack rentals.... but if you search eBay you may find some bargins. And if you search Google (or your favorite search engine) for "ccie security lab rental" you should find a few places that rent security racks.

The companies that sell the CCIE Lab workbooks usually offer rack rentals or partner with someone -- so you might want to check out
www.netmasterclass.com
www.Internetworkexperts.com
www.ipexpert.com
www.ccbootcamp.com

I've seen places offer 4 hour, 6 hour or 12 hour blocks. There probably is/was a site with 8 hour blocks, but I don't remember one right now. They usually have their standard start/stop times for their blocks, and you may not get the "full time" since the sites have to clean up and reset the racks between users.

The price can vary greatly between these guys -- but some offer quantity discounts. You also have to be aware of the cancel/reschedule policy of each site.

And most important with rack rental -- you should study in advance and prepare a plan of what you want to accomplish so you don't waste time when you are online.

The eBay auctions may be just for timeslots in a certain month, so make sure you check out the site and scheduling system to see what's available before you bid (or do a buy it now).

agustinchernitsky

Great info Mike! Thanks a millon!

Saludos amigo!

mikej412

Here's a rack rental place that seems to want to be a workbook provider someday..... but I didn't see them on the first google page.... and I don't think they work with any of the ccie preparation places.... but they have the setups for all the major workbooks. And their 3 racks seem to be for anything -- so you can play with ATM if you get bored with security
www.netlabrentals.com

agustinchernitsky

If I get bored... don't worry... I will do something creative

Jajajajjaja

Gracias amigo!