another newbie

yaseenburt

Hi Guys

After much toiling about which "specialist" field to go into after paying my dues doing user support for about 5 years i finally decided to pursue my CCNA all the way to CCIE.

can anyone tell me how much emphasis is put on the theory part of the CCNA exams i.e. OSI Model, it's layers, the cisco 3 layers, ethernet etc. Or is the exam fully concerned with config of routers, switches etc?

how much theory do i need to cover? also, i have Todd Lammle's book on CCNA and the NETSIM for my router labs. id this enough? Where do i get some really good prep tests from? unfortunately i am a little low in cash so freebies are most welcome )

from "the soon to be liberated support guy"

....no more users!!!!! )

Kaminsky

yaseenburt wrote:

can anyone tell me how much emphasis is put on the theory part of the CCNA exams i.e. OSI Model, it's layers, the cisco 3 layers, ethernet etc. Or is the exam fully concerned with config of routers, switches etc?

how much theory do i need to cover?

All of it! If you think about it, the OSI/TCPIP model, LAN infrastructure devices (not just ethernet), IP addressing, cabling structures and bandwidths, etc are all the basis of what comes after the CCNA. Let alone the actual hands on skills of being able to configure these devices.

Think of it this way, CCNA is one of Cisco's two basic certifications that everything else is built upon so it is important that you understand all of it and have a good theoretical/hands on set of skills before you continue on. This is why CCNA has a very high passing grade and causes students a lot of problems.

Don't just use Sybex and netsim as your study aids. This site has excellent technotes for CCNA studyhttp://www.techexams.net/ccna.shtml and http://www.firewall.cx/index.php but also check out Google and the cisco site itself fo any resources you can get.

Good luck

yaseenburt wrote:

from "the soon to be liberated support guy"

....no more users!!!!! )

hehehe dream on !

outstream

After much toiling about which "specialist" field to go into after paying my dues doing user support for about 5 years i finally decided to pursue my CCNA all the way to CCIE.

Welcome to the club, fasten your seat belt, you are on for a real tough ride

can anyone tell me how much emphasis is put on the theory part of the CCNA exams i.e. OSI Model, it's layers, the cisco 3 layers, ethernet etc. Or is the exam fully concerned with config of routers, switches etc?

Exam is about both, theory and practical. To pass the exam, you must have a thorough knowledge about theoretical stuff as well as practical stuff (like configuring routers). You cannot give your whole attention to one thing and give less attention to the other one. Its too risky when you are facing Cisco tests.

how much theory do i need to cover?

CCNA is a four module course overall. You can win your CCNA certification in two ways.
Either give one paper concerning all the course in CCNA, or break up your paper in two papers, i.e INTRO and ICND.

After you pass both papers of INTRO and ICND, you`ll be a CCNA.

i have Todd Lammle's book on CCNA and the NETSIM for my router labs. id this enough?

If you are a beginner in network studies, I would recommend you a CCNA book by Vendell Odom. His books are Cisco Press publications and also his way of explaining stuff is more simpler than Todd Lamle. Other than that, If you want to learn from Todd Lamle`s book, it will also prove to be a beneficial book.

Where do i get some really good prep tests from?

ahh..I dont know .

May be you can make an account on Cisco Prep Center. They have a program of free online preperation tests there. You can visit Cisco CCNA preperation center by clicking here.

Pash

yaseenburt wrote:

from "the soon to be liberated support guy"

....no more users!!!!! )

One thing im learning very quickly is at some point of the line there is some ***** who is there to p*ss you off very quickly. One day im happily configuring cisco switches at my desk, next day im on site and some customer complains that he/she doesnt wan't the printers there "i want them down there where you just came from...whine whine whine"....bare in mind these things weigh a metric ton.....it very quickly turns your day around.

Anyway good luck buddy.

mikej412

Welcome!

You can also check out the CCNA Forum FAQ to get an idea on what other people think about all the fun choice to make while studying for the CCNA.

darkuser

yaseenburt wrote:

Hi Guys

After much toiling about which "specialist" field to go into after paying my dues doing user support for about 5 years i finally decided to pursue my CCNA all the way to CCIE.

can anyone tell me how much emphasis is put on the theory part of the CCNA exams i.e. OSI Model, it's layers, the cisco 3 layers, ethernet etc. Or is the exam fully concerned with config of routers, switches etc?

how much theory do i need to cover? also, i have Todd Lammle's book on CCNA and the NETSIM for my router labs. id this enough? Where do i get some really good prep tests from? unfortunately i am a little low in cash so freebies are most welcome )

from "the soon to be liberated support guy"

....no more users!!!!! )

users never go away .....
you're just moved to a higher level looking down .....
as long as you've got a deliverable .... you've got users \
or at least people relying on the backbone you're providing ....

yaseenburt

Thanks for all the replies guys. I don't know how yet but it's CCIE or BUST!!

You'll probably hear from me a lot on this forum so please be patient with me.

yeah yeah i guess users need to be there or who would we be supporting right?

i just wish they'd stop behaving like pre schoolers sometimes.

Kaminsky

When I worked in a hospital I used to say "b loody users.... my job would be so much easier without them!" until I heard a nurse say "b loody patients..... my job would be so much easier without them!"