1st CCIE lab attempt blog and help for candidates.

Turgon

The plan going forwards now is to use the first IWEB Vol II labs and one of the IPexpert labs and in a single remote session (5.5 hours) aim to get the Switching/Frame/IGP and BGP done for each. I expect the next four weeks to be focussed on core activities. Once I have got some speed up, then I will attempt a mock exam, aiming to get the core out within the timeframe and give myself as much time as possible to attempt the later tasks. But at the moment core is the key. The next 100 hours should bring a lot of things together on that front.

Turgon

A good session today. Called it a day half way through the IGP section.

Turgon

Awaiting a remote rack session with cciecert. Meanwhile configured the home rack to do IPexpert Lab T.

Lab T is hopeless in the sense that my home equipment cannot provide the subinterfaces that the lab requires on fastethernet as I have ethernet.

Hopeless in the sense that this practice lab goes beyond the CCIE requirement. It's messed up.

Hopeful in the sense that it requires me to make the best of things and check everything out! The real CCIE lab has errors in the lab, watch out cut and paste workbook people!

Hopeful in the sense that regardless of if my equipment cannot provide a solution I at least get some practice.

It's all good

Turgon

Got as far as completing the switching/frame and IGP tasks there. I had hoped to do BGP but Im calling it a night. Fatigued.

When I finish my rack session tomorrow I will have been on racks 11 out of the last 14 days. Im certainly getting through a fair amount of practice.

But things at work of late are difficult in the sense that new practices and processes need to be followed closely and there is a new boss. Obviously this requires a good deal of attention to detail there and expenditure of nervous energy to get things right. And so far they are going well on the workfront. But I am really tired at the end of the working day.

I need to press on with the labs I have planned over the next two or three weeks and then I may be ready for another mock exam. There are a number of IPexpert's to finish off and Im starting to work on the IWEB workbook now. Certainly getting some clarity through using a different style of workbook after putting so many hours in on the technologies elsewhere. But it is very hard going. The next four weeks will be crucial, and a good deal should come together over the next elapsed 80 hours of rack time in terms of process.

Turgon

BGP done tonight. Heavy. Confederation, 2 x route reflectors (one on a switch), BGP peer group, AS Path and Local Pref manipulation.

Will do QoS/Multicast/Security next session.

Once this lab (Ipexpert lab 'T') is done, I have a couple of sessions scheduled for the weekend and will try and get lab 'C' and 'D' covered. Then I can return to my saved configs for IWEB workbook vol II and finish off lab 1 there.

nortic

Keep going, almost there. When is your lab date, are you taking any leave to dedicate some time before the lab?

Turgon

nortic wrote:

Keep going, almost there. When is your lab date, are you taking any leave to dedicate some time before the lab?

It's not quite final push just yet. I reckon 500 hours of rack time should take me close. Im testing in the autumn. I may take my lab week off.

Turgon

IOS features and security sections were interesting. vlan access-map.

Multicasting left for another day but other than that lab 'T' done.

Turgon

I will now be going offline for two weeks while I concentrate on my work and studies.

Good luck to all.

pooker

I admire you alot turgon for studying this much, i wish I had that much dedication about my cisco stuides, heck i wish i had even HALF that much dedication to come home and do that. I am sure when the time comes you will pass it with flying colors!

Turgon

pooker wrote:

I admire you alot turgon for studying this much, i wish I had that much dedication about my cisco stuides, heck i wish i had even HALF that much dedication to come home and do that. I am sure when the time comes you will pass it with flying colors!

Thank you. A little behind due to pressure of work at late but still moving along nicely. Probably finish up on IPexpert C and IWEB workbook vol II lab 1 this weekend.

Turgon

A tough three weeks at work requiring much time and energy so studies temporarily suspended. Things have gone well there now so hopefully I can now at last start to return to the preparations. Given hindsight there seem 4 phases to CCIE.

Basecamp- Written Prep. This is often shortcircuited by candidates by braindumping. I didn't do that and as a consequence with a solid theoretical foundation under me I haven't got lost in the later stages. You refer to books constantly through your later studies for reference points and fine tuning but there should be no hard core learning if written prep went well.

Camp 1 Completed Technology Preparation. Again often shortcircuited by candidates to their detrement. Hands on dedicated study to specific technologies. Often until you are sick of them. Even RIP offers weeks of fun.

Camp 2 Complete extensive Multiprotocol work. Attempts to work with the technologies together to investigate the layering and interdependencies. Often blasted into too soon by candidates with disasterous results.

Camp 3 Final run in. More multiprotocol work, mock exams, fine tuning.

Im nearly at Camp 2 now but I still have some multiprotocol labs in the IPexpert workbook to complete. I think if I wasn't working and could throw myself into this fulltime I believe it would take me 3 months flat out to really pull things together and get to lab standard with a very good shot at a first time pass. I'm still holding down a demanding fulltime job and family so we will see how things go in the months ahead. My written expires in November so we have until then!

Turgon

May has been hard at work but a chink of daylight starting to open up. Next week I hope to return to racking up rack hours again

Turgon

Finally returned to the home rack to finish off Lab 'C' - NTP and QoS. Pleasing to get sometime in after an enforced study hiatus. The last four weeks I prioritised work and abandoned my studies completely. Im vindicated. During that period I have worked twice as hard at work, finished the working day shattered but have a position of strength at work due to the quality output there. A new boss and new working practices and targets to achieve and lots of pressure. Outcome? Lot's of positive feedback at work at time when heads may roll. Twice from the new boss and twice from his henchman who is now off work due to stress. Annoying on the study front but work pays the bills. It has gone well. Abandoning studies after work was the sensible option. Tired after work I needed rest to face the next difficult working day and CCIE prep wasn't going to help me there at all. Returning to things now after a 4 week break Im pleased to see I haven't fallen behind. Lab 'D' up next followed by completion of IWEB Vol II lab 1 (I have the saved configs for that one).

Turgon

Got out and about on the switching section on lab 'D'. A good session.

Turgon

Booked some rack hours so we will see if I can get lab 'D' knocked out.

Turgon

Working lab 'D' now. Nice to see some recall. Clearly haven't forgotton much!

Turgon

Im still mopping up the remaining IPexpert multiprotocol labs in my workbook. These are 8 hour labs. Given the constraints on time Im breaking them into two sessions, one covering L2/L3 BGP and another covering the features. This seems to work quite well. I recall one first time CCIE passer working this way allowing him to put in a 3-4 hour session and achieve something as he went along. Another first time passer did the features, QoS etc without L2/L3 reachability. Drastic but it does give one practice on the commands at least. I will save my 'session 1' configs and upload before starting 'session 2'.

Turgon

A couple of hours working Lab 'D', and a good refresher on the time consuming business of running OSPF over frame relay.

Turgon

A useful session on advanced OSPF configuration on lab 'D'. Nice to see some recall there. A two week vacation coming up next week to recharge the batteries before a final assault after work the following three months. While much has been achieved to get to this point, my work in May has left me feeling very fatigued and unable to get much done after work on the study front in that month. I need a break. After that break it will be a busy 15 weeks on the study front to get up for that test date at the end of October! Most stuff covered now. It's a case of pulling it all together!

Turgon

Im on vacation as of next Wednesday. I still have some shopping to do. I will try and make an effort this weekend to finish lab 'D'. I will take Duggan's book away with me for some light reading the following two weeks.

Turgon

Just back from vacation. Once things are sorted out at home, unpacking, shopping etc, it's back to practice labs

Turgon

Put an hour in tonight on the online rack. Unable to complete the EIGRP section for lab 'D' due to recurrent issues with the PC - online rack experience. Response of clear line was painfully slow and often found the proctorlab vrack page hanging. Cut and paste of configs cause a PC reboot. Very slow going to connect to devices and get on. I will try the connection from my laptop as opposed to the PC tomorrow. This has worked better in the past but a smaller screen to work with.

dynamik

Sounds like you're glad to be back from vacation!

Welcome back.

Turgon

No rest for the wicked. An early morning rack session to complete lab 'D'.

Turgon

Cranked out 5 hours on lab D, leaving just the IPv6 section and IPv6 routing for another day. Quite tired what with work as well.

ITdude

Definitely not the time for IPv6, when you are tired.

Turgon

ITdude wrote:

Definitely not the time for IPv6, when you are tired.

Yes. I will look at it afresh tomorrow.

Turgon

IPexpert Lab 'D' DONE

Slogged out the IPv6 section on lab 'D'. Some recall but clearly some areas I need to read up on again there. Glad to get lab 'D' done and dusted. Will start up on the switching and IGP sections in lab 'I' tomorrow.

Turgon

IPexpert lab 'I'

Less time on the rack today due to commitments at work and and home but an hour put in on the switching section which overall seems very doable.