1st CCIE lab attempt blog and help for candidates.

GT-Rob

Yeah ORF kind of threw me. Had to look that one up but couldn't (and still cannot) find it anywhere in the docs!


http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/12_2t/12_2t11/feature/guide/ft11borf.html

http://blog.internetworkexpert.com/2008/05/05/understanding-bgp-outbound-route-filtering-bgp-orf/

I don't mind not knowing something, but I don't like not being able to find it via the online docs (without using search)

Turgon

GT-Rob wrote:

Yeah ORF kind of threw me. Had to look that one up but couldn't (and still cannot) find it anywhere in the docs!


http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/12_2t/12_2t11/feature/guide/ft11borf.html

http://blog.internetworkexpert.com/2008/05/05/understanding-bgp-outbound-route-filtering-bgp-orf/

I don't mind not knowing something, but I don't like not being able to find it via the online docs (without using search)

Heres a useful link. ORF is a cool way of having a peer send you what you want (assuming they agree to use ORF).

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/12_2s/feature/guide/fsbgporf.pdf

Turgon

IWEB Vol II Lab 15. Took out Multicast, Ipv6, QoS and Security before the session ended. Embarking on more practice questions in the Cisco QOS book tonight. Will finish lab 15 in the morning before starting a new practice lab before lunch.

Turgon

Lab 15 - DONE.


This afternoons lab plans are scuppered so it's theory study instead. The rack people kindly cancelled one of my slots at my request and returned the credits. It was for this evening which I can't make. But I have checked the schedule today and looks like there has been a screw up. The evening session remains and they have cancelled the session I wanted to work now throughout the afternoon. Bummer. I have emailed them about this in the hope I dont get billed for a wasted session tonight. Perhaps they will give me some credits. Who knows.

Time to do practice exams in QoS and BGP theory.

Turgon

Got my credits back.

IWEB lab 6. Completed switching before the lab session expired. Will carry on tomorrow. It's a toss up now to practice QoS on the home rack for the rest of the day or see if Proctor Labs have a session free to do one of the remaining Ipexpert labs I have in that workbook. Other alternatives are studying QoS or BGP theory today.

Turgon

No IPexpert proctor labs available. So QoS scenarios from the workbook on the homerack today.

JohnDouglas

are you on holiday?

Turgon

JohnDouglas wrote:

are you on holiday?

Just finished a contract so taking advantage of some much needed studytime.

JohnDouglas

looks like you're making good use of it. at this rate you'll beat GT Rob to the numbe r good luck

Turgon

JohnDouglas wrote:

looks like you're making good use of it. at this rate you'll beat GT Rob to the numbe r good luck

hehehe..we will see but Im hardly rushing along. You pass this thing when you are good enough and have put the time in. All great achievements require ability and time!

Turgon

Ran over QoS sections in labs 6 and 9 on the homerack. Now working the selftest questions in Cisco Press R&S guide and Cisco QoS. Time to revisit the theory and a breather before doing more QoS on the rack later today.

GT-Rob

How much time do you spend on legacy QoS? I try to learn it a bit, but I am just so much more familiar with the MQC now its hard to focus on it.

Turgon

GT-Rob wrote:

How much time do you spend on legacy QoS? I try to learn it a bit, but I am just so much more familiar with the MQC now its hard to focus on it.

It may come up on the exam, particularly the conversions. I can't say I spend a lot of time on legacy QoS mechanisms because I covered them in detail years back. I still have a ring binder I made back in 2001 containing CCO white papers on the various mechanisms. MQC is an attempt to bring the different QoS tools together in a common interface with new features.

Spent a lot of today doing Odom questions in the R&S guide, the Cisco QoS book and this morning doing QoS in labs 6 and 9.

Turgon

IWEB Vol II lab 6 - WAN section completed. No real suprises there. Next remote rack session is at 5PM GMT but that clashes with meal times and bath time for our son so I don't expect to be using the racktime until after 7PM. I should get about three hours in though tonight to continue with lab no 6. Meanwhile it's back on the homerack to work some more QoS sections sprinkled across the labs in the workbook.

Turgon

Completed the QoS sections in Labs 12 and 13. With these done I have completed the QoS sections in all but two of the Vol II workbook. Was I able to do them without checking the solutions? Not on your life but it's been very instructional. On that note I have been revisiting QoS theory in between lab sessions this week. QoS is getting better. Lab 13 is the mother of FR QoS.

Racktime again now, IGP in lab no 6.

Turgon

Calling a halt at section 3.3. Will look at the virtual links and the ip ospf cost situations in the morning. Need a good night's rest.

Turgon

7:50 AM. Back on with IWEB Vol II lab 6. Once complete it's time to embark on some serious note taking across all labs in the workbook. I think I have the things in mind I wish to reference out.

Will I pass before 100,000 views on the thread? It's possible I suppose. I have racktime scheduled now through to Christmas. I will probably do a mock exam or two inbetween Christmas and New Year. I had hoped to start these in November but I have no regrets about taking more time on the practice labs before embaking upon Mocks.

Turgon

IWEB Lab no 6 - DONE. Useful lab all round but particularly good on OSPF, BGP and IPv6.

Right then. No labs for me until next week now. Im feeling rather tired with the clatter through labs although it has been very worthwhile. However I do need to consolidate now which is why Im glad Im not working at present as I now have the time and energy to really work through the topics properly. In many cases while Im capable of proposing solutions that are basically correct, Im still struggling to put together the exact details of the configuration. So I need to practice those things. I think I have covered most topics now and I do understand them. It's now about drilling the constructs of the various configurations so the details actually spring to mind. Lately the solutions have been illustrating things I either should have known or had forgotton. Not often now do I see something completely new to me when Im stumped on a question in the labbook.

My process is much better. I naturally configure more of the necessary things for each section straight off. The gap is the detail, and the gap is shrinking. So I have a good idea of what I need to work on. I think what I will do now is go through each lab and record the basic constructs for each topic just to get those down. I will make a note of the '007' configs as I go through each lab but not record those just yet. Then I will work on my self authored book of 'basics'. Once complete I will record the 007 things and then get to work on those. You can't record everything though, the CCIE isn't like that so I will be pulling on my understanding of configuration when I go over the basic configs to ensure I really do know how that solution meets requirements and also to assess alternative approaches.

This should help in a number of ways..

1. Summary of where I am at
2. Consolidated practice on individual topics
3. Awareness and comparison of alternative approaches to solve problems
4. Repetition to help me get the detailed configuration details down so I can do them on the fly
5. Better understanding of requirements

Turgon

Sunday. Some note taking today.

Turgon

Note taking Sunday abandoned as I promised time with the family. It was a nice break.

Today lab no 20. Back on the 18th September I last worked this lab concentrating on the sections after BGP so I will do the first half of this lab which essentially means I have completed all tasks.

Turgon

Lab 20. Phew. Called a halt just before the BGP section which I will take on tomorrow. A truly educational lab and great practice. I will take a closer look at that redistribution tonight.

Turgon

I see Jonny English passed his lab on groupstudy. That's good because he started same time as me back in April 2007 and I know unlike myself he had a significant period off work to prepare. So I reckon that now I finally have some time off to concentrate on my preparations if I keep pummelling away I should be there or there abouts in the new year.

More note taking now while I wait for this morning's lab session. Fairly soon we should be on the same repeat cycle..

Note taking
IWEB lab
Mini labs
Mock Exam

repeat

JohnDouglas

when are you planning to take the lab?

Turgon

JohnDouglas wrote:

when are you planning to take the lab?

That's a good question. Im not going to Brussels until Im pretty confident I will do very well there. A prequisite is to pass the written exam as mine has now expired but I don't expect to be doing written revision until Im scoring very well on mock exams.

Im shooting for a March/April slot. That said, if I pick up a new contract in the new year that involves a lot of work and time on the road my plans may have to slip as I simply won't have plenty of free time to prepare. It's difficult to do practice labs on a train. The CCIE is nice but preparation for it doesn't pay the bills and I wouldn't want to get worn out cramming for CCIE on top of holding down a new contract. Particularly early doors into a new contract when you need to focus solely on doing a first class job for your client. That requires lots of concentration and energy on the work front.

Notes updated to version 1.01 now. Im using a spreadsheet with tabs for each topic. I have now documented all useful switching commands from labs 1 -10.

Turgon

JohnDouglas wrote:

when are you planning to take the lab?

I will hedge my bets..a pass before 100,000 views?

Lab 20 BGP section next up on the renote rack at 11AM GMT

JohnDouglas

i expect it'll be good to take contracts when you can get them in 2009. have you seen a slowdown in the contract market?

Turgon

JohnDouglas wrote:

i expect it'll be good to take contracts when you can get them in 2009. have you seen a slowdown in the contract market?

It's slowing down everywhere. I have just had one agent badger me about being available before Christmas because 'thousands are being laid off and it's not like before when you could easily find contracts.'

All worthy points but Im not working before Christmas. I need the time off to get some serious studying done before the New Year. There's a lot of stress in agencies at present, many agents will be laid off soon so things are difficult for them. But Im not about to let them send me forward willy nilly for this 'n' that role just so they can hit their quotas for interviews and candidate hire in a tough market. The roles are not what Im looking for anyway, so Im not about to become cannon fodder they can use to get me placed in totally the wrong job.

The same agent called me a couple of weeks ago about roles that were hot air. I imagine he's desperate to get someone placed in the few jobs going right now so he doesn't get laid off.

I will get work in the New Year. I always find work. Meanwhile I will be very busy at my expense obtaining the skills the agents need to match people to jobs properly!

More lab time now.

Turgon

Lab 20 - DONE. Really good on BGP that one and also switching with dot1q tunnels. I feel out of sorts today. Rather tired plus son was unwell last night. May be coming down with something. A break now to clear my head.

Turgon

Lab 9. Switching section complete. Will carry on tomorrow.

Turgon

Lab 9. Got as far as the IPv6 section. Will call a halt now and do the rest tomorrow. Lots covered today and many configurations illustrated in the solutions need to be reflected upon. Doing any more sections today would just be rushing through and a waste of a valuable learning experience.