1st CCIE lab attempt blog and help for candidates.

Turgon

Notes made in the frame relay section of my documentation covering the first five labs. Documentation up to version 1.02 now. I will start documenting FRTS tomorrow.

Turgon

Notes completed upto lab 10 on Frame Relay. Back on with the hands on work now. IWEB lab 9 from Ipv6 onwards. CCIE's are made not born.

Turgon

Lab 9 - DONE. IPv6 was particularly interesting with a solution I haven't seen before for tunnelling.

A lot of time spent of late working these labs and many times I have been forced to look at the solutions for clarifications and hints. In some cases the labs have been good practice allowing me to improve on my speed to configure the things Im already good at. In other cases the lab has become a tutorial with an illustration of how to achieve a set requirement. So I'm clearly still learning how to do some things as I go along. I need to revise some of these things and improve my understanding of them so they spring readily to mind when Im trying to meet requirements in the labwork.

It's time now to take stock of what has been covered and work very hard on my documentation. I have 6 full labs remaining in IWEB Vol II to undertake and the first half of lab 18 and 19 to complete. I will then have completed hands-on a first pass of all twenty labs in the workbook. It has been gruelling but also educational. Im finding now that each lab experience augments the previous one and helps to reinforce the learning. At the same time when Im stuck the solutions seem more and more intuitive. I was either on the right lines or close. Even if something completly new to me is illustrated just by reading the solution I can understand quickly how it works without any lengthy explanation. But I still have work to do. So Im going to be immersing in more reading, carefully studying the solutions guides protocol by protocol so I have the various mechanisms down much better. For each protocol there are things that are fundamental. Those things I have down pretty well now. But there are other things, the manipulation of things to create the desired effect..those things I need to work on so I can engineer solutions that change things to meet requirements..and quickly!

It's coming together but there is a lot of hard work ahead of me in what remains of December. If I can revise well I can come into a series of forthcoming mock exams well equipped to tackle them properly.

Turgon

Updated my study notes to version 1.03. Covered FRTS across labs 1-5 and I think I have the FRTS details down now.

Turgon

Went over the FRTS questions in labs 6 -10 and updated my notes to version 1.04. Will have a go at the trancender BGP test questions now until the lab sessions starts. I will be going over lab 19 today from switching through BGP.

Turgon

Lab 19 - DONE. Rated a difficulty of 10 it's easy to see why. The BGP section was very challenging. I guessed correctly on the as-set option for question 5.7 BGP aggregation but the devil is in the details.

GT-Rob

I get that a lot, where I read the question, and I know what they are wanting to implement, but just unsure exactly how to. It doesn't help that I am impatient and usually just look at the solution lol

Turgon

GT-Rob wrote:

I get that a lot, where I read the question, and I know what they are wanting to implement, but just unsure exactly how to. It doesn't help that I am impatient and usually just look at the solution lol

Absolutley. That's the trick isn't it? We need to change that equation between now and lab time! Still, at least enough illustrations have been looked over to point us in the right direction.

dtlokee

As long as you guess correctly it's not a problem

Turgon

dtlokee wrote:

As long as you guess correctly it's not a problem

hehehe..I suppose you might have to guess one or two things but hopefully not too many!

GT-Rob

well, as long as its an 'educated guess' right

I have guessed some things in labs and been spot on. Sometimes they will ask for something I have never heard of, especially in IP services, and I'll just type IP ? and find the closest thing to it, and a lot of the time I am right on lol

Ahriakin

Thats pretty much the core of the Security side, especially when it comes to traffic filtering - Do you use ACLs, Modular Policies, Blackholing, CBAC/Reflexive etc. Often the tasks will tell you not to use certain technologies but sometimes you just have to work out what it's implying.

dtlokee

Ahriakin wrote:

Thats pretty much the core of the Security side, especially when it comes to traffic filtering - Do you use ACLs, Modular Policies, Blackholing, CBAC/Reflexive etc. Often the tasks will tell you not to use certain technologies but sometimes you just have to work out what it's implying.

Or better yet, what a future task is implying.

Turgon

A reading day. Looked over PPP and Multicasting examples in labs 1-10. Updated my notes to version 1.05

Turgon

I was under strict instructions to have Sunday off and spend time with the family. So no studies of any significance undertaken yesterday. Some Christmas shopping done though. This week my next lab session is booked for Thursday so between now and then Im working on theory and taking notes from the IWEB labbook. Today Im reviewing the QoS questions in the Transcender and a little later I will write up the QoS sections from the first five labs in IWEB Vol II. My notes for the workbook are starting to look fairly good now.

Ahriakin

Took a full day off myself on Saturday....so did you sit there fiddling with your fingers thinking you should be doing something all day? My wife got a bit tired of that by evening so I took a deep breath and relaxed, nice feeling, just like I remembered .

Turgon

An early start. More note taking from IWEB Vol II. My next rack session is scheduled for Thursday. I will complete the first half of lab 18. Later today it's more theory and possibly command practice on the home rack.

Turgon

Good notes today. Worked over IPv6 and Security in labs 1 -5 and went over BGP across 15 labs. Will continue note taking with BGP, QoS, IPv6, Multicast and Security topics in that order. Lab 18 on the remote racks tomorrow afternoon.

GT-Rob

I have been spending the last few days on IPv6 myself as well. I don't know why I am always put off by it, I mean its usually pretty basic stuff that would be the exact same as ipv4, just the syntax or order of operations are a little different. Most everything behaves the same, and sometimes is actually easier in v6. I sometimes forget all the different address types though (site local vs link local, etc)

Turgon

GT-Rob wrote:

I have been spending the last few days on IPv6 myself as well. I don't know why I am always put off by it, I mean its usually pretty basic stuff that would be the exact same as ipv4, just the syntax or order of operations are a little different. Most everything behaves the same, and sometimes is actually easier in v6. I sometimes forget all the different address types though (site local vs link local, etc)

I know what you mean. Im trying to get on top of things like that by consolidating my learning into a tabbed spreadsheet with a sheet for each protocol. I have spent hours this month going over the IWEB labs and recording things. It's looking good now and I think it will help me pull things together. I expect to be spending many hours throughout the Christmas holidays doing this before it's complete though. A very time consuming business documentation. It will be useful for mock exams and practice in January. I have the questions in one column for each protocol. There is no cut and paste from the downloaded workbook so this a manual activity! I will type the solutions in the adjacent column once I have all the questions down for each protocol. It's already proving useful having this stuff in this format because I can see the patterns emerging with solutions.

I just bought the 'Command Memorizer' so I will be giving that a whirl over Christmas.

I mostly understand the solutions illustrated in the workbooks now and I have a good understanding of the general mechanisms behind protocols. What I need now are some drills to help to reinforce all the commands I have covered and help me quickly construct correctfiltering solutions etc. I have worked on BGP and QoS lately by putting in some regular time with QoS questions from Transcender, Boson and Odom's book. For BGP I worked some of the transcender questions. The last couple of weeks it's been less hands on and more self test questions and looking over the technologies in the labs. I felt I needed a break from the rack sessions and a different approach to focus on a few technologies. With Christmas approaching I have been getter much busier on the family front. Im glad I got some substantial racktime in late November and upto the end of last week because Im now more restricted when it comes to study 'stints'. Im also fed up with rack sessions of late. I abandoned Thursday's rack session on lab 18 and just made notes instead. Too tired to do the session. It's all ok, I need time out now from hands-on to consolidate things properly before the New Year or at least try to.

Its looking like I will layoff contracting throughout January so I should be getting a lot of hands-on during that month. Mock exams mostly, and some technology practice on the home rack as well as Doc CD awareness. Im starting to prepare for the written again so Im hoping that with a well deserved rest with the family I should come into January looking good for all the racktime I have planned.

Turgon

Ahriakin wrote:

Took a full day off myself on Saturday....so did you sit there fiddling with your fingers thinking you should be doing something all day? My wife got a bit tired of that by evening so I took a deep breath and relaxed, nice feeling, just like I remembered .

It can be a problem. Each day I either want to do a couple of hours on the rack, read a book, look over labs and make notes, do practice questions from Transcenders..at least something related to preparation..Im going to try a couple of hours in the morning in the days ahead and then stay free all day. Perhaps some more in the evening after our boy is in bed. Over Christmas I will necessarily be having some days and nights completely free from Cisco studies.

Turgon

A couple of hours continuing my notes across topics covered in IWEB Vol II. I have been at this daily for a couple of weeks now and the notes are starting to come together nicely. Documenting tasks and the config of solutions takes hours. I recommend that unless your concentration levels are particularly high and you are also a fast typist you don't attempt to do this in overly long stints. Because you need to work with 20 lab documents and cross reference the 20 solutions guides the whole process takes ages. If you rush you will likely make mistakes, get demotivated and not get the benefit of doing a topic or two each day. Im finding doing a couple of hours daily is helping things to stick. Multicast/Security and IPv6 questions in labs 5 - 10, 18-20 typed up today. I need to buy more printer paper for the solutions for labs 11-17. Probably pick that up along with a Turkey today.. If I can get the questions all typed up over the holidays I can then set about typing in the solutions. I should have some pretty good notes come the New Year. I can then set about configuring things by protocol on a handful of routers at home.

Had a look at the command memoriser today. It looks like a handy product.

We crossed 800 hours with labtime and reading combined. Looking at two years all in end to end. With a demanding job and a growing family that's about right. Even without CCIE studies I was plenty busy enough. Im glad Im not working right now. Getting a lot done.

Turgon

In the morning spent some time practicing BGP and QoS configurations on the command memorizer. This afternoon reconfigured the home lab. Completed lab 9 HDLC in Solie Volume 1. Nice to get some config done today. Time with the family now.

Turgon

More command line practice for Multicast, Security, BGP, QoS, IPv6

JohnDouglas

hi turgon - what's this command memoriser that you've mentioned a few times?

GT-Rob

http://www.configureterminal.com/cisco-ccie-pass-lab-exam/ccie-command-memorizer-pass-cisco-lab.html

JohnDouglas

that looks interesting. just downloaded their free cool ios commands book.

wedge1988

Its amazing really, if you dont do any revision at all, then you find it hard to get yourself to revise; however, if you do at least 2 hours a day, i seem to find (as many others here will agree) its difficult NOT to revise. Its like we all need to revise or we get withdraw symptoms lol.

Turgon

JohnDouglas wrote:

hi turgon - what's this command memoriser that you've mentioned a few times?

It's the product in the link given by GT-Rob. I started using it a few days ago. Im finding it quite useful actually.

Turgon

wedge1988 wrote:

Its amazing really, if you dont do any revision at all, then you find it hard to get yourself to revise; however, if you do at least 2 hours a day, i seem to find (as many others here will agree) its difficult NOT to revise. Its like we all need to revise or we get withdraw symptoms lol.

hehehe..Yup. Little and often, mostly every day. Takes two years to get the CCIE but you also get to enjoy your work and raise a family!