CCNA

mike3

I'm getting a little overwhealmed. I"m reading the Sybex CCNA 640-802 book for the last two weeks and I'm half through it now. However, I'm finding Chapter 7:EIGRP a tough chapter. I'm not finding it hard to understand, I'm just wondering how I am going to remember all this!

Any input would be awesome! How do you guys feel about EIGRP ??

astorrs

I have occasional nightmares about it - nah, it works pretty well, most of the time...

A client of mine has 800 sites in North America (~3000 globally) and uses EIGRP for dynamic routing, we all had some fun earlier this month when one network team was getting EIGRP to work with BGP, at the same time as sites were being cut over to MPLS - think 10+ a day, at the same time (!) as a different team was implementing DMVPNs between ~50 sites... routing was "funky" for a while there.

OSPF is of course more common (its vendor agnostic and almost everything supports it these days), but you're studying for the CCNA and EIGRP is a Cisco routing protocol that is still heavily used by all Cisco shops. Not sure how important it is to grasp each and every command for the CCNA (I still have yet to write a single Cisco exam in my life) so I'll let someone else speak to how important it is to know for the exam.

lildeezul

this is how i remember most of the stuff i learn.

I do them. You should get yourself from hands on expierence and practice the labs yourself.

go to the CCNA prep center and watch their videos, they have a bunch about routing protocols and ACLS, and switching, vlans, ect.

I try not to cram stuff that i read.

for instance i could read chapter 7 (eigrp and OSPF) in about 30 minutes, and probably remember the stuff in about an hour or so..

but that does me know good. I reather read it over and over until i know it inside and out.. that way i really grasp the information. instead of cramming it all in, i take my time and read it slow carefully and fully, so that i really remember it.

Learning is best over a longer period of time.. (in my perpective)
i also have many sources for my ccna studies.. I have two sets of videos that i watch for each chatpter. I have trainsignal and cbt nuggets. I have have Wendell odom, and lammle book, and christ bryants book, along with ccna prep center.

i have routers and switches to try some new things that i learned.

Slowhand

niter3 wrote:

I'm not finding it hard to understand, I'm just wondering how I am going to remember all this!

That's the key, right there. You have to get plenty of hands-on experience before you sit for the exam. Memorizing the concepts out of the book only goes so far, you really need to develop a sort of "muscle memory" when it comes to more involved things. The most important thing to remember is that it takes time to learn so many new things. Don't rush through it, just keep studying until it makes sense.

As for how I feel about EIGRP. . . it's a whole lot simpler to learn than OSPF.

Another resource I can point you to is the Cisco documentation. Most things you find here won't be certification-specific, so you'll get a good insight on EIGRP as a whole, rather than "what you need for the test". Still, nothing beats firing up a router (or if you're desperate, a sim,) and working through some of the scenarios and problems at the end of that chapter you're reading.

mike3

The only issue with that is my finances. I can't afford to buy an old router. I'm using RouterSim Network Visualizer simulation right now. However, I'm noticing a lot of commands I cannot do. For instance turning on DHCP.

I am doing my best to get my hands on with these simulation programs. I've took some practice tests to see how I'm doing. I think once I'm finished the book I can say that I will have to concentrate on routing protocols and setting up routes.

Well here's my plan. I'll finish up the Sybex book using my simulation program. I'll do a bunch of practice tests and see where I can find a simulation software which will allow me to do labs for the CCNA within them.

Do you think this will be enough information??

Slowhand

Your other option, aside from physical routers and sims, is to use something called Dynamips. It's a very handy application that isn't really a simulator, it's more like VMware for routers. It runs actual instances of the IOS. There are plenty of tutorials on how to use the program. The only catch is that you have to provide your own copies of the IOS. That, however, is a very gray area. Cisco's official standpoint is that running their software on anything but a piece of their equipment is a violation of their copyright agreement. The official word is also that you must own a router in order to legally use and install that version of the IOS on anything, let alone Dynamips.

It's an option, particularly if you buy one router but can't afford to buy a second or third. As for any other way to obtain the IOS. . . well, that's a matter best left to your own conscience.

astorrs

Like slowhand suggested Dynamips and GNS3 might be your best bet combined with something like a 2611 router from eBay for ~$100. This would give you a copy of IOS you can use in dynamips (for the 2nd and 3rd routers), whether you're allowed to legally is another matter...

mike3

Thanks for the info guys.

Well I'm covering OSPF. Holy crap these routing protocols are tough to learn and memorize! I'm finding the terminology to be much different from what I'm used to!

Anyone else feel this way about EIGRP and OSPF ???

nicklauscombs

I'm closing up my ccna studies right now and it took me many reads and re-reads of chapters as well as playing around in my home lab for the pieces to start coming together and form the whole picture. Keep at it though, it will become easier.

Turgon

niter3 wrote:

I'm getting a little overwhealmed. I"m reading the Sybex CCNA 640-802 book for the last two weeks and I'm half through it now. However, I'm finding Chapter 7:EIGRP a tough chapter. I'm not finding it hard to understand, I'm just wondering how I am going to remember all this!

Any input would be awesome! How do you guys feel about EIGRP ??

Don't rush the reading. Half way through in two weeks is a lot. Finish the book and read it again.

lildeezul

yeah. take your time.
i been studying for my ccna since early setpembter of 2007 and i am just reaching chapter 14, WAN, the last chapter.

but then again i made sure i knew each and every material troughtout each chapter.
i made flash cards and quized myself. I believe that is a great technique to help the brain memorize.

mike3

It seems a lot of you take your time with this test? I heard average is 1-2 months before people write the tests...

I'm just trying to get as much hands on experience I can. Unfortutanetly I do not have much cash.