Passed the ONT!
I am very relieved to be able to say that I passed the ONT exam this morning! This was my first CCNP test - and it has truly made me appreciate the dedication that must go into completing the certification.
Notes for others... the majority of my studying was from the Network Academy ONT course (which I aced). I used the Cisco Press Official Exam book for review, and Dynamips for additional labs beyond the course labs. I've been working heavily with VoIP (but not much QoS) for around 6-8 months.
If I could change one thing about my preparation for this exam it would be this: I really neglected wireless management and security ("how much can really be on a QoS exam?" I wondered). Well, don't do that.
Next up will be the ISCW, planned for late May. I was considering pursuing the CCNA Voice, but the objectives don't match as well as I had hoped with ONT, and I would have to complete it before classes resume in mid-January. Instead, I'll just get a head start on the ISCW.
Notes for others... the majority of my studying was from the Network Academy ONT course (which I aced). I used the Cisco Press Official Exam book for review, and Dynamips for additional labs beyond the course labs. I've been working heavily with VoIP (but not much QoS) for around 6-8 months.
If I could change one thing about my preparation for this exam it would be this: I really neglected wireless management and security ("how much can really be on a QoS exam?" I wondered). Well, don't do that.
Next up will be the ISCW, planned for late May. I was considering pursuing the CCNA Voice, but the objectives don't match as well as I had hoped with ONT, and I would have to complete it before classes resume in mid-January. Instead, I'll just get a head start on the ISCW.
Comments
So bigtime congrats.
CCIE Studies: Written passed: Jan 21/12 Lab Prep: Hours reading: 385. Hours labbing: 110
Taking a time-out to add the CCVP. Capitalizing on a current IPT pilot project.
I think no matter what exam you choose as your first professional level exam, it is a bit of a shock how much more intense these exams are than the associate level exams. I guess that is why they are respected so well and why we want to earn them so much?
Good luck with your ISCW studies...I found them a nice transition from the ONT.
CCNP Progress
ONT, ISCW, BCMSN - DONE
BSCI - In Progress
http://www.redwarriornet.com/ <--My Cisco Blog
mike you really love those icons dont ya....
congrats to the op well done fella
CCNP Progress
ONT, ISCW, BCMSN - DONE
BSCI - In Progress
http://www.redwarriornet.com/ <--My Cisco Blog
CCNA Security | GSEC |GCFW | GCIH | GCIA
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http://twitter.com/paul_bosworth
Blog: http://www.infosiege.net/
I usually just used one or two routers on dynamips so that I could practice typing the commands, and using/looking through the content of the show commands. That was great practice, and it's nice to be able to start up dynamips to review command syntax or test something out.
The class allowed for the use of some physical hardware... typically three routers and two switches were used, but I think Cisco's labs overcomplicated the topology as much as it focused on the ONT content. I didn't find it necessary to use more than one switch and one or two routers when practicing at home. The Pagent IOS (traffic generator) was typically used on at least one router during class labs to simulate a production network's traffic.