General Questions...

Cyclades

Hey Guys,

I wanna become CCNA & wanna be CCIP.

I don't have many people to guide me here in my home town(Chennai, India) and for the fact every one just keep getting into CCNP or CCSP. Even for coaching centers I have to Goto another city.

So I am practically clue less where to start with.... So here are my questions....

1. Is there any recomendations of the order in the way that I have to take my exams ? I know that I can write any exam any time but is there any order that you guys recommend ???

2. For the MPLS should I have good knowledge in switching - like should I first study Switching in CCNP first to understand this paper ???

3. QOS - Now I am totally clueless here.. you guys tell me where to start and what books to follow...

So basically I am starting off with Routing (BSCI) now... or I am only able to get a coaching center for this here in my city..

Thanks is advance guys

Hoping to see some replies soon....

Cyclades

Cyclades wrote: »

Hey Guys,

I wanna become CCNA & wanna be CCIP.

Small Typo.... I am already CCNA and wanna be CCIP

mikej412

If you're going to target getting a job with an ISP/Service Provider (and they don't also do data center outsourcing/services), then you can skip the CCNP and switching. Worst case you can always go back and get the CCNP if you find it necessary for what ever job you're doing then.

I did the CCNP first -- and had no plan/desire to do the CCIP (or work for an ISP/Service Provider) until I decided the QoS exam was too important to skip and that studying for the BGP exam would help with the CCIE. The fact that MPLS was gaining in popularity finally "sealed the deal" and I decided I might as well do the CCIP (and later CCVP) and collect the entire set.

BSCI is a good place to start. Use the Cisco Press BSCI Self Study Guide and then the Cisco BSCI Exam Certification Guide. The Cisco Press BSCI Lab Portfolio is popular for doing extra lab work. You can also get Doyle's Routing TCP/IP volumes if you want to do some extra credit reading.

I'd say do the BGP exam before the MPLS exam -- and fit in QoS where you want it -- either after BSCI (or before) or after MPLS. BGP could make sense going right after BSCI, but you shouldn't forget all that much if you squeezed QoS in between BSCI and BGP.

The 2nd Edition of the Cisco Press QoS Exam Certification is the recommended book for the QoS Exxam.

Check out the suggested CCIP Books on the Cisco Press CCIP page -- Customers and Markets > About CCIP

There may be a recent MPLS thread that mentions the MPLS Fundamentals book and the Cisco Press MPLS Configuration on Cisco IOS Software book. Since there are no official exam self study or exam certification guides for the MPLS exam, you have spend time reading the exam blueprint, checking the Cisco online Documentation, and pondering what you've read in the Cisco Press MPLS and VPN Architectures books -- and decide from there if you learned enough to pass the exam. I got the MPLS Fundamentals book AFTER I had my CCIP -- and I wish I had when I was digging through the MPLS and VPN Architecture volumes.

Cyclades

Thanks You So Much Mike J.....:) for your quick reply.

Ok Here is the order that I was planning to for CCIP;

1. Routing
2. BGP
3. MPLS
4. QoS

And actually after going through some other threads in this site and other forms online I actually decided that I will also do just " Switching ( BCMSN ) " from CCNP part. Because every one keeps saying that Switching is very important.

Let me where I can squeeze switching in the order of CCIP exams...

So I think I will go with this order

1. Routing
2. BGP
3. Switching
4. MPLS
5. QoS

What do think about this MikeJ ??? or do you suggest and better one's ?

mikej412

I'd go with BCMSN first to get it out of the way, or last since it's not part of the CCIP.

Exams are good for 3 years, so if sometime down the road you decided to go for the CCNP the "clock starts ticking" when you do that first CCNP exam -- either BSCI or BCMSN.

Switching is important -- but only if you're not 100% sure you'd be working in a ISP/Service Provider environment after you get your CCIP.

Having a CCIP and passing the BCMSN exam could let you compete for data center and network jobs against the CCNPs if the CCIP doesn't lead to a nice Service Provider type networking job.

Cyclades

Ok... I understand...

Then I probably go with this order then....

1. Routing
2. Switching
3. BGP
4. MPLS
5. QOS

I am taking your suggestion and going with switching I also heard from my friend that job offers are more if we know switching. It also seems Switching is interesting .

And when we speak about data center jobs is it also useful to know VM Ware

mikej412

Cyclades wrote: »

And when we speak about data center jobs is it also useful to know VM Ware

Yes -- Virtualization is a hot topic these days. You can ask around in the Virtualization Forum for specifics and suggestions -- but if you target data center jobs then you'd be more likely to want an MCSE (and/or Linux/UNIX) and maybe a CCNP, rather than a CCIP.

Cyclades

Thanks for all your support Mike...

I am Going to stick on to CCIP for now & will write just Switching from CCNP....

I am not all into MCSE but I am very much interested in Linux... I am doing some self learning now and will give an attempt to write ( if possible ) RHCE after I finish with BSCI.

One Again Thanks So Much Mikey...