CCIE Book List

I'm slowly collecting the suggested reading on Cisco's Bok list...but I'd like to ask the CCIE's on this board what other resources did you use apart from the book list. I'm only at 25% from that list some are hard to find and expensive(FR solutions guide comes to mind..) Can we get something started ?

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Turgon

qp81 wrote: »

I'm slowly collecting the suggested reading on Cisco's Bok list...but I'd like to ask the CCIE's on this board what other resources did you use apart from the book list. I'm only at 25% from that list some are hard to find and expensive(FR solutions guide comes to mind..) Can we get something started ?

Well Im not a CCIE just yet but will assist if I can.

There are whitepapers on the blueprint. Find these on the Cisco Website, print them, bind them and read all of them. The books are your best friend, spend hundreds of hours reading them patiently, as many as you can without speed reading. Odom's book is very good to bring things together but the others on the list should be read also. After immense reading, try out the Odom, Netmaster and Boson tests. Then take a punt at the real deal.

Postscript. If money is tight try Amazon for used books. You can pick up Caslow there for a few dollars!

qp81

here's my books list and wish list

==Current Book List==

BGP4: Inter-Domain Routing in the Internet (The Addison-Wesley Networking Basics Series)
Practical BGP (Russ White)
Top-Down Network Design
Routing TCP/IP, Volume I (CCIE Professional Development)
Routing TCP/IP, Volume II (CCIE Professional Development)
IP Routing Fundamentals
Cisco Cookbook
The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference
TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)

==Wish List==
Frame Relay Solutions Guide
OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks by Jeff Doyle
The Complete IS-IS Routing Protocol by Hannes Gredler
OSPF Complete Implementation (paperback)
OSPF: Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol
Router Security Strategies: Securing IP Network Traffic Planes
Cisco LAN Switching Fundamentals
Cisco OSPF Command and Configuration Handbook (paperback)
OSPF Network Design Solutions
BGP Design and Implementation
Cisco BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook
Troubleshooting IP Routing Protocols (CCIE Professional Development Series)
Network Security Principles and Practices (CCIE Professional Development)
CCIE Routing and Switching Practice Labs
CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide
Cisco LAN Switching (CCIE Professional Development series)
Internet Routing Architectures
Cisco QOS Exam Certification Guide (IP Telephony Self-Study)
MPLS and VPN Architectures
MPLS and VPN Architectures, Volume II

kryolla

you can get a subscription to Safari

qp81

electronic versions are nice but I like having them physically....easier to throw in a bag....

Forsaken_GA

Interesting, I haven't checked the booklist in a couple months, but they have links to the electronic versions of the Solie books up for free, too bad they're not downloadable. But it's an alternative to paying the overpriced used book sellers on amazon

ccie15672

Don't waste your money on all those books. Buy the written study guide. Buy practice exams from Boson. Buy all the CCIE exams they have, then buy the MPLS, BGP, and OSPF exams.

Using the practice questions in the study guide, and the study guide itself, and the Boson exams, go through and figure out what it is you need to focus on. For me, I ended up buying Williamson's multicast book and Doyle's books. This all I needed.

Virtually everything else I was able to use materials on Cisco's website. Tech notes and configuration guides and command references. For instance, virtually everything you need to know about QoS can be learned from the website. Don't waste your money on the books.

Don't forget also here on this very forum (and forums elsewhere) you can ask questions about things you are unclear on.

[edit] Safari is an excellent idea as previously noted. Sometimes you only need a page or two out of a book.. take notes.. and you'll never look at the book again...

Derick
CCIE #15672

qp81

thanks! that'll save me on some $$ could spend in on some much needed 3560's

@ccie15672:

what do you htink of getting the CCIE2.0 program from IE?

ccie15672

I used internetworkexpert's program. I bought the end-to-end program in May 2005. It came with audio classes on an ipod, class-on-demand, live classes, the workbooks w/solution guides/ and 4 mock labs.

Well I used all of the materials. I watched the on-demand classses, and followed each segment with the (roughly) corresponding audio class. I did the first 10 labs in the first workbook. Then I took the live classes. Because of everything I did prior to the live class, I went into it with a lot of questions.

After the live class, I finished up the remainder of the practice labs. I did all of them in 8-12 hour blocks. For particularly difficult topic areas, I would rent equipment and just fiddle with a feature or set of features to see how they work interact. Multicast helper-maps come to mind. Redistribution... at the time also I spent a lot of time on ISDN (which is gone now).

Then I did 2 of the 4 mock-labs... and went and took the actual lab, and passed on the first try.

My recommendation is that if you go with a program like this (IPExpert has one, NLI I think has one, NMC has one)... then do it in a similar fashion. Try structure some self-learning BEFORE you take the live classes.

For both the written AND the lab:

I used freemind to build a mind-map of my notes. It is a great tool to build a sort of knowledge base of the things you need to remember. You can draw relationships between notes and embed images and links. Highly recommended by me.

For plain old rote memorization, at the time I used CueCard. However, now there is aso Mnemosyne.

Derick
CCIE #15672

PS - I am a terrible speller, I'm not even going to go back and fix this botched post. I'm going to get a cup of coffee.

Turgon

qp81 wrote: »

here's my books list and wish list

==Current Book List==

BGP4: Inter-Domain Routing in the Internet (The Addison-Wesley Networking Basics Series)
Practical BGP (Russ White)
Top-Down Network Design
Routing TCP/IP, Volume I (CCIE Professional Development)
Routing TCP/IP, Volume II (CCIE Professional Development)
IP Routing Fundamentals
Cisco Cookbook
The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference
TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)

==Wish List==
Frame Relay Solutions Guide
OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks by Jeff Doyle
The Complete IS-IS Routing Protocol by Hannes Gredler
OSPF Complete Implementation (paperback)
OSPF: Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol
Router Security Strategies: Securing IP Network Traffic Planes
Cisco LAN Switching Fundamentals
Cisco OSPF Command and Configuration Handbook (paperback)
OSPF Network Design Solutions
BGP Design and Implementation
Cisco BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook
Troubleshooting IP Routing Protocols (CCIE Professional Development Series)
Network Security Principles and Practices (CCIE Professional Development)
CCIE Routing and Switching Practice Labs
CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide
Cisco LAN Switching (CCIE Professional Development series)
Internet Routing Architectures
Cisco QOS Exam Certification Guide (IP Telephony Self-Study)
MPLS and VPN Architectures
MPLS and VPN Architectures, Volume II

That's a lot of books isn't it? I will concur with Derrick here. Just a few books on this list will keep you fully occupied for a long time if you read them properly. I think if you were to get everything on there we wouldn't see you for a very long time. Mixing a few books with the invaluable content on the cisco website is a good thing. After some serious reading try the practice tests. These will give you problems to solve and help you turn that mush in your head into something useful!

liquid6

mnemosyne looks great! They also have someone's flashcard deck for the CCIE Written (CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam Flash Cards | The Mnemosyne Project) which looks pretty good.

Just wondering on the MindMap for the CCIE, FYI..I'm very new to mind mapping...just wondering what format you used as your mindmap? I have mapped out the exam topics, but I get stumped on what to do after that...any tips?

liquid

qp81

i second that! i'd like to try the mind mapping...sound interesting

....just looked at the mind mapping app....i'd say its an awesome app

check out the quick demo/tutorial
http://www.artemissoftware.biz/videos/freemind-demo1.mov

qp81

wow! this mind map is truly amazing! I Just started playing with it, for a good 5 min, and its gotten pretty big already....I'm loving this! Thanks Derick!!

ccie15672

I started a different thread for the discussion of mind-maps...

rossonieri#1

qp,
i cant imagine if each of your dream book costs about 50$

wow

how about using somekind of web-board as an online notes?
you know, read - summarize, and write down on the web-board?
in case something is come up - i like to use the search function

a phpbb on my laptop

UnixGeek

rossonieri#1 wrote: »

how about using somekind of web-board as an online notes?
you know, read - summarize, and write down on the web-board?
in case something is come up - i like to use the search function
a phpbb on my laptop

I use an internal wiki for that purpose, but it's more for keeping track of non-conceptual facts like who's plugged into what jack, what are this system's hardware specs, who's running this piece of software, etc.

It's also useful for keeping code snippets, and notes for those tasks that I don't perform often enough to have 100% memorized.

I think ccie15672's software would be more useful for making conceptual items click though.

rossonieri#1

unixgeek,

It's also useful for keeping code snippets, and notes for those tasks that I don't perform often enough to have 100% memorized.

ya, that is my point to use the web-board (nor wiki) in the first place, but maybe i'm a bit familiar with the web-board

its fun navigating around local web-board just like browsing TE

qplayed

hmm interesting....i'll have to lok at this avenue as well

isn't learning fun

nullrouter

Lot's of these books are also redundant in information. eg TCP/IP vol2 covers everything about BGP as covered in Internet Routing Architecture, minus the history of the internet. Best to go compare the chapters of each book online and sorting out what you need and what you dont need, and what's just cool to read.

ITdude

nullrouter, congrats on the recent R&S lab pass. Please let us know your experience with it when you catch your breath!

Enjoy the celebration!:)

and mostly

nullrouter

ITdude wrote: »

nullrouter, congrats on the recent R&S lab pass. Please let us know your experience with it when you catch your breath!

Enjoy the celebration!:) and mostly

Thanks... My experience has really been no different to anyone else that has done the lab. However, it took two attempts, but felt I would have passed the first time, if it wasnt for a few silly mistakes.
Good to have it done, I can finally start focusing on network things I find a little more enjoyable, rather than a strict lab blueprint list

.

Anyone serious about learning shouldn't have a problem with the OEQs, but you still may get a curve ball thrown in batch.

So my final advice would be...
- You should already be working in the industry (if you're not just get CCXA or CCXP and stick with that until you're working for real)
- Study
- Learn what's on the blueprints, if you think you don't need to learn something on it, you will get asked about it on lab day!
- Study
- Lab technology up to learn the functionality and caveats.
- Know the DocCD, so you can find things when you need.
- Don't stick to learning a workbook vendors lab only, that's a trap for when you get different topologies. I didn't have this problem.

- If you're been studying for years on end, take a stab at the lab. It's not as evil as you'd think.