A students’ review of Narbik’s CCIE Boot Camp

george.philip

A students’ review of Narbik’s CCIE Boot Camp:

I recently attended the 5 day CIERS-I + Narbik’s 2.0 Boot Camp held in
Richardson, TX; this class is part of the Cisco 360 Program. I'll
provide some highlights from my experience on the 5 days I spent with
Narbik.

Initially, I was drawn to Narbik's CCIE Boot camp after having read
about his non-conventional way of teaching the CCIE Lab exam topics.
By that I mean, Narbik's CCIE Boot camp does not use power point
slides, printed materials, or pre-made diagrams. Instead he relies on
a whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams to teach and explain concepts.
Using whiteboard diagrams in his class, instead of power point slides,
set Narbik apart from the other offerings to me. I draw a lot of
diagrams when doing labs and was intrigued by a teaching method that
used a similar concept. Not a decision maker, but I also found posts
that said Narbik has a savant like memory for the CLI. Needless to
say, I was a little skeptical anyone could memorize enough of the IOS
CLI to teach at a CCIE level.

With that said, here is my experience from the boot camp:

Day 1: Introduction, Switching and Frame-relay. Narbik’s CCIE boot
camp classes start at 9AM and goes until at least 9PM. We started out
with introductions and then jumped into CCIE level basics on security
and QoS for the switching platform. Once the lecture was done, as
promised using only the whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams, we looked
through the labs and started with switching. After a brief break for
lunch, the Frame-relay lectures on configurations and complexities
kept the class lively. Narbik gave us the labs pertaining to the
frame-relay topics covered after the lecture. Even on day 1, the
class was intense with a lot of topics covered in detail.

Day 2: OSPF and EIGRP. Narbik covers OSPF and EIGRP with such
thoroughness that I ended up with 4 pages of hand written notes and 2
pages worth of typed notes. This even though I felt I had a pretty
good understand of both of those topics. He covered the usual stuff
but then pulled out “ninja” techniques and demonstrated behaviors
within these IGPs I did not expect. During the lectures, he asks the
students to setup a basic infrastructure and do debugging to
illustrate the concepts even further. Narbik’s lectures are very
interactive, he asks if you understood what was just explained and if
someone brings up a question, he re-explains it until everyone fully
grasps the concepts. During his explanations, he will re-draw
diagrams or modify existing ones to illustrate points.

Day 3: QoS - I went in very unsure of many concepts in this area.
Once he started his lectures, it was clear many of the students were
in the same situation as I was. There were so many diagrams and notes
written on the white board by lunch time, the board was black. We had
to enlist the facilities staff to bring in industrial white board
cleaner, wet wipes, and a roll of napkins to clean the board. Again
my notes were filling page after page. He had to stop after every
topic and explain it in at least 3 different ways so everyone
understood it. I can now safely say, QoS is not as scary as I made it
out to be. I think class went until 10 or 11 on day 3.

Day 4: RIP, BGP, MPLS - The grueling pace was starting to take its
toll, however, Narbik found a way to make RIP interesting. BGP was
covered thoroughly and generated quite a few diagrams and questions.
MPLS was a topic almost the entire class had listed as a weak point.
Narbik explained MPLS in a way a kindergartener would be able to
understand. Then he proceeded to draw out a diagram and explain the
process step by step. Again, very through and Narbik's animated way
of teaching made complex concepts seem simple.

Day 5: Multicast v4/v6, questions, wrap-up - Narbik covers
Multicasting from a practical point of view. This made it very easy
to see what the different components of Multicasting contribute
towards the overall infrastructure. Once this was done, we discussed
a few other topics from the previous lectures and wrapped up for the
week. From looking around, everyone seemed to be in a daze from
information overload.

Narbik’s boot camp is designed to make the students an expert, not
just achieve the number. The lectures are geared towards teaching the
concepts and underlying fundamentals on CCIE Lab exam. It will push
you closer to passing the lab by enabling you to understand the
pitfalls and end-goals for seemingly minute details within the tasks.
This method of teaching also made me more confident about resolving
any scenario thrown in for the troubleshooting portion of the lab.
Each topic is covered in depth highlighting abnormal behaviors,
commands used to configure and change behaviors, hidden “features” and
alternative (non-conventional) ways to achieve desired behaviors.
Interactions among functions of IOS are covered in depth so the
student understands what each one does and why certain features have
to be used in tandem or configured through an AS. I’ve only listed
the high level topics in my review but Narbik covers the full suite of
CCIE lab topics throughout the lectures.

The most surprising aspect of the class was his style of teaching;
this was not covered by any of the previous materials I found before
deciding to attend. Narbik style of teaching the CCIE boot camp makes
him the most animated and entertaining trainer I have ever met. He
incorporates jokes and anecdotes into every one of his lectures. He
manages to keep the energy level steady from day 1 to day 5. There
were moments where the whole class was laughing so hard we had to take
a break. He spends most of the 12 hour class on his feet during
lectures and walking around to do real-time explanations during labs.
Some concepts I had difficulty grasping through reading and bullet
point led explanations related to QoS (Routing and Switching),
Security, IGP/EGP and Multicasting were presented with humor and made
so rudimentary that I walked away ready to tackle any lab scenario. I
plan to re-take the class just for the entertainment value.

Throughout the class, Narbik provides his contact information and
requests we contact him with any questions during or after the class
regardless of time. His philosophy is that the real relationship with
the students begins on the last day of the boot camp and continues
even after getting the coveted number. Narbik also provided a study
plan geared towards passing the CCIE Lab exam. If I can muster the
discipline to follow his plan, my number is not far away.

Narbik’s CCIE boot camp is not for the faint of heart. You MUST know
the basics at a CCNP or higher level before attending. His classes
are not designed for those who have a passing interest in the CCIE.
It is designed for the seriously committed and will stretch your
knowledge of the Cisco IOS and routing/switching concepts; it may even
humble your understanding of the IOS and CCIE topics. You WILL learn
something new about every Cisco CCIE Lab Blueprint topic!

After attending this class, I can confirm Narbik teaches only using
the whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams. Narbik’s approach to teaching
the CCIE is unlike any of the other classes I’ve taken over my 2+
years of studying. There is no single source of materials for earning
the CCIE certification. As part of the current crop of CCIE
candidates, I feel blessed with the availability of high quality
materials from well reputed vendors. The best way to pass the lab
exam is to use a combination of the highest regarded materials as
study tools. Each one contributes to a niche of learning.

However, I highly recommend every CCIE candidate attend at least one
of Narbik’s classes. I’ve been able to clearly understand some of the
concepts that eluded me from books, DocCD and other materials. At the
very least, attending Narbik’s class will give you an excellent gauge
of your readiness to attempt the lab exam.

Bottom line, if you want to pass the CCIE Lab, attend a boot camp by Narbik.

As far as Narbik’s ability to recall IOS commands from memory - It’s
official, Narbik is an extension of the Cisco IOS Command reference.

Review by George Philip.
gphilip88@gmail.com

ColbyG

Good write up!

I did his camp about a month ago. It was definitely eye-opening. I wish I'd taken notes though, I've already forgotten so much.

notgoing2fail

ColbyG wrote: »

Good write up!

I did his camp about a month ago. It was definitely eye-opening. I wish I'd taken notes though, I've already forgotten so much.

I suppose he doesn't allow taping of his courses right?

ColbyG

Nah. Would have been nice though.

Turgon

george.philip wrote: »

A students’ review of Narbik’s CCIE Boot Camp:

I recently attended the 5 day CIERS-I + Narbik’s 2.0 Boot Camp held in
Richardson, TX; this class is part of the Cisco 360 Program. I'll
provide some highlights from my experience on the 5 days I spent with
Narbik.

Initially, I was drawn to Narbik's CCIE Boot camp after having read
about his non-conventional way of teaching the CCIE Lab exam topics.
By that I mean, Narbik's CCIE Boot camp does not use power point
slides, printed materials, or pre-made diagrams. Instead he relies on
a whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams to teach and explain concepts.
Using whiteboard diagrams in his class, instead of power point slides,
set Narbik apart from the other offerings to me. I draw a lot of
diagrams when doing labs and was intrigued by a teaching method that
used a similar concept. Not a decision maker, but I also found posts
that said Narbik has a savant like memory for the CLI. Needless to
say, I was a little skeptical anyone could memorize enough of the IOS
CLI to teach at a CCIE level.

With that said, here is my experience from the boot camp:

Day 1: Introduction, Switching and Frame-relay. Narbik’s CCIE boot
camp classes start at 9AM and goes until at least 9PM. We started out
with introductions and then jumped into CCIE level basics on security
and QoS for the switching platform. Once the lecture was done, as
promised using only the whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams, we looked
through the labs and started with switching. After a brief break for
lunch, the Frame-relay lectures on configurations and complexities
kept the class lively. Narbik gave us the labs pertaining to the
frame-relay topics covered after the lecture. Even on day 1, the
class was intense with a lot of topics covered in detail.

Day 2: OSPF and EIGRP. Narbik covers OSPF and EIGRP with such
thoroughness that I ended up with 4 pages of hand written notes and 2
pages worth of typed notes. This even though I felt I had a pretty
good understand of both of those topics. He covered the usual stuff
but then pulled out “ninja” techniques and demonstrated behaviors
within these IGPs I did not expect. During the lectures, he asks the
students to setup a basic infrastructure and do debugging to
illustrate the concepts even further. Narbik’s lectures are very
interactive, he asks if you understood what was just explained and if
someone brings up a question, he re-explains it until everyone fully
grasps the concepts. During his explanations, he will re-draw
diagrams or modify existing ones to illustrate points.

Day 3: QoS - I went in very unsure of many concepts in this area.
Once he started his lectures, it was clear many of the students were
in the same situation as I was. There were so many diagrams and notes
written on the white board by lunch time, the board was black. We had
to enlist the facilities staff to bring in industrial white board
cleaner, wet wipes, and a roll of napkins to clean the board. Again
my notes were filling page after page. He had to stop after every
topic and explain it in at least 3 different ways so everyone
understood it. I can now safely say, QoS is not as scary as I made it
out to be. I think class went until 10 or 11 on day 3.

Day 4: RIP, BGP, MPLS - The grueling pace was starting to take its
toll, however, Narbik found a way to make RIP interesting. BGP was
covered thoroughly and generated quite a few diagrams and questions.
MPLS was a topic almost the entire class had listed as a weak point.
Narbik explained MPLS in a way a kindergartener would be able to
understand. Then he proceeded to draw out a diagram and explain the
process step by step. Again, very through and Narbik's animated way
of teaching made complex concepts seem simple.

Day 5: Multicast v4/v6, questions, wrap-up - Narbik covers
Multicasting from a practical point of view. This made it very easy
to see what the different components of Multicasting contribute
towards the overall infrastructure. Once this was done, we discussed
a few other topics from the previous lectures and wrapped up for the
week. From looking around, everyone seemed to be in a daze from
information overload.

Narbik’s boot camp is designed to make the students an expert, not
just achieve the number. The lectures are geared towards teaching the
concepts and underlying fundamentals on CCIE Lab exam. It will push
you closer to passing the lab by enabling you to understand the
pitfalls and end-goals for seemingly minute details within the tasks.
This method of teaching also made me more confident about resolving
any scenario thrown in for the troubleshooting portion of the lab.
Each topic is covered in depth highlighting abnormal behaviors,
commands used to configure and change behaviors, hidden “features” and
alternative (non-conventional) ways to achieve desired behaviors.
Interactions among functions of IOS are covered in depth so the
student understands what each one does and why certain features have
to be used in tandem or configured through an AS. I’ve only listed
the high level topics in my review but Narbik covers the full suite of
CCIE lab topics throughout the lectures.

The most surprising aspect of the class was his style of teaching;
this was not covered by any of the previous materials I found before
deciding to attend. Narbik style of teaching the CCIE boot camp makes
him the most animated and entertaining trainer I have ever met. He
incorporates jokes and anecdotes into every one of his lectures. He
manages to keep the energy level steady from day 1 to day 5. There
were moments where the whole class was laughing so hard we had to take
a break. He spends most of the 12 hour class on his feet during
lectures and walking around to do real-time explanations during labs.
Some concepts I had difficulty grasping through reading and bullet
point led explanations related to QoS (Routing and Switching),
Security, IGP/EGP and Multicasting were presented with humor and made
so rudimentary that I walked away ready to tackle any lab scenario. I
plan to re-take the class just for the entertainment value.

Throughout the class, Narbik provides his contact information and
requests we contact him with any questions during or after the class
regardless of time. His philosophy is that the real relationship with
the students begins on the last day of the boot camp and continues
even after getting the coveted number. Narbik also provided a study
plan geared towards passing the CCIE Lab exam. If I can muster the
discipline to follow his plan, my number is not far away.

Narbik’s CCIE boot camp is not for the faint of heart. You MUST know
the basics at a CCNP or higher level before attending. His classes
are not designed for those who have a passing interest in the CCIE.
It is designed for the seriously committed and will stretch your
knowledge of the Cisco IOS and routing/switching concepts; it may even
humble your understanding of the IOS and CCIE topics. You WILL learn
something new about every Cisco CCIE Lab Blueprint topic!

After attending this class, I can confirm Narbik teaches only using
the whiteboard and hand drawn diagrams. Narbik’s approach to teaching
the CCIE is unlike any of the other classes I’ve taken over my 2+
years of studying. There is no single source of materials for earning
the CCIE certification. As part of the current crop of CCIE
candidates, I feel blessed with the availability of high quality
materials from well reputed vendors. The best way to pass the lab
exam is to use a combination of the highest regarded materials as
study tools. Each one contributes to a niche of learning.

However, I highly recommend every CCIE candidate attend at least one
of Narbik’s classes. I’ve been able to clearly understand some of the
concepts that eluded me from books, DocCD and other materials. At the
very least, attending Narbik’s class will give you an excellent gauge
of your readiness to attempt the lab exam.

Bottom line, if you want to pass the CCIE Lab, attend a boot camp by Narbik.

As far as Narbik’s ability to recall IOS commands from memory - It’s
official, Narbik is an extension of the Cisco IOS Command reference.

Review by George Philip.
gphilip88@gmail.com

Thanks for the write up which I think I have seen on groupstudy. By many accounts Narbik is a fine instructor, along with several others. It is not however a requirement to attend his bootcamp in order to pass the lab

qplayed

I might jsut be saving up for this one thanks for the honest review. I've heard it from people I personally know and are CCIE's and people from the community. For now I'll stick with my INE material...

keenon

i took alot of notes nowhere near what i think i should have.. next time i will bring more paper and color pens.

ColbyG

If anyone would like to send me their notes I'd be in your debt forever!

Nuul

Awesome writeup

ColbyG wrote: »

Nah. Would have been nice though.

That's lame. If laptops are allowed in you could record it anyway while you type. I'd rather be up front about it and have a recorder on my desk. I get not wanting your material posted online and stolen...but not allowing recorders is going too far.

ColbyG

Nuul wrote: »

Awesome writeup



That's lame. If laptops are allowed in you could record it anyway while you type. I'd rather be up front about it and have a recorder on my desk. I get not wanting your material posted online and stolen...but not allowing recorders is going too far.

To be fair, I didn't ask him. I just assumed he wouldn't like it. Next time I'll ask to be sure though.

Paul Boz

You are the not the first person to offer such glowing reviews of Mr. Narbik. When I was very Cisco-oriented I fully intended on attending his course.