Help on Security Track

cyberjunkie

Hi,

Need some help /suggestions I am ccnp(routing & switching)
and now thinking of going into security track CCSP some time back also started training on ASA/SNAF but didn't completed



1. I would like to know is it possible to do all labs or most of the lab pratice for CCSP on gns3+vm ? Do we really need real equipment (ASA/Pix) becuse in my country they cost a fortune.........


2. What should be the level of understanding of routing/switching concepts for security track ?





So Please help as you people always do

mikej412

GNS3 has the PIX/ASA support which should allow you to do the majority of what you need for the CCSP PIX/ASA exams.

The prerequisite for the CCSP is the CCNA:Security (which has the CCNA as prerequisite) -- so your CCNA level routing & switching knowledge is enough to get you through the CCSP.

I think Doyle's Routing TCP/IP is still on the CCIE Security reading list -- so even if you skip the CCNP, if you continue on past the CCSP at some point you will be heading back to the books for some routing knowledge more advanced than just the CCNA level.

shednik

mikej412 wrote: »

GNS3 has the PIX/ASA support which should allow you to do the majority of what you need for the CCSP PIX/ASA exams.

The prerequisite for the CCSP is the CCNA:Security (which has the CCNA as prerequisite) -- so your CCNA level routing & switching knowledge is enough to get you through the CCSP.

I think Doyle's Routing TCP/IP is still on the CCIE Security reading list -- so even if you skip the CCNP, if you continue on past the CCSP at some point you will be heading back to the books for some routing knowledge more advanced than just the CCNA level.

How in-depth is the IPS exam? Once I finish my NP my boss wants me to get the SP but we don't use Cisco IPS so I'm weary of that exam. I can ask for a demo unit for some play time but will that be enough?

hhasund

shednik wrote: »

How in-depth is the IPS exam? Once I finish my NP my boss wants me to get the SP but we don't use Cisco IPS so I'm weary of that exam. I can ask for a demo unit for some play time but will that be enough?

If you can get your hands on a demo unit, you'll be luckier than most of us. I found a cheap NM-CIDS IDS module on eBay, and used that on a 2611XM router for IDM work. A big part of the exam is based on IDM, so you need to know it. Another popular option is rack rental, but I haven't tried that yet.

I found the IPS exam to be rather easy, even though it's the exam where I have had the least access to relevant hardware. Know the theory and have some knowledge of IDM and you should be fine.

Ahriakin

You can also use rack rental for the IPS side, 'tis what I did until we had live modules at work.

god_of_thunder

You can run IPS 5.x with Vmware Workstation on Windows. If you want to use the newer version 6.x with virtual sensor support, as Ahriakin said; Rentals are your best bet.

shednik

I'm secretly hoping that by the time I finish my CCNP the SP track will be redone like rumor has it and the IPS exam will be left out of the required exams. I'm reading the SWITCH book now and really like the way they are testing now, read the requirements and design the solution in a sim. Jeremy from CBTNuggets posted a good review on it on his blog which makes it hard to know exactly what to expect.

shednik

But to add I know many CCIE Security candidates from Cisco who recommend to me to use dynamips and vmware to practice for the exams, he said he had some routers to use but the visualized stuff is what really helped.