Arch Exam 642-873 (CCDP)

ITdude

Looks great! Thank you sir.......

down77

An emergency work trip caused me to put down the books for a few days but today will yield some quiet time. Reviewing L2/L3 design with blade servers which is a brief and high level review.

Looks like I get to fly out to Nashville next week to work with a client on many of the topics within the Arch book... always great to put theoretical knowledge to practical use.

chrisone

That's pretty sweet! Congrats on the project, the experience is golden. It definitely will be great to put most of the theory into practice, mainly the PPDIOO process and the documentation. The technical aspect of your project most of the time wont always be 100% identical to how one "should" construct a network according to the ARCH exam, but we can take many of the concepts and build one close to it.

Good luck, and don't worry about the time off from studying. Hell I feel like I lost some information if I take fri, sat, sun off from studying. We have to balance both worlds out, like Mr. Miagi said in Karate Kid, "go, find balance" meaning balancing out work and social life hahaha oh and social life doesn't mean parties, bars, clubs.

SteveO86

It's probably a better use of your time to. Using the knowledge in the real world compared to reading books for during that time!

Ryan82

Yep, I take real world experience over studying any day but the combination really ties it all together and engrains it in the noggin.

ITdude

chrisone wrote: »

Good luck, and don't worry about the time off from studying. Hell I feel like I lost some information if I take fri, sat, sun off from studying. We have to balance both worlds out, like Mr. Miagi said in Karate Kid, "go, find balance" meaning balancing out work and social life hahaha oh and social life doesn't mean parties, bars, clubs.

Wipe on, wipe off. With me it is mostly wiped out!

Have fun with the practical application........

chrisone

I just purchased the INE CCDP videos. Although i cringe on the price tag, i understand from the other reviews on here that these are very good videos. Money is of no concern, it is just that looking at the big picture once it is all said and done, the total expenses for this exam is over $400+.

ITdude

Yea, it is only money, right?

Let us know what you think. From my perspective the CBT Nuggets offer pretty good coverage on many topics but I found a few where he was very light.

I am also somewhat annoyed (picky, I realize), that for the price that they charge, they could have least edited the videos better. I just find things like "CCNP ARCH exam", or constant references to "SHRP" instead of HSRP, etc. just not very professional.

Okay, okay I am getting little cranky from studying.....

P.S. Does INE have a MP3 version that you can listen to while taking a car trip?

chrisone

i dont know, i just ordered it like a couple hours ago, i just have my username and password for the member site area. I dont even know if what i bought was a dvd or a login to watch the series on their website.

I would be a little upset if its only an online video series. I hope i get a DVD version of it. I was hoping to get some form of media out of it so i can view on the go. I might have to cancel it and have them refund my money if i dont get a dvd version of it. It just mentions videos, it doesnt mention whether you get a dvd or online. Sigh i should have checked before purchasing.....

Anyone else with this purchase can give me a clear answer if these are only online videos or you get sent a dvd? it mentions course , so i guess i will wait and see what this is all about.

ITdude

I am pretty certain that you get a DVD from them but I thought that I saw that they had a way to download it immediately, too.

It would be nice if they had a MP3 version to listen on the go..

chrisone

I just emailed them on exactly what i purchased because things just got a little more confusing.

I logged in and noticed it said CCDP (ARCH) 5-Day Bootcamp
So i clicked on it and i see all the videos there, however i don't like how it says 5 day boot camp! i don't have 5 days to cram everything let alone spend $200 on some access for 5 days. That would be totally lame. I also asked them about the possibility of a DVD video lecture. I asked if they could clear this up because no where on their site does it explain what format the product is in.

ITdude

I am chatting with them now. I will see if I can get a clarification....

They said:

"We do not have a DVD for the ARCH class just the streaming video. It can be considered a bootcamp and it is broken down into 5 modules. But, it is 20 hours of video."

So, you should have access to it within 30 minutes of purchase.

chrisone

Thanks for the help,

Yeah i just chatted with them online as well and they said the same thing. They mentioned the possibility of a future DVD/Media release. However they mentioned that i have, i guess permanent access to those videos as long as i have my account.

I guess it is not so bad. I will check out a few videos later today. Thanks again for helping.

ITdude

Sure, they pretty much told me the same but tried to sell me the $1599 all access pass for one year. Ouch!

chrisone

hahaha , sales men

ITdude

Actually, in this case saleswoman (salesperson to be politically correct)

Let me know your thoughts on the videos.....

chrisone

how about sales person hahaha

I just watched the first video, seems intriguing. I will let you know how i progress with the videos.

ITdude

Ok, it looks like the videosprogress in a different order than the Cisco blueprint but as long as they cover the stuff, who cares...I assume each video is about 30-45 minutes long?

chrisone

Yeah from what it seems, i guess if you divide 20 hours by 39 videos it comes out to 30 minutes, give or take a few minutes here or there. The first video was around 35 minutes.

ITdude

Sounds good......

chrisone

Just a little update on my first 2 days with the INE video.

1. The videos are very intriguing and do not drag. Anthony Sequeira presents the material in a very profesional and engaging flow that grabs your attention that will not bore you.

2. It is worth the $199 you pay.

3. Wish i had a DVD version of it, but for pirated concerns i understand this approach.

4. Each video is around 25 to 45 minutes. Not to short nor to long to bore you. 39 videos total with 20 hours of instructor lead videos.

I feel confident i will be ready by late April to take the exam before the last days of the 873 exam. By the way the videos cover the 2.1v topic as well.

ITdude

Sounds great. Would you estimate that in a pinch the videos would be just as good as reading the material, or just supplemental? So much to read, so little time.

So, essentially the videos are all in streaming format, so if I decide to go for it, you do not have to wait for shipping as we discussed?

chrisone

I would only use the video as a supplement, for a better understanding of what was covered on the book.If you decide to go for it , you will have to wait like an hour or two for the class to show up in your login.

ITdude

Okay, thanks. That is what I always do. Read the material first then look at the videos to help reinforce.

Did you already finish the entire Self Study Guide? How long did it take you?

That way you can almost anticipate what they are going to say....If not, you need to re-read, etc.

chrisone

Yeah i finished the self study book. I found it to be a very excellent read. It introduced me to the MEATY topics that senior engineers speak about. The CCDA was to very basic for me and although it helped to reinforce new ideologies, it didn't do much to introduce me to the "This is how, its done" topics.

I am glad i studied and went the design route, it makes your routing and switching on steroids, almost like a puppet master. It took me 3 to 4 months to read the ARCH book. I work full time and i will be honest I did not read it daily and took many weekends off. So I started in December and finished in mid March. Now i am just trying to reinforce the material with quick reference sheets, ARCH book study questions at the end of chapters, and the INE videos. I am looking at last week of April or first week of may to take the test. But i have to finish it before May 11 when the test is phased out.

down77

I agree the self study text is a great book. I've got about a chapter and a half left to read (taken ~2mos so far), re-read a few sections, and then to finish the videos before attempting the exam. I'm debating on taking the exam next week while I am back in Nashville but may post pone it until the end of the month as well to make sure I am 100% ready.

I'm interested to see how the CCDE stacks up theory wise as compared to the CCDP... maybe a long term (5 year) goal?

chrisone

Theory wise it probably is a lot more, a 5 year goal is probably over stretching it. You should be able to get it done within 2 years. If one can get a college degree in two years i am sure one can study for 1 test no matter how hard it is, for 2 years and pass it.

The CCDE read list is a lot, similar to the CCIE. However if you plan on completing it within 5 years thats more than enough time, however you have 3 years to keep your exams updated so that they dont expire. So you can use that 3 year expatriation date as a due date to complete your CCDE.

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-1673

down77

You are right, 5 years is probably overkill for the CCDE but that includes time to prepare for the CCIE R&S and some outside things before the attempt. If all goes well I plan to use the CCIE written towards the 3 year expiration, as well as to renew my Channel Partner certifications while working towards bigger and better goals.

On a side note, almost done with the VoWLAN chapter, so about 70 pages left to read which should be complete by end of the week (sunday). It'll be review time next week and exam time shortly after so expect a lot of review notes to be posted.

down77

I finished the book and INE videos last week and will be reviewing some weak areas over the next few days. I'm booking my attempt for April 15 @ 3pm. Worst case this gives me ~2 1/2 weeks to try again before the 873 is retired.

Right now my weakest area is Metro Ethernet technologies since I only deal with them every so often.

ITdude

Good going.....I am working my way through. Was planning to be done with reading by now but have been out of town longer than expected and it has cut into my time, somewhat.

Working on it right now as I want to be done with reading by mid-week. Keep us posted......