Arch Exam 642-873 (CCDP)

ITdude

down77 wrote: »

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.

Are you going for this one today? If so, good luck and let us know how it went......:)

chrisone

Good luck amigo! i hope you get that well deserved pass! I will be taking mine before the deadline of May11.

down77

Thanks guys, I passed the exam which makes for a great start to the weekend. I'm glad I did a second review before taking the test and believe it or not the INE videos did help. Overall the exam wasn't too horrible but it did make sure that you paid attention to the best practice design details.

ITdude

Hey, great.....congratulations......I hope that the not too horrible aspect remains across all the exams.

Enjoy your weekend. I will be busy studying........

mikej412

down77 wrote: »

passed

Congratulations!!

down77

Thanks again guys. Since it would be a violation of the NDA to say "I had this, this and this" on the exam I'm trying to dig up some smartnet docs or links that I would suggest reading.

An example is to review the Spanning Tree Toolkit found at the link below:

http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/gov/turniton_stpt.pdf

Chris_

Congratulations on the pass

SteveO86

Congrats!

chrisone

congrats! on the pass! i am right behind you bud! hahaha yeah the INE videos have been great! There are some i will need to view again, but everything was great!

AHHHH why do the NBA playoffs have to start right when its crunch time for me with this cert! hahahaha I can do this, i just need to organize my time and study harder while the games are not on.

down77

I feel you on the playoffs! I've been catching the highlights on sports center when my son wakes me up @ 6:30am. It's awesome that the little guy just sits on my lap and watches a few minutes of highlights before asking me to change it to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and cook him breakfast. Not bad for a 2yo!

I'm taking a day off (ok, well 2 days off) to pack for my next trip and then to start reading up on ROUTE during my flight to complete the CCDP/CCNP. On a side note, never let your credentials expire... Its a pain to have to redo all the exams but the information does come back pretty fast. After ROUTE I'll probably do QoS, BGP, then MPLS to finish the CCIP. While it's not required, I've had a few clients ask for assistance with BGP/MPLS lately and it never hurts to have QoS in your back pocket!

Another link I would suggest reviewing before the exam: Netflow & NBAR-based Application Recognition. You would be surprised how many clients have no clue of the types of information that flows through their network.

http://www.cisco.com/application/vnd.ms-powerpoint/en/us/guest/tech/tk362/c1482/ccmigration_09186a00801da7de.ppt

chrisone

Looks like they pushed back the exam from May 11 to June 15! so the pressure is off for all of us trying to squeeze in the exam hahaha

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccdp/arch?tab=1

down77

Wow, if I would have known that I would have pushed back my attempt to spend a little more time on other things. But on the bright side it gives others a great chance to read up before the exam is retired. I wonder the reason for the push-back

How is everyone doing on their studies?

ITdude

Hmmm..... I was just about to post, that I slayed the ARCH dragon bigtime yesterday afternoon and then this.


No matter, I needed to renew my certs by the end of the month, anyway.

I did not hear about the deadline extension...Interesting.



So, I am thinking about CCIP maybe, enroute to the big one..........

down77

ITdude wrote: »

Hmmm..... I was just about to post, that I slayed the ARCH dragon bigtime yesterday afternoon and then this.


No matter, I needed to renew my certs by the end of the month, anyway.

I did not hear about the deadline extension...Interesting.



So, I am thinking about CCIP maybe, enroute to the big one..........

Major congrats! I'll be following the same path but I need to refresh on route since my BSCI is a bit aged. My plan is ROUTE, QoS, BGP, MPLS (or composite)

chrisone

ITdude wrote: »

Hmmm..... I was just about to post, that I slayed the ARCH dragon bigtime yesterday afternoon and then this.


No matter, I needed to renew my certs by the end of the month, anyway.

I did not hear about the deadline extension...Interesting.



So, I am thinking about CCIP maybe, enroute to the big one..........

Hey congrats on the pass! I still plan on taking mine in a couple weeks. I just finished the INE videos, i still need to go back and watch a few over again. I should be fine with two weeks to go.

Up next for me will be CCNA Security and then CCNP Security Secure. I will save the next three CCNP Security exams for next year. To much studying already hahaha

One question, is their a reason you guys are going for CCIP instead of the newer CCNP SP?

ITdude

Thanks! Really glad about it... Yea, I was figuring to do QoS and then the composite, if I go that route....

Also, tempted with more Cisco security stuff too.....

down77

chrisone wrote: »

One question, is their a reason you guys are going for CCIP instead of the newer CCNP SP?

One of the big reasons is it's a great way to prepare for the CCIE R&S. While it's not required, it's also not a bad way to stay motivated as long as you don't burn out.

I'll eventually get back into the security track, but work has asked me to stay focused on R&S consulting for now (along with other technologies of course).

ITdude

Thanks alot! I think that you will be fine....Not sure yet about CCIP. That was one of my worries too. I was looking at the IP stuff and while QoS is pretty much the same, there are several areas in BGP and MPLS that are reasonably outdated......

Nice thing is with CCIP, is if you have NP, you only need to take QoS and do the composite or MPLS and BGP. So, only need 2 or three exams. With NP SP, more is involved...The question is, how long until Cisco retires the CCIP?

I will wait to get some feedback on this from others before jumping in....I also want to hit more security, too...

chrisone

Yeah that is true its only a few exams away to complete. Is the MPLS and BGP really outdated on the CCIP exam? I guess it doesnt matter like you say if cisco retires them.

CCNP SP is like 4 to 5 exams if you count the CCNA SP that is required. That is a long route.

You guys are right that the current CCIP does help with the CCIE RS track. The QOS/BGP/MPLS are key topics from what the blueprint outlines.

Well i will keep you guys updated when and IF I pass Have a happy easter!

ITdude

Well, the theory in general regarding BGP and MPLS are still appropriate but quite a few of the commands, etc. have morphed over time....

If there is no plan to retire the CCIP anytime soon, I may go ahead with it as the topics are highly relevant for CCIE. Since Cisco seems to be taking the approach now of CCNP, CCNP:S, etc., I would suspect at some point CCIP will go away....

But who knows? Can't hurt to stuy the stuff as it is very relevant....

miller811

Passed today. took the exam first thing this morning. The test was not too bad. Passed by a wide margin. Not sure whats up next for me, thinking about possibly going QoS, and composite (BGP-MPLS). My BSCI only has a shelf life of 60 days at this point. Decisions, decisions.

Cisco Inferno

congrats !

chrisone

Just passed my CCDP exam today, following up with the rest of the users that posted here. The material was in all honesty was not that hard to get a feel for but in all honesty it did take me a second read of the book and the CBT from ine.com to truly understand the topics. The quick reference guide i was able to get my hands on was also a big help in focusing on what you need to concentrate on.

The ARCH exam was one of my favorite exams, the material truly teaches you the realities of how to go about designing the networks of today. I learned so much and recommend it to anyone who have just completed the CCNP. In fact i have no idea why cisco doesn't just include the ARCH exam in the CCNP module. I feel the ARCH exam is needed not only to really know how to use your routing and switching skills, but also how to implement it in real life situations. I feel more complete as an engineer having studied this material the past 5 to 6 months. Yeah it took me that long, i had a lot of work and distractions this year.

Next is CCNA Security

SteveO86

Congrats!

CCNA Security should be fairly easy for you.

miller811

congrats

ITdude

Congrats and I agree with your sentiments about the value of the ARCH exam. It put together a lot of technologies and concepts and made the bigger picture really come to life. if you can overlook the occasional marketing hype.

For me it really changes how I approach many situations......

Chrisone, good luck on the NA:S. That should not be too big a hurdle, I suspect.....

chrisone

Haha thanks guys, yeah the CCNA:S probably isnt as tough as the professional level certs but its a nagging hurdle none the less to get to CCNP Security

ITdude

chrisone wrote: »

Haha thanks guys, yeah the CCNA:S probably isnt as tough as the professional level certs but its a nagging hurdle none the less to get to CCNP Security

I hear ya on that one! uggh.

down77

chrisone wrote: »

Haha thanks guys, yeah the CCNA:S probably isnt as tough as the professional level certs but its a nagging hurdle none the less to get to CCNP Security

Yeah I need to quit being lazy and work on the CCNP:Security sometime but I'm about to start the CCIP track (QoS, BGP, then MPLS) as a precursor towards the CCIE.

The CCNA:S does seem like it would he fun, though I am looking towards the updated professional sequence.

ITdude

Well, don't feel too bad. I just realized/remembered that since my BSCI is just over three years old, I will now have to take ROUTE too if I want to go the CCIP route (PUN intended)

Looks like I will definitely take the composite exam if I want to go for this now.