My CCIE Journey Has Officially Begun.

jamesp1983

I have decided that it is time to pursue the first goal I had when I entered IT, the CCIE. I know its going to be an EXTREME challenge, but I'm just pushing forward and trying to stay confident. I'm going to use this thread for tracking my progress throughout my CCIE journey. I purchased the INE Ultimate bundle last week and have been studying and labbing ever since. I'm still trying to figure out what the right balance of lab vs study is at this point, but I'm just reviewing all of the ATVOD material now (over 80 hours), to refresh myself. I'm open for any suggestions on how I should balance lab vs study time. I've been running Dynamips and working with my home switches while watching the videos as a way to get more hands on. I passed BCMSN, BSCI, and ISCW back in 2008, and wrapped up ONT in August of 2010. I have been working with the equipment at my job so that has kept me fresh on a lot of the info, but I'm still studying like I'm just starting out. I research topics in the videos that I don't really remember and that seems to be really helping. I will keep this updated as a motivator and also as a way to keep track of all that I have studied when it comes time for my final review. It feels great to finally get started on this path. My wife and I worked out a schedule and I'm going to try to hit 30-36 hours a week.

My resources:
-INE Virtual Lab
-The INE workbooks
-INE Written VOD
-Routing TCP/IP, vol I.
-Home lab (a few routers and some 3550s.)
-Cisco LAN Switching by Ken Clark
-Routing and Switching, Time of Convergence?
-My CCNP Library.
-Dynamips
-Cisco.com
-INE ATVOD 4.5

Should I buy Odom's exam guide? I think the Boson Exsim for CCIE will be the next addition.

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Comments

jamesp1983

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I will be making another visit. I think I did better than last time, but I need to config faster and improve my troubleshooting. More study, more labbing...

instant000

I'm quite happy that you haven't been defeated by it. You already seem to be taking the attitude of not quitting. You have more guts than I, for even attempting the darned thing.

Now that you seem to be making another visit ...

1. By config faster are you saying
(a) that you need to be a bit more familiar with everything so that it is at the top of your mind,
or
(b) that you need to increase your typing speed from X words per minute to Y words per minute
or
(c) something else ... please explain

2. By troubleshooting, do you mean
(a) that you need to study more carefully how the protocols work so that you can reliably narrow things down towards a root cause?
or
(b) something else ... please explain

Inquiring minds want to know.

jamesp1983

2 fails, 1 year and 9 months apart. I took about a year off while I was working 2 jobs (m-f 9-5, thurs-sunday 7pm-7am), moved 2 times, had a second child, and then was required to go down the DC path for a few months. I started studying again around July of this year. I wish I never took a break because it's like starting over again. Time to double my efforts. No more excuses.

I just received my score report and have noticed HUGE improvements so that's encouraging.

1. I need to be more familiar with the topics, and I just need to get it committed to muscle (finger) memory via repetition. Also, I need to make better use of notepad.
2. I need to study each protocol/topic more closely. I need to create TS labs of my own, and maybe find a study partner to break it. Need to work on my time management, and sticking to it.

Essendon

Dang, goes to show how tough this exam is. My commiserations James and great attitude there mate. Regroup and conquer, next time will definitely be the charm.

lrb

Sorry to hear that James. Make sure to take a few days off of studying to relax and then start planning for the next attempt

How did you find the exam experience (new exam format, IOU, etc) overall compared to the version 4?

reaper81

You're making progress, James. Third time will be the charm. I'm here if you need any support.

jamesp1983

Thanks guys.

I felt like some aspects of version 5 are easier than in 4, and others are much harder. I felt like the overall experience was a bit more intense since you have the DIAG section now.

I can't really go into details about the more specific changes I noticed for obvious reasons, but I know for me the changes mean that I need to be much faster and have to be more comfortable with certain technologies.

There wasn't anything in any of the sections that I was completely blindsided by, but there was more importance placed on certain topics than I had expected.

I just purchased Narbik's troubleshooting workbook, and I have plans on purchasing IPExpert's WBI and II. Many of my friends have indicated that IPExpert's v5 stuff is really helpful so I figured I'd get another perspective. They also said that they preferred IPExpert's v5 workbooks over INE's.

INE's wbIII from v4 was supposed to help build speed so I'm going to run through that a few times as well.

lrb

I don't find the v5 workbook as comprehensive as the v4 one. I wish all of the workbook's verification sections were like the old v4 Vol1, for example, the QoS section of v4 Vol1. The newer workbooks feel a little more lean. It will be nice to see how you find the IPExpert ones compared to INE.

My only complaint about the v5 and I'm sure it's the same with other tracks and versions is the per-section scoring seems weird. I remember in one section a 3 point question took me about 10 seconds to implement and verify, whereas a 1 point question took me 10 minutes! Definitely makes sense to cherry pick questions for easy points.

Bruno posted some good tips on strategies for the exam too which might help:

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/blogs/unleashing-ccie-rs/2014/11/07/battlefield-tactics-part-1
https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/blogs/unleashing-ccie-rs/2014/12/08/battlefield-tactics-part-2

joelsfood

The speed is my concern on the test more than even any of the technologies. I know working through the ipexpert workbooks, I hit speed bumps where I'm using way more time on a single thing that I want. IE I might spend an hour on part of network config that should take 20 minutes at m ost, and it just makes me more nervous, and then I make stupid mistakes and take even longer.

jamesp1983

I just noticed the "CCIE Lab Builder" mentioned on Bruno's page:

https://learningnetworkstore.cisco.com/cisco-ccie-lab-builder

It won't be available until the end of this month, but it looks useful.

"
Product Availability
-Package 1: 100 hours of lab time for six months: $300 ($3 per hour)
-Package 2: 500 hours of lab time for 12 months: $1000 ($2 per hour)
-Available only from the Cisco Learning Network Store
-Accessed online using credentials delivered by email

What's Included:
-Access to the actual CCIE Routing and Switching virtual lab environment you'll be tested in during the CCIE Routing and Switching Version 5 Lab Exam
-The ability to configure lab topologies up to 20 nodes
24-hour-a-day access
"

jamesp1983

lrb wrote: »

I don't find the v5 workbook as comprehensive as the v4 one. I wish all of the workbook's verification sections were like the old v4 Vol1, for example, the QoS section of v4 Vol1. The newer workbooks feel a little more lean. It will be nice to see how you find the IPExpert ones compared to INE.

My only complaint about the v5 and I'm sure it's the same with other tracks and versions is the per-section scoring seems weird. I remember in one section a 3 point question took me about 10 seconds to implement and verify, whereas a 1 point question took me 10 minutes! Definitely makes sense to cherry pick questions for easy points.

Bruno posted some good tips on strategies for the exam too which might help:

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/blogs/unleashing-ccie-rs/2014/11/07/battlefield-tactics-part-1
https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/blogs/unleashing-ccie-rs/2014/12/08/battlefield-tactics-part-2

Thanks for the links. I just read them over and have noticed some suggestions that I will be adding to my battle plan. Cherry picking seemed to be key. I know exactly what you mean about the per-section scoring relative to difficulty/length of time being a little off/weird.

The IPExpert WB 1 and 2 bundle is on sale right now for $280. I have an email in to my boss to see if he'll pick it up for me, but I will just pay for it myself if he doesn't.

I thought the same thing about INE's v5 vs v4 material. The explanations and the labs were more detailed in v4 so I was a bit disappointed by their v5 stuff. I guess they are still fine-tuning them.

jamesp1983

My boss agreed to purchase IPExpert's workbooks for me. Checking them out now.

joelsfood

I've been very happy with their CCIE:DC workbooks, and they're working on new ones already.

jamesp1983

joelsfood wrote: »

I've been very happy with their CCIE:DC workbooks, and they're working on new ones already.

That's great to hear. Wow, that's impressive. I've noticed that their WB structure is different from INE, but I like it.

jamesp1983

FYI: IPExpert has their WB1 and 2 bundle on sale for $699 before a 60% off discount code: DEC60WB

It should come out to $279.60.

ram1101

jamesp1983 wrote: »

FYI: IPExpert has their WB1 and 2 bundle on sale for $699 before a 60% off discount code: DEC60WB

It should come out to $279.60.

dude forget about all that...webiou and gns3 IOU. I just took the CCIE lab and fail. but I did pass troubleshooting. ran out of time in config
don't waste your money the lab test is based on IOU. you can pretty much do everything that is on the test.

jamesp1983

ram1101 wrote: »

dude forget about all that...webiou and gns3 IOU. I just took the CCIE lab and fail. but I did pass troubleshooting. ran out of time in config
don't waste your money the lab test is based on IOU. you can pretty much do everything that is on the test.

I know. I just meant for the actual training workbooks themselves, not rack rental. My lab is all virtual.

lrb

Nice work James, let me know how you find the content compared to INE and Narbik's WBs

sacredboy

Guys, what material are you using for CCIE R&S preparation? I'm going to start with these two books:

CCIE Routing and Switching v5.0 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1 (5th Edition)
CCIE Routing and Switching v5.0 Official Cert Guide, Volume 2 (5th Edition)

Any other material you could advice?

gorebrush

Routing TCP/IP, Volume I (CCIE Professional Development)
Routing TCP/IP, Volume II (CCIE Professional Development)
Internet Routing Architectures (2nd Edition)
Developing IP Multicast Networks: The Definitive Guide to Designing and Deploying CISCO IP Multicast Networks
Cisco QOS Exam Certification Guide (IP Telephony Self-Study) (2nd Edition)
Cisco Self-Study: Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6)

Taken from the INE list.

Add to that End-to-End QoS design 2014 edition
MPLS Fundamentals
Understanding IPv6 (Microsoft Press)

That's a starter for 10 for you off the top of my head.

Oh

MPLS Enabled Applications
Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol...

Zartanasaurus

lrb wrote: »

I don't find the v5 workbook as comprehensive as the v4 one. I wish all of the workbook's verification sections were like the old v4 Vol1, for example, the QoS section of v4 Vol1. The newer workbooks feel a little more lean.

I suspect the difference in quality is because of the loss of Petr Lapukhov. v4 workbooks were a thing of beauty. I imagine those WB would still be required reading even when studying for v5 for the verification and explanations alone. 3rd time is generally the charm on the CCIE lab and the big score improvement from your 1st attempt along with your identifying your main weaknesses should be the key factor in a pass.

I found that drilling the Vol 1 workbooks using spaced repetitions did wonders for making the majority of my config work in notepad 2nd nature. When you look at a section on the lab and you already know how to write the config out without using the context sensitive help, you know you're ready.

jamesp1983

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

I suspect the difference in quality is because of the loss of Petr Lapukhov. v4 workbooks were a thing of beauty. I imagine those WB would still be required reading even when studying for v5 for the verification and explanations alone. 3rd time is generally the charm on the CCIE lab and the big score improvement from your 1st attempt along with your identifying your main weaknesses should be the key factor in a pass.

I found that drilling the Vol 1 workbooks using spaced repetitions did wonders for making the majority of my config work in notepad 2nd nature. When you look at a section on the lab and you already know how to write the config out without using the context sensitive help, you know you're ready.

Great point. I also need to get a lot faster on my TS, but I think that will come with a deeper understanding of the concepts.

I am at the point now where I can pretty much write out most configs in notepad without any assistance. Maybe I will start doing spaced repetitions moving forward. What was your labbing schedule like?

Shoe Box

I read through parts of this topic, skipped a few pages here and there. It is interesting to read, and shows how tough the CCIE is. I have to wonder though, since it seems like troubleshooting is where most people have problems, is the time limitation so critical? Why not extend TS by a half hour or so, so people can focus on the solutions and not be constantly worried about running out of time?

In a REAL WORLD situation, these problems wouldn't exist, at least not to this extent.

gorebrush

The problem with time in TS is that you absolutely MUST move on from a ticket if you get stuck and come back to it. It is very easy to get lost in a ticket, forget about time and whoops 45 minutes are gone... I kept my eyes on the clock all the way through my TS - left a tricky ticket and had plenty of time to come back to it as the rest of my tickets were not too bad.

gorebrush

And the ability to resolve tickets in the real world quickly and effectively *is* important.

jamesp1983

gorebrush wrote: »

The problem with time in TS is that you absolutely MUST move on from a ticket if you get stuck and come back to it. It is very easy to get lost in a ticket, forget about time and whoops 45 minutes are gone... I kept my eyes on the clock all the way through my TS - left a tricky ticket and had plenty of time to come back to it as the rest of my tickets were not too bad.

That was my problem. I wasn't ready and didn't watch the clock. I got lost in the tickets.

jamesp1983

I attended Narbik's 10 day bootcamp recently and it was extremely helpful. His focused troubleshooting labs and teaching methods are well worth the money. I made some contacts there that have turned into study partners and that has been extremely beneficial. The Cisco 360 labs (13-15) were better than I thought as well.

My boss wants me to make another attempt in early September so I made a revised study schedule and have been trying to get 4-6 hours in everyday, and more on the weekends.

I can't believe that I've been studying for this cert off and on for 4 years. Life has changed quite a bit since I started...
-2 kids
-Numerous job changes
-4 moves
-Numerous other vendor certs and training (also CCNA/CCNP DC)
-Worked 2 jobs (80 hours a week) for 1.5 years when my wife lost her job
-2 failed lab attempts, and 2 written passes

It's time to stay focused and complete this goal. No more excuses. I've crammed about 140 hours of study time over the past 16 days and am going to try to stay at an intense pace until late August, early September. I will slow down if I need to.

TLeTourneau

A lot of change but you have stayed on task and not given up, good job! Keep the focus and you will make it.

gorebrush

jamesp1983 wrote: »

It's time to stay focused and complete this goal. No more excuses. I've crammed about 140 hours of study time over the past 16 days and am going to try to stay at an intense pace until late August, early September. I will slow down if I need to.

This was the attitude I took from May '13 through Feb '15 and passing. You need to be committed and CCIE, sadly, has to come first, no matter what. Juggling that and life is difficult, but not impossible.

You got this.

jamesp1983

gorebrush wrote: »

This was the attitude I took from May '13 through Feb '15 and passing. You need to be committed and CCIE, sadly, has to come first, no matter what. Juggling that and life is difficult, but not impossible.

You got this.

Thanks man. It's tough to do sometimes with some of the surprises that pop up along the way, but like you said, you have to put it first until completion.