Beginning My Training For CCNP

MT0911

Well, like the title says, I'm just starting my training for CCNP. To be completely honest, I am going to start by reviewing CCNA since its been a few years. Like all certifications I use a chunk of knowledge from it but the rest gets a little blurry over time. So my plan is to freshen up and then start digging in. My plan is to use CBT Nuggets (I'm sure like most who have used it will agree Jeremy is great teacher), use books as reference tools, use google as my friend to fill in the blanks, and of course notes, notes, notes... This training plan plus just dealing with lot of it at work really helps me grasp the concepts and it has worked wonders for me so far. I plan to begin with ROUTE, then SWITCH, then TSHOOT last. I'd be happy if I can prepare for the Route exam and take it sometime next month. My goal is to get CCNP by the end of the year. Wish me luck guys!

Time to study !

Panzer919

I was in the same boat as you, I work with Cisco all the time but there are a lot of basic things I had forgotten about since I had completed my NA almost 3 years ago. The Foundation Learning Guide is IMO the best book to study for the NP. It goes a little backwards to remind you of the basic's then jumps right into the topic. Also check out places like GNS3 Vault for good free labs to help you. I just passed this morning and these 2 things helped me alot.

Bl8ckr0uter

Good luck. There are several of us going for the NP. Hopefully we can all kill it Get the FLG guide and Routing TCP/IP vol for Route.

MT0911

Thanks guys. I checked out GNS3 and it really looks like a valuable tool to play around with, I've heard of it but never had the chance to mess with it. I'll definitely have to take a look at the Foundation Learning Guide too. Thanks for the support, I'm prepared to see this CCNP certification through to the end! I'll continue to post updates on here to track progress.

CCIEWANNABE

Good luck and if you need any advice along the way feel free to contact me for help. Just send me a message.

Take it easy

CCNP11

First off, good luck and congrats on making the choice to achieve the next level of certification.

The best recommendation I can give you is to get yourself a copy of Chris Bryant's material. I'm sure his name has been mentioned on this forum before and I think his material is absolutely the best out there for several reasons. First, his entire CCNP package in e-book format
( http://thebryantadvantage.com/CCNPStudyPackageBundle.htm)*
costs less than what one book might cost you from Cisco press. Second, his material is incredibly easy to understand and is written in plain English. His books are literally everything you need to pass the test and understand the material you are being tested on. Third, with the e-book you can print to a PDF reader and put them on your tablet or other devices and take them with you anywhere. He offers a hardcopy (I bought those, too...I like to hi-lite when I study) as well as some excellent videos. But the e-books are the whole course and if you can study from them, it's an amazing value. I load the PDFs to my iPad and study wherever and whenever I want to.

*disclaimer- I am not affiliated with any programme or company I mention here, just relating my experiences and honest opinions

I used Chris' material exclusively for my NA and they were the primary source for my NP. I admit there were a couple times I went to the Cisco books for some more in-depth readin but I tend to think that was mostly my failure to grasp the concept at the moment. He covers everything you need.

The next big thing is CLI time. Especially when you get into BGP, which is very often a mind-bender if you've never worked with it before, you need to practice to really see how it works. GNS3 works great for routers and there's plenty of info on here about its use so I won't get too verbose about it but if you were a Packet Tracer fan from your NA study days do yourself a favor and leave it there.

PT is an emulator designed for CCNA level study on switching. When you get to NP level and are dealing with advanced STP domains, Etherchannels, and the like, PacketTracer is complete crap and will do nothing but confuse you. It does not do things correctly, will show you incorrect results, and will do you far more harm than it will good for the SWITCH exam.

I waited until I was done studying and rented a pod from ccie4u.com for a whopping $2/hr....so just $16 for 2 4hr blocks. I spent the day going through all the examples in the books, doing debugs, etc, and got the CLI time I needed to pass the test and really understand the concepts.

Contrary to a lot of opinions, I took SWITCH first. Over the last year or so I've primarily worked in a L2 environment supporting military networks in Afghanistan so switching was my daily grind and I was already familiar with most of the NP level concepts even though I hadn't learned them in CCNA. Most say to do ROUTE first as it's easier but TSHOOT mostly dealt with ROUTE issues so it might not hurt to have it fresh in your mind. I took TSHOOT one week after ROUTE and, with everything fresh in my mind, it was actually rather....well, I don't want to say 'easy' because no Cisco test is easy....but it was about as stress-free as I expect a Cisco test ever will be.

Anyway, that's my $0.02 and I hope it's been a little helpful. Best of luck on your NP!

MT0911

CCIEWANNABE wrote: »

Good luck and if you need any advice along the way feel free to contact me for help. Just send me a message.

Take it easy

Thanks a lot for the support!

MT0911

CCNP11 wrote: »

First off, good luck and congrats on making the choice to achieve the next level of certification.

The best recommendation I can give you is to get yourself a copy of Chris Bryant's material. I'm sure his name has been mentioned on this forum before and I think his material is absolutely the best out there for several reasons. First, his entire CCNP package in e-book format
( http://thebryantadvantage.com/CCNPStudyPackageBundle.htm)*
costs less than what one book might cost you from Cisco press. Second, his material is incredibly easy to understand and is written in plain English. His books are literally everything you need to pass the test and understand the material you are being tested on. Third, with the e-book you can print to a PDF reader and put them on your tablet or other devices and take them with you anywhere. He offers a hardcopy (I bought those, too...I like to hi-lite when I study) as well as some excellent videos. But the e-books are the whole course and if you can study from them, it's an amazing value. I load the PDFs to my iPad and study wherever and whenever I want to.

*disclaimer- I am not affiliated with any programme or company I mention here, just relating my experiences and honest opinions

I used Chris' material exclusively for my NA and they were the primary source for my NP. I admit there were a couple times I went to the Cisco books for some more in-depth readin but I tend to think that was mostly my failure to grasp the concept at the moment. He covers everything you need.

The next big thing is CLI time. Especially when you get into BGP, which is very often a mind-bender if you've never worked with it before, you need to practice to really see how it works. GNS3 works great for routers and there's plenty of info on here about its use so I won't get too verbose about it but if you were a Packet Tracer fan from your NA study days do yourself a favor and leave it there.

PT is an emulator designed for CCNA level study on switching. When you get to NP level and are dealing with advanced STP domains, Etherchannels, and the like, PacketTracer is complete crap and will do nothing but confuse you. It does not do things correctly, will show you incorrect results, and will do you far more harm than it will good for the SWITCH exam.

I waited until I was done studying and rented a pod from ccie4u.com for a whopping $2/hr....so just $16 for 2 4hr blocks. I spent the day going through all the examples in the books, doing debugs, etc, and got the CLI time I needed to pass the test and really understand the concepts.

Contrary to a lot of opinions, I took SWITCH first. Over the last year or so I've primarily worked in a L2 environment supporting military networks in Afghanistan so switching was my daily grind and I was already familiar with most of the NP level concepts even though I hadn't learned them in CCNA. Most say to do ROUTE first as it's easier but TSHOOT mostly dealt with ROUTE issues so it might not hurt to have it fresh in your mind. I took TSHOOT one week after ROUTE and, with everything fresh in my mind, it was actually rather....well, I don't want to say 'easy' because no Cisco test is easy....but it was about as stress-free as I expect a Cisco test ever will be.

Anyway, that's my $0.02 and I hope it's been a little helpful. Best of luck on your NP!

Man, that was a decent chunk of info. I appreciate the advice. When I study I generally like to pull from multiple resources so I can smooth over all the edges that I may happen to have questions about. I'll check out the material from Chris Bryant, if it's as useful as you say it'll be a valuable reference tool. Thanks again .

astrogeek

Seems like a lot of people are starting to work on CCNP, go ahead and add me to that list. I just picked up the FLG series and have been watching the CBT videos and doing some GNS3 labs.

I find watching the CBT videos first really helps, then I'll read about it in more detail. I usually get lost in the books but the videos really help put everything in perspective, and the labs of course help the most.

paage

Been lurking around a bit here and will try to take route in the near future. Going over the labs now in GNS3. Used the ocg and cbt as study material.

WillTech105

astrogeek wrote: »

I find watching the CBT videos first really helps, then I'll read about it in more detail. I usually get lost in the books but the videos really help put everything in perspective, and the labs of course help the most.

I agree 100% on this. Videos are like the nice birds eye view, where the book then goes into detail and you pick up things better since its like a "2nd look". After 2,3 CBT views and now reading the book I understand OSPF/EIGRP/BGP MUCH better now.

You just gotta clock in the hours -- sometimes no other way around it

certnerd

How about doing the Network Academy Courses? I did them at a local college and passed CCNP. I found that I spent ages collecting materials and patting myself on the back, but then no time actually using them.

I did the offical Cisco Network Academy courses that Cisco run through schools and colleges. I did mine in leeds UK www.networkacademy.co.uk
It was 15 weeks peer exam, 3.5hrs per week. They had loads of lab kit and instructors from industry. I'm sure with it being a Cisco thing they will be world wide.

I guess i'm too lazy to self study!!! Wasn't much more than buying some of these videos. Think it £295.

astrogeek

^ The academy classes are good, but finding one for CCNP can be pretty difficult as they aren't very common. The CCNA classes are quite popular, a lot of high schools even offer these. Usually you can also get free vouchers to take the exams as long as you do well in the class, so that alone would be worth it for a lot of people, although I'm not sure if they do this for CCNP.

Just started a CCNP Academy class myself, combined with CBT Nuggets, GNS3 plus the equipment I already have, and the FLG books I think I'll do alright

SharkDiver

I am on the same path as the rest of you. I am hoping to get the CCNP by the SuperBowl. (no significance, just a easy date to remember)

I have the CCNP Switch exam done. I thought it was extremely tough. Lots to know, lots to remember. Plus, the material is scattered around many topics. I have read through the OCG for CCNP Route, and it seems like a lot less information to remember and it is definitely spread out in fewer topics.

I have never had the chance to go to any actual Cisco classes. I would like to, but my company would never spring for that. Maybe at my next job. LOL

certnerd

SharkDiver wrote: »

I have never had the chance to go to any actual Cisco classes. I would like to, but my company would never spring for that. Maybe at my next job. LOL

The Cisco Network Academy courses like the one I did in leeds are much cheaper than the commercial courses and they are night classes. I did all of CCNA and CCNP over about 3 years for less than one ICND1 class at £1700 a pop