CCEN/CCNA pre study prep

in CCNA & CCENT
I have been messing about with the CCNA for a while and getting nowhere I feel its a lack of fundamentals.
Does any body have any recommendations for good beginners networking books to get the fundamentals down?
Does any body have any recommendations for good beginners networking books to get the fundamentals down?
Goals for 2013 Network+ [x] ICND1 [x] ICND2 [ ]
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I was enrolled on the academy so read through the chapters to learn the fundamentals but the glorious videos such as CBT Nugget ones are a great help.
As for books the useful Todd Lammle ones get recommended and the Wendell Odom ones. I just went and bought the Odom books (ICND1 and ICND2, they come together) but I don't even need the ICND1 as I've passed my CCENT.
Combination of GNS3 and Cisco equipment if required.
I have the Odom book and I cant seem to get into it and just switch off after 10 mins. Read through the CCENT for dummies book and had forgot the beginning by the end
I really do recommend CBT Nuggets, as does everyone on here.. You need that passion for the subject to understand it as Illumanati said. The videos just make it more fun as well instead of just reading... I could watch Jeremy's videos for hours.
I would try and give them a watch and see if you get the understanding. Is there anything in particular you are struggling with? I've never done the N+ or looked at what it contains so not sure how much you already know.
Combination of GNS3 and Cisco equipment if required.
In regards to the N+ not much it would seem.
I am not sure though if I'm putting myself under too much pressure as I feel I need a cert as I am really stuck in a rut work wise and cannot seem to get anything better.
I see a cert as a potential way out.
The source IP address can be you (192.168.1.2) and the destination can be a remote network (210.15.12.15
What does change is the MAC Address though. Once the packet gets to the default gateway it goes "well the destination IP address isn't mine, I will look in my routing table to see how it can get to the destination).
It then strips away the source MAC, and puts its own MAC address as the source.. The destination MAC will be the next router it's going to (decided from the routing table).
Once it gets to that router the source MAC address is changed to that routers MAC and the destination MAC is the next router it will go to... and so on)
Hopefully that made sense, not great at explaining things!
Edit: Basically, source MAC Address= where the packet currently is, MAC address
Destination MAC Address = The next hop routers MAC Address.
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Combination of GNS3 and Cisco equipment if required.
Why would it have to RARP or ARP? Is it because they don't have MAC address tables?
Well somehow I passed my ICND1
Edit: Umm.... I can't ever remember even hearing about routers ARPing though or anything. Thought it was a layer 2 protocol for switches.. As I said, hopefully someone else can help
Combination of GNS3 and Cisco equipment if required.