And it begins, time to hit the books.

JeanM

I have been putting this off for too long now, i have no excuse to put it off any longer as I have enough books and hardware to lab until I am blue in the face....

My goal is to cover at least 1 chapter a day plus lab it in packet tracer and/or my physical lab.

Have the following books that I'll use to study with:
-Todd Lammle ICND1 study guide
-Todd Lammle CCNA guide 7th edition
-Todd Lammle IOS Commands guide

-Wendell Odoms 3rd edition ICND1 / ICND2 guide
-Network Warrior 2nd edition

I may also have access to CBT Nuggets and/or INE/ TrainSignal video training through work.

I am going with the ICND1/ICND2 route with two exams vs one, already have vouchers for both. From what I've read on the forum here ICND1 is fairly straight forward vs ICND2. With that said, is there a good chance at covering all the required subjects to pass the ICND1 using Todd Lammle's guide + doing chapter tests + labbing or should I also read Odom's book as well before taking a test?

Basically I don't want to over complicate things by reading about the same thing from multiple sources but I do want to be confident in all of the topics. I've taken/passed four comptia/ms certs in the past, but I do understand Cisco format is different. My main concern is if any single book is enough to cover all of the topics in detail to pass the exams or not...

What does TE say?

As I am reading the chapters I am taking notes in the notepad.

Hardware on hand, I hope to tackle CCNP next year

mapletune

You sir, have a sh-- load of ammunition!! =D enough to blow up the CCNA exam 10x over!! haha~

with regards to your question about reading over the same material multiple times, if you go through all your books, you are guaranteed to look at most topics 3~4 times. For some people, that's a good thing as each book has a slight different focus/presentation. For some people, they'll get bored.

I think the Cisco Press ICND1-ICND2 books are designed to be read together.


Disc: Fair share use. Taken from page xliv of Wendell Odom ICND2 Official Certification Guide.

As for over complication. Reading from multiple sources will definitely give you better understanding, not over complicate things. (unless those sources have mistakes....)

Network Warrior is supposed to give you a broader view of networking than CCNA. For exam preparation purposes, you probably don't need to read this book yet. If you are curious/interested though, go ahead.

As far as videos go, most people watch a video chapter and then read the corresponding chapter in a textbook.

---

to be honest... i'm really jealous of your gear XD

Patel128

Hardware wise you are super good to go. You have the best books to use. Are you going to read Network Warrior before or after you pass? I always thought most people read that after they passed CCNA. I think you should incorporate Odoms book in there because if what I understand his book is VERY detailed on everything. Nevertheless good luck! I'm expecting a "I passed" thread from you soon.

JeanM

I've scanned through the network warrior book and basically labbed some of the concepts that peaked my interest in my lab. Etherchannel, HSRP, redundancy etc... My plan is to concentrate on the exam specific books first though.

I basically started all over with the ICND1 book, finished chapter one today and took pages worth of notes. Tomorrow I'll work on the next few chapters and do the same. I am just wondering if reading multiple books for the same topic will do more harm (waste of time, as in more time) than good?

Patel128

I like to read from different books. I am one of those people that if I read the same concept but in different words I retain it very well. If I try to read the same paragraph over and over it takes a lot longer to really memorize and get the concept. If that makes sense to you.

kambalpogi

Wow you got some good stuff there sir!

JeanM

Mapletune/Patel - I think what i'll do then is continue on with the original plan of reading Todd's ICND1 book with taking notes, then I'll do the same with Cisco Press ICND1 book and do the labs at the same time. That way the material should all already be fresh in my mind and it all should be a refresher + additional notes / labbing.

Day 2. Chapters 2 & maybe 3 today.

Patel128

That sounds like a good plan. What lab books are you planning on using or are you just going to lab the contents of each chapter you read? Free CCNA Workbook they have good labs.

xocity

Good luck, Nice setup!

huafist

You'll do just fine. One hell of a lab setup you have there, congrats!

JeanM

Finishing chapter 3, chapter a day was a bit optimistic with taking notes. Can't wait to move on to move fun chapters though.

I think I am going to schedule ICND1 for October to give myself enough time to finish the Sybex book and then go over Odom's book and videos.

MAC_Addy

Looks like you're good to my friend! I've heard that you should read Network Warrior after you've passed the CCNA. It doesn't help you with topics, but it does help with every day tasks, apparently. I haven't bought this book yet. Though, I want it really bad.

mapletune

i'm still green.... from the lack of bills and green from envy every time i look at that "CCNA" rack! =D

(mostly i want to steal your 3640 and 3745 =p)

lantech

mapletune wrote: »

i'm still green.... from the lack of bills and green from envy every time i look at that "CCNA" rack! =D

(mostly i want to steal your 3640 and 3745 =p)

So what's so special about these routerse?

mapletune

from what I read, 3640 is the cheap alternative to the 1841, which is cheap alternative to 2811. =p Apart from supporting 12.4, it supports MPLS. Something that 2600XM's do not.

That's my understanding of these Cisco routers for labs. I'm not 100% sure on all the details.

However, just look at some CCIE topologies. They use 3 2600XM's for 12.4 and 3 other higher end routers (3640,1841,2811, etc)

the 3700 series is like a step up from 3600 series. So I wouldn't mind breaking into those either =p

JeanM

Nothing "special" about 3640s, they are just capable for running 32/128 and 12.4 and have 4NM slots. They usually go for less than 25xx XM routers which is why I bought these instead of the XMs. 3725 is just faster, has two fe ports, more flash and memory still but more expensive the the 36xx series.

They can easily be used in CCNP+. You can easily go forward with 25xx/26xx or gns3 etc, I just like hardware myself.

lantech

Jean,

Did you find your equipment on Ebay or somewhere else?

JeanM

90% was from ebay, couple items on local craigslist.

Illumanati

Hey guys,

I just want to say that my 'time to hit the books' will be this Monday when I go back to school. I am set forth into the CCNA Exploration journey!! Can't wait! I got all my ducks lined up and will be relying on NetAcad for:

1. labbing
2. re-introduction to concepts from passionate instructor
3. combine with self-study
4. possible networking
5. passing certs!!

"If I don't know it, try to learn it!!"

Wish me luck!!

Roguetadhg

Don't take it forgranted. You get out of the classes what you put into the classes. Take the extra time you can to get hands on with the equipment!

Illumanati

Roguetadhg wrote: »

Don't take it forgranted. You get out of the classes what you put into the classes. Take the extra time you can to get hands on with the equipment!

I am thinking of making a daily journal of my Exploration into CCNA here at TE.net. This way, ev1 will "know" what I'm getting into. IT would also allow me to journal it so 2 months from now when class ends, I don't forget things I learn at the onset(Monday).