Not really sure how to get started on CCNP

Carl_S_901

I'm having some difficulty getting together an action plan for CCNP. I've done a lot of research and I plan to go the common ROUTE > SWITCH > TSHOOT path. I have purchased the Cisco FLG book already (Kindle version FTW!) and downloaded the Network Academy Lab books linked on this site. (CCNP ROUTE 6.0 Student Lab Manual) I will pick of the Cisco OCG soon as well. I have a home lab that I have been piecing together for the last few months that consists of 4 - 26xxXM routers, 1 - 3640 router, 2 - 3550s switches, and 2 - 2950 switches.

HOWEVER...

I'm not quite sure how to get started. Do I just started reading the FLG?

Do I do the labs from Academy lab book on a one for one basis with FLG?

Is there defined topology and other labs I should be getting?

Do I start the OCG after FLG?

Basically, I am just trying to document a study plan I can follow.


Thoughts? Suggestions? What is everyone else doing?


Thanks

networker050184

What I do is read up on a technology in the FLG (or similar book) then lab it up. Then learn another technology and lab it up along with the last technology I learned. Its a phased approach and towards the end you are building complex labs that encompass everything you have learned. Once I can do all of that I'll do a once over review on something like the OCG and then take the exam.

MickQ

Skim FLG a chapter, read it better, look over the lab, skim the OCG for additional stuff, then try the lab. See how you get on.
Then go back and read the OCG thoroughly. Adapt to your learning style

NetworkVeteran

My approach was to study a chapter in the FLG, and then do the related labs as soon as convenient afterwards. Eg, I go to the coffeeshop and read chapter 1, 2, and 3. I go home and I lab those chapters. Rinse and repeat. The ROUTE FLG is a great book so I didn't find that I needed to read anything else. I used the Kindle version so it was always available.

The book also contains good practice questions.

Carl_S_901

networker050184,

When you state that you "lab it up", do you just create your own topology and such based on what you read or do you use structured labs from other source? That is the part I think I am most unsure of.

Thanks

Carl_S_901

NetworkVeteran,

Are the related labs the one from the Academy lab book or something else?

Thanks

networker050184

I never used any kind of lab book for the CCNP level stuff. I mostly just made up my own stuff and broke it and messed around with it while running debugs. IMO watching the debugs are where its at as far as labbing goes,

Roguetadhg

How did you make things up, Networker050184?

networker050184

Well, once you learn about the technology you put it into practical use. I guess it helps if you have some background in real world networks. Might be a little harder for a beginner to do.

MrBrian

I'll share my experience and thoughts:

Last summer, starting Aug 1st 2011, I started studying for ROUTE. This was coming straight off of obtaining my CCNA, which I obtained 2 weeks prior. To say the least, I was in a little over my head. Not in the sense that I couldn't understand it, but it was just ALL so much. I pieced out my home lab, got the ROUTE OCG, and the Cisco lab manual. I was on 100% motivation. I foolishly claimed on the forum that I would attempt to achieve CCNP in 3 months (It's possible, but not for someone with my experience).

I came out of the gates hot and after 3 weeks I had gone through the eigrp and ospf sections, and I mean, reaaallly slowly. You should see my book, there's more highlighted text than non-highlighted, haha. I also had a pile of notecards, one for every "key topic." I was studying about 8-9 hrs per day at that point. In the text, it then goes into redistribution and path control, ok, I'm barely hanging on now. And then bam, it goes into bgp. It was at that point, mid-September, that I crashed. My buffers were full, and all I could think about was dual, feasible successor's, lsa's, area types, etc so I had to tap for a couple weeks.

Then after reading around the Internet I came across people referring to "tcp/ip illustrated vol.1," by Stevens. It's an older book, and ran me under 10$ used. The diagrams look funny, but I'll be darned if it wasn't still extremely useful. With all the stuff floating around my head, reading only tcp/ip text seemed to make everything fall into place. The cool part was that everything started to click. Before this, after I put in a long study session, I'd be seeing lsa's and area's before right before I knocked out, but not how the traffic "flowed." I was just thinking more definitions. It was like I had all these pieces in my head now, I just had to make em fit. After reading up on fundamental tcp/ip, now I could envision the pieces fitting in with the osi model whole lot better. Now I wanted to see the various fields that are in all the various headers. And once I could envision traffic flows, I could sort through situations/problems in my head, albeit it took a long time in the beginning. Now I could lay down and really vision this stuff! (oh wow, lucky me). I couldn't do that before. Once I could do that, it made me question things I never even thought about before, which is great. I started running Wireshark whenever I went on the Internet.. because I wanted to "see if everything is true." Haha.

As for the labs, I now know what others mean about making your own.. cause I needed those lab manuals to give me ideas from the start. But once October/November hit, I could now make up my own crazy labs with different ospf areas to experiment with. The thing is, the lab manuals just set up basic scenario's, and you'll start to see that "oh, I can draw out my own ideas and try labbing these NSSA areas. I designed a great ospf/rip mutual redistribution one with 4 routers that I messed with so much! So yes, I recommend going through the lab manual at first, it'll get you going. The good part was that I was in college and didn't have summer classes.. so the whole summer was mine.. and boy did I grind.

To sum it up.. It's hard, but doable! My tcp/ip skills, and literal understanding of how the osi model fit into the big picture, were lacking! (not sure your experience, just saying mine). Looking back, that was some difficult studying for me, but also some of the most important. I force fed myself so much through pure motivation, that it wasn't until I burned out and read a separate book, that the pieces fit. For me, this was evidence that overloading isn't necessarily bad, just make sure you take breaks when necessary, and don't get frustrated, because there will be times that you come back to a topic that you thought you had "down," and it turns out it wasn't as down as you thought. Be methodical, review prior sections from time to time, and do extra readings on topics you want more info on, and ask stuff here! Good luck

zrockstar

Carl,

I can't give you any tips on CCNP since I just passed my NA. But being a fellow Kindle owner, I can tell you that last night I purchased Chris Bryant's ROUTE book on Kindle for only $9.99. If you are a Prime member you can get it for your freebie. For me, Chris Bryant was the biggest help on my CCNA, so picking up the ROUTE book for only $10 was a no brainer for me even if I am not actively studying it at the moment.

The Bryant Advantage CCNP ROUTE Study Guide: Chris Bryant: Amazon.com: Books

Kreken

I purchased the CCNP track from CBTNuggets. I watched the video's and then read the book. The videos course doesn't necessarily go deep in the details but it gives a very good foundation which you can build on by reading the book. Then I did labs from Cisco Academy and also tried to create my own scenarios. Although, there were a lot of times when after I read something or saw in Jeremy's video that was so awesome that I dropped everything and tried to re-create it in my home lab.

vinbuck

If I had to do it all over, here is what I would do for each exam starting with ROUTE:

1) Start with the free Cisco LAB book for the exam you're on and Lab your way through it once. It's easier and more fun to dig in when you're hands on. The lab books have structure to allow you to set up reachable goals. The links to all three are in this thread:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccnp/71180-ccnp-route-lab-manual-cisco-academy.html

2) Read the FLG and make notes and flashcards as you go. Use something like Evernote for notes and Anki or Mnemonesyne for flash cards

3) Do the entire Free SLM lab book again

4) Read the OCG and make notes and flashcards as you go.

5) Use Boson EX-SIM max to gauge test preparedness and re-lab areas you are weak on.

The CCNP like the CCIE is won in the LAB. Most of the blueprint focuses on configuration and verification of a specific technology. Not surprisingly, most of the exams focus on configuration and verification. Familiarity with the blueprint technologies is only going to come with repeated lab practice

This may seem like a laborious process, but it allowed me to pass all three exams on the first shot over a year and a half period.