Voice Journey

jahsoul

What's good everybody? I'm just using this thread as a place where I can document my journey through voice. I'm posting it here in the CCNP Voice forum because I'm going to attempt CVOICE and CIPT1 before I take ICOMM. I read through the book and while it taught the basics, I found myself getting frustrated because I would have to look through the SRND and CIPT1 books for install and setting up a lab environment. So I've decided to start with the professional exams. I will use this thread for updates on the journey, ask questions about things that I don't understand, and little nuggets that I pick up along the way.

My approach will be a little different than most. I'm going to through INE CCNP Voice bootcamp but using reading material that will prepare me for CCIE Voice when I get to that point...

CVOICE - INE CVOICE/Cisco Gateway and Gatekeepers/QoS SRND
CIPT1 - INE CIPT1/CIPT1 Official Exam Guide/CUCM 7.x & 8.x SRND
ICOMM - INE CCNA Voice
CIPT2 - INE CIPT2/CIPT2 Official Exam Guide/CUCM 7.x & 8.x SRND
CAPPS - INE CAPPS/Cisco Unity Connection/Deploying Cisco Unified Presence
TVOICE - INE TVOICE/Troubleshooting Cisco IP Telephony

I feel that I will be prepared for the exams using this study method coupled with my home lab.

Any input would be appreciated. Tip, tricks, or whatever it maybe.

pitviper

Sounds good – post up your progress and questions.

jahsoul

OK.....I faced 2 setbacks.

I delayed studying for 2 weeks so I can finish the last few courses I have left at WGU.(brother needs to graduate..lol). Secondly, I ran into a bind. I was trying to hold off but I will have to sell some of my equipment. What would be a fair price for:

Cisco 2811 - 512mb RAM/256 CF. The cosmetic flaws are a few scratches up top, the faceplate is loose in the bottom left corner, and the CF button broke

Cisco 3725 - 256mb RAM/128 CF, 2CTI-CSU, can include a NM-HDV but won't have PVDMs or a VWIC

sieff

You putting these on ebay? I totally need a 2811...

jahsoul

Quick update...

CVOICE is going a lot better than I thought it would. Spend yesterday focusing on Gatekeepers and CUBE and I have a great grasp of it. Working on QoS tonight to finish out my CVOICE theory studying before I spend the next few days going back over my CCNA Voice Notes so I can take the exam this week. I passed QoS last year and did nothing with it. While it's coming back slowly, it sure does suck to pass something and then look at it like a foreign language a year and half later. I remembered about 25% of theory but it feels good to be getting back into it. I was trying to see if get certify4less would throw a few vouchers up for the 640 line of exams but I don't think it is going to happen. After I finish the CCNA Voice, I'm going right into CVOICE lab mode and lock myself away for a week knocking out every objective (and more) so I can at least have the knowledge. I can't afford the test now because I accidentally bought 2 2851's for $165 total...smh. (the way it's looking, I will probably have to sell those too.)

I'm using a "regurgitation" type study method. I go through 4 - 5 video chunks of INE a day, which leaves ample time to read my secondary material (Cisco Gateways and Gatekeepers/QoS SRND for CVOICE) and review my notes. Lab week, I review my notes and then lab to what I think is mastery. Come back the next day, review a different section, and then recreate the lab from the day before. If I can't get it to perfection, I hit the weak spots and then lab the daily section. Rinse and repeat for the rest of the week and the last day, do a complete lab. Then go take exam.

I've been going through a lot these past couple of months and it feels like the pressure is getting to me. It's crazy because I'm on the internet looking for stable entry level voice jobs and they are far and few in between. I see mad mid level jobs and I have decided to just go for the gusto. After I pass my CCNA Voice, I'm just going to put my resume out there. Hopefully, something comes through. This is the reason that I'm putting equal amount of time into theory and labbing. I want to be well versed in theory and application and I want them to see that I know something and thankfully, I built my lab to (mostly) INE CCIE Voice specs.

shodown

Great Job you going at a great pace with good dedication. It took me 4 years to finish the entire track. You have the will and dedication to do great things I"m sure something will come to you soon. Not to sound like a vulture, but PM me on those 2851's:)

jahsoul

After a whole lot of thinking, I've decided to spend the rest of the week focusing on ICOMM. I honestly wanted to dive in deeper with CIPT1 but right now, it is a matter of getting a job. I'm still going to put the things I knocked out on CVOICE under skills but right now, I have to look at the big picture. I transferred the 50 pages of ICOMM notes to OneNote and I'm just going to buckle down on that. Next week, I will continue my overlapping schedule. Take in a chapter or 2 for 8 hours and really put that to memory and then lab another topic for 6.

I'm going to schedule the exam for this Saturday around 9 so that gives me 3 solid days of overview. What I'm really lacking in is CUPS and Unity Connection. Because I didn't have anything setup yet, I was just looking at demos without getting my hands dirty. Now that it is setup, I'm going to be hitting my weak points. I don't really look at it as a backtrack because the first 5 chapters of CIPT1 and probably the ch 9 - 12 dealt with all of the administrative stuff that was presented in ICOMM.

jahsoul

I'm telling you, Cisco Press is so long winded..lol. I read like 3 pages of CIPT1 and these were the notes I got from those pages.

*Multiple resources can be assigned to applications. Only one application can be assigned to a role but multiple roles can be assigned to a group. Multiple users can be assigned to a group and also, a user can be assigned to multiple groups.
-An application with different resources (privilege/levels of access) can be placed in different roles. This is called overlapping privileges and this can be configured to give the highest or lowest overlapping privilege level. The system default will provide the lower overlapping privilege level whenever a userhas different levels for the same object.

-Overlapping privilege occurs at the groups level when multiple roles to the same application is placed in 2 different groups and a user is the member of both. The most restrictive privilege to each object will be defaulted when there is a privilege level issue between the 2 different user groups.


I bet if they got straight to point, these books would be cut in half...lol. I'm just saying.

jahsoul

Big day tomorrow (CCNA Voice) and I feel pretty good going into it. I feel confident in CCNA Voice level CUCM and CME admin but I need to spend my day focusing on Unity and CUPS.

shodown

good luck

jahsoul

The exam went the way I kind of figured it would. Did great on CME and CUCM administration and marginal on the Presence and Unity stuff but all in all it wasn't too bad. One thing I can say, now that it is done, is it left a lot to be desired. I really guess that what the CCNP Voice is for. After spending the money, part of me is kicking myself for doing QoS last year instead of CVOICE.

I've also made a decision to really just focus on the technology and not focus on passing a test. Why? Because, I seriously can't afford these joints now. Now that I've passed this exam, I'm going to just flood my resume and hopefully, someone gives me an opportunity and just get better but I'm just going to focus on diving into the technology for now and labbing it up at home. So now, the reading I have ahead of me is

*My CVOICE Notes
*QoS SRND
*CUCM SRND 7.x & 8.x
*SIP Trunking
*Configuring CUCM and Unity Connection
*Cisco Unified Presence Fundamentals

I'm going to spend the rest of the weekend (around 30 hours) labbing CVOICE and then spend the next 2 weeks going through the SRND. I estimated that to be around 112 hours. Fun times..lol

sieff

QoS isn't a bad exam to still take. I think in combination with a couple of other exams you could get a specialization. I know Cisco IP Telephony Design Specialist requires QoS and CCDA.

Roguetadhg

So I take it you passed? :P Congrats!

jahsoul

sieff wrote: »

QoS isn't a bad exam to still take. I think in combination with a couple of other exams you could get a specialization. I know Cisco IP Telephony Design Specialist requires QoS and CCDA.

I mean, I liked QoS but at my job, it was not used at all. I took QoS because I was going to try to go for everything..lol. I had a plan to do the CCIP and CCVP together. But I was working for a Cisco partner who was willing to pay for the exams and went to someone who didn't care less unless it was a specialization that would help them.

It's just in hindsight, I wish I would have taken CVOICE like originally planned.

jahsoul

Roguetadhg wrote: »

So I take it you passed? :P Congrats!

LOL....thanks. It wasn't to bad. I think this is probably the only Cisco exam I've taken where the questions were straight forward. Either you know it or you don't.

shodown

Good showing. CVOICE is a best, but I think if you lab it all out you will be in good standing.

jahsoul

Spent a good portion of the morning trying to load software on my last 2 routers. Had issue with compact flash cards, so I had to download an older image to RAM, update ROMMON, format CF, and then update the newer image. 3 hours gone...lol.

jahsoul

One thing I hate is knowing something but not knowing something. Simply, what that means is, knowing something but then second guessing yourself. The way I look at it is, I really don't know it.

What I'm doing now is dumping all of my notes in Mnemosyne and go through kung fu memory training. lol. I'm still reviewing my CVOICE notes but I'm going to create the flashcards and hit those hard. (I take notes in outline form so the transfer wasn't hard). This week has been kind of crazy but next week, I'm hitting the CVOICE lab hard while reviewing my notes.

The week after next, I will begin the Mark Snow approach to CCIE Voice in a year but with my own spin. I'm not going for the CCIE in a year but I'm going to hit the technology hard. I grouped the chapters of each book by what I'm going to do each week and cap it with an 8 hour lab on Saturday, so each group gets 12hrs theory and 8 hours lab time each week. On the days that I'm not studying, 2hrs a day will be devoted to Mnemosyne, which will probably be done in the morning because my wife would probably kill me, and the flashcard will be rotated weekly.

Yeah...this might work

mrskateboy62989

Jahsoul:

When are you planning to sit for your CVOICE?

jahsoul

mrskateboy62989 wrote: »

Jahsoul:

When are you planning to sit for your CVOICE?

Even though I feel like I would be good to take it after next week, realistically, I have to wait until I am able to afford it. I don't have $200 right now to spend on any exam, so honestly, you can say I'm learning for the sake of learning.

mrskateboy62989

Awesome. I'm set to take it on November 15. I'll let you know how it goes and will hopefully be able to bring some guidance.

jahsoul

mrskateboy62989 wrote: »

Awesome. I'm set to take it on November 15. I'll let you know how it goes and will hopefully be able to bring some guidance.

I appreciate that! I will be looking forward to that..