My CCNP Route thread

Iristheangel

Ha! I wish! I'll be happy with being a CCNP by the end of the year and a CCNP Security by the end of next year. Then I'll probably have enough experience and knowledge to start to TRY to read the library of books than is the start of the CCIE. The books themselves are a huge task. How did you manage it, Mrock? Did you read, lab, and then read the next book?

Mrock4

Biggest mistake I made was not starting the CCIE *immediately* after finishing my CCNP..because I think the CCNP books will serve you well for 80% of the material. But I ended up pretty much using the CCIE cert guide (v4, I think) - and I have all the other typical CCIE books, but I just skipped around and read things I needed work on. So I guess it went like this:

Read CCIE Cert guide (with small labs between chapters)
-Used supplemental material (like "LAN Switching", the Cisco Press book) to augment gaps in knowledge

That's really it! You'll do fine. If I can do it, anyone can.

Iristheangel

Today is Chapter 16: IPv6 Addressing. This is not going to be a fun chapter...

aaron0011

I'm using your SWITCH notes now in my studies. Looking forward to the ROUTE ones as well. Thanks again!

iamme4eva

Iristheangel wrote: »

Ha! I wish! I'll be happy with being a CCNP by the end of the year and a CCNP Security by the end of next year.

I'm doing the same thing. I'm got my CCNP last month, now I'm doing CCNA:Security. Hopefully I'll have my NP:Sec by the end of next year, then I'm going to start on the long CCIE road I think.

Iristheangel

Iamme, I'm doing the same thing. I plan on finishing my dual NPs and then going for dual IE's. We plan on moving up to San Francisco at the beginning of 2015 so hopefully the door at Cisco is still open. My "educational goals" after the NPs are pretty simple: CCIE R&S and CCIE: Security plus the Stanford Advanced Security Graduate Certificate (Just so I can have Stanford on my resume). After that with cumulative experience, I pretty much can write my own ticket as a consultant or architect

aaron0011

Some lofty goals here guys and girls.

I'll be pleased with CCNP/CCNP Voice/CCDP. Hope to have CCNP R/S done by the end of the year, which would mean two NP tracks in one calendar year for me, 9 exams in all if you include 640-642 prereq I had to pass for CCNP Voice. I'm already tired of studying!

I doubt I'll ever pursue an IE but if I did it would be Collaboration for sure. I don't think I'd get much use out of an IE where I work now and since I have a pension I want to stay here long term...as long as I keep enjoying the work of course.

Iristheangel

My goals for an IE:Security might change. Depends on how interesting the NP:Security track is but for IE: R&S, it seems like a natural progression in my career if I want to be an expert. Plus, I truly enjoy learning about routing and switching and even though there are some dry subjects (route-maps and IPv6 - though it might be Wendell Odom that's boring so maybe I'll find a different book better and change my mind), I overall enjoy what I do and learning more about it. Also... I might start a family by the time I'm done with CCIE R&S and not want to commit to 2 years of labbing and studying for an IE: Security. We'll see... but at least expect a CCIE R&S thread come January 2015

Ivanjam

Iristheangel - knowing you and the energy and drive that you put into advancing your career, I expect a CCIE thread a lot sooner than 2015 - in fact, I expect one by the end of 2013.

phoeneous

Iristheangel wrote: »

Today is Chapter 16: IPv6 Addressing. This is not going to be a fun chapter...

Yeah, have fun with that.

Redistribution is a fun topic for me.

gorebrush

Whoever commented on "lofty goals"

Never laugh at anyone with dreams, because people who don't have dreams, don't have much.

I'm thinking about AT LEAST one CCIE. You have to recertify every 2 years with the written, so you'd might as well do a different one.

I figure I could easily do R&S and Security, I'd love to do Voice - and Service Provider seems like it's just a natural extension of R&S.

aaron0011

gorebrush wrote: »

Whoever commented on "lofty goals"

Never laugh at anyone with dreams, because people who don't have dreams, don't have much.

I'm thinking about AT LEAST one CCIE. You have to recertify every 2 years with the written, so you'd might as well do a different one.

I figure I could easily do R&S and Security, I'd love to do Voice - and Service Provider seems like it's just a natural extension of R&S.

Lofty doesn't mean not attainable. I meant it as high stature to shoot for and no negative connotation at all.

NetworkVeteran

Today is Chapter 16: IPv6 Addressing. This is not going to be a fun chapter... IPv6 - though it might be Wendell Odom that's boring so maybe I'll find a different book better and change my mind

Just remember, you can convert between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and so often there's nothing in terms of protocol addresses to memorize. E.g. 224.0.0.5 => FF02::5. Routing protocols work fairly similarly, except being configured on interfaces, skipping authentication since IPv6 IPSec provides that, and oddly still using 32-bit RIDs which may need to be manually configured!

Tunneling is more interesting. You have several solutions because there are many use-cases. For host-to-host tunnels, ISATAP or Teredo is your champion. For a few site-to-site tunnels, manual works great, and have increased functionality like IS-IS support. When you need to scale, automatic 6to4 tunnels come to the rescue; configuration would be a nightmare otherwise.

NDP's NS/NA/RS/RA are more complicated than ARP, but in exchange you get some cool options like link-local addresses and SLAAC. DHCPv6 doesn't make SLAAC irrelevant, but rather augments it with the new stateless DHCP. It also adds Prefix Delegation!

It's a brave new world, and exciting to begin to see these in action.

iamme4eva

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Just remember, you can convert between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, and so often there's nothing in terms of protocol addresses to memorize. E.g. 224.0.0.5 => FF02::5. Routing protocols work fairly similarly, except being configured on interfaces, skipping authentication since IPv6 IPSec provides that, and oddly still using 32-bit RIDs which may need to be manually configured!

Tunneling is more interesting. You have several solutions because there are many use-cases. For host-to-host tunnels, ISATAP or Teredo is your champion. For a few site-to-site tunnels, manual works great, and have increased functionality like IS-IS support. When you need to scale, automatic 6to4 tunnels come to the rescue; configuration would be a nightmare otherwise.

NDP's NS/NA/RS/RA are more complicated than ARP, but in exchange you get some cool options like link-local addresses and SLAAC. DHCPv6 doesn't make SLAAC irrelevant, but rather augments it with the new stateless DHCP. It also adds Prefix Delegation!

It's a brave new world, and exciting to begin to see these in action.

......and after all of that, I think I need to read an IPv6 book. . The IPv6 stuff I really do struggle to commit to memory. I learnt it for the exam but it just won't stay in my long term memory. You might be right about it being the way Odom writes it - maybe I should find a decent book and find time to read it properly.

I'm with you Iris on the R&S stuff. I really enjoyed studying my CCNP R&S. I prefer routing to switching, but I actually enjoy both. I'm doing the CCNP Security more out of necessity than desire, and I can tell. I'm finding it a lot harder to stay engaged. Maybe it will grab me once I'm past the CCNA Security and on to the meaty stuff in the CCNP. Who knows.

You seem like you're hammering through route though, enjoying it?

Iristheangel

I am not enjoying the writing style of Odom which made me feel like maybe some parts of routing didn't hold my interest as much as I thought it did... until I picked up the Route Simplified book the other day and as I'm reading through that, it's really sticking. Plus it seems like that book has a LOT more detail and a lot more practical labs so I'm having more fun with it. I'm trucking through Odom this week because I've already read 16 chapters so I might as well finish the damn book but I can tell already that I am going to get the majority of my information from the FLG and Route Simplified books.

I didn't really like the CCNA Security stuff as well. It seemed a bit lightweight and dull so I'm hoping the CCNP Security books are better. I already purchased the book set and I'll start after TSHOOT. I always saw networking and security as going hand-in-hand so I'm learning both so I have dual disciplines.

gorebrush

aaron0011 wrote: »

Lofty doesn't mean not attainable. I meant it as high stature to shoot for and no negative connotation at all.

Fair enough! I didn't mean to come across as an ass, btw.

aaron0011

gorebrush wrote: »

Fair enough! I didn't mean to come across as an ass, btw.

No worries!

Danielh22185

I'm reading through FLG now too. Decided to read through it after reading OCG as well. I am really enjoying reading this one over the OCG book. Now having read the OCG book, I am kind of disappointed. Wish I would have gone back to my FLG book sooner.

Danielh22185

I also see the CCNP route simplified book is highly reviewed as a great book. Wondering if I should go ahead and get it as well.

Iristheangel

It's a pretty awesome book. It's about 1000 pages and physically a HUGE book (text book+ sized dimensions) but it's written with large print, includes several practical labs to do at the end of the book and is an easy read. Definitely worth the $60. If the CCNP is the only thing you're working on right now, it's very plausible to read it WHILE reading the FLG at the same time (use mornings for one book and evenings for the other?)

Iristheangel

Chapter 16 is done. Onto Chapter 17 today. Only a few more days and this book is DONE!

Obdurate

Iristheangel wrote: »

Chapter 16 is done. Onto Chapter 17 today. Only a few more days and this book is DONE!

I am awe at the pace you are moving at! How do you get so much work done in a given day?

And may I borrow your brain until I complete my CCNA R&S ?

Obdurate~

Iristheangel

@Obdurate - I don't start work until 8AM so I usually wake up at 4:45 and get to work by 6AM. I study for 2 hours and then use my hour lunch to study. If I haven't completed the chapter in those three hours, I usually finish it off when I get home. I usually leave the rest of the night for master's homework or studying the same subject from a different book (never rely on just one source to study). Weekends I try to have off but it depends on what's going on that weekend...

My best advice to you is to set attainable goals every day and just make sure that you reach them every day - Whether it's a chapter a day or 20 pages a day, at least you'll be making progress and moving forward a little every day

iamme4eva

Iristheangel wrote: »

@Obdurate - I don't start work until 8AM so I usually wake up at 4:45 and get to work by 6AM.

.....there's a 4.45 AM? I start work at 8:30AM...I usually roll out of bed rubbing my eyes at 07:45. I couldn't study in the mornings - I'm not a morning person.

As for the Simplified series, the only one I used was SWITCH Simplified. It was fantastic. I kinda wish I'd used it for ROUTE too.

Iristheangel

Finished Chapter 17 yesterday and onto Chapter 18 today. After tomorrow, I should be done with OCG!

Danielh22185

Iristheangel wrote: »

It's a pretty awesome book. It's about 1000 pages and physically a HUGE book (text book+ sized dimensions) but it's written with large print, includes several practical labs to do at the end of the book and is an easy read. Definitely worth the $60. If the CCNP is the only thing you're working on right now, it's very plausible to read it WHILE reading the FLG at the same time (use mornings for one book and evenings for the other?)

I just may do that. I like the idea of the labs too, I'm always looking to do labs.

Iristheangel

FREEEEEDDDDOOOOMMMMMM from the OCG! Finished the book! Starting on FLG next week and just working on Route Simplified and my last MSISA class of the semester over the weekend

Legacy User

I am real late to the party... I just stumbled on this thread. Congrats on the FTE conversion! Your progress is real inspirational knocked out a 1000 page book in a month while doing your M.S. school work as you work a full time schedule. I thought I had a busy schedule taking 3 classes at school while working full time. Your drive motivates me to step it up and take it to the next level.

Iristheangel

Here are my notes for the OCG guide. Not the best notes I've done because I was rather bored with the material but it's 91 pages so it's pretty easy to review:
https://app.box.com/s/zdcip0up7qcv0macbgy5


I'll add my Route Simplified and FLG as I finish the books in the upcoming month

Iristheangel

Alright... I set my new goals for the FLG. I'm going to read the FLG for the 2 hours before work I have to study and the hour lunch during the week I take. The Route Simplified guide I will read during the evenings and plan to have it done by the time I'm done with the FLG. The following are my reading goals:
Chapter 2 - 120 pages (24 pages a day) - Finish by 8/9/13
Chapter 3 - 125 pages (25 pages a day) - Finish by 8/16/13
Chapter 4 + 5 - 130 pages combined (26 pages a day) - Finish by 8/23/13
Chapter 6 - 111 pages (22.2 pages a day) - Finish by 8/30/13
Chapter 7 - 94 pages (18.8 pages a day) - Finish be 9/6/13
Chapter 8 - 194 pages (27 pages a day counting weekends) - Finish by 9/15/13

If I keep those goals in mind, I'll have the rest of September and October to lab, watch Trainsignal, and review notes/flashcards. My goal is to take the exam in the last week of October or the first week of November. Then I'll tackle TSHOOT and finish that by the end of the year which would meet my 2013 goals.