CCNA Study Group

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  • --chris----chris-- Member Posts: 1,518 ■■■■■□□□□□
    When do you sit?

    Not for awhile, my goal is for CCNA in a year...which started in Feburary. So as long as I get it before then, I am good.

    I really want to spend more time on it, but I have been working 10-11 hours a day and having a hard time focusing on the book when I get home at night. I finished the Udemy course, been taking notes and spend my lunches reading the Odom book. It will take some time, but it will happen.
  • GhostintheShellGhostintheShell Member Posts: 34 ■■□□□□□□□□
    --chris-- wrote: »
    Not for awhile, my goal is for CCNA in a year...which started in Feburary. So as long as I get it before then, I am good.

    I really want to spend more time on it, but I have been working 10-11 hours a day and having a hard time focusing on the book when I get home at night. I finished the Udemy course, been taking notes and spend my lunches reading the Odom book. It will take some time, but it will happen.

    Cool. It's tough. I study in 25 min blocks, then break for 10-15 minutes, then after my 4th time I stop for the night. The next day, I spend the first 25 min block reviewing, then the other 3 focused study on new material. The weekends I do 2 rounds of this, in the morning, and the evening. I only go to the book if I need more detailed explanation.

    Honestly, after struggling in High School, when I went to Paramedic School 22 years ago, my instructor taught me this method, and I employ this with everything I learn now. My recall rate is about 88% on most subjects. The key here as an adult learner is that I had to learn, how to learn with limited time, but the primary combat I fight is just starting the work. Once I start, I'm usually good.

    Honestly, if it wasn't for WGU, I would have spread out the time more between my CCENT and CCNA, but I'm about to reach my Fin Aid ceiling so I need to turn and burn on these classes and condense as many classes as I can in the few semesters I have left or sooner. It sucks, but the degree is incredibly important to me.

    Stay the course man. You'll do just fine.
  • --chris----chris-- Member Posts: 1,518 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Cool. It's tough. I study in 25 min blocks, then break for 10-15 minutes, then after my 4th time I stop for the night. The next day, I spend the first 25 min block reviewing, then the other 3 focused study on new material. The weekends I do 2 rounds of this, in the morning, and the evening. I only go to the book if I need more detailed explanation.

    Honestly, after struggling in High School, when I went to Paramedic School 22 years ago, my instructor taught me this method, and I employ this with everything I learn now. My recall rate is about 88% on most subjects. The key here as an adult learner is that I had to learn, how to learn with limited time, but the primary combat I fight is just starting the work. Once I start, I'm usually good.

    Honestly, if it wasn't for WGU, I would have spread out the time more between my CCENT and CCNA, but I'm about to reach my Fin Aid ceiling so I need to turn and burn on these classes and condense as many classes as I can in the few semesters I have left or sooner. It sucks, but the degree is incredibly important to me.

    Stay the course man. You'll do just fine.


    Learning how to learn is the real trick for all of this lol.

    I seen someone else on here recommend smaller blocks of study, which I have adopted as well. Usually 20 minutes or so, 2-3x a night. If my 2 year old goes to bed early and I am not falling asleep I will pull out my laptop for GNS3 to help cement the concepts. Its slow...but I never thought in a million years I would have a CCNA, so the thought of attaining that level is what really drives me. Its only associate I know, but I remember my friends older brother in 1998 having the CCNA and an MCSA...I thought he was a wizard. For whatever reason, it really stuck with me that the CCNA is something to be proud of.
  • PupilPupil Member Posts: 168
    There are 3 FHRPs: HSRP, VRRP, and GLBP. Acronyms overload.
  • brothahazzbrothahazz Member Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Program Track: Cisco /Network Engineering.
    Journey to CCNA began in July....
    Projected take Exam Day: Mid December.


    This will be my new home for this track.
  • GhostintheShellGhostintheShell Member Posts: 34 ■■□□□□□□□□
    --chris-- wrote: »
    Learning how to learn is the real trick for all of this lol.

    I seen someone else on here recommend smaller blocks of study, which I have adopted as well. Usually 20 minutes or so, 2-3x a night. If my 2 year old goes to bed early and I am not falling asleep I will pull out my laptop for GNS3 to help cement the concepts. Its slow...but I never thought in a million years I would have a CCNA, so the thought of attaining that level is what really drives me. Its only associate I know, but I remember my friends older brother in 1998 having the CCNA and an MCSA...I thought he was a wizard. For whatever reason, it really stuck with me that the CCNA is something to be proud of.

    Honestly, short bursts help your brain retain things easier. marathon study sessions just don't work and research is showing that. research also suggests that doing all 3 learning modes (sight, touch, and hear) have far greater results than reading a textbook, listening to a lecture. The brain just isn't engaged the right way. Plus, we are conditioned now to be distracted while "studying". I know I had to make some changes to my study program the minute I got a smartphone. 20-25 minutes is the sweet spot, with 2-3 rounds of that, then sleep or exercise. That';s what creates the glue to memory and recall.

    Best of luck everyone. I'll be lurking and trying to answer as much as I can. You'll find me in the CCNA Security group soon. I'll be around to help.
  • Agent47Agent47 Member Posts: 103
    Hi Everyone,

    I am happy to still see that there were posts of study and the successes you've all had in your Cisco journey! Sorry that I've been absent, this month I had to limit almost all distractions and just focus in hopes of passing the ICND 2 before my expiration date (Oct 6). Today was my test date and im happy to report that all that hard work has paid off!! I hope that this study group continues to be a resource for everyone getting started or continuing thier study! Now that I have some free time, I'll be around to see how all of you are doing! Im going to go and take a nap lol. I woke up way too early to try and cram in some last min info!
  • StaunchyStaunchy Member Posts: 180
    congrats 47 hope you will be celebrating a bit later....
    2016 Goals: CCNP R&S, CCNA Security, CCNP Security
    LinkedIn
  • Jon_CiscoJon_Cisco Member Posts: 1,772 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Great Job Agent47!
  • Agent47Agent47 Member Posts: 103
    Thanks guys! Definitely took a few days off and about to jump right back into studying next week. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
  • Magic JohnsonMagic Johnson Member Posts: 414
    Well done! It's satisfying knowing the bloke who created this topic that has helped so many of us has achieved his personal goal. Top work. :)
  • --chris----chris-- Member Posts: 1,518 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Yes, big congrats!

    Anyone know how to "add" or "enable" a WIC card in GNS3? I need to add some serial interfaces (at least 3) to a router for a OSPF lab I want to build but cant figure it out.
  • davenulldavenull Member Posts: 173 ■■■□□□□□□□
    right-click on a router --> configure
    Slots tab --> NM-4T (your card options will vary depending on the image you have, but at least one of them should be for serial interfaces, you can add all of them and see what they do)
  • --chris----chris-- Member Posts: 1,518 ■■■■■□□□□□
    davenull wrote: »
    right-click on a router --> configure
    Slots tab --> NM-4T (your card options will vary depending on the image you have, but at least one of them should be for serial interfaces, you can add all of them and see what they do)

    I got it :)

    Thanks! I have an 8 router three area OSPF network that is up and running using defaults. Anyone have some good suggestions on things to break or change that would be good for the exam?
  • davenulldavenull Member Posts: 173 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Look into DR/BDR election, when the election takes place and when it doesn't, what happens when DR resigns and there's another router (non-BDR) that has a higher priority, what happens if all ospf priorities are set to 0, how the router-id is selected.

    Predict what the database will look like in any single router in any area, which routers advertise which LSAs.

    Play with passive interfaces, default-information originate, authentication.
  • --chris----chris-- Member Posts: 1,518 ■■■■■□□□□□
    davenull wrote: »
    Look into DR/BDR election, when the election takes place and when it doesn't, what happens when DR resigns and there's another router (non-BDR) that has a higher priority, what happens if all ospf priorities are set to 0, how the router-id is selected.

    Predict what the database will look like in any single router in any area, which routers advertise which LSAs.

    Play with passive interfaces, default-information originate, authentication.

    Doing this now.

    Also ran into this gem using the sh ip os debug command:

    23kubfk.jpg

    what?! lol


    I also had a FastEth interface open up in a half duplex state for the first time ever in GNS3. I was caught off guard by that error message. I am used to GNS3 simply working.


    Last edit:

    I found this flow chart to be very helpful in figuring out my mistakes:
    http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/open-shortest-path-first-ospf/12151-trouble-main.html#trouble_main

    Yep, forgot to issue a no shut on a spoke router. That will kill neighbor relationships real quick.
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