Just got back from VPN

Vask3n

Hey friends, just came back from VPN and passed it with 864. I'm still a little braindead and might have more info in the replies here later, but I have to be honest and say that for the first 25% of the test I was questioning whether or not I would pass. I was expecting it to be much easier than FIREWALL but interestingly enough I think it was at the same difficulty which I guess makes sense since they are both professional-level. It was a little hard to decipher a few of the questions and there was a ton of real-world type questions, let's just put it that way. It's a very practical test with lots of scenarios. There were definitely some questions where I was in/out in less than 10 seconds, while others were head-scratchers until you read it twice and notice the nuances in the available answers. Not too many sims, just enough to be able to get through the test with a little time left over.

I used the OCG which I recommend, CBT Nuggets, some Cisco videos on Cisco 365, and real-world experience with AnyConnect, IPsec, and Site-to-Site tunnels (actually this morning I was working on a S2S tunnel).

Special thank you to MasterOfPuppets, Heracles, RouteMyPacket, and everyone else on here for being a great support group.

dpsmooth15

Great Job! Glad you walked away with that PASS.

RouteMyPacket

Congrats!

What's up next?

Vask3n

Thanks guys! I am trying to figure out whether to jump into SECURE right now and finish before April or wait until the new material is out, I've heard some mixed information about the OCG for SECURE and I understand it's not a walk in the park. I did FIREWALL and VPN in about a month's time each and am a little burned out but I don't want to lose momentum.

Heracles004

Congrats !!! I would say keep it moving. There is two of us trying to complete before the expiration. With 3 of us it could turn out to be a good informational thread. I have already started some of the INE videos and labbed a zone based firewall setup. My goal is to get as much accomplished as I can while my job is paying for them. I plan on testing within a month. Unfortunately I'm in a Microsoft course for the next two months but ill make do.

Vask3n

That's definitely inspiring, now I want to suck it up and move forward. It feels kind of strange moving from an exam with 5 pages of exam topics (VPN) to an exam with one page of very dense exam topics (SECURE).

wintermute000

the book isn't very good, but as its good old IOS, its incredibly easy to lab.

Just get a few routers together and run over the following thoroughly
- all the router sec stuff (CoPP etc.)
- standard IPSEC vpns
- VTI based IPSEC vpns
- DMVPN
- Zone Based FW

and you're gold

re: the new exams, if you do that you'll be in no man's land and have to do all the other new exams anyway. I don't think you can certify as a CCNP-S if you say do 3 old exams and 1 new exam (though DYOR but most of the time with Cisco thats how its worked IIRC). You can always finish the current track, then come back in a year and do one of the new exams to renew.

Master Of Puppets

Честито/Congrats!

Bear in mind that it is not certain when Cisco will come out with sufficient material for the new exams. However, there is a wealth of resources for the current version. It may take a few months and you may end up losing momentum. This is one of the reasons why I have decided to take SECURE before the deadline.

FloOz

Congrats!!!!

RouteMyPacket

Vask3n wrote: »

Thanks guys! I am trying to figure out whether to jump into SECURE right now and finish before April or wait until the new material is out, I've heard some mixed information about the OCG for SECURE and I understand it's not a walk in the park. I did FIREWALL and VPN in about a month's time each and am a little burned out but I don't want to lose momentum.

Get on it, stay focused...get right on SECURE and let me know if you need anything. It was a tough exam, probably the toughest for me and I honestly don't know why. I had some nerves on it and it's the only exam I ever felt like that, felt like I would pass but not do well..well I actually was still in the 900's so who knows why I was flipping a little.

SECURE has some of the best topics out of the series. IPsec, DMVPN, GETVPN, GRE as these all come into play quite often when working at client sites. dot1x of course and if you work with ISE everyday the material will flow nicely.

Control Plane, Data Plane, Mgmt Plane...some of this is redundant from CCNP R/S

I think you got it, don't second guess yourself now. You are committed and April is more than enough time, how many do you have left? SECURE and IPS? Plenty of time and these will not burn you out as both cover widely different material with SECURE being the most important. I just never see Cisco IPS in use much.

wintermute000 wrote: »

the book isn't very good, but as its good old IOS, its incredibly easy to lab.

Just get a few routers together and run over the following thoroughly
- all the router sec stuff (CoPP etc.)
- standard IPSEC vpns
- VTI based IPSEC vpns
- DMVPN
- Zone Based FW

and you're gold

Agreed!

Vask3n

Thanks RouteMyPacket and everyone. I've started taking notes for SECURE and am about half way through the CBT Nuggets. Ordered the OCG yesterday as well. I really need a physical book to go along with the rest of the training so I'll go with the same route I did for the previous two.

Master Of Puppets wrote: »

Честито/Congrats!

However, there is a wealth of resources for the current version. It may take a few months and you may end up losing momentum. This is one of the reasons why I have decided to take SECURE before the deadline.

I totally see this benefit as well, the exam has been out for longer and as such there's already established content on it like INE, CBT Nuggets, and the written material.

CCNPforSure

congratz

maharaliel

Congrats

gregorio323

Vask3n wrote: »

Thanks guys! I am trying to figure out whether to jump into SECURE right now and finish before April or wait until the new material is out, I've heard some mixed information about the OCG for SECURE and I understand it's not a walk in the park. I did FIREWALL and VPN in about a month's time each and am a little burned out but I don't want to lose momentum.

I will admit OCG is a little hard to read. I went through so much stuff. CBT Nuggets/INE/OCG/Skillsoft. But I'd say my primary and most useful resource I've used and you'd probably hear me say this a lot but it was Skillsoft and if you can I'd say get ahead of the training modules. I'm fortunate enough to have worked for a consulting company that has not deactivated my account yet but I get tonts of free Cisco training via skillsoft.

Vask3n

gregorio323 wrote: »

I will admit OCG is a little hard to read. I went through so much stuff. CBT Nuggets/INE/OCG/Skillsoft. But I'd say my primary and most useful resource I've used and you'd probably hear me say this a lot but it was Skillsoft and if you can I'd say get ahead of the training modules. I'm fortunate enough to have worked for a consulting company that has not deactivated my account yet but I get tonts of free Cisco training via skillsoft.

I really appreciate the heads up on skillsoft, and thanks to everyone on this thread. I'm still working my way through this material- I don't think I will be able to complete this in one month's time like I did for both Firewall and VPN, I would rather take as much time as I can before April and then take the new IPS exam afterwards, which fortunately is an option on the migration path.

I also understand the the configuration on SECURE is primarily through CLI, unlike FIREWALL and VPN, which makes sense since the ASDM is for the ASA and now the paradigm is routers and switches instead of firewalls.

PCHoldmann

Congrats!