How Do You Study?

The past couple of weeks I've really started to buckle down and start studying on my CCIE lab. The hardest part up front wasn't something I expected, which was how do I actually study for this? It took me awhile, but I think I've finally found my groove.
My largest worry about studying is getting up to the point that I think I'm ready for the lab and just completely underestimating or not understanding it, which would be a total waste of a year + of studying.

1. INE videos on the subject area. I start in the CCNP videos to make sure I have a good base understanding, and eventually move into the CCIE level videos.
1a. Some of these videos are theory focused, and then lab/config focused. While watching the lab/config focused videos, I have the exact topology built out in GNS3, and I lab right along side as I'm going though the video. This has been HUGE for me.

2. Once I'm done with a few videos of a section (ie: 1 or 2 videos on OSPF) I break out the reading. Right now I'm working on OSPF so I'm reading Routing TCP/IP volume 1 chapters on OSPF. I like to read after watching the videos because for me, reading before starts to confuse me on the details if I dont 100% understand what the book is going on about. If I go through INE first then read, I have a decent understanding before diving too technical in the fine details in the books.

3. GNS3 vault section labs. These are just fun and really get you thinking. I have no idea if some of the stuff he does is related to the lab (ie: only advertise routes for all interfaces using 1 line on R1, 2 lines on R2, etc. Funky stuff like that). I do these when I'm worn out from watching and labbing INE stuff.

4. Personal lab. I like to just create random topologies in GNS3 and set it up. I wish there was a feature to randomly break something to help with troubleshooting. Outside of that, I try to make the network complex, take down links, watch debugs and see how protocols react, etc.

I havent bought any hardware for lab. I'm semi relying on the new GNS3 version. If its not what I'm expecting, I'll start to get stuff off ebay that supports IOS 15

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silver145

i have been running ios 15.x on the 7200 via gns3 and not had any problems.

As for how you revise, you have done the best thing off of the bat, worked out your own rhythm, i like to combine books, videos, labs, and bugging colleagues or in all honesty, it gets boring! where as if i mix up a lab with reading and a video to enhance my knowledge, i am feeling a more positive drive to learn more!

I have my Ipod in the car with the INE theory videos (i ripped the audio to mp3)
I do random labs my self as i dont want to be too complacent with one topology.
i use the ine videos + any others i can find on that subject
I read constantly at every gap i get, work breaks etc, and i also go through workbook one in my head, making a scenario then see'ing how that particular technology would fit into it. If i have trouble i will lab it out, if i have a clear understanding i give myself a big smile due to knowing something for a change

Lastly i sat the CCNA/CCNP online class from elearning.commsupport.com
its amazing how much of the basics you forget, but these helped massively due to it been a live class that was taught!

(they have a ccna security course starting Monday also)

so as you can see i like to combine it all to keep me engaged and trying to make the most of it.

EdTheLad

cstambaugh wrote: »

Right now I'm working on OSPF
I wish there was a feature to randomly break something to help with troubleshooting.

I'm reviewing ospf too, if you agree to make me a broken topology to troubleshoot, i'll make you one?

cstambaugh

EdTheLad wrote: »

I'm reviewing ospf too, if you agree to make me a broken topology to troubleshoot, i'll make you one?

Yes definitely Ed.
I dont have a lot of posts so I cant do much on the forums. Send me a PM.

FloOz

My current study schedule looks something like this.

- Go through the INE Adv. Tech videos for a topic

- Do corresponding Narbik labs (Advanced R&S Volume I & II)

- Read up more if necessary

I have all the lab workbooks from Narbik and INE so I will definitely be busy this year going through them. I am doing the Narbik Advanced R&S workbooks prior to working through the INE labs.

I have also been using GNS3 since I find it kind of pointless to waste money on upgrading my own home lab since the v5 is on the horizon. I have had no issues with it so far.

inscom.brigade

I just moved into an empty bedroom in our house, it was supossed to be for my mother inlaw but shes not coming now; it is so much better(quiter). I was in an open area in the house with the fam which was nice but focus was hard. It is no wonder I failed first attempt on written. (writtens been done) again. (onto LAB).
I was running a dedicated upper end laptop as my gns3 server.
GNS was all that was on the laptop plus notepad. It is a 3rd gen i7 with 12 g mem.
It ran my lab of 24 routers great. Once I passed a level proficiency the laptop was no longer effective.
I think it was the MPLS Traffic-engineering tunnels. I dun know I left R&S and jumped on to the SP trac. SP got so many protocols running on the 24 routers. It just ate (the laptop). I spent a week on that new cisco iosXRv 5.1.1, got it working, but it was buggy. I bit the bullet and rented online rack rental, it is great! I have been on it 24/7, for the last 20, or so days. I am going to stay on live rack rental 24/7 untill I go int my lab exam.
Other: white board, 1 plotter printout of topology, taped to the wall, 4 visio topology printouts taped to the wall, commands printed and taped to the wall. Wireless headset, wired headset for calls, my old PC, and another notbook. I got a couple extra monitors, I left my real rack for play after my ccie lab exam is done.
Pencils paper, cisco press getting started, cisco press fundamentals, cisco press updates, skype, and bootcamp.

EdTheLad

cstambaugh wrote: »

Yes definitely Ed.
I dont have a lot of posts so I cant do much on the forums. Send me a PM.

I tried to pm you, but you must have your inbox disabled.

cstambaugh

EdTheLad wrote: »

I tried to pm you, but you must have your inbox disabled.

I just enabled mail from members, but I'm not sure if thats PM or email.
I'm wondering if I have to hit a certain number of posts before I can send/rec. PM's.