simon's ccie_sp quest

Hi All,
I believe now is my time to hit the road running for the ccie-sp track. Below is just a brief introduction about myself.

I have been in the service provider environment for 6 years now, current network we run has multiple GSR's and 7206's among other smaller platform's like the ISR's. So basically I have a fair grip/working knowledge on BGP, is-is,ospf,mpls L2 and L3. My ccna and ccnp certifications have expired. My plan is to schedule for my lab early next year 2015, say February, but of much importance is having improved my skills. I haven't sat for my written yet, but I plan to sit for it when I am half way on my lab preparations, say around Sept. 2014.

Ahead of my preparation, I have had the privilege of securing the below kit through my employer(thank God for these toys

)

2x GSR's
8x 7206 NPE-2's
2x ME-3400G-12CS-A's

My plan on this is to take the below shape, though your input is welcome.
Family comes first, and with my wife and a young kid, most of this study will be in office and very early mornings while they still sleep.

Do a quick run like the bootcamp-style through the INE CCIE-SP VOD, but instead of doing it for 5 days, do it in 10 days so that I get a heads up on technologies. This means that I will be committing some 5 hours a day to this.
In this period I will not start labbing.

Increase my familiarity with Cisco Product/Technology Documentation on Cisco website
Jump to Cisco IOS XR Fundamentals book and with this start labbing based on INE CCIE SP v3.0 workbook for at least an hour a day.
Go to the below books sequentially as I mix with 2 hours of labbing a day:

IS-IS Network Design Solutions
BGP Design and Implementation book,
MPLS enabled applications
MPLS configuration on Cisco IOS software
Traffic Engineering with MPLS
Layer 2 VPN Architectures
Developing IP Multicast Networks 1 & II
End-to-End Qos Network Design: Quality of Service in LANs, WANs, and VPNs

Attend MEF
Attend a bootcamp(not decided which vendor yet)

So, let the game begin, the bootcamp has started today. Upates to follow.

./simon

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simon_ccie_sp

Day 1 and 2 gone well with 9 INE VOD sessions done. Just need to add 2 more hours daily.
IS-ISIS section very interesting. Looking forward to go through IS-IS Network Design Solutions book to enhance IS-IS skills after the INE's 44 sessions so as to test how to tweak path selection using is-is metric + latencies consideration.
As at now, 8 hours of study done and going strong.
No lab practice started yet. I am planning for an MEF session in 2 weeks from now.

./simon

inscom.brigade

Seriously your running GSR's in your house? 2 of them? plus 8 7200's, are you setting them up out in the garage, or the shed? Cisco iosXRv 5.1.1 has just come out it is nice. You can load it on oracle VM then run it in gns3, but each iosxrv instance takes 3gig mem. it still has some bugs but it does work well. | the sp written is a monster exam much worse than r&s, I have completed both. I am going into the sp lab soon here are a couple extra iosxr pdf's for your reading enjoyment http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/ios_xr_sw/iosxr_r3-2/getting_started/installation/guide/gs_32.pdf http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/ios_xr_sw/iosxr_r3-4/routing/configuration/guide/rt_c34.pdf New and Changed Commands in Cisco IOS XR Software, Release 5.1.x for Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Router - New and Changed Commands in Cisco IOS XR Software, Release 5.1.x [Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers] - Cisco <iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iXNPheJuhCQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> |

simon_ccie_sp

Thanks iscom for your input and resource's share. Yes the recent released iosXRv is cool and I ill be testing it soon, I am basically not running these boxes from a garage but from the office. The GSR's that I have are spares from an initial deployment in my employers network + spares, so looks good. Reason for running this in office is stable power, stable internet so I can vpn to them from any location, access other colleagues and also I have more free time while in office that when at home.

./simon

"I love BGP communities"

inscom.brigade

Nice deal for you to vpn to Cisco IOS XRv Router Installation and Configuration Guide - Deploying the Cisco IOS XRv Router* [Cisco IOS XRv Software] - Cisco Systems | http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios_xr_sw/iosxr_r5.1/general/release/notes/reln-xrv.pdf | https://supportforums.cisco.com/docs/DOC-39939 http://uploaded.net/file/su0sb41q/iosxrv-k9-demo-5.1.1_2.ova

simon_ccie_sp

Yes office at the ISP, I do minimal to no study/work at home unless it is very very critical. I would prefer to get home late after study or get to work early for study. Reason is home is for family

./simon

inscom.brigade

IOSXR vs IOS question: I run a ping script for IOS it is great and saves lots of time on IOS, It does not work in IOSXR. Do you know the new commands? If you are not familiar with this script, try it you will see how great of time saver it is, maybe you can find out at the office who will know the IOSXR version of these commands. >>>> |
tclsh
foreach ipv6 {
2002:172:8::1
2002:172:8::2
2002:172:8::3
2002:172:8::6
2002:172:8::10
2002:172:8::11
2002:172:8::12
2002:172:8::13
2002:172:8::14
2002:172:8::15
2002:172:8::16
} {ping vrf DOJ $ipv6 } | tclsh
foreach ip {
19.9.0.1
19.9.0.2
19.9.0.3
19.9.0.4
19.9.0.5
19.9.0.6
19.9.0.7
19.9.0.8
19.9.0.9
19.9.0.10
} {ping $ip so lo 0 } | if you not sure what it does, : it is a batch ping script, you adjust your script to your ip #'s, | (copy paste here is lousy) you need to start, stop copy at the pipe. adjust you ip's, vrf names and ping source loopback 0 commands,: eg R1#ping vrf DOJ 172.2.2.3 | ping 9.9.9.2 source Lo 0

simon_ccie_sp

TCL's are a big resource in saving time. I will try it out, but could you test with first setting your source address e.g. the below then followed by the standard syntax where x.x.x.x is your loopback address:

set loop0 x.x.x.x
foreach address {
19.9.0.1
19.9.0.2
19.9.0.3

./simon

inscom.brigade

found the answer : | RP/0/0/CPU0:R2#run tclsh
Tue Mar 11 19:30:42.647 UTC
% foreach i {
29.5.0.1
29.5.0.2
29.5.0.3
29.5.0.4
29.5.0.5
29.5.0.6
29.5.0.7
29.5.0.8
29.5.0.9
29.5.0.10
} {ping $i }
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.1, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 1/1/1 ms
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.2, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 1/1/1 ms
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.3, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 1/1/1 ms
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.4, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 1/1/1 ms
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.5, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 9/9/9 ms
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.6, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 9/9/9 ms
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 29.5.0.7, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!! HOT DOG!!!

filkenjitsu

I will be following your journey! I am working towards my CCNP SP right now and also work for a service provider (Cellular).

srg

Learn to type faster instead of using TCL for ping verification

shednik

In for updates as well. Currently debating on a CCIE or to head down the SP path.

filkenjitsu

I think I will stay professional for now myself.... expert one day. I want to finish my CCNP SP, CCNP, CCDA, CCDP. Maybe then I will think about an CCIE.

simon_ccie_sp

Hi Inscom,

Good to know you managed a work a round.

How far are you with your lab preparations? what is your strategy?

inscom.brigade

the written was hard much harder than the R&S written. I failed the SP written once cause I underestimated it.

bought my seat, going in MAY 2014 for lab.
strategy: my baby and wife will only need to be neglected for 45 more days. Failure is not an option, focus on essential lab material only.

spending time here, doing this is on break only, and kept minimal.

building labs is cool & fun, but that is not the fast track; My rack, my gns3, all history for now.

I pay for a prebuilt rental and am logged in always. 7 day a week 10 - 14 hours each day.

stay close to your study partner, when they pass you loose them, keep study partners to a minimum. 3

simon_ccie_sp

Congrats for making that move to book for your lab. You using any workbook on you prebuilt rental rack?If yes, which ones?

inscom.brigade

when I started my cisco tour, (ccna days) I went with the net academy program at the local college. Structured education over self taught provides solid foundation; I opted for private local lessons. sent you a PM

simon_ccie_sp

Thanks iskom,
I will pm you..

./simon

simon_ccie_sp

Iskom,
How is the prep going on? How many days to the lab?

./simon