How to keep CCNA topics interesting?

Robinhood6062 · April 2010

I passed the CCNA and I don't want to lose the knowledge between now and getting hired somewhere. Any ideas as to how I can keep this information fresh in my head without doing the same types of labs and exercises I've always done? IE: making my own networks in packet tracer.

Also, should I start working towards a CCNP or do you think it would be a better idea to tackle CCNA VoIP first?

jamesleecoleman · April 2010

Have you thought about the Army??
I'm not in but it's just a suggestion.

mikem2te · April 2010

Robinhood6062 wrote: »

I passed the CCNA and I don't want to lose the knowledge between now and getting hired somewhere. Any ideas as to how I can keep this information fresh in my head without doing the same types of labs and exercises I've always done? IE: making my own networks in packet tracer.

Also, should I start working towards a CCNP or do you think it would be a better idea to tackle CCNA VoIP first?

CCNP will reinforce all the CCNA topics which'll stop you forgetting it all. CCNA:V is really interesting if you are interested in voice and is worth doing if you are not in a rush to get the CCNP. I found the CCNA:V so interesting I blitzed it through in three weeks.

Regarding retention of information, I find reading forums helps. I spend about half an hour a day looking through the CCNA, CCNA:V, CCNA:S and CCNP forums on this site and attempt to answer all the questions asked - if I don't know the anwser I will find the answer. It really helps keep you on form.

notgoing2fail · April 2010

mikem2te wrote: »

CCNP will reinforce all the CCNA topics which'll stop you forgetting it all. CCNA:V is really interesting if you are interested in voice and is worth doing if you are not in a rush to get the CCNP. I found the CCNA:V so interesting I blitzed it through in three weeks.

Regarding retention of information, I find reading forums helps. I spend about half an hour a day looking through the CCNA, CCNA:V, CCNA:S and CCNP forums on this site and attempt to answer all the questions asked - if I don't know the anwser I will find the answer. It really helps keep you on form.

Hey Mike, did you need any specific lab equipment for CCNA:V?

mikem2te · April 2010

notgoing2fail wrote: »

Hey Mike, did you need any specific lab equipment for CCNA:V?

I did the 640-460 IIUC (Implementing Cisco IOS Unified Communications) exam which includes Call Manager Express, AIM-CUE and the voice components of the Unified Communications 500 Series. All not cheap!!

I did without the AIM-CUE and UC500, fortunately they were easy to remember from reading the Exam Guide and CBT Nuggets. For Call manager express on the otherhand, as it is router based I bought a couple of 2801's and a 1760 for my lab. I then tricked them out with some DSP/PVDMs, E1 VWICs, FXO & FXS ports and bought some Cisco Phones. Probably spent about £800/$1200.

It is probably possible to just use a single voice equipped 1751, 1760 or 2600XM and a couple of phones but I'm a hands on kind of guy so I liked to lab multiple a multiple CME installation with call routing/ dial plans between each router. Having three voice routers allowed me to use two to simulate two company "sites" and the third to simulate a PSTN Telco.

Again, I probably went way overboard on my lab - I think I need some professional help to recover from my ebay addiction!!

notgoing2fail · April 2010

mikem2te wrote: »

I did the 640-460 IIUC (Implementing Cisco IOS Unified Communications) exam which includes Call Manager Express, AIM-CUE and the voice components of the Unified Communications 500 Series. All not cheap!!

I did without the AIM-CUE and UC500, fortunately they were easy to remember from reading the Exam Guide and CBT Nuggets. For Call manager express on the otherhand, as it is router based I bought a couple of 2801's and a 1760 for my lab. I then tricked them out with some DSP/PVDMs, E1 VWICs, FXO & FXS ports and bought some Cisco Phones. Probably spent about £800/$1200.

It is probably possible to just use a single voice equipped 1751, 1760 or 2600XM and a couple of phones but I'm a hands on kind of guy so I liked to lab multiple a multiple CME installation with call routing/ dial plans between each router. Having three voice routers allowed me to use two to simulate two company "sites" and the third to simulate a PSTN Telco.

Again, I probably went way overboard on my lab - I think I need some professional help to recover from my ebay addiction!!

Good info thanks. I know exactly what you mean regarding eBay. This weekend wasn't very good on my wallet!!!

So are you looking to get CCNA:W before you jump onto CCNP?

mikem2te · April 2010

notgoing2fail wrote: »

Good info thanks. I know exactly what you mean regarding eBay. This weekend wasn't very good on my wallet!!!

So are you looking to get CCNA:W before you jump onto CCNP?

I thought about it but no. I did the CCNA:Voice because I really enjoy messing around with Voice, and the CCNA:S as I thought the CCNA is far far too light on security (firewalls etc). A lot of subjects on the CCNA:S are a good introduction to some subjects on the CCNP so I didn't consider it a waste of time studying that before the CCNP.

It would be nice to get the CCNA:S / V / W set but the lab requirements put me off - Wireless controllers, Cisco Mobility Express Wireless, Lightweight access point etc. With a voice lab it is possible to re use a lot of the equipment - I use one of my routers I bought for voice as my internet connection router and use it for outbound telephone calls. The other routers are in my CCNP lab. A Wireless lab on the other hand I would never use after the exam.

peanutnoggin · April 2010

mikem2te wrote: »

Having three voice routers allowed me to use two to simulate two company "sites" and the third to simulate a PSTN Telco.

Mike... how did you simulate a PSTN Telco with your third router? What did your configuration look like. Thanks.

~Peanut

blackninja · April 2010

I would certainly recommend the CCNA:S too.

. The lab is just the CCNA lab with the ADVSECURITY ios

. Very interesting too, and provides a start to CCNP topics.

Checkout CCNA Security Exam $20 Study Package

That's right, only $20 & it mirrors the Signal Train Videos, just in txt.

Well worth it, even if you are just slightly interested.

mikem2te · April 2010

peanutnoggin wrote: »

Mike... how did you simulate a PSTN Telco with your third router? What did your configuration look like. Thanks.

~Peanut

Depending on what I was playing around with at the time I either installed two FXS cards, two VWIC-1MFT-E1 cards of a mixture of both. I haven't got the config I used anymore but basically it was just plenty of pots dial-peers routing calls to the relevant destination port.

So for the E1 ports the relevant config looked something like-

isdn switch-type primary-qsig

controller E1 0/1/0
 clock source internal
 channel-group 20 timeslots 20-30
 pri-group timeslots 1-4,16

interface Serial0/1/0:15
 no ip address
 encapsulation hdlc
 isdn switch-type primary-qsig
 isdn incoming-voice voice
 isdn bchan-number-order ascending
 no cdp enable


dial-peer voice 400 pots
 destination-pattern 02920000...
 direct-inward-dial
 port 0/1/0:15
 forward-digits 3
 no sip-register

This dial peer would forward calls going to 02920000... down the E1 link to my "site" router. It would forward the last 3 digits down the link for DDI / Direct Inward Dial.

The FXS dial peer would be similar

dial-peer voice 930000001 pots
 preference 3
 destination-pattern 02920001000
 port 0/0/1

All calls to 02920001000 down the FXS port

steve514 · April 2010

Congrats on passing the CCNA exam. I understand where you are coming from. I personally took the next step after my CCNA and began work on my CCNP and then my CCSP. I would recommend you continue on to your CCNP if you desire a career in networking or have a passion for the Cisco networking world. The CCNP will touch all the important things you learned in the CCNA and build upon them greatly!

Another thing I find helps is to organize your notes and study materials into a quick reference guide with some definitions, config examples, etc.. to pull out now and then just to refresh yourself on what you've already learned. Mine have worked well for me.

CiskHo · April 2010

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

Have you thought about the Army??
I'm not in but it's just a suggestion.

How would that help him?? I must be missing something.... Inside joke?

mikem2te wrote: »

CCNP will reinforce all the CCNA topics which'll stop you forgetting it all.

Regarding retention of information, I find reading forums helps. I spend about half an hour a day looking through the CCNA, CCNA:V, CCNA:S and CCNP forums on this site and attempt to answer all the questions asked - if I don't know the anwser I will find the answer. It really helps keep you on form.

Agreed 1000%!

I keep moving forward with the studies, check forums, and occasionally run an old lab from previous studies. I found a good method for exam prep was to have my wife read me the end of chapter review questions and for each chapter that I got 100% correct she would take off a piece of clothing.... Probably shaved a couple weeks off of my study time and burned a few calories in the process

mikem2te wrote: »

I think I need some professional help to recover from my ebay addiction!!

Please pass along the # to your therapist if you find one. I am in need as well!

blackninja · April 2010

CiskHo wrote: »

I found a good method for exam prep was to have my wife read me the end of chapter review questions and for each chapter that I got 100% correct she would take off a piece of clothing.... Probably shaved a couple weeks off of my study time and burned a few calories in the process

My wife won't even come into my study, never mind read Cisco to me.

At the mention of anything computer/network related her eyes just glaze over

Yer Lucky b@s?@~d!

mikej412 · April 2010

10 Tips to keep your CCNA Knowledge current

1. Communication. If you communicate your knowledge, it's helps you to remember it. Try teaching a Cisco class to your cat or dog about one of the Cisco topics. Dogs are okay -- if you toss their name into your presentation they'll hang on your every word. But Cats are better -- if they don't get up and just walk away or go to sleep then you know you're doing good.

2. Spend more time on your preparation. Don't just jump into configuring your lab. Decide what you're going to "lab up" and why. Ask youself what you going to accomplish or demonstrate. Don't just jump in and wham bam configuration done.

3. It's not just about you. What configurations would make your routers and switches happy. Just because you passed the CCNA doesn't mean it's time to stop learning. Why don't you try out that hot little feature you've noticed in your IOS versions that you didn't need to know for the exam.

4. Try a new topology. Configuring the same old topology can get boring. It doesn't mean you have to change your physical cabling, but you may want to mix up your logical configurations.

5. Be spontaneous sometimes. Just jump in and configure a zone based firewall -- and then punch a VPN tunnel through it.

6. Do a quickie. Just jump in and do some quick topology labs on a topic. You've done 'em before and you'll do 'em again -- but these are your basic moves.

7. Spice things up. Maybe it's time to introduce a Juniper router or a CheckPoint firewall to your lab.

8. Make time for your lab. Schedule a "Lab Night" where you can be alone with your lab. The weekly reminder of the passion of your last Cisco Certification could encourage you to take your Lab & Certifications to the next level -- the CCNP.

9. Purchase merchandise and clothing items with the Cisco Logo. The Cisco portfolio you take notes in at work will be a constant reminder of the good times you spent in your Cisco Home Lab -- and get you through those boring meetings. And it may motivate you to get a job where you don't have to sit in meetings with suits -- maybe one where you spend your time configuring new and strange Cisco hardware.

10. When you're done with you lab for the night, don't just roll over and go to sleep. Reconfigure it back to you "standard configuration" -- the time you effort you put in now may be rewarded with more quickies (#6) in the future.

blackninja · April 2010

You've gotta love mikes, posting while under the influence

Still, it is good advice, LOL

notgoing2fail · April 2010

Excellent tips.

I expect to stick around the CCNA forum for the forseeable future. It makes perfect sense. People will always have questions and those questions will help to reassure what you know or what you forgot.

You're giving back by helping, but you're also helping yourself out too...

While studying for the CCNA exam, I played around with BPDU guard. That's covered in the CCNA but not to deep. There's still so much to know.

I like the idea of getting yourself ready to do a lab and ask WHY? What's the purpose? All good stuff....

mella060 · April 2010

The Routing TCP/IP books by Doyle are well worth a look. They may be aimed at someone going for a CCIE but really, a CCNA level person could nuke them. I am going through Volume 1 at the moment. Its good because you can forget about certification exams and just focus on learning the technology and expanding your knowledge.

mikedisd2 · April 2010

So was that 10 tips for CCNA or for improving my marriage?

How to keep CCNA topics interesting?

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