Ccda/p

Have you guys found that the CCDA/P is worth it (in terms if employer recognition)? I have seen more CCDA/P posting than any of the other Pro levels excluding CCNP. I wonder if that is because CCDA/P is older than the other pro levels. Is network design something that Joe Network Engineer needs to know (at the CCDP level) or is it something more in line with IT Managers/Sales . I have read several post about the CCDA/P and I have seen mixed thoughts on it.

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ciscog33k

knwminus wrote: »

Have you guys found that the CCDA/P is worth it (in terms if employer recognition)? I have seen more CCDA/P posting than any of the other Pro levels excluding CCNP. I wonder if that is because CCDA/P is older than the other pro levels. Is network design something that Joe Network Engineer needs to know (at the CCDP level) or is it something more in line with IT Managers/Sales . I have read several post about the CCDA/P and I have seen mixed thoughts on it.

I can't speak to desirability, but the fact that it requires only 2 more exams for a second certification is certainly the reason it's so common vs certs like the ccvp and sp which require 5 exams each. I would think that being aware of design issues and best practices certainly has value.

Bl8ckr0uter

ciscog33k wrote: »

I can't speak to desirability, but the fact that it requires only 2 more exams for a second certification is certainly the reason it's so common vs certs like the ccvp and sp which require 5 exams each. I would think that being aware of design issues and best practices certainly has value.

your probably right. After Security+ and LPIC-1 I will do the CCDA in route to the CCNP.

ciscog33k

I was gonna do the VP after my NP but I skimmed through a pdf of the DP book and it looked pretty useful... DA, less so. I'm gonna crank out the DP before I start on the longer path to the VP.

Forsaken_GA

the problem is that the cisco design track isn't a big collection of best practices, it's the gospel according to Cisco. Alot of it is 'well duh' stuff that you'll pickup learning CCNP material. Most of the rest of it is cheerleading for Cisco solutions, and some of the things they recommend I would never do on a live network unless management said 'do this or you're fired'. In particular, I find Cisco load balancing and firewall solutions to be.... inadequate. Most of the folks I've found cheerleading that kind of stuff have never heard of companies like Fortinet or Arbor

Bl8ckr0uter

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

the problem is that the cisco design track isn't a big collection of best practices, it's the gospel according to Cisco. Alot of it is 'well duh' stuff that you'll pickup learning CCNP material. Most of the rest of it is cheerleading for Cisco solutions, and some of the things they recommend I would never do on a live network unless management said 'do this or you're fired'. In particular, I find Cisco load balancing and firewall solutions to be.... inadequate. Most of the folks I've found cheerleading that kind of stuff have never heard of companies like Fortinet or Arbor

I have seen more Fortinet firewalls then ASA/Pixs. The firewall admin at my last job (one of the largest cisco partners in the midwest) said that the fortinet boxes were better.

ciscog33k

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

the problem is that the cisco design track isn't a big collection of best practices, it's the gospel according to Cisco. Alot of it is 'well duh' stuff that you'll pickup learning CCNP material. Most of the rest of it is cheerleading for Cisco solutions, and some of the things they recommend I would never do on a live network unless management said 'do this or you're fired'. In particular, I find Cisco load balancing and firewall solutions to be.... inadequate. Most of the folks I've found cheerleading that kind of stuff have never heard of companies like Fortinet or Arbor

Hmmm. Do you find the cert to have any value? What would you recommend instead? I basically just skimmed through the ToC. Btw I'll be focusing my job search on cisco partners...

Forsaken_GA

ciscog33k wrote: »

Hmmm. Do you find the cert to have any value? What would you recommend instead? I basically just skimmed through the ToC. Btw I'll be focusing my job search on cisco partners...

Well, value is up to the person reviewing your resume. Since I wasn't job hunting when I did the Design track, I personally feel like I made a mistake in pursuing it when I did, it was something I should have left until later in my career, and I should have pursued certifications that were more operationally relevant.

I got sucked in by the 'two more exams, two more certs!' mentality. The Design stuff certainly can't hurt, but if you're going to pursue it, I'd advise making sure that there isn't something more worthwhile you could be studying for in the meantime.

Forsaken_GA

knwminus wrote: »

I have seen more Fortinet firewalls then ASA/Pixs. The firewall admin at my last job (one of the largest cisco partners in the midwest) said that the fortinet boxes were better.

I've seen entirely too many PIX's.

The ASA's are alright, and I like them better than Netscreen's, but Fortinets are just badass little boxes

I'm not fond of the firewall service modules for the modular switches like the 6500 that the design track likes to pimp. Same goes with the load balancer modules, and the standalone CSS's. I also find the fact that they entirely omitted the concept of DSR load balancing to be amusing