My Journey for Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (640-553 IINS) [note: required for CCNA:Security]
I PASSED!!!!!!!
Boom shaka-laka!
See update here:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-security/67710-my-journey-implementing-cisco-ios-network-security-640-553-iins-ccna-security.html#post548399
Initial Update:
Certification: Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (640-553 IINS) [note: required for CCNA:Security]
008.33% - Overall Preparation
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050.00% - Reading
000.00% - Carding
000.00% - Labbing
000.00% - Studying
000.00% - Practicing
000.00% - Confidence
Today's Update:
Reading - I'm on chapter 8, approximately halfway through the study guide. I also went to cisco.com, to look over the exam objectives, to see if they'd changed. According to the site, they were last updated on December 2009 ... just making sure, don't want to get blindsided.
Carding - N/A
Labbing - N/A
Studying - N/A
Practicing - N/A
Confidence - I feel that if I took this exam today, I would undoubtedly fail it, as there is so much SDM in the objectives, and when I look at SDM, I think back to the PDM that I hated so much back in the day. I remember being overjoyed to discover that the Pix firewall indeed had a CLI -- which turned into over-disappointment when I realized that I had to use different commands than regular IOS.
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Header Explanations (this will only be done for this initial posting
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<insertword> Update:
Which update I'm on. I like to use first, second, third, etc. Hopefully, I clear the exam before the thirtieth update!
Certification: <title>
Title of certification I'm working on
Overall Preparation:
1. Basically, a mathematical average of the numbers in 1-6.
2. If it's anything like my past updates in my CCNA post, expect me to get a few of these wrong, and have to recalculate after the fact.
Reading (of preparation text):
1. CCNA Security Study Guide, by Tim Boyles, 2010, ISDN: 978-0-470-52767-2
2.
Cisco Systems, Inc (I want to go here for any clarifications)
3.
Welcome to The TCP/IP Guide! (Great free resource, plan to use this, as required)
Carding (Making the flash cards):
1. Will use Cuecard software, and/or index cards, depends on how tired I am of looking at computer screens that day.
2. Want to focus on exam objectives, not making a card for every other sentence just about, like I was on the CCNA.
Labbing (Doing the labs)
1. Labs in the text above.
2. No other labs.
3. Focusing on exam objectives, not on doing a million different configurations.
4. Goal is to do at least four or five sweeps through the labs (hope this doesn't bore me too much, and I learn something from it).
5. Lab EQ: SDM/GNS3.
6. Most of the objectives can be completed on a single SDM-supporting router
7. You could do "half" the VPN configuration, but that would be kind of defeating the purpose of the learning exercise.
Studying (Studying the flash cards and reviewing labs)
1. Review the flash cards
2. Review labs
Practice (Taking Practice Tests in the text):
1. Taking practice tests in the text, review questions, etc.
2. Want to wait until I'm near 80% level on confidence before I go at these.
3. After taking one, I want to reassess my weak points, then study/lab up on those, before attempting the next practice test.
4. This gives me the greatest chance of mimicing the results of an actual exam where I only get to see it once, though I doubt it will be as good as the Cisco exam.
Confidence (How confident I am in being able to pass this exam, if I took it today.)
1. CCNA:Security (640-553) has 31 objectives
2. CCNA (640-802) has 76 objectives
3. Just by counting the objectives, I can breathe a little easier, LOL.
4. Anecdotal notes from others -- on this forum: "Easier than Security+", "easier than CCNA", or a coworker: "Not very technical" -- help to increase my confidence level a little bit.
5. I was able to pass 640-802, so that gives me some measure of confidence.
