Hardest CCNP topic?

I have so say, I really enjoyed learning more about EIGRP, it's so simple and straightforward ... OSPF in comparison is horrible.

What's the hardest topic when it comes to CCNP in your opinion, and why?

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mattau

its more just memorizing the whole thing, its a massive book covering so many different topics, i mean 3 routing protocols and knowing all of the ins and outs of ospf and BGP is a massive task. eigrp is simpler but i find it boring

i think for me the hardest bit has been branch office connectivity. I am not sure how much of the exam covers this topic but I just hate security stuff and have found the PPPoA PPPoE stuff very vague and as such ended up having to find other ways to study it which have led me into another whole area of study in it self to try and understand it.

Eildor

mattau wrote: »

PPPoA PPPoE stuff very vague and as such ended up having to find other ways to study it which have led me into another whole area of study in it self to try and understand it.

I have a similar issue with some topics... the OCG doesn't go into detail into what MPLS and Metro Ethernet actually is, yet it starts going on about MPLS VPN and Metro Ethernet neighbourships... and I'm thinking huh o.O I have no knowledge beyond CCNA. FLG seems to explain a bit more about MPLS (not sure about Metro Ethernet, haven't looked), will probably have to go back and read through it. I guess MPLS and Metro Ethernet aren't CCNP topics.

How does SWITCH compare to ROUTE? If the size of OCG and FLG is anything to go by it's about half the size of ROUTE.

pham0329

IPv6....just because I know I won't be working it with for a long while so I always gets bored every time I read about it.

Eildor

pham0329 wrote: »

IPv6....just because I know I won't be working it with for a long while so I always gets bored every time I read about it.

I forgot a lot of the IPv6 stuff that I learnt from CCNA... hard to retain information when you don't make use of it -- and it makes learning it that much more difficult.

vinbuck

Routing redistribution is one of the harder topics. Its very easy to get lost in multipoint redistribution especially if you're using several protocols.

Eildor

Honestly, OSPF (FLG) has put me off CCNP ...there's just too much information and I can't take all of it in, and if I do I'll forget it by next week. Not sure what to do

vinbuck

Eildor wrote: »

Honestly, OSPF (FLG) has put me off CCNP ...there's just too much information and I can't take all of it in, and if I do I'll forget it by next week. Not sure what to do

You've just hit upon the biggest difference when going from the ccna to the ccnp. Studying for the ccnp forces you to to dig into the protocol to understand why it works. Labbing is the key to comprehension - don't get frustrated if you don't understand what's happening in the lab at first. Repetition will lead to comprehension. To be perfectly honest you will learn more by taking it a little slower - you'll also retain more.

mattau

very true. I have absolutely no idea why they are talking about mpls and metro ethernet in the routing protocols sections. I basically just ignored that bit

Eildor

vinbuck wrote: »

You've just hit upon the biggest difference when going from the ccna to the ccnp. Studying for the ccnp forces you to to dig into the protocol to understand why it works. Labbing is the key to comprehension - don't get frustrated if you don't understand what's happening in the lab at first. Repetition will lead to comprehension. To be perfectly honest you will learn more by taking it a little slower - you'll also retain more.

I think my problem is that I was kind of aiming to complete ROUTE within a month ...guess I need to reassess my goals and study schedule!

nicklauscombs

having sat both the BSCI and ROUTE exam.... sure they cut out IS-IS but whew did they go a lot deeper with OSPF knowledge.

mattau

Eildor wrote: »

I think my problem is that I was kind of aiming to complete ROUTE within a month ...guess I need to reassess my goals and study schedule!

I dont know how people think they can pass this beast in 1 month, I mean ive been studying route for 6 months and am giving myself 1 year to just finish up on route where I feel I am able to attempt to have a go at the exam and the full 3 years to finish CCNP. If you are lucky enough to have a job working with networks daily then it might not take as long but I always look at it in a way that the longer you spend on a subject the bigger winner you will be. Its one thing to pass an exam but to have the knowledge stay with you is another.

Eildor

mattau wrote: »

I dont know how people think they can pass this beast in 1 month, I mean ive been studying route for 6 months and am giving myself 1 year to just finish up on route where I feel I am able to attempt to have a go at the exam and the full 3 years to finish CCNP. If you are lucky enough to have a job working with networks daily then it might not take as long but I always look at it in a way that the longer you spend on a subject the bigger winner you will be. Its one thing to pass an exam but to have the knowledge stay with you is another.

I think a month is quite reasonable for me, but I do have a lot of time on my hands. I can't see ROUTE taking me beyond 2 months unless university gets in the way or I just slack -- but yeah, that's just passing the exam. I slacked a lot when it came to CCNA, and I ended up having to go back and forth relearning things, I don't want the same thing to happen with CCNP because that'd just be crazy.

thedrama

vinbuck wrote: »

You've just hit upon the biggest difference when going from the ccna to the ccnp. Studying for the ccnp forces you to to dig into the protocol to understand why it works. Labbing is the key to comprehension - don't get frustrated if you don't understand what's happening in the lab at first. Repetition will lead to comprehension. To be perfectly honest you will learn more by taking it a little slower - you'll also retain more.

Sure? OSPF seems like a very hard topic in CCNP compared to its simplicity on CCNA level. As a CCNA since a year also repetition the CCNA topics two or three times , i wanna take a step further through CCNP but its rather complicated. I can't find where to hit the dagger. I aim to pass at least CCNP Route exam in order to recertificate as well as learning about networking in deep. Though, its choking me from now.

Ryan82

For me its the topics that I gain no exposure to through work. Multicast, IPv6, and ISIS seemed difficult at the time, but after dealing with them at work are not that difficult.

I recommend trying to use a different resource if you are having problems digesting a particular topic such as OSPF. Routing TCP/IP vol. 1 for instance is an excellent text that clearly and thoroughly explains all of the IGP's. It probably goes a little more in depth than you need for the CCNP, but it never hurts to learn a little extra.

Lastly, don't forget about RFC's. The reading can sometimes be dry but they are an excellent resource, and completely free.

shodown

OSPF, BGP were the hardest, but then when I got a job that used them on a daily basis in my designs it became fairly easy as I got to see them in action not just a lab view.

nethacker

shodown wrote: »

OSPF, BGP were the hardest, but then when I got a job that used them on a daily basis in my designs it became fairly easy as I got to see them in action not just a lab view.

ipv6 is just my allergy

Eildor

After spending a few days reading, watching videos, and doing some labs I now feel a lot better about OSPF.

Yahel

After passing mine ccna I started preparing for the ccnp route ( without any job experience ), did fine with eigrp, ospf too ( even tought its much harder to master than eigrp )... and I decided to make a break, because its was too much compared to ccna...
Unfortunately that "break" is for over 4 months

and its kinda hard to get back to this... so I will try ccna security

lrb

Understanding all the quirks with the route redistribution I thought was probably the hardest, but definately one of the most interesting!

instant000

Eildor wrote: »

I have so say, I really enjoyed learning more about EIGRP, it's so simple and straightforward ... OSPF in comparison is horrible.

What's the hardest topic when it comes to CCNP in your opinion, and why?

Honestly? Putting in the time, day after day is the hardest part. It's just like anything else you want to get good at. If you want to get in shape, you exercise. If you want to shoot the basketball better, you practice shooting. If you want to run faster, you run. If you want to get better at math, you do math problems. If you want to play the piano better, you hit the keys. If you want to make interest on your savings, you invest.

If you're playing a part in a movie, you study your lines and have rehearsals. And if you want to get better at Cisco, you study theory and rehearse at the CLI.

It's not as simple as saying one topic is harder than another. Putting in the time consistently is what it really takes. Hopefully this is a different perspective.

Hope this helps.

Eildor

Thank you all for your advice

I decided to take CCNP a bit slower (well, I guess I was kind of forced to). I now read a chapter from FLG, read the relevant chapters from OCG, watch videos, and then do the labs ...I find that doing it this way -although takes longer- helps me get my around around things.

Shanman

Eildor wrote: »

Thank you all for your advice

I decided to take CCNP a bit slower (well, I guess I was kind of forced to). I now read a chapter from FLG, read the relevant chapters from OCG, watch videos, and then do the labs ...I find that doing it this way -although takes longer- helps me get my around around things.

I have just came to the conclusion that I should buy both FLG and OCG. I like your approach.

I am still in the processes of gathering materials for my CCNP. I have the equipment but not the books or videos yet. I have been reading network warrior by recommendation from here. This book is great! I have not officially started my ccnp track yet because I want to finish my degree off first(spring 2012) I also have a 2 year and newborn at home.

Good luck with your studies.

Eildor

Shanman wrote: »

I have just came to the conclusion that I should buy both FLG and OCG. I like your approach.

I am still in the processes of gathering materials for my CCNP. I have the equipment but not the books or videos yet. I have been reading network warrior by recommendation from here. This book is great! I have not officially started my ccnp track yet because I want to finish my degree off first(spring 2012) I also have a 2 year and newborn at home.

Good luck with your studies.

Cheers mate.

Definitely add some video material into your study, it really helps when trying to get your head around new concepts. If you can get something like CBT Nuggets then what you could do is watch the videos and get a basic idea of what's going on, and then read the material to get all the details -- I find that doing it this way makes it easier to understand the text.

Shanman

Eildor wrote: »

Cheers mate.

Definitely add some video material into your study, it really helps when trying to get your head around new concepts. If you can get something like CBT Nuggets then what you could do is watch the videos and get a basic idea of what's going on, and then read the material to get all the details -- I find that doing it this way makes it easier to understand the text.

Thank you, I have looked at the CBT Nuggets but I have also checked into INE. It seems their course is a little bit cheaper and I have heard very good reviews from people that have used their courses for CCIE and CCNP.

Eildor

Shanman wrote: »

Thank you, I have looked at the CBT Nuggets but I have also checked into INE. It seems their course is a little bit cheaper and I have heard very good reviews from people that have used their courses for CCIE and CCNP.

INE is not as entertaining as CBT Nuggets, but does go into more detail.

Shanman

Eildor wrote: »

INE is not as entertaining as CBT Nuggets, but does go into more detail.

I like details, I am a dork...

mattau

INE is far from boring and when it comes to learning IMO, the detail is fantastic. Ive been through both and whilst cbt is decent for CCNA level I feel as thought it doesnt cut it for NP. But I can see the attraction people take to jeremy.

jovan88

in the old BSCI days it was multicast that was a real pain

Eildor

mattau wrote: »

INE is far from boring and when it comes to learning IMO, the detail is fantastic. Ive been through both and whilst cbt is decent for CCNA level I feel as thought it doesnt cut it for NP. But I can see the attraction people take to jeremy.

Agreed, CBT isn't good for detail, but that's what books are for. I would only use CBT to get a basic overview on what's going on... but at £615 or whatever for the CCNP series, thanks, but no thanks... But you do find some decent videos on YouTube which can help with studies.

Ryuksapple84

mattau wrote: »

very true. I have absolutely no idea why they are talking about mpls and metro ethernet in the routing protocols sections. I basically just ignored that bit

MPLS is not on that exam. It is covered on the CCNP Provider exam.