Time to restart CCNP!!

Where the hell has the best part of 3 years gone!!

Oh that would be it two new jobs and a child! but I find myself in the position of needing to get my next CCNP exam by March or losing all my certs!

So after a number of false starts I am back to the start, tonight was Chapter 1 of the Foundation learning guide, so only 7 more to go

.

I have planned one chapter a week including all LAB's from cisco and CBT and test exams. but hopefully I can get through it quicker than that. I really want to get it done as a Christmas present to my self.

The thing I am finding so hard is I use a lot if it in my job, and find it hard going to read 50-100 pages of stuff that I know to get the one or two vital bits that will get me though the exam. But yes plan is 8 weeks study + 2 week review before the exam so if i do fail I have a chance to retake before march.

No more forking of networking for other projects at work, no more Lync, Vmware, Citrix, backup or other side project. They will just have to wait. Complete CCNP followed by Prince 2 and then CCNP security or wireles (maybe both) are the goals for the next year.

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AwesomeGarrett

Get it done, boom!

Dieg0M

Good luck and congrats on the new child!

snadam

Just wanted to chime in and wish you good luck Devil. I will enjoy following your progress, and I am planning on starting my CCNP studies very soon. Congrats on the child! I recently became a dad as well, so we will see how a baby effects studying in January!

DevilWAH

As is typical I have spent the last few days in bed sick, which has slightly blown my sechdual. But still need to get EIGRP finished before the week is out. I am trying to read the chapter, do the Labs and create a series of flash cards as i go.

Cheers for the good wishes and good luck to every one else starting out on it to.

DevilWAH

Well finally got through the first 2 chapter. So that EIGRP done..

family has been in bed with stomach bugs and colds so not moved as fast as I wanted, but that's 200 out of 900 pages gone so far, notes and 40 flash cards prepared and 4 labs completed so could be a lot worse.

next its on to OSPF (125 pages) try to get that completed by mid next week so I can get on with Chapters 4 and 5 by next Friday so i have caught up.

Some how I have lost nearly 2 weeks not one, but still on track to have it all reviewed by end of December and ready to attempt either late this early or very early next.

DevilWAH

Ok and that's OSPF chapter read. Tonight is writing up flash cards before moving on to routing updates and path control.

Been using Anki flash cards software for a while now, easy to use and my preferred way to write up my notes, means I can go through them from anywhere if I have a bit of time to spare.

Hitting 40 - 50 pages a evening so should have the foundation guide done by end of November at the very latest with all motes written up. Then I have decided to save up the labing for a monster 1 - 2 week session. Then a week or two to brush up on any weak points and run through a video series.

My boson test exam for the EIGRP section was in the low 80% so needs brushing up, but at least in the right area.

Nice to be back focused on study again, and getting through it at a decent rate. Hope every one else is staying on track and having fun.

DevilWAH

OK so a quick update, last week been a bit slow for reading. However I did watch the entire CBT nuggets series for QOS, and redesigned the OSPF implementation on works network (dam i'd like to meet the guy who was here before me he never seemed to remove any old config!!). Managed to extend the backbone over another 4 devices that had been set up with tons of static routes. No down time, and no network impact so been playing with routing a bit even if not studying.

But I have got through Chapter 4 also and passed the 90 flashcard mark for revision. Going to try to get "implementing path control read by Friday, only about 50 pages so should not be an issue. Then its on to BGP, which seeing as I am getting our second link to site in the next few months I really need to get up to speed on.

Having lots of projects coming along where I can refresh my memory and apply new knowledge to, I have to say is nice for keeping focused.

ande0255

I've been big time slacking on the studies with my new VoIP job starting on Monday, I am hoping that the network engineer I will be working with will show me a lot about the clients networks to kick start and reinforce my future studies going forward with the ROUTE exam.

Good luck keeping the momentum! Seems like the smallest hiccup in momentum in studying can completely bring it to a halt!

DevilWAH

I get distracted so easily. I have a big list of "fun" things to get on with on my job. Shiny new 6500's, a whole building to kit out with 100 access points and wired switches. Site infrastructure, QOS to branch sites, new internet links, etc, etc..

Having to be really strict and remind me self, work is for work and right now I leave the projects at work and study at home. Only playing with projects after I have read 50+ pages of text book and typed up the notes/flashcards.

DevilWAH

OK so still reading, JUST! Only got IPv6 to go now Surprising in the foundation guide its one that has most pages dedicated to it (200 in all). My new study method is to setch out lots of ideas as I go though the book to try to embed the ideas.

Still aiming to get the book finished and all the lab work done before Christmas. Hope every one else currently studying is progressing nicely.

fredrikjj

DevilWAH wrote: »

Only got IPv6 to go now. Surprising in the foundation guide its one that has most pages dedicated to it (200 in all)..

It's 15% of the exam which makes it the third biggest topic, after OSPF and EIGRP (25% each). Also, don't be intimidated by its size since a lot of it is configuration examples for the IPv6 routing protocols, and most of that is self-explanatory if you know the IPv4 versions.

DevilWAH

IPv6 is going to be a fun one, I already had a /48 range and I meant to be implementing them as part of a generally network upgrade. I really like how the IPv6 standard works, especially with the auto assignment model. Just need to get some hands on with it in anger to drill the ideas home.

RouteMyPacket

What do you do for work on a daily basis? R/S?

If so, this should consist of some brief reading/labbing and wham bam thank you ma'am!

elderkai

Really enjoying following your thread.

I bought CCNP Simplified and also ccnpguide's exam guides. I'm going to be reading no less than 2-3 sections a day while taking notes and at least 2 labs a week. This will keep it easy enough for me to stay consistent, which is my issue. I could read 50 pages one day and then not any for two weeks!

I'm planning to be ready my mid January for ROUTE. I thought about doing my own flashcards like you(and have before), but CCNP Guide came with flashcards so I think I'll just use them and focus more on notes.

Also, best of luck!!

DevilWAH

RouteMyPacket wrote: »

What do you do for work on a daily basis? R/S?

If so, this should consist of some brief reading/labbing and wham bam thank you ma'am!

Umm mostly spend money on lots of nice new network projects and site developments, I look after and develop the network for a £250million site development at the moment. From basic routing and switching through Voice and Security. So far nothing in the CCNP has been something I haven't implemented on a live network. My issue is never the understanding, I always fall down on the

to clear the OSPF process for a specific neighbour the correct command is

A. #clear ip ospf neighbour x.x.x.x
B. #clear ospf neighbour x.x.x.x
C. #Clear neighbour ip ospf x.x.x.x
D. #Clear neighbour osfp x.x.x.x

my method in the real world is to do #clear ip ospf ... hit ? and go from there. I hate the questions that you need to remember the specifics I am a work it out as you go. I know the basic structure of the commands and configuration but getting the exact facts straight for rapid recall is always the issue.

DevilWAH

YAY finally finished reading that Dam book! Now I have to finish my flash cards and have the Lab book to go through. I don't normally use predefined Labs but thought I would try it out this time. Labs are split in to the same 8 chapters of the book and have 3-6 labs each sections.

Fingers crossed I can get through a section every 1-2 days so aim is to complete them by Christmas. Then hopefully a test exam will not throw up to many weak areas and I can spend January ironing them out.

*BB*

My eyes cross everytime I look at that book lol.

Mike-Mike

snadam wrote: »

Just wanted to chime in and wish you good luck Devil.

you don't hear that everyday...

DevilWAH

OK got a bit behind. Wife had to go in to hospital for an OP over Christmas but is now recovering nicely. Still found some time to work though the Labs though, only on to Lab 10 but considering all the other stuff going on that's still not to bad. There is about 35 in all and actually I quite like to format.

What I have also stated using is the snapshot feature in GNS3, really useful, I generally take a snap shot of the topology, basic config and then completed LAB, so if I want to go back I can just jump straight in.

at the end of each chapter of the Labs I have been taking a test for that section and quite happy with the results. Got test booked for February time and a dead line of March! I have been wondering where the last 3 years went, then I remember I have had a Kid, moved house, moved Job, promotion and dealt with more projects than I care to think about..

Aiming for 3+ labs a day from now on to give me 2 weeks or so to iron out issues before test.

DevilWAH

OK so as its going Should have Labs finished by the 21st, so 2 weeks to go though notes / quick reference and a few test.

One thing I was struggling with was the LSA types, I got the general idea but actually what each did was bugging me. What I relised was I was trying it with out setting Specific Router ID's, so when showing output getting confused between ip address in updates and router IP's.

In the end I found the simple ways as usual are the best. 3 routers in a row, using 192.168.0.1/24 between R1 and R2, 172.16.0.1/24 between R2 and R3, and then a 10.0.0.1/24 loopback on R3. R1 - R2 = area 0, R2 - R3 = Area 1 and the 10.0.0.1 loopback is my external route redistributed in to OSPF. R1 has ID of 1.1.1.1, R2 2.2.2.2 and R3 3.3.3.3.

nice basic set up and then using the following command from R1 its easy to see what information each LSA type contains and to rebuild the network logically from these outputs, as well as see why all 5 are required to advertise the various network.

LSA Type 1: #show ip ospf database router
LSA Type 2: #show ip osfp database network
LSA Type 3: #Show ip ospf database summary
LSA Type 4: #show ip ospf database asbr-summary
LSA Type 5: #Show IP ospf database external

This was one of them annoying things that made sense but just didn't quite click and I was going to have to simple remember, now though I can forget about it as its just common sense

DevilWAH

OK so all CCNP Route network academy Labs complete

So that's

1 X foundation guide
1 X cert Guide
1 X CBT nugget video series
32 X Labs
1 X CCNP Quick Refrence

+ various reference material on lines and a few of the INE videos..

Now a few weeks of going over the bits I am still a little fuzzy on and its on to the test

DevilWAH

Well if the pass mark is 790 and you get 790 exactly then I'll take it.

Next time I will not wait till a few months before the expiry of my certs to start studying.

Promised wife a few weeks of and them it's on with Trouble SHOOT.

Cheers for al the encourgment, I suggest foundation guide, labs, certflash cards on line, and the quick refrences pdf to skim over at the end.

fredrikjj

Congrats. Harder than the switch exam?

Danielh22185

Congrats man! I'm sitting for mine on Saturday!

shyguyIT

Congrats!

DevilWAH

Cheers.

I was surprised to pass as 3 out of the 5 simulations I was not able to complete. Really strange issues like the topology diagram showing to adjacent interfaces connected and assigned an IP. the show command showing the interface as up and the IP address looking correct. But not able to ping between them? The "ip address ....." was disabled as well as many others. The rest of the configuration was as you would expect and around policy based routing. So nothing suggested you where expected to configure the interfaces and no matter what I looked at I cold not see how to get the interfaces talking.

Another one was similar in that the command I would have used where disabled in the simulation. All I can image is they where trying to push you to a specific solution so you really need to know the technologies inside and out.

I was really only studying for 2 months and during part of that time my wife was in hospital, that's not an excuse for my lowish score, but you really do need to understand what you are doing. Simply reading the books is not going to cut it. Lots of labbing and playing around and learning not only the configuration commands but just as important the Show and debug. I found the questions that asked about configuring it where easy. but the ones showing examples of an output and asking you what it means is where i struggled.

Harder than switch?? I not sure I was a LAyer 2 engineer when i did SWITCH so that was my daily bread and butter, where as Route especially OSPF and BGP where more of an unknown. Always the same, if you know it then its easy, if you don't its not

I think the test exams on CBT nuggets are quite accurate if you have access to them. Either have a very good memory, or good understanding of the topics, but your not going to pass just by reading the Foundation guide.

johnwest43

Congrats on the Pass!