Blog over IP (BoIP)

Ivan Pepelnjak writes another good article on his blog on how to improve Cisco’s certification exams.

Fragments » Blog Archive » Writing good exam questions.

My opinion is to increase number of questions in the database and increase the number of simulator questions in each exam. Precise sim exercises would test both theory and configuration skills.

All candidates when starting the road to obtain their precious certification will get to a point when choosing between studying at home or going to class is necessary. While both aren’t exclusive as you could do with either, most of the studying will be based on one or the other. Both have their pro’s and con’s at it mainly relies on each candidate to choose on what suits them better.

I’m going to write on what made me choose class based instruction for my CCNP although this is applicable to any certification either Cisco or any other vendor’s, whether it’s a full course or a boot camp. I chose class based instruction the hard way; yes, my intentions were really good after passing my CCNA studying at home, using Cisco Press books and simulators (I then used just Boson simulator, now I’m all Dynamips/GNS3) and an odd time on my own 25xx routers and switches. It did take me longer then I had wanted but I eventually got there. This was September 2007.

Once I finished my CCNA I thought the next step was to go for the CCNP (at that moment being an Avaya Callcenter Tech made me want to go for their certifications, but changes at work made me change my mind, a tale for another day); so I ordered  Cisco Press’s CCNP Official Exam Certification Library from Amazon and started to read through the first exam, BSCI. Of course the BSCI is no CCNA and there is a change in depth an detail in what is required and needed to know. This alone can kill your motivation, specially when juggling with things at home, at work, etc.

If you get anyway as nearly as distracted as me from work issues than me you will know how hard it is to do 9 or 10 hours and when getting home not be able to pick up a book or anything that requires a minimal piece of concentration. This made me read on and off during 6 months, for just one exam…

All this made me wonder on whenever would I be able to get down on getting the CCNP. I new I wasn’t going to be able to do it on my own; not through lack of capabilities, but due to time conflicts, work, lazyness, etc. I chose a local Cisco Network Academy at a local university with formal recognition of credits for a Master’s degree. It has pretty good recognition locally, 400 hours in total with 50% on the lab (quite a bit more actually) and the timetable suited me brilliantly as it fits nicely with my work schedule (Friday afternoons/evenings and Saturday mornings). I started last October and so far so good, I’ve passed the BSCI, on now to the ISCW, with good confidence on my router configuration skills. It should take me till next September on actually finishing the CCNP but its fine with me.

Of course this comes with price tag that not everybody can pay, specially during recession where few employers are paying the course to their employees. I my opinion, having paid it out of my own pocket, its worth every euro-cent.

This is my own opinion and based on my experience and personal situation. Everybody has their own issues which makes this decision easier or harder. Generally there are a good list of “Pro’s and Con’s” which everybody should go over before deciding one or another.

Pro’s of Class based instruction

• Class rhythm and structure. Having a formal syllabus helps formalize a study plan it also helps pinpoint need-to-know’s; improving signal to noise ratio; both in what is really needed for the cert and what we could encounter on real-life issues. Good books would help for self-study but I’ve found books that still focus as much on SONA or IIN than on some details on IS-IS (or other) configuration. While there should be no problem on learning IIN the basics of technologies and protocols, in my opinion, should come first.
• Questions&Answers. Having an instructor near helps, it helps a lot. Firing questions at the teacher, not going home with doubts helps making things sink in correctly. Good instructors also react to the class, if something is not clear it is repeated in a different way until its clear. If studying at home with plenty of forums on the Internet such as NetPro or GroupStudy your questions can be answered. Maybe not immediately, but it should eventually; it really depends on how good you are on finding things out for yourself.
• Networking. The people networking. Going to class helps making contact to other people like you, in a similar situation; probably in similar jobs. This as a tremendous advantage for tomorrow when you might need a new job, or a provider, or a customer. Going through exams together or having a coffee at the vending machine creates bonds, believe me; and with no comparison on what you could find on a forum or chat.
• Schedule and Peer pressure. Having a schedule to go by  forces you to keep up to date with the classes, getting down to study. But also to keep up to the level of other classmates. Each person reacts to peer pressure differently, but it’s extra motivation to keep up to other students level.
• Labs. Real labs. Doing a good amount of hours on the rack helps sinking in the theory. This can be done with a real lab, remote lab or emulation (like Dynamips). But one difference of having a real rack in class based instruction is having up-to-date equipment, up-to-day IOS, doing your own cabling and patching, infinite number of topologies, and having cabling issues. Yes having cabling issues is GOOD, its real world. Having perfect cables in Dynamips or a rental rack is good enough for practice but feeling the racks whirl next to you and an ocasional link loss is much better.

Of course nothing’s perfect. Here comes the list of Con’s of going to class.

Con’s

• Price. All the benefits of the pro’s comes at a price. Sometimes hefty. If your lucky enough to have your employer pay for it excellent. Otherwise its time to dig in to your savings. With home-study you might be OK with a few books and Dynamips or rack rental for a fraction of the price.
• Time consumption. If you are already an expert in whats being told today you might find it being a bit of a waste of time. What might seem straightforward to you might be a nightmare to other classmates. This makes the class go on when you could be doing other things. So you must schedule for the full hours and this can be quite a lot taking in to account the time to and from the class. Finding a course that fits you well is necessary. With self-study you can program your study to your strengths and weaknesses but this requires self-observation that not everybody is good at.
• Flexibility. Having rigid classes or shecdules can have effects on your personal life and work. Make sure that on one side your other half fully supports you and on the other it fits in with your work schedule. If your job requires you to be on call or doing programmed work at night you might have a job fitting everything together and sleeping. If your jobs requires you to travel frequently you might be missing too many classes. This of course with self-study allows you to be more flexible and even fit in study time travelling.
• If you don’t have a job and you are looking for one, being tied up to a pricey course in a certain location can be and impediment to take on a new job in a different city. This is actually my case, as I’ve had quite a few phone calls for good jobs  in places that would make me cancel the course. So far I’m not taking the jump and patiently waiting for the course to finish. With self-study you can take your books with you wherever you might go.

What do you prefer in order to get your certs?

Another interesting piece of information by Ivan Pepelnjak on seing VRF configuration on routers. Usefull for your VRF’s or in my case MPLS customers VRF’s on the PEs…

Cisco IOS hints and tricks: Display all parts of a VRF configuration.

Very interesting article by CCIE To Be on using NAT for load balancing using destination.

CCIE TO BE: TCP Load Balancing, Destination NAT.

Enjoy

Ok, Ok, it’s been longer than I’d thought it would be, but I’m back to the blog.

Between being up to my eyes with other obligations and being a bit lazy, I havn’t been around or close to be feeling about updating the blog. But that should be ok now….

So whats new?

Well, I signed on to a Cisco Network Academy at a local university here in Valencia, Spain, in October. So far so good, lots of hours theory and lab sessions (total 400 hours 50% lab!!!). The lab is really helping, and generally having forked out money for the academy is making me stick to the studies.

So far completed the first semester which corresponds to BSCI. Done the Academy theory exam, passed no problem. Done the lab exam; although I don’t have the results yet I do think I pretty much ace’d it.

Thanks to the Academy I recently did the official BSCI exam at a VUE testing center, passed it with 933/1000 (not that the score means anything… ;-). I did also use Bryant Advantage CCNP stuff which I find helps in pin pointing specific key points.  For the theory I also used Cisco Press BSCI Study Guide and the Exam Certification Guide, reading both and complementing it all with Jeff Doyle’s “Routing TCP/IP Vol.1″

So I’m now just going to start classes today with the second semester, ISCW and looking forward to it.

By the way, up to now I have been working as Business Presales Engineer at a big MSO/ISP here in Spain, due to recession there have been general layoffs (ERE); although I wasn’t going to be affected I chose to be included voluntary. Here in Spain the layoffs are regulated with the unions and with the goverment so it generally includes good packages (pay and others) so I’ll be OK for quite a long time. This, will help me center on my CCNP studies which now I want to extend to a CCDP and a CCIP; depending on how long it takes me to find a new job.

So you might be thinking “What about the crisis and recession?” Well it doesn’t really bother me. Before I chose to leave my former employer, I have been in several job interviews and so far passed every stage. Apart from that, quite a few desperate phone calls from companies in other areas which are looking for professionals (during the Academy I really don’t want to relocate… once my ccnp is completed I will probably will…) so I really do think that for qualified, proactive workers there will always be a job. We”ll find out soon.

OK, I havn’t been as consistant as I’d like to.

Mainly due to over a year non stop at work, no vacation and plenty of stressful moments. I need to stop.

The next two weeks I’ll on vacation, on a trip to NYC. So until then there will probably be no more posts.

Regards

OK, I know I havn’t posted for a couple of days but I’m back now.

I’ve been pretty much centered on preparing my vacation to NYC so I’ve been more reading up on travel guides than multicasting…

Anyway, managed to get though BGP, route optimization IPv6 and multicasting over the las 4 days still using Chris Bryant’s study guide. I’m now doing a general overview on all the subjects and practicing on dynamips.

I really love Dynamips, just a pity that I’m seeing a limitation on my own PC, losing packets just with 4 routers set up due to slowness. I’ve got to get a solution to his somehow.

Anyway, still going for it. I should think I’ll probably stop for vacation on friday. I need it.

OK, been tied up at home (got to treat my GF as she deserves) so little BGPing.

I should finish off BGP, route maps and multicasting this weekend so I can starting getting more practice on dynamips

Either seen on twitter or on the RSS, interesting reads:

The use of IPerf/Jperf via 6200networks.com: http://6200networks.com/2008/07/28/tool-iperf/

And via packetlife.net using IPerf in seeing the difference between Shaping and Polincing: http://www.packetlife.net/blog/2008/jul/30/policing-versus-shaping/

And ramdomly via CableTechtalk a summary of reactions regarding the FCC ordering Comcat to quit P2P limitations:

http://www.cabletechtalk.com/cable-companies/comcast/2008/08/01/more-reactions-to-comcastbittorrent-decision/

And now for a laugh old but brilliant: http://www.groupstudy.com/archives/ccielab/200703/msg01365.html

This I cant get over as going for CCNP at now seems quite hard, let alone going for a CCIE in 30 days…

Yesterday I spent most of my time on IPv6 and NAT and started on BGP using the bryantadvantage study guide.

IPv6 seems straight forward enough, nothing too difficult. Just got to make sure I can cram all the address types and practice on the lab. I’ll go over it again using the Cisco Press stuff just to make sure though before goig to the exam.

BGP is a totally different subject though. I’m going really slow on it. Chris Bryant’s guide goes more into depth than the Cisco Press Certification Guide and I’m loving the ins and out of this protocol. I had seen quite a bit of it at work (an ISP) specially on the PE’s. Seen not implemented. I’m dying to get on it.

I’ll take a day more on BGP, I really want to nail the theoretical side of it. With so many attributes its quite daunting. So far, the basics up to peer groups, going through route reflectors. Tomorrow I’ll carry on with confederations.

I’m loving it.