Progress Update – 21 September

Just wanted to update you all on my progress, recently I’ve been knee deep in IGP’s, having lots of fun playing with everything from EIGRP stub networks to OSPF Network Types and the joys of OSPF over NBMA networks. Currently I’m still busy with BGP and will be for the next two days. Chapters that I’ve completed recently include:

Chapter 7 – RIP Version 2

Chapter 8 – EIGRP

Chapter 9 – OSPF

Chapter 10 – IGP Route Redistribution, Route Summarization, and Default Routing

As I’ve been reviewing each topic, I’ve been reading the oecg chapters as well as my CCNP books. Its funny how basic some CCNP topics now seem, for example the BGP coverage on the CCNP exams is really sparse.

I’ll leave you all with a rather amusing post I saw on www.ccietalk.com (Original Found on Group Study), just goes to show how “easy” some people think networking really is…

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Subject: Another New One
From: “Hiriam Masheed Nuwalla MCSE+I” <gs@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 08:52:55 -0600
Hi Group,

I just complete my MCSE+I and now I have need for CCIE. I have joined group
because I must have CCIE in 30 days, maybe I can wait for 45 days, but no
longer. I want to finish before May starts, for I have futbol league to play
in then. If I get the CCIE in 30 days, then maybe I try for a second in the
next 15 days. I need to get CCIE so I can make a bigger money. I hear this is
a good group for to join.

The MCSE have many more tests so I think CCIE may not be as difficult as I
hear. One day I pass two exams, one right after another for the MCSE. This is
also “Expert” level certification, just like CCIE. Some people may not know
this, but a Windows server can be setup like a router. I have done this many
times. I have very high IQ and can study sometimes 2 – 4 hours without a
break.

I see a question about a subnet mask. Is it necessary to know the subnets
other than a 255.255.255.0? I have set these networks up many times, and am
almost an expert with them. One time there were 4 of these networks all
working through a windows box, and I did this in less than 2 hours, and this
include time it take to reboot servers.

I have bought a router on ebay for to help study with. I want to use web
browser for to configure this router, but I cannot seem to get it to come up.
I use the telnet program (From a Windows Server to log into this router but
all there is a command line. It look almost like an old DOS program. I hope
Cisco does not still emulate DOS when Windows has been around many years. This
could a big mistake for them.

If anyone need help on setting routers, let me know. I will be willing to
help. Also, it seems Cisco allow test taker to look at website during CCIE
exam. In the MCSE program there is no help available. You must not look at any
material while taking exam. I think it should be fun to have a book open
exam.

Do you think I should get a Voice CCIE, or a Security CCIE for the second CCIE
I get. I am not familiar with the differences between them? I did recently set
up Security for Microsoft Vista, so maybe Security should be the way to go.

Also I want to say to Darby. You seem like a nice man (i hope you are man, not
woman. if so i apologize). You should try for to relax a little more and take
care of your health. If you can’t get CCIE this week, you will be able to get
it next week. I know sometimes you get in a hurry, but your health is more
important than passing exam this week. Just make up study on the weekend and
take exam the following week. You should trust yourself more and not spend so
much money on instructions. Do you have relationship with your instructor? You
seem very close.

One more question. What does HTH mean?

HTH,

Hiriam

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Well its back to studying some BGP before bed, few more weeks and Ill be ready for the written!!!

5 Networking Links I’ve viewed Lately

Hi guys, Just a quick post before I get back to studying the “Redistribution” chapter in the OECG. (Yes I’ve completed all the IGP’s!). I thought I’d share 5 sites that I’ve visited lately and that I think might interest many of you…

1.Hacki.at – A great forum focused on Dynamips, Dynagen and Cisco Device Emulation

2.Packetlife – Excellent site created by a fellow networker working towards his CCIE. Take a look at his excellent Cheat Sheets and the vast collection of Packet Captures.

3.InternetworkExpert Blog – Packed full of great tutorials, I often visit this site when I need to find a clear, easy to understand example of a technology in action.

4.Cisco IOS Server Load Balancing – Did you know your router can perform basic Server Load Balancing without adding any extra content switching modules? Cisco has done a nice job at providing lots of relevant examples in this paper.

5.OSPF Sham-Link Support for MPLS VPN – What can I say, no list would be complete without a hint of Service Provider coolness. This Cisco Feature Guide, does an excellent job of explaining the concept of OSPF Sham Links and why they might be required in MPLS VPN configurations.

Progress Update – 14 September

Just a quick post to update you all on my progress over the last few days, so far I have completed the following chapters in the OECG:

Chapter 1 – Ethernet Basics
Chapter 2 – Virtual LANs and VLAN Trunking
Chapter 3 – Spanning Tree Protocol
Chapter 4 – IP Addressing
Chapter 5 – IP Services
Chapter 6 – IP Forwarding (Routing)

Chapter 15 – Frame Relay
Chapter 18 – Security

I’m pleased with my progress, as well as how nicely my study notes are developing. Today Ill be starting RIPv2, I’m glad I’m finally on the routing section of this book, its taken awhile to get to this point. Of the routing protocols covered on the CCIE exams, I’m most concerned about OSPF and probably least concerned about BGP as I have quite a bit of experience with it. If I can get my OSPF to a point where I’m really comfortable with it (on NBMA implementations and all the little nuances), then my next big challenges would be FRTS & Multicast. I must say Im quite impressed with the OECG’s coverage of MPLS, this is a technology I’m really comfortable with so lets hope there’s a few nice MPLS questions on the written!

Working towards your CCIE is just like anything else in life, I believe its about consistently making progress and doing a little bit each day. If I can keep up my current pace, I’ll be able to reach the lab in no time. I’m learning a lot, having fun and getting to revisit some cool technologies I haven’t played with in a while, in short… I’m really enjoying working towards my CCIE. I realized this yet again when I was looking over some configuration files for a large ISP’s routers and switches the other day and understood every command and exactly what each device was doing. I’ve made a lot of progress, I just hope to keep learning more.

As for now, its time to start with RIPv2!

Progress Update – 7 September

Been ages since I’ve had time to post an update (which really reflects how hard I’ve been studying lately). Since my last post I have finished reading through the OECG, made further changes to my study schedule and revised what will be placed in my summary guide.

After finally completing the OECG, and using CCNP Official Exam Certifications Guides, Cisco courseware and additional books on the subjects of QoS and BGP. I feel I have a fairly good idea of what I’m up against. Thus I have made the decision to write my CCIE written exam within the next 8 weeks, far sooner than I initially anticipated. I feel that through the course of studying for my CCNP, CCDP and CCIP certifications I have been exposed (all be it at various depths) to the bulk of the content in the CCIE written exam. While reading through the OECG I didn’t encounter any topics I had never heard about and only moved on from a chapter once I felt comfortable with the theory.

As for my summary guide, I’ve realized that its important to keep it as brief as possible, highlighting the key facts, and leaving the OECG and other titles to cover topics in more detail.

Over the last few weeks I have done a few interesting things including:

• Upgrading my Storage/Multicast/Mail/Secondary DNS/Web/ YES this is my generic “server” at home, to Fedora 9.

• Setting up my Multicast Lab at home, using VLC to stream Video Content. VLC is a great application, to take a look at it visit http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ . I have setup VNC on my multicast server, so that I can use vlc via the GUI if I feel like it. Additionally this allows me to use the multicast server as a client whenever I need an additional client system to view video streamed from other sources.

• Spending some time on OSPF in NBMA networks

• Falling in love with Cisco Any Transport over MPLS (AToM)

• Playing around with BGP topics not covered in the CCIP or CCIE (R&S)

Well its time to get back to studying, today Im back with my old friend spanning-tree. I’ll leave you with a poem Radia Pearlman wrote while developing what would later become the Spanning-Tree Protocol…

Algorhyme

I think that I shall never see
a graph more lovely than a tree.
A tree whose crucial property
is loop-free connectivity.
A tree that must be sure to span
so packet can reach every LAN.
First, the root must be selected.
By ID, it is elected.
Least-cost paths from root are traced.
In the tree, these paths are placed.
A mesh is made by folks like me,
then bridges find a spanning tree.

Radia Perlman