I hardly have to tell you how important voice technologies are in today’s networks; what we all need to keep in mind to maximize our career potential is how important knowing voice is going to be tomorrow. We’ve always got to look forward in IT, both in our work and out studies. Cisco, always the pioneer in technical certifications, now offers a Cisco Certified Voice Professional certification that is gaining a lot of attention from IT professionals looking to add to their skills and their resume.

Cisco’s CCVP track is a rigorous five-exam track that requires you to earn your CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification before getting started. The five exams cover a myriad of topics – they’re not giving this one away! Here are the exam numbers and codes you’ll need to know to register for the exams:

642-425 IP Telephony Troubleshooting (IPTT)
642-642 Quality Of Service (QOS)
642-452 Cisco Voice Gateways (GWGK)
642-432 Cisco Voice Over IP (CVOICE)
642-444 Cisco IP Telephony (CIPT)

Many newly-minted CCNAs wonder if they should pursue this or the Security Professional certification immediately after getting their CCNA. I recommend that a new CCNA pursue and achieve the CCNP before going after these more-specialized certifications. While it is not required by Cisco, the routing and switching knowledge your will acquire on your way to the CCNP will be invaluable to your career as well as being helpful with your CCVP pursuits. Besides, these certifications won’t be going anywhere soon. Think of how valuable you will be with a CCNP, CCVP, and CCSP!

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In order to pass the BSCI exam and earn your CCNP certification, you’ve got to master the (many) details of OSPF. You might have thought there were quite a few OSPF details in your CCNA studies, but you’ll now build on that foundation on the way to earning your CCNP.

One such detail is the role of the Autonomous System Border Router (ASBR) in OSPF. The name itself raises some eyebrows, since you learned in your CCNA studies that OSPF doesn’t use autonomous systems! Just as an OSPF Area Border Router borders multiple OSPF areas, the ASBR borders the entire OSPF domain and another source of routes. This can be another dynamic routing protocol, or directly connected networks that are not being advertised into OSPF by the network command.

Let’s say we have a router running both OSPF and RIP version 2. By default, the RIP process will not contain any OSPF-discovered routes, and vice versa. The two separate routing processes are just that – separate. If we want the other OSPF routers to know about the RIP routes, route redistribution must be configured. When the RIP routes are redistributed into OSPF, that router is then an ASBR.

In the below example, RIP subnets have been redistributed into OSPF. A seed metric is not necessary when redistributing routes into OSPF. The command “show ip ospf” confirms that this router is now an ASBR.

R1(config)#router ospf 1

R1(config-router)#redistribute rip subnets

R1#show ip ospf

Routing Process “ospf 1″ with ID 1.1.1.1

Supports only single TOS(TOS0) routes

Supports opaque LSA

It is an autonomous system boundary router

The ASBR can also perform route summarization on the routes being injected into OSPF with the summary-address command. (To configure OSPF inter-area summarization, use the area range command.) By mastering route summarization and route redistribution, you’re well on your way to passing the BSCI exam and earning your CCNP certification!

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Once you’ve got your CCNA, you’re ready to move on to the next level, the Professional certifications. For years, Cisco had one Professional certification, the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification. Over time, Cisco has expanded this level of certifications to include the Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) and Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP).

With security and voice being the two most rapidly expanding areas of today’s networks, some new CCNAs consider going after the CCSP or CCVP without first adding the CCNP to their resume.

While it’s temping to hurry up and get a Cisco security or voice certification, the best thing you can do for your networking career is achieve your CCNP certification first, then decide on the CCVP or CCSP.

Why is that? Because the CCNA is just the tip of a very large iceberg when it comes to routing and switching. It’s a very important accomplishment, and the CCNA is indeed the foundation of your networking career, but you need to add on to that level of understanding routing and switching before moving on to more specialized areas.

Two examples are OSPF and BGP. You learn about the theory of OSPF and some basic and intermediate configurations of that protocol in your CCNA studies, but the knowledge you acquire of OSPF in your CCNP studies is invaluable. As for BGP, there is no BGP in the CCNA curriculum, but it is a great idea to have some BGP knowledge in today’s networks. It’s also good for your career.

I know it is a huge temptation to go after the security and voice certifications while not paying attention to the CCNP. Do yourself a huge favor and add the tremendous amount of routing and switching knowledge needed for the CCNP to your knowledgebase, and you can then move on to the CCSP or CCVP. Even better, you’ll be better prepared to climb the biggest certification mountain around – the CCIE!

Security is a hot topic in today’s networks, and will continue to be for a long time to come. With that in mind, you must consider adding a Cisco security certification to your resume and firewall skills to your skill set.

It’s quite a jump from the CCNA to the CCSP (Cisco Certified Security Professional), and Cisco has made that leap more manageable by adding Specialist certifications. These certifications can give quite a boost to both your resume and your skill set, and act as a great “stepping stone” to the CCSP.

At present, Cisco offers four VPN/Security certifications, those being Cisco Firewall Specialist, Cisco IPS Specialist, Cisco VPN Specialist, and Cisco VPN/Security Sales Specialist. Since every WAN engineer has contact with Cisco firewalls on a regular basis, we’ll take a closer look at this popular certification first. (And those who want to be WAN engineers had better learn something about firewalls, too!)

At the writing of this article (October 21, 2005), Cisco is offering an option for each of the two exams you’ll need to pass to earn this certification. For the first exam, you can take either the 642-551 SND (Securing Cisco Network Devices) or 642-501 SECUR (Securing Cisco IOS Networks). The final day to register for the SECUR exam is December 19, 2005.

For either, you’ll need to be able to answer questions regarding the proper use of Cisco security devices; how to configure security on a Cisco switch and on a router, including syslog logging, AAA, ACLs, and security for router services and interfaces.

The choices for the second exam are the 642-522 SNPA (Securing Network with PIX and ASA) and 642-521 CSPFA. Topics for these exams include , IPSec, NAT, firewalls, AAA, and policy mapping. (As always, you should check for the latest exam blueprints at Cisco’s website. Click “Learning And Events” on the main page, www.cisco.com).

The only prerequisite for this certification is that you must hold a valid CCNA certification.

As always, getting some hands-on experience is the best way to prepare for your Cisco exams. (Your employer is going to get a little upset if you practice your configs on his or her PIX. It would be a good idea to have a good lawyer, too.) There are online rack rental services that include Cisco security devices in their pods.

Cisco certifications are a great way to help protect your career as well as your network. The more you know, and the more varied your skills, the more valuable you are to your present and future employers. Use your CCNA as a foundation, and keep building on your skills!

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When you make the decision to put your own home lab together for your CCNA and CCNP studies (a very wise decision, if I may say so!), the hardest part is figuring out how to spend your budget. Do you spend it all on the routers and go with a cheaper 1900 switch, knowing that the 640-801 (CCNA), 640-821 (Intro), and 640-811 (ICND) exams now place a premium on knowing the ins and outs of a 2950 switch? Do you buy a frame relay switch? Do you buy an access server?

One factor to keep in mind when you’re starting to put your lab together is that you don’t have to put it all together at one time. With some careful planning, you’ve got a lab that you can use for your Intro studies, perhaps add a router or two for ICND study, and then some more devices for your CCNP study.

Of course, it also depends on your budget. If you’ve got upwards of $500 to spend, great! If you don’t, that’s okay. The key is that you’re going to work with the real deal instead of simulation programs. And remember that you can always sell the equipment when you’ve achieved your certification goals. You’re basically renting the equipment and then passing it on to another CCNA or CCNP candidate.

Let’s take a look at several different toplogies, from basic to more advanced.

One router. You’ll have to keep the configurations pretty basic, but getting started with one router is still a start. You can practice setting passwords (and password recovery, perhaps!) and become acquainted with the hardware. You can practice setting the hostname and working with many global configuration commands. There are obvious limitations, but the big plus here is that you’ve
gotten started working with real Cisco equipment.

Two routers. You can do more with two routers than you might think. Make sure the first two routers you buy have serial interfaces. You can then purchase a DTE/DCE cable and practice working with directly connected serial interfaces. This is a valuable skill to have on your Intro and ICND exams. You can put PPP on the direct connection and practice working with PAP and CHAP, not to mention the vital troubleshooting command debug ppp negotiation.

Two routers, one switch. Your first two routers should have serial and ethernet interfaces. You can connect your routers to the switch via their ethernet interface in addition to the aforementioned directly connected serial interfaces. You can create loopback interfaces on both routers and then practice advertising them via RIP, IGRP, EIGRP, and OSPF. If you can, make sure to get BRI interfaces on these first two routers as well. The cost of an ISDN simulator might prevent you from running ISDN at first, but plan for the future now.

It’s best to spring for a 2950 switch if it fits your budget. That switch has an IOS as opposed to the menu-driven 1900 switches, so the practice will come in handy on exam day. If you simply can’t afford it right now, a 1900 switch is certainly better than no switch at all!

Three routers, one switch. I would consider using the third router as a frame relay switch. If your first two routers each have two serial interfaces, as well as the third one, you can buy a couple of additional DTE/DCE cables and configure your own frame relay cloud. The config for a frame relay switch can be hard to find there is one on my website you’re welcome to.

Four routers, one switch. This setup would allow you to have three routers communicating via the frame relay cloud, two routers connecting through their directly connected serial interfaces, and at least two of the routers communicating through the switch. Quite a setup! I’ve got plenty of labs you can run on such a setup, and you could even create your own.

Five routers, one switch. At this point, you should consider an access server as your fifth router. An access server is a Cisco router with the capability to connect to up to eight other devices via an octal cable. Not just any Cisco router can serve as an access server, so make sure the one you buy for this purpose has the proper async port(s).

An access server prevents you from having to continually move the rollover cable into the console port of the router or switch you need to configure. Once you have one, you’ll wonder how you lived without it!

From this point on, you can add a second switch or an ISDN simulator. The second switch gives you the opportunity to practice influencing root bridge elections and configuring VTP an ISDN simulator will give you priceless practice with ISDN in your home lab. (Don’t confuse an ISDN simulator with a router simulator. An ISDN simulator basically acts as the phone company in your practice lab.) New ISDN simulators can run up to $2000 easily there are many used simulators on ebay and from used Cisco equipment vendors.)

I know exactly what you’re going through when you make the decision to build your own lab I’ve been there myself. I hope you’ve found this article helpful in making a decision on how to get started. If you have any questions about a network topology you’re considering building, please let me hear from you at chris@thebryantadvantage.com . I’m glad you’ve chose to put together you own CCNA and CCNP home lab.

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Product Description

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide

Second Edition

• Master ICND1 640-822 exam topics with the official study guide
• Assess your knowledge with chapter-opening quizzes
• Review key concepts with Exam Preparation Tasks
• Practice with hundreds of exam questions on the CD-ROM

Wendell Odom, CCIE® No. 1624

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition, is a best of breed Cisco® exam study guide that focuses specifically on the objectives for the CCENT™ and CCNA® ICND1 exam. This fully updated edition presents complete reviews and a more challenging and realistic exam preparation experience.

Senior instructor and best-selling author Wendell Odom shares preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. The material is presented in a concise manner, focused on increasing your understanding of exam topics and preparing you for the numerous challenges the exams present.

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition, presents you with an organized test preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. “Do I Know This Already?” quizzes open each chapter and allow you to decide how much time you need to spend on each section. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks sections help you drill on key concepts you must know thoroughly and help increase your speed in answering questions, a difficult hurdle many exam candidates face on the new exams. A Final Preparation chapter guides you through tools and resources to help you craft your final study plan. Special troubleshooting sections help you master the complex scenarios you will face on the exam.

The companion CD-ROM contains a powerful testing engine that allows you to focus on individual topic areas or take complete, timed exams. The assessment engine also tracks your performance and provides feedback on a chapter-by-chapter basis, presenting question-by-question remediation to the text. The bonus DVD contains more than

60 minutes of personal video mentoring from the author focused mainly on bringing difficult subnetting concepts to life.

Well-regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging practice questions, this book provides you with more detailed information and more realistic practice exercises than any other CCNA study guide, enabling you to succeed on the exam the first time.

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition, is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining.

Wendell Odom, CCIE® No. 1624, has been in the networking industry since 1981. He currently teaches QoS, MPLS, and CCNA courses for Skyline Advanced Technology Services (www.skyline-ats.com). Wendell has worked as a network engineer, consultant, systems engineer, and instructor and course developer, and has taught authorized Cisco courses for the majority of the last 14 years.

The official study guide helps you master all the topics on the CCENT and CCNA ICND1 exam, including

• TCP/IP and OSI networking models
• Operating Cisco routers and LAN switches
• Ethernet switch configuration and troubleshooting

• Wireless LANs
• IP addressing and subnetting
• Routing protocols
• Router configuration and troubleshooting
• Network Security
• WAN concepts and configuration

Companion CD-ROM

The CD-ROM contains an electronic copy of the book and 200 practice questions for the ICND1 and full CCNA exams, including simulation and testlet questions, all available in study mode and test mode.

BONUS DVD

The DVD contains more than 60 minutes of personal instruction from the author.

This volume is part of the Exam Certification Guide Series from Cisco Press®. Books in this series provide officially developed exam preparation materials that offer assessment, review, and practice to help Cisco Career Certification candidates identify weaknesses, concentrate their study efforts, and enhance their confidence as exam day nears.

Category: Cisco Press–Cisco Certification

Covers: CCENT and CCNA ICND1 Exam 640-822

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, 2nd Edition

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Product Description
CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, Third Edition, is the newest edition of the all-time best-selling CCNA self-study preparation package. This comprehensive review and practice package is designed for the latest CCNA 640-802 exams. The two books contained in this package, CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition, and CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition, present complete reviews and a more challenging and realistic preparation experience. The books are updated to cover all the new 640-802 exam objectives, such as security, wireless, IPv6, and troubleshooting.

Please note that while this is the Third Edition of the Library, the two books inside are Second Editions. This is correct, and the editions align differently because of changes in the names of the exams, from the old INTRO and ICND to the new ICND1 and ICND2 formats.

What can you do with the CCNA Official Exam Certification Library?

• Assess your knowledge with chapter-opening quizzes
• Review key concepts with Exam Preparation Tasks
• Practice with hundreds of exam questions on the CD-ROM
• Learn about more complex topics with over one hour of video training

CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, Third Edition, presents you with an organized test preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. “Do I Know This Already” quizzes open each chapter and allow you to decide how much time you need to spend on each section. Chapter ending Exam Preparation Tasks sections help drill you on key concepts you must know thoroughly and help increase your speed in answering questions, a difficult hurdle many candidates face on the new exams. Final Preparation chapters guide you through tools and resources to help you craft your final study plan. Special troubleshooting sections help you master the complex scenarios you will face on the exam.

The companion CD-ROMs contain a powerful testing engine with over 400 questions that allow you to focus on individual topic areas or take complete, timed exams. The test engine also includes simulation and testlet questions, and all questions are available in study mode and test mode. The assessment engine also tracks your performance and provides feedback on a chapter-by-chapter basis, presenting question-by-question remediation to the text.

The bonus DVDs contain more than 60 minutes of personal video mentoring from the author focused mainly on the topic of subnetting. These videos help bring difficult subnetting concepts to life and make learning easy.
 
Well-regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging practice questions, this completely revised and updated edition provides you with more detailed information and more realistic practice exercises than any other CCNA study guide, enabling you to succeed on the exam the first time.

 Best-selling author and senior instructor Wendell Odom shares preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you to identify areas requiring further study and to improve your conceptual and hands-on knowledge. The material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding of exam topics and preparing you for the numerous challenges the exams present.

These official study guides help you master all the topics on the CCNA exams, including:

• TCP/IP and OSI networking models
• Operating Cisco routers and LAN switches
• Ethernet switch configuration and troubleshooting
• Virtual LANs and Spanning Tree Protocol
• Wireless LANs
• IP addressing and subnetting
• Routing protocols
• Router configuration and troubleshooting
• Static and connected routes
• VLSM and route summarization
• IP access control lists
• OSPF and EIGRP configuration
• WAN configuration and troubleshooting
• Frame Relay
• Network Security and VPNs
• NAT
• IPv6
• Troubleshooting

CCNA Official Exam Certification Library

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There is a real revolution today among CCNA and CCNP candidates. More and more of you are turning your back on “router simulators” and putting your own CCNA and/or CCNP Home Lab together, which is the best way to totally prepare to pass these tough Cisco exams.

I get hundreds of emails every month from CCNA and CCNP candidate who are putting together their first lab or adding to their existing one. I’m always glad to help with suggestions, and I thought I’d list five common questions regarding home labs here.

Do I have to spend thousands of dollars?

No! There are vendors all over the web, as well as on ebay, who sell used Cisco routers and switches to Cisco exam candidates like you every single day. They sell kits that consist of multiple routers and switches, as well as single routers and switches. You can add one piece at a time, or make a larger investment. You can spend just a few hundred dollars and put together a very nice lab.

What’s an “access server“?

It’s not what it sounds like. When I first heard the term, I thought of a typical server like we see in LANs every single day. An access server is actually a Cisco router that allows you to connect to multiple other routers and switches without continually moving the rolled cable around.

You don’t have to have an access server right away, but once you add a few more routers and switches to your lab, you’ll get tired of moving the rollover cable from console port to console port. (The console port is used to directly connect your PC to the router.) You’ll find an access server is easy to set up and configure, and will save you quite a bit of time.

What’s a “frame relay switch“?

Again, it’s not quite what it sounds like. A frame relay switch is not a switch; it’s a Cisco router that has been configured to serve as a frame relay provider in your home lab.

This is very close to being a “must” for your home lab. You don’t need it right away if your budget allows for only one or two routers to get started. To truly practice frame relay map statements and see the effect of different frame relay statements, you’ll need a Cisco router to serve as a frame switch. Again, the configuration is easy, and having a frame relay switch in your home lab will give you practice that will be invaluable on exam day.

Do I need a switch? What switch should I buy?

I recommend you get at least one switch in your lab; two if your budget allows. Make sure that at least one of your switches has an IOS; 1900 switches do not have an IOS and while they’re better than not having a switch, they’re not going to give you the practice you need to pass the CCNA and CCNP. Look to the 2500 family of switches.

I want to build my CCNP lab and then use it for the CCIE. What should I buy?

It’s impossible to tell what technologies and devices will be on the CCIE lab, even if you zip through the CCNP and then take the IE within six months. Cisco refreshing the CCIE lab blueprint every six months, and different technologies can be taken off the lab. While Cisco gives plenty of notice that these changes are going to take effect, it can be a big pain in your wallet if Cisco takes something off of the exam after you spend a bundle to add it to your lab.

As an example, Cisco is in the process of removing ISDN and ATM from the CCIE Routing & Switching lab. If you bought an ATM switch for your lab, you’ve got an expensive paperweight right now. While you may be able to practice your core protocols on a CCIE home lab, it’s going to be difficult and expensive to keep your home lab totally current with the Cisco lab blueprint.

The decision to put together your own CCNA or CCNP home lab is the best decision you can ever make – and I speak from experience. With home labs becoming less expensive every day, it’s becoming more affordable as well. Start looking into used Cisco router vendors today (ebay is a great place to find some vendors, as is Google), and you can be practicing on REAL Cisco routers and switches soon – and be totally prepared for CCNA and CCNP exam success.

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I see ads for Cisco all the time, especially on FOX where they seem to supply their technologies for several of the shows. Why are they advertising to the common consumer? I went to their website and it seems as though everything is meant for corporate entities.

They have this little “featured” section for individuals and entrepreneurs, but even there it seems like they don’t have anything to offer as a company. Everything seemed to discuss how technology connects their lives, without touching on an specific Cisco products in particular.