Sorry, I ramble on a bit here. Sounds to me like you can do it. The CCIE is about being able to do it. I think the CCNP is a terrific certification. You really have to know your stuff to pass the CCNP. Once you finish the CCNP you should be ready for the CCIE. Use these listserv as a general guide as to the nature of the test.
The Caslow book is great for creating a studying methodology. I think the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to approach your study in a methodical way. I have seen candidates using labs from ccbootcamp and others. They cable up a lab, configure RIP/EIGRP/DLSW, recable the lab, configure OSPF/BGP/IPX, recable the lab....Find a good lab design and then use the same design for many labs. This wastes so much time just recabling. As a side not, you don't need 12 routers in a lab for it to be a good lab. I had 6 routers + 1 term serv and it worked great for me. If you want to advertise 10 networks in BGP use loopback interfaces. Here is what I did. I had 2-3 lab designs. I broke my study sessions into weeks. 3 weeks OSPF, 1 week IS-IS, 1 week OSPF RIP/IGRP etc. Everyday, because I was also worried about speed, I would start with blank configs. I would map out and assign the IP addresses. Then I would say, for example, these routers/interface are OSPF 0, these are OSPF stubs, these OSPF NSSA, area ranges here, virtual-link there etc. Then I would just make it work. If it didn't work I would figure out either bad design and it won't work because of XYZ, or how do I make it work. You have to know the why's.. When all else failed I called TAC or emailed group study (Thanks to Priscilla). At the end of the night, wr erase. I did nothing but OSPF for about a month. Along the way, I learned something about the difficulty/complexity of different protocols and Routing protocols. From the routing protocol view, nothing is harder than OSPF (BGP discussion later). Next is EIGRP, IS-IS, then IGRP and RIP. There are a lot of bells and whistles to OSPF and you have to understand all of them. Notice I didn't say just how to configure them. You can count on twists being thrown in to see if you memorized commands or in fact know how the commands work. Redistribution is a beast you have to conquer. Caslow is great on this. What are the problems with VLSM-FLSM? How do you get around the problems? When do you use distribute-lists, when do you use route-maps? when do you use summary-address? Why? With BGP, I used CCO. With my same lad design, I used the BGP resources on CCO and went through them. 1 night confederations, 1 night as-path filtering etc... How is BGP different than other IP routing protocols?? IS-IS...IS-IS was developed to work with OSI at the same time OSPF was being written for IP. The IS-IS/OSI group liked some of the ideas from the OSPF/IP group and the OSPF/IP group liked some of the ideas from the IS-IS/OSI group. Lots of people on groupstudy seem to be scared of IS-IS. Like a buddy of mine said, "It's just another routing protocol". Then there is the other protocols, IPX, DLSW and in my case Appletalk, and DECNet. Like I said earlier, everything is easier than OSPF and IP. There has to be some method of providing addressing and some method of propagating routing information. In the cases of IPX, Appletalk, and DLSW, there is also a method of advertising services. Think of the similarities these protocols have, instead of how they all seem very different. After all, IP over ISDN and IPX over ISDN have more things a like than not a like. Sorry for Rambling on. In summary. 1. Have a method to your studying. 2. Spend your time configuring, not recabling. 3. Understand Why it works. 4. Understand Why it doesn't work. 5. Learn where you can get answers. Books, CCO, groupstudy. 6. Learn IP/OSPF inside and out first, everything else will seem easier. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Joshua Barnes Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2001 2:40 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: ADMIN to be a CCIE? [7:28911] I am a CCNA, CCDA and 3/4 CCNP have only the CIT left. I haven't even attempted the written because I am afraid to pass and then be unprepared for the lab and subsquently run out of time. I really need a dose of reality and a confidence shot and I think that things will settle in for me. I am not easily intimidated but our two CCIE's are always talking like it is impossible to pass the first time and basically playing it up like it is the most impossible thing that you will ever do. I respect the lab, I feel that it has a difficulty level unlike anything I have ever heard of. BUT!, I feel like, you can pass anything if you know your stuff. The tests that I have taken so far have had their own difficulty level and in retrospect I dont think that they were that hard. For the amount of time that I studied, I passed rather easily I think. Here is a little scenario, I studied for and passed the BCRAN in a week. I studied and passsed the BCSN in 2 weeks. I read the switching book by karen webb (she is terrible, IMHO) 3 times then took the test 2 weeks later. The CIT I plan on spending a month on it. Then I was gonna take the CID which I really planned on taking my time on. Because a friend of mine failed it twice and design test are always harder. -----Original Message----- From: Bill Carter [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2001 2:49 PM To: Joshua Barnes Subject: RE: ADMIN to be a CCIE? [7:28911] Yes you can do it. You need some of the books that are talked about here and tons of rack time. Start with the Caslow book. CCO is an excellent reference. Have you passed the CCIE written yet? -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Joshua Barnes Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2001 11:49 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: ADMIN to be a CCIE? [7:28911] I am an internal admin, I am planning on the CCIE certification, but I dont go out on cisco calls. My company has a lab specifically for our 2 CCIEs but is that enough to get the cert. I would like to belive that I can do anything I set my mind to, but I would also like to set realistic goals. I have cisco certs already and have found them relativley easy to come by but again, it comes down to that whole realistic goals approach. Please hand me your thoughts, dont worry aout discouraging me, only I can do that! Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=28985&t=28911 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
