Tom,
Thanks for the input about taking the lab.
Where did you find 12.1 IOS Docs?.
I looked at Cisco Press and other book stores on line, they only have 12.0.
Is 12.1 being used in the lab?.
Thanks
Reza
Thomas Larus wrote in message
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(I recently failed my first attempt, so weigh my advice accordingly.)
The short form is:
1)Read obsessively and quickly start doing simple labs
2) Labs will raise questions, sending you back to the books and IOS docs
3) Do complex lab scenarios created by other people until you are blue in
the face
4) Always strive to nail down things you are unsure of, and nail down
every
setting that you are permitted to nail down in you configs (advice from
Caslow in NMC-1 class, which class is highly recommended and worth every
penny). An important motto of the quest for CCIE is Nail everything
down.
As for time periods, that is impossible for me to set out. Everyone is
different. We all start at different places when we set out for the CCIE.
Some are top network engineers when they start and have less to learn than
someone like me. I have found that this takes much more time than I ever
planned for initially.
You should read always and everywhere. IOS docs, TAC articles, Cisco
Press
Books, McGraw Hill technical expert books, Caslow, Doyle, etc. You start
off by doing labs on individual technologies, such as those provided by
fatkid, ipexpert, and the like, or labbing up the scenarios in Doyle, etc.
When you do these labs, you will have questions, which you send you back
to
the books with a keen interest. I think that reading in order to find an
answer or to learn about something that you are dying to learn about leads
to greater absorption than reading straight through a book with the goal
of
reading so many pages a day. I know we need to do both kinds of reading,
but I am making the point that doing labs makes your absorption and
compehension of what you read so much deeper.
You can try to do you own labs, but you may find that you move much faster
through teh material doing labs prepared by someone else. Plus, doing
labs
written by others gets you practice interpreting instructions.
You soon move on to complex lab scenarios. Do lots and lots of these.
The
commercial labs will teach you a lot, and are worth spending money on,
even
though they may not be perfect. These commercial labs will teach you that
many knowledgeable CCIEs make the same kinds of mistakes that you are
scared
to death of making on the CCIE lab. It is frustrating, yet somehow
comforting, to find the glaring errors and omissions in expensive labs
written by CCIEs. The authors will tell you to configure something, and
then completely forget to configure it themselves. (and then continue to
forget to configure it through several revisions of their labs and lab
solutions) You learn from this that it is possible to pass the CCIE even
though you are prone to making almost unforgivably glaring errors when you
have years to do it right. I am a bit absent-minded myself, so that is
comforting. (I simply need an 8-hour lucid interval of perfect focus on
getting every detail right and avoiding landmines, while moving through
the
tasks at high speed.)
In short, use lab scenarios early on, and do reading and lab scenarios
concurrently, and read everything. I bought the 12.1 IOS Docs in printed
format, and have really enjoyed reading them. They are loaded with good
stuff. Do NOT buy the old books of IOS docs (I bought a bunch of these,
mainly as half-price closeouts), because out-of-date docs are almost worse
than no docs at all. This IOS has changed a lot from 11.2 or even 12.0 to
12.1.
Jennifer Mellone wrote in message
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LESSONS LEARNED, ATTITUDE, AND STRUCTURED STUDY PLAN
I was wondering if anyone could elaborate on lessons learned when
studying
for CCIE. What did you do right? What did you do wrong? If you had to do
it
all over again, what would you change - especially if someone wants to
pass
the first time?
I think the attitude do it right and try and pass the first time could
be
helpful (I know it doesn't always happen in reality). It seems more
positive
than I'll fail the first time so I know what to expect the second or
third
or later time.
My instinct tells me that determination and practicing on the routers
every
night and on weekends for at least 6 months is key, and is easier said
than
done. There are no short-cuts. This is fine; it's the price one must
pay.
But how does one do that in a methodical and structured manner such that
all
the major stones are unturned? Of course, some stones will be unturned
quicker than others due to experience, and others will be slower due to
lack
of experience/knowledge. I feel ad hoc practice could be counter
productive.
For example, a structured approach would be something
