CCNA Certification Self-Paced Walk-Thru

[Comblues]

I'm assisting my study buddy with her CCNA.

Here's what she is doing now:

1. Watching Chris Bryant's CCENT Video Series.

- Taking her time to understand each video, one by one.
- Asking me to explain each concept she does not understand, one by one. (I never get bored and I never tire, even when asked for the 10th time).

2. I sent her to HowToSubnet.com today to watch some videos on subnetting and get more perspective.

3. She plays the Cisco Binary Game on her iPhone.

4. She watches Videos on her iPhone for the CCNA.

5. She used the Kindle Fire and the Kindle for PC for her books and some various YouTube Videos.

6. She has access to Packet Tracer from the Cisco Academy.

7. GNS from HowtoNetwork.com

8. The Cisco Press 642-802 Cisco Router Simulator with 250+ Labs.

9. Her own Cisco Router Physical Lab from my own stock:

- 2 Cisco 1841 Routers
- 1 Cisco 2801 Router
- 3 Cisco 2950 Routers
- 1 Cisco 2511 Router used as a Terminal/Access Server
- 1 Cisco 2520 Router used as Frame Relay Switch
- 1 Cisco Access Point
- 1 Windows 7 Laptop

10. She has access to a garden variety of Cisco Practice Exam Question Banks - She has not even started to use these yet.

11. She has access to a variety of Cisco Press Books for the CCNA.

12. She has a copy of CiscoKits.com Lab Workbook for the CCNA.

13. She has a copy of Yap's CCNA Workbook.

14. She has a copy of Matt Basham's Workbook from Lulu.com

In short, she has more than adequate resources for the task of becoming a CCNA.

She studies a little each day.

She's new to computers - almost totally.

She's working very diligently to break the learning curve quickly.

She's also working on her typing skills using Typing Tutor 7. She's got the keyboard and is up to about 15 CWPM now. Not quite 35 WPM or better but she just started this month.

I'm going to log her journey for her.

Let you know how it goes.

Comblues

 

[Comblues]

I just told her what I was doing for her. She smiled.

It was quiet in the other room - I didn't hear Chris Bryant's voice.

So...

I went in to the dining room and found her there - working on her binary math.

She's taken a notebook and has written down pages of decimal numbers and is converting them using her chart like this:

128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 = 255

Etc.

She's moving slowly but methodically.

That's a good thing in my humble opinion.

I'm setting up a CCIE Rack later this evening and she asked to help me out with it.

I'm going to let her perform the following functions:

1. Power-up the gear.
2. Verify the boot process on each router or switch.
3. Verify the IOS on each device.
4. Standardize the IOS to a 12.4.x version.
5. Test the interfaces of each device.
6. Setup the Terminal/Access Server.
7. Setup a Frame Relay Switch.
8. Help verify the final cabling.

Then we will break it down and I'll let her set it up one more time in my office room.

This is going to take her a while the first time or two.

She'll need to configure a TFTP Server for the IOS to load from, find the IOS from Cisco.com, and then... make it work.

She has to setup her terminal emulator. I love SecureCRT.

I also require she learn how to use Kiwi for Syslog and for Backups from the beginning.

This is extra but required.

The purpose is that she will be able to backup her configs and obtain syslog log messages from the very beginning.

I like RANCID better but for now - Kiwi.

So by the end of this lesson she'll have:

1. Basic IP Addressing for Management
2. Frame Relay Infrastructure
3. Switch Infrastructure
4. Wireless Access to the Network
5. Log System in place
6. Backup System in place
7. Terminal Server with SSH/Telnet for Management of the Network
8. Ability to load base configurations on the entire CCIE Rack.

It's a lot to ask from a new CCENT student, however, I expect a lot from my students and I expect them to be in high demand and to be compensated equal to their training and proven above average abilities.

Gotta go get the gear for the laboratory for her to work with.

This will probably take a little bit for her to complete on her own the first few times but I have faith in her that her speed and accuracy will improve quickly.

 

[Lithium381]

heh wish i had help when i was doing mine! good job! i used Todd Llammle's CCNA guide and supplemented it with Charles Kezierok's TCP/IP guide (he's a mod here over in the discussion club) online if you need anything from us, ask!

 

[Danimal1209]

I would suggest her learning how the different routing protocols work and how they differ. That was important for me in understanding which one to implement when.

Looks like she has a great start. I hope she doesn't get discouraged by the fact that this type of information can take awhile to become very familiar with, especially if you are new to computers!!

 

[drebo]

Pics?

 

[Comblues]

Here's the latest:

1. She spent last night and a lot of today just working through binary to decimal translations.

2. I just now started explaining where the network starts and where the hosts start.

Basically 2 to the 2nd power minus two on both sides of the equation...

3. I stopped her to explain a little CIDR and VLSM work, the "AND"ing operations, and how wild card masks are determined from a given subnet mask, finally - how to take a given ip address and subnet mask and then perform a little bitwise math to determine the network address, the broadcast address, and available host addresses - WHEW!!!

She didn't get that just yet - but everyone has to agree that is quite a bit for a casual conversation.

4. I got her into a 2 Week Hands-On Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching Bootcamp me scheduled for September in California with Narbik Kocharians (A Quad CCIE - RS/Security/Service Provider/Voice).

I know that's a lot premature for a person as new to the technology as she is, but she's got a full 3 months or so to work up to it.

If all else fails, she'll complete the CCNA course she's on now with Chris Bryant and then she will work through Narbik's CCIE Book (Soup to Nuts) and that's a lot of hands-on with all technologies present on the CCIE RS Lab.

Still an awesome opportunity for her to learn some kewl technologies from the industry's best chalk talk trainer - Narbik. He is pretty decent at this kind of thing.

I think between Chris Bryant's Trainsignal Videos for CCNA/CCNP and CCNA Security Video Courses and Narbik's 2 Week End to End CCIE RS Bootcamp - which covers how to do mostly everything and the kitchen sink for the IOS, she'll be off to a great start in her career.

I know it is a lot.

I can hear Chris Bryant in the other room. So she's in there now and I already told her that she's going to have to help me tonight with a stack of 2801/2811/2821/2851/1841/4500/4700 routers to determine which IOS is on each and perhaps perform some password recovery on more than a few of them.

We have 25 of them to work on this evening. I have another 11 routers on hand - 2500/2600's and a 3745 here too.

It may sound like a lot but she has to get very experienced very quickly if she want to work in this field and from what I can see she is voracious to learn so far.

I cannot post attachments here for photos but I can post some on my blog and go from there so people can get a visual on what I am asking her to do - I'll admit it is a lot for a newbie but I expect if she can handle it, she won't be a newbie for very long.

 

[Comblues]

Almost forgot - I am going to introduce her to the "ip host" command tonight as she configures 3-4 Cisco Terminal Servers for me.

Two of these are Cisco 2511 Routers.

Two of them use either an NM-16a or an NM-32a module currently installed in a pair of 2600 series routers.

She's got some work to do this evening. It's midnight and so the night is young here.

This may carry forward into tomorrow.

 

[jlazzaro]

types 15 wpm, new to computers, learning the ip host command tonight, and going to a 2-week CCIE bootcamp in 3 months.

brilliant! she better put out.

 

[Comblues]

Let's keep it clean please.

I got invited to participate as a Subject Matter Expert for the CCNP/CCIE development program. Nice!

Status Update:

Ok. I've explained and re-explained class A, B, and C address ranges with a detailed explanation of the first three bits and how they are used to determine which of the three classes a given up address or network belongs to.

Very salient points.

The next item we spent a lot of last night going over was how to derive the network, the broadcast, and available IP addresses given an IP address and a subnet mask.

She is struggling a little with these but she is getting it. She does not give up and we are wearing a spiral notebook out going over this.

It'll be worth it.

Comblues.

 

[drebo]

Discussing classful addressing is a little....20 years ago?

I'd avoid that, as it'll just confuse her.

 

[Emulex]

examcollection , 9tuts, memorize, pass ccna 640 series before they retire. seriously won't take more than a week of studying

 

[Comblues]

The goal is to learn the material and get experience as network design engineer...

Get a job and a well-paying career.

Not pass a single test.

She would not be able to get a job much less survive a basic interview if she just passes the test as suggested.

I've given her some idea of what to expect and fairly reasonable expectations.

Truly study and learn the material.

Practice network planning, design, and implementation using proven methodologies.

Practice good housekeeping.


Get paid.

I told her to expect to be employable after about a year of studying.

I told her she could expect to earn about $60-80k in about 3 years under my instruction.

I also told her that she could expect to earn $95k plus after about 5 years or so of studying and working like this.

She sees my emails and knows that I get about 5-7 job notifications looking for me by name a day or so...

So I think as long as she maintains her expectations as state she'll be fine.

She's not in a hurry and has time.

I know a lot of people who get college degrees and/or certifications and don't do so well at all.

She knows how to handle herself and has excellent people, presence, and communication skills. That's a major plus in my book.

She doesn't stop and is dedicated so far. She told me she hates to quit anything.

I am giving her some older practice exams from Boson from back in the day.

I setup a workstation for her just for that on XP.

I have confidence she will get where she is going ASAP.

Besides I always wondered how long it would take a new person to learn basically everything by herself.

I guess she could throw in the towell and admit she's not good enough to learn the stuff but somehow I just don't really see it.

Hell right now she won't leave subnetting or any other topic till she knows it very well. I'm ok with taking my time to answer questions or concerns.

 

[Comblues]

Got working on some old / older Boson exams by subject.

I asked her to just work through them some seven times or so before starting to grade herself on a per subject basis.

 

[Comblues]

She's biting back a little. I may be moving her ahead a little too quickly.

She still on the CCENT course and only about 1/3 way in so far.

Arp, DNS, and DHCP right now.

 

[Comblues]

Gave her a Train Signal TCP/IP course to go over.

Same thing I told her but in a more digestible format. She said she's starting to get it now.


Comblues

 

[Demo24]

Is anyone else a little weirded out by this thread? First of all there's the strange stream of consciousness style of writing. Secondly it sounds like he has her locked away somewhere and forcing her to learn networking.

If its all legit then I kinda wonder why she's going straight into networking like this when she's new to computers. I'd probably have started her on something more basic and broad before going into subjects like this. Also its not going to help her get a job off the bat either, which you mentioned but didn't explain how you expect her to get hired. I sure as hell wouldn't hire her, and if I were to it'd be for basic level support, which she couldn't do.

 

[Comblues]

Fair enough.

This is an experiment of sorts.

She's new to the whole world of computers in general and networking specifically.

However - I'm tutoring her personally - this is where the salt comes in. I am a senior network engineer and I believe I can teach anyone to learn this stuff in mostly any given circumstances.

Obviously we live together - so there are no chains in a physical sense.

It is her desire to understand what it is I do. We do the lawn together too at all of our various homes we collectively own - but it is not technical per se.

I guess my motives may sound a bit strange...

Albeit, I'd agree if I read it - I'd probably say the same.

However - If someone in the industry is new and wants to see just how quickly a person who is not even familiar with the keyboard can be "transformed" into a technical person - then read on - that's my intention and true goal here.

Nothing more.

I routinely get job offers from say $60k to about $160k every day more or less. Some are for remote jobs (jobs that I can work from home or anywhere for that matter).

I figure that a person who can do the job can take any one or more of these jobs if they understand a certain amount of fundamentals required per job and have some very specific understanding of some very key tasks.

Still skeptical?

I would be.

Now...

In 2006, I ran a 14,000 user network over 600+ acres in size that served about 45,000-50,000 people per day complete with a data center.

I handed the senior network engineer role off to a guy who had a CCNA (mostly paper), who took the time to be tutored on switching 100% (he knew switching cold by the time of his interview), and about 3 weeks with me (the time I had after I gave notice that I was moving on).

He survived the scrutiny of 2 senior network engineers and management.

He went on to become the employee of the quarter in his first quarter and was well liked by all others as I understand it. He performed the job very well. He moved on about a year or two later to work as a senior security professional at a well named national company.

He was a basic desktop/network support professional who knew windows and some programs dealing with video editing (thin late night car commercials) prior to his meeting a friend of mine. He was a windows/mac guy. That's it. No enterprise experience at all.

At the same company, I took two network support techs/desktop techs and transformed them into two junior network admins - pretty quickly.

Within a year one ran a Fortune 500's name-brand business - and does so quite well today.

The other took over the Wireless Network at the company I mentioned previously and now is the senior network engineer there as well.

Neither knew how to spell Cisco before I took them onto my team and introduced them to the world of networking.

Two years ago, a took a group of about 12 students of mine - all for free by the way at my own expense (I paid for each a router or two or three, exams, etc.) and tought them for about 6 months or so two nights a week or so and after the experience some are earning $80k+ now.

Now if we consider that at least were career changers, and two others were security guards earning about $10-12.00 per hour, I'd say they transformed a little bit into productive engineers in the industry.

Now I am taking a person who has not possibly been corrupted by the easy access to brain dumps and is literally learning from scratch this material.

This is a big challenge for her - no doubt and a considerable challenge for myself as well to take a person who is totally no capable of even getting an interview and making her into a sought after professional in this industry - my ultimate goal.

I am writing about as she does it.

I think others may find this inspirational and possibly a good idea of how to focus his/her own efforts to learn this material.

Hope it helps.

Comblues

 

[Comblues]

The Train Signal Course on TCP/IP helped quite a bit and I swear the guy did not say anything I did not, however he was a bit more focused and concise.

It's working.

She's getting it now.

So...

She's got a paper notepad and is working on breaking out subnets and hosts using VLSM.

I think she's onto something.

We took the /29 and she is working on the /28 right now.

She sees the patterns but is still getting used to the numbering system.

She suffers a bit from dyslexia and poor eyesight - so things are a little more challenging that they might be otherwise.

She is tenacious and seems to have a fierce desire to learn this stuff.

 

[Comblues]

FYI - On the 2-Week CCIE Bootcamp.

She's my guest - I don't expect to make a CCIE in 2 weeks. I am hoping she is up to configuring basic IP addressing and VLANs by then, understanding basic routing functions, and router management, etc.

By the time of the class, her goal should be to simply complete the labs in the workbooks - one at a time - little by little. Not much else.

She would be entitled to free repeats after attending the class of course, with or without me, at that point.

I really expect to have a student who is a decent CCNA in about 3-6 months or so and after that an above-average candidate for the CCNP or various CCNA specialty exams - like Wireless, Voice, or Security for example.

I should mention that I did give her a pod and some step-by-step instructions previously and had her help me configure a pair of 3745's and Cisco CallManager Express to test about 20+ IP Phones.

I think that's where she got motivated that she could do this from in the first place.

Granted the CCNA has no digital phones on it or even FXO/FXS ports but it is still kinda fun to change a few values and make phones ring a little.

 

[Comblues]

As a side note, I once had a cousin who completed the Cisco Academy - top of her class in high school.

I asked her what she learned.

She told me she could configure some devices make them ping and really didn't know much beyond that.

True.

FYI - Her employer has paid for her to pursue the CCNA now about 8-10 years later. She's working as a network admin now.

Comblues

 

[lif_andi]

Just to chip in, I think this is a pretty cool thread. I'm learning to become a CCNA right now so this thread interests me. I like your emphesis on knowledge over test skills as this is also the way I am hoping to learn my things. I want to pass the CCNA and hopefully get employment in networking soon after that, but, I want to understand what I'm learning so I can build on it for both real world application and future career advancement. Doesn't hurt that I actually enjoy learning this

Hope to see you continue updating this thread... would it be ok if I pm'd you with some questions sometime? Hoping to take the exam next month and although I'd likely pass with a week or two studying hard for the exam, there are some things I would like to understand better.

 

[Comblues]

Good to hear my friend.

You may contact me with any question you like. I'll answer as best I can and offer my best advice if so desired.

If you don't mind asking questions publicly then I'd answer them in-line on this thread as well or wherever you may have the question posted.

I find that synergy works best - more people learning exponentially at the expense or fortune of another study-mate. That is, everyone benefits from misunderstandings that are corrected and from things learned well aka tips or a better way to skin a cat.

Comblues

 

[Comblues]

Status:

I'm happy to say my apprentice is coming along quite well.

We stopped a bit to conquer a little of the great outdoors today - I weed whacked and she trimmed some trees in the jungle behind the house.

Enough of the lawn care.

She has IP to Decimal conversions down pat.

She has Class A, B, C, D, E, Loopback IP Address Range (127.0.0.0 - 127.255.255.255), and the APIPA Address Range down (169.254.x.x) - RFC 1918 is in the bag now.

She has just cracked the nut on breaking down networks and hosts using VLSM and I expect CIDR is soon to follow.

We haven't discussed classful and classless yet - not per se.

She knows how to derive the network, broadcast, and host addresses per given CIDR notation ( /0 - /32 ).

Not too bad all things considered but she is still working hard at it.

For those following along, it is my experience that IP Addressing is usually not very well understood among even some of the better practicing Network Engineers - not saying they cannot perform the task - I'm saying some have difficulty doing such operations on the fly and off of the top of their heads.

I think Wildcard Masks and creating filters using AND/OR functions will be a challenge initially but she'll get it.

 

[Comblues]

Quick Update:

She got CIDR just about nailed down.

This is a major concept.

How:

I got her started working on Tables using VLSM and a little video instruction to help out a few more times after some hands-on binary math equations and reading comprehension type questions.

It's working out nicely. I honestly figured IP would take longer than it is taking.

She needs more work before she can spit out values and explain the operations to me as I do for her but hey... She's just getting started.

Comblues

 

[SheHateMe]

This must be one cool lady for you to walk her through like this.


I am actually on an internship now and my managers and mentor are going to walk me through.