CCNA Blog

A question I consistently get from my CCNA students when I teach a Cisco networking associate certification class is: What will I be expected to do in a new position working with computer networks.

Completion of the CCNA exam gives you a credential, but it doesn’t give you experience. While you do get lots of book learning and some hands-on troubleshooting as you prepare for an exam, you will have a much better idea of what to expect to face in a new network administrator position if you have had some real-world experience.

In fact, I tell my students that they should try to get as much hands-on experience with Cisco routers and switches as possible before considering a job in networking, and it really does help in preparing for the exam.

Students expecting to break into the networking gig once they pass their CCNA should also be prepared to encounter challenges in security, a fundamental area of networking. Additionally, network administrators are more likely now to address issues in two newer technology areas: wireless and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Knowledge in these three areas is critical if you want to stand out among other job applicants and hit the ground running in a new job.

On the wireless front, understanding the 802.11 specification is key–the differences between 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n protocols. While there’s a chapter dedicated to wireless in the CCNA prep books, getting a solid understanding of these technologies will help you in any networking job, especially since wireless and networking go hand in hand at many companies.

VoIP is another technology area that you should understand pretty well for a new networking job. Phone systems aren’t what they used to be. Now phones are part of the network and integrate with data as a critical part of any business. Understanding VoIP before you get there will make a new networking job that much easier. Understanding Cisco’s VoIP and unified communications offerings will definitely give you an advantage.

Security is more critical than ever! The more you know, the better. Preparing for the CCNA, you will learn the basics of password and general security processes; on the job, you’ll be expected to understand security at a significantly deeper level—particularly if the organization you join has regulatory compliance requirements or is a target for hacking, for example. The U.S. government, for instance, has to deal with over 3 million hacker attacks per day. While you may not work for an organization that has to deal with this kind of onslaught, you will likely still be expected to take the necessary measures to secure the company’s network and data assets. Cisco has some excellent resources to help you; check out this site for other study materials and supplemental info.

These are just a few of the topics that you’ll be expected to know on top of the CCNA basics. I’ll talk about these things in greater detail in my next few posts. Until then, do your best!

Article posted by Victor R Garza, from Cisco Learning Home.

Robin Lee :: Aug.14.2008 :: Articles And Tutorials :: No Comments »

The following are part of CCNA exam Q&A from www.certay.com. You can go to certay and consult live-support for more information if you are interested in its products. Now let’s look at the following study-guides offered by certay.  

1. Why has the network shown in the exhibit failed to converge?

A: The no auto-summary command needs to be applied to the routers.
B: The network numbers have not been properly configured on the routers.
C: The subnet masks for the network numbers have not been properly configured.
D: The autonomous system number has not been properly configured.
E: The bandwidth values have not been properly configured on the serial interfaces.

Correct Answers:  A

2. Refer to the exhibit. The network shown in the exhibit is running the RIPv2 routing protocol. The network has converged, and the routers in this network are functioning properly. The FastEthernet0/0 interface on R1 goes down. In which two ways will the routers in this network respond to this change? (Choose two.)

A: All routers will reference their topology database to determine if any backup routes to the 192.168.1.0 network are known.
B: Routers R2 and R3 mark the route as inaccessible and will not accept any further routing updates from R1 until their hold-down timers expire.
C: Because of the split-horizon rule, router R2 will be prevented from sending erroneous information to R1 about connectivity to the 192.168.1.0 network.
D: When router R2 learns from R1 that the link to the 192.168.1.0 network has been lost, R2 will respond by sending a route back to R1 with an infinite metric to the 192.168.1.0 network.
E: R1 will send LSAs to R2 and R3 informing them of this change, and then all routers will send periodic updates at an increased rate until the network again converges.

Correct Answers:  C, D

3. The network administrator of the Oregon router adds the following command to the router configuration: ip route 192.168.12.0 255.255.255.0 172.16.12.1. What are the results of adding this command? (Choose two.)

A: The command establishes a static route.
B: The command invokes a dynamic routing protocol for 192.168.12.0.
C: Traffic for network 192.168.12.0 is forwarded to 172.16.12.1.
D: Traffic for all networks is forwarded to 172.16.12.1.
E: This route is automatically propagated throughout the entire network.
F:Traffic for network 172.16.12.0 is forwarded to the 192.168.12.0 network.

Correct Answers:  A, C

Robin Lee :: Aug.12.2008 :: CCNA Exam Braindumps :: No Comments »

LAN Switching and Wireless, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide is the official supplemental textbook for the LAN Switching and Wireless course in the Cisco Networking Academy CCNA® Exploration curriculum version 4. This course provides a comprehensive approach to learning the technologies and protocols needed to design and implement a converged switched network. The Companion Guide, written and edited by a Networking Academy instructor, is designed as a portable desk reference to use anytime, anywhere. The book’s features reinforce the material in the course to help you focus on important concepts and organize your study time for exams.

New and improved features help you study and succeed in this course:

• Chapter objectives: Review core concepts by answering the questions listed at the beginning of each chapter.
• Key terms: Refer to the updated lists of networking vocabulary introduced and turn to the highlighted terms in context in each chapter.
• Glossary: Consult the all-new comprehensive glossary with more than 190 terms.
• Check Your Understanding questions and answer key: Evaluate your readiness with the updated end-of-chapter questions that match the style of questions you see on the online course quizzes. The answer key explains each answer.
• Challenge questions and activities: Strive to ace more challenging review questions and activities designed to prepare you for the complex styles of questions you might see on the CCNA exam. The answer key explains each answer.

About the Author

Wayne Lewis is the Cisco Academy Manager for the Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training (PCATT), based at Honolulu Community College (HonCC), and the Legal Main Contact for the CCNA/CCNP/Network Security Cisco Academy Training Center at PCATT/HonCC.

Since 1998, Wayne has taught routing and switching, wide area networking, network troubleshooting, network security, wireless networking, IP telephony, and quality of service to instructors from universities, colleges, and high schools in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, United States, American Samoa, Guam, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Great Britain, both onsite and at PCATT/HonCC. Cisco has sent Wayne to several countries to conduct inaugural Networking Academy teacher-training sessions to certify the initial cohorts of instructors and kick off the training centers for these countries.

Before teaching networking, Wayne began teaching at age 20 at Wichita State University, followed by the University of Hawaii and HonCC. In 1992, Wayne received a Ph.D. in math, specializing in finite rank torsion-free modules over a Dedekind domain; he now works on algebraic number theory research in his spare time. Wayne works as a contractor for Cisco , performing project management for the development of network security, CCNA, and CCNP curriculum.

He and his wife, Leslie, also run a network consulting company. Wayne enjoys surfing the South Shore of Oahu in the summer and surfing big waves on the North Shore in the winter.

>> You can buy this book from Amazon.com

Robin Lee :: Aug.11.2008 :: CCNA Books :: No Comments »

Cisco offers four levels of career certification for anyone looking to enter the IT profession: Entry, Associate, Professional and Expert.

The global community of Cisco-certified professionals numbers just over 1 million professionals, with 20,000 of those being Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE-certified). Expert certification level includes 5 different CCIE certifcations, plus CCDE (Cisco Certified Design Expert).

Entry Level Certifications

CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) certification validates the skills required for entry-level network support positions, the starting point for many successful careers in networking.

Candidates should have the knowledge and skill to install, operate and troubleshoot a small enterprise branch network, including basic network security.

CCENT certification is the first step toward achieving CCNA, which covers medium size enterprise branch networks with more complex connections.

Associate Level Certifications

The first step in general Cisco Career Certifications begins either with CCENT as an interim step to Associate level, or directly with CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate) for network operations or CCDA (Cisco Certified Design Associate) for network design.

In June 2008, three new CCNA certifications were launched to address market demand for skills in the area of voice, wireless and security. CCNA is a prerequisite to a three of these exciting paths into networking. Think of the Associate level as the apprentice or foundation level of networking certification.

>> CCNA Security CCNA Voice CCNA Wireless

Professional Level

The profesional level in general Cisco Career Certifications such as [Cisco Certified Networking Professional CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional), CCSP (Cisco Certified Security Professional), CCDP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional), and CCIP (Cisco Certified Internetworking Professional), each fall within a different career paths (or tracks) for meeting varying employment needs. Think of this level as the advanced, or journeyman, level of certification that shows expertise with networking foundations.

Expert Level Certifications

This is the highest level of achievement for network professionals, certifying an individual as an expert or master in IT. For over ten years, CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert), has identified networking professionals with the highest level of expertise. Less than three percent of all Cisco certified professionals earn their CCIE.

The CCIE certification has 5 areas of focus including:

• Routing and Switching
• Security
• Service Provider
• Storage Networking
• Voice

Article From: https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-2270

Robin Lee :: Aug.10.2008 :: Articles And Tutorials :: No Comments »

nikalex’s question:

I am currently planning to start studying for my CCNA certification.

Is self study the best one or attending classes? Which books are most recommended for CCNA Routing and Switching?

Is it better to take CCNA once or start from ICND1 and ICND2?

Kailen Harper answered:

I have allways felt the two exam option and self study is the best way to move forward with a CCNA. The Cisco press books by Wendel Odom for ICND1&2 are an excelent choice. Most importantly though is to get a couple of routers or Dynamips and practice. Learning it in a book and actually doing it are very different things. Watch all of the videos on the site here and play the binary game A LOT. Subnetting is the most important thing to learn since without it the tests will take significantly longer to complete. And time is a valuable resource on the test.

Get the first book, watch the videos, ask a lot of questions in the forums and just keep working at it. Remember even the CCIE’s had to start somewhere.

Robin Lee :: Aug.05.2008 :: CCNA Q&As :: No Comments »

Network Fundamentals, CCNA Exploration Companion Guide is the official supplemental textbook for the Network Fundamentals course in the Cisco® Networking Academy® CCNA® Exploration curriculum version 4. The course, the first of four in the new curriculum, is based on a top-down approach to networking. The Companion Guide, written and edited by Networking Academy instructors, is designed as a portable desk reference to use anytime, anywhere. The book’s features reinforce the material in the course to help you focus on important concepts and organize your study time for exams.

New and improved features help you study and succeed in this course:

• Chapter objectives—Review core concepts by answering the focus questions listed at the beginning of each chapter.
• Key terms—Refer to the updated lists of networking vocabulary introduced and highlighted in context in each chapter.
• Glossary—Consult the comprehensive glossary with more than 250 terms.
• Check Your Understanding questions and answer key—Evaluate your readiness with the updated end-of-chapter questions that match the style of questions you see on the online course quizzes. The answer key explains each answer.
• Challenge questions and activities—Strive to ace more challenging review questions and activities designed to prepare you for the complex styles of questions you might see on the CCNA exam. The answer key explains each answer.
• How To—Look for this icon to study the steps you need to learn to perform certain tasks.
•  Packet Tracer Activities— Explore networking concepts in activities interspersed throughout some chapters using Packet Tracer v4.1 developed by Cisco. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM.

This book is part of the Cisco Networking Academy Series from Cisco Press®. The products in this series support and complement the Cisco Networking Academy online curriculum.

About the Author

Mark A. Dyewas the technology manager and training manager for the Bevill Center at Gadsden State Community College, where he also managed and taught in the Cisco Academy program. He now works full time as an assessment and curriculum developer with Cisco. Mark also has maintained a private information technology consulting business since 1985. Mark’s 30+-year career has included roles as biomedical instrumentation technician, field service engineer, customer service supervisor, network engineer, and instructor.

Rick McDonald teaches computer and networking courses at the University of Alaska Southeast in Ketchikan, Alaska. He is developing methods for delivering hands-on training via distance in Alaska using web-conferencing and NETLAB tools. Rick worked in the airline industry for several years before returning to full-time teaching. He taught CCNA and CCNP courses in the Cisco Networking Academy in North Carolina and was a CCNA instructor trainer.

Antoon “Tony”W. Rufi currently is the associate dean of computer and information science for all the ECPI College of Technology campuses. He also teaches the Cisco Networking Academy CCNA, CCNP, Network Security, Fundamentals of Wireless LAN, and IP Telephony curricula. Before becoming an instructor for ECPI, he spent almost 30 years in the United States Air Force, working on numerous electronic projects and computer programs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews Of This Book

I obviously bought this book for the CCNA class that I am taking. As textbooks go, this book is very well written and makes the understanding easier as you go through the class (as opposed to trying to do my reading online through the cisco academy). Highly recommend buying the book if you are taking the class.

— By  C. Nelson

This was my first Networking course. I found this text to be a good complement to the online material. While you could certainly pass the course without it, it presented the material in a different style, giving you an extra chance to grasp the concepts. For the most part it is well written and easy to follow. Based on my experience with this text and the curriculum as a whole I have decided to continue in the course sequence and pursue CCNA certification.

I would not bother purchasing the companion lab manual. All the necessary information is available in a pdf from the Cisco Networking Academy and can easily be printed (or simply read from the computer screen).

— By  A. Ray “amrlion”

Get more infomation of this book from Amazon.com

Robin Lee :: Aug.04.2008 :: CCNA Books :: No Comments »

The new Cisco CCNA Security certification can help you verify the specialized security skills that are in high demand among employers.

Not sure if the CCNA Security certification is the right path for your career? Read on for information and resource links that will help in your decision making.

1. What industry trends motivated Cisco to create the CCNA Security certification?

Cisco created the CCNA Security certification to offer new IT professionals a rapid path to specialization in security as well as to offer experienced networking professionals a path to enhancing their careers with new security knowledge and skills. Security skills are one of the highest-demand areas in the networking job market. IT organizations need staff with the specialized knowledge and skills to administer devices and applications in a security infrastructure, recognize network vulnerabilities, and detect security threats.

2. What do employers say about their needs for people with this type of knowledge and skill?

More than any other area, security and risk management skills are some of the most highly sought after skills across the network, and demand is continuing to grow. Within five years, dedicated security roles are expected to exist in 80 percent of the companies studied versus today’s dedicated security role, which exists in only 46 percent of the companies surveyed.

3. Where will the CCNA Security certification be the most relevant?

With the CCNA Security, you’ll be ready for specialized jobs such as network security specialist, security administrator, and security support engineer.

Through the CCNA Security training, you will gain an overview of security challenges and solutions, and be able to install, monitor, and troubleshoot Cisco security solutions to secure a small branch office network. Cisco IOS security features on Cisco routers and switches are deployed using both graphical user interface tools (GUIs such as the Cisco Security Device Manager or SDM) and command line interfaces (CLIs). You will also understand the necessity of a comprehensive security policy and how it affects the posture of the network.

4. Is the CCNA Security path right for you?

The choice to pursue a networking specialist or generalist path is an important career decision. Your interests, the jobs available in your area, and other factors will likely influence your choice.

Your potential salary is another important factor. Industry surveys show that IT specialists receive higher compensation.

TCPmag.com reports in a 2006-2007 survey that workers holding a Cisco CCSP certification had an average annual salary of nearly US$94,000.

All of the CCNA concentrations help you to distinguish yourself in the highly competitive world of IT networking. CCNA Security takes full advantage of your current CCNA certification as a foundation, while specifically preparing you for new career opportunities in network security.

CCNA remains the certification of choice for individuals who want to demonstrate a solid foundation in core routing and switching skills, and then later advance as network generalists.

5. Will the CCNA Security concentration lead to higher-level certifications?

The CCNA Security certification is the prerequisite for the Cisco CCSP professional-level certification. A CCSP certification is excellent preparation for attaining the highest Cisco security designation, the Cisco CCIE Security certification. However, the CCIE Security certification has no prerequisites.

6. If I already have a CCNA certification, what’s my best path to becoming a Security Specialist?

With the introduction of the CCNA concentrations, Cisco has changed the prerequisites and paths to higher-level certifications. To become a security specialist, one possible path is shown below:

7. Are there any prerequisites for the CCNA Security certification?

Holding the CCNA certification is required before you can earn the CCNA Security certification. You may take one or more CCNA concentration exams without retaking original CCNA exams. Through November 17, 2011, the CCNA + SND exam from the CCSP certification will be accepted as a pre-requisite for CCSP in addition to CCNA Security to accommodate those in process or starting their CCSP.

8. Is any training available or required for the CCNA Security certification?

Training for all new CCNA concentrations is available through Learning Solutions Partners and Learning Partners.

As of mid-2008, instructor-led classroom training courses are only available through Cisco Learning Partners. For CCNA Security, the recommended training is Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS), a five-day classroom course with labs that simulate real-world scenarios.

Cisco Press will offer corresponding products for each CCNA concentration. In addition to their best-selling exam certification guides, Cisco Press will offer digital quick reference guides and other online materials to help you prepare for the CCNA Security exam. 

9. What are the details about the CCNA Security course and exam?

Only one exam is required for the CCNA Security certification: Cisco 640-553 IINS. To prepare for the exam, the suggested IINS training course covers network security principles, perimeter security, LAN/SAN/voice/endpoint security, Cisco IOS firewalls, Cisco IOS intrusion protection systems (IPS), and site-to-site VPNs. In-classroom labs enhance the learning experience.

You will develop skills for installation, troubleshooting, and monitoring of network devices to maintain integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data and devices and develop competency in the technologies that Cisco uses in its security infrastructure.

10. Where can I get more information about the CCNA Security concentration?

Technical requirements and information about the CCNA Security can be found here on the Cisco Learning Network.

Article from: https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-2328

Robin Lee :: Aug.04.2008 :: Articles And Tutorials :: No Comments »

The following are part of 640-553 Q&A from www.certay.com. You can go to certay and consult live-support for more information if you are interested in its products. Now let’s look at the following study-guides offered by certay.

1. Which consideration is important when implementing Syslogging in your network?

A. Use SSH to access your Syslog information.
B. Enable the highest level of Syslogging available to ensure you log all possible event messages.
C. Log all messages to the system buffer so that they can be displayed when accessing the router.
D. Syncronize clocks on the network with a protocol such as Network Time Protocol.

Answer: D

2. Which statement is true when you have generated RSA keys on your Cisco router to prepare for secure device management?

A. You must then zeroize the keys to reset secure shell before configuring other parameters.
B. The SSH protocol is automatically enabled.
C. You must then specify the general-purpose key size used for authentication with the crypto key generate rsa general-keys modulus command.
D. All vty ports are automatically enabled for SSH to provide secure management.

Answer: B

3. What does level 5 in the following enable secret global configuration mode command indicate? router#enable secret level 5 password

A. The enable secret password is hashed using MD5.
B. The enable secret password is hashed using SHA.
C. The enable secret password is encrypted using Cisco proprietary level 5 encryption.
D. Set the enable secret command to privilege level 5.
E. The enable secret password is for accessing exec privilege level 5.

Answer: E

4. Which of these correctly matches the CLI command(s) to the equivalent SDM wizard that performs similar configuration functions?

A. Cisco Common Classification Policy Language configuration commands and the SDM Site-to-Site VPN wizard
B. auto secure exec command and the SDM One-Step Lockdown wizard
C. setup exec command and the SDM Security Audit wizard
D. class-maps, policy-maps, and service-policy configuration commands and the SDM IPS wizard
E. aaa configuration commands and the SDM Basic Firewall wizard

Answer: B

5. What is the key difference between host-based and network-based intrusion prevention?

A. Network-based IPS is better suited for inspection of SSL and TLS encrypted data flows.
B. Network-based IPS provides better protection against OS kernel-level attacks against hosts and servers.
C. Network-based IPS can provide protection to desktops and servers without the need of installing specialized software on the end hosts and servers.
D. Host-based IPS can work in promiscuous mode or inline mode.
E. Host-based IPS is more scalable then network-based IPS.
F. Host-based IPS deployment requires less planning than network-based IPS.

Answer: C

Robin Lee :: Aug.04.2008 :: CCNA Exam Braindumps :: No Comments »