From: LASSERRE Grégory (gregory.lasserre@xxxxxxxx)
Date: Mon May 15 2000 - 11:05:10 GMT-3
> Hi Guys !
>
> As you should have guess reading the subjet :
> I successfully passed the CCIE R/S Lab Exam in Bruxelles on last Friday
> !!!!!
>
> No words to describe my feelings after the results except that i feel
> incredibly fine and quiet,
> like if the time has stopped and the world was at my feet for a while.
> The CCIE Lab is a real test that puts you on the edge,
> and there is so much tense during the exam that the results deeply moves
> you.
>
> So, i write you this email to thank all of you guys who have shared with
> me your knowledge during
> theses last 3 months, and to express how i enjoyed to work with you during
> this intense preparation.
> This Group is really GREAT ! As you guys !!
>
>
> So, THANK YOU !
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Now, just to follow the path of my predecessors in this group here is a
> presentation of my
> backgroud and my preparation (zap it if you wish, it's a little bit long).
>
> I'm 28 years old and i started to work in the neworking business 3 years
> ago with 3COM France
> as technical support engineer.
> I worked in this company til the merge of 3Com and US Robotics, and then i
> entered ARCHE Groupe
> SIEMENS to build and grow up a brand new 3Com dedicated technical support
> team.
> After 1 year and half the team was grown and totally autonomous, so i
> started to take an interesset
> into Cisco Equipments. Thus it's only 7 months ago that i started to work
> on Cisco routers (no experience
> on Cisco til there). After a while i was sensed to be a CCIE and i was
> launched in the CCIE preparation
> in last december.
>
> So, i followed the following courses :
> * ICRC
> * ACRC
> * CATM
> * SNAM
> and a 2 week CCIE preparation at Global Knowledge in Massy-Palaiseau
> (France).
>
> I passed the Drake on my first attempt the 26th of January, and since this
> date i spent
> every moment of my life preparing the Lab.
>
> As i was not allowed to prepare the CCIE Lab at my work (except 3 weeks
> off before the lab),
> i had to study every night (til 2AM) and each weekend (22 to 30 hours per
> we)
>
> In 6 months i went on holiday only once during a week in winter, and spent
> only 1 week-end off not studying
> a few months ago.
>
> During this period i made all the lab i was able to concieve, and used a
> lot of books to understand each detail
> of my configurations.
>
> Here are my sources:
> CISCO Press - CCIE - TCP/IP Vol I - Jeff Doyle => My favorite book
> CISCO Press - CCIE - LARGE-SCALE IP NETWORK SOLUTIONS - Razza/Turner => A
> very good book, interesting tips.
> CISCO Press - CCIE - LAN SWITCHING - Clarck/Hamilton => A great book,
> really
> CISCO Press - CCIE - FUNDAMENTALS Design and Case Study => not so helpfull
> CISCO Press - CCIE - ADVANCED IP NETWORK DESIGN - Retana/Slice/White =>
> much more recommended to already CCIEs
> CISCO Press - INTERNET ROUTING ARCHITECTURES - Halabi => You definitly
> should have it !
> CISCO Press - CCNP BCRAN => A good book so start
> McGraw Hill - ALL-IN-ONE STUDY GUIDE => A good book to start lab study. It
> helped me a lot.
> McGraw Hill - CISCO CCIE STUDY GUIDE => It could be a good book to prepare
> the drake test,
> if it did not contain so many mistakes.
>
> And :
> CISCO CD => The very first reference. Know it by heart.
> Especially BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, IPX, APPLETALK, and DLSW conf/ref. Guides !!
>
> So after this preparation i went to the lab the 11th May.
> The trip to bruxelles went fine, but i did not succeeded to sleep the day
> before,
> thus i was really tired and stressed...
>
> The First day i spent one hour reading the subjet and making detailled
> maps
> of all the things involved in the lab (1 map for each main protocol) -
> (Thanks Kinton and
> you guys for your advices!). Then, and only then, i started to configure
> the routers one
> by one.
>
> 50 minutes before the end i stopped my router's configuration and started
> to check
> all the things i had already done.. VERY SLOWLY !! And i suprisely found 2
> horrible
> mistakes (certainly due to the stress !). I solved them and re-checked
> quickly everything.
> Then i came back to the end of the subject and finished the last part i
> still had to do.
>
> When the proctor checked my configs he found some errors and removed me 6
> points !!
> The proctor was really strict and gave points only if EVERYTHING was
> perfectly right
> and done By-The-Book !
>
> He did not told me how much points i lost at this time.
> I did not slept this second night too.
>
> When the second morning started i was really stressed and tired, but i
> kept focused on
> the lab, and i think i did the second day great. The proctor got some
> difficulties
> to find any errors. However he founded something that was not absolutely
> right and
> removed me 1 point (Gee !).
>
> Then i started the troubleshooting part in the afternoon.
> (The most stressing part as for me).
> I almost did it entirely but i did not had enough time to check
> everything.
> When the proctor checked the config he founded some errors but the main
> troubleshooting
> was done : IP, all Desktop Protols, + other things... And he only founded
> 6 points to take away.
>
> So, 100-5-6-1 => 88 Points ! I was graduated !!!!!!!!!!!!!
> What for a moment ! I'll remember it all of my life !
>
> Thus, i went CCIE R/S certified on my very first attempt, in Bruxelles the
> 12th May 2000 !!
> You'll see as great it is when you'll pass it (and sure you will guys! I
> hope so for all of you !)
>
> Here are my advices yet :
>
> 1/ You need time - Huge of time to practice. Train you on every
> architecture
> you can get. Don't hesitate to reproduce the same architecture 4 to 6
> times if needed. You have to
> know it by heart. Start with a quite simple architecture of (4 routers
> per. ex) and each time you
> reproduce it add one router and new fonctionalities. (I started with FR
> NBMA, X.25, ISDN) and
> with time i added ATM, another FR Cloud, etc. ). Try to put all the
> differents protocols (IP &
> DESKTOPs) on it together and keep on adding fonctionalities in each of
> them whenever you reproduce
> this lab from the beginning.
>
> Don't hesitate to entirely change the Adressing PLAN each time. Get sure
> of what you do and
> how you have to do it. IOS 11.2 Entreprise is enough on all of you
> routers. IOS 12.0 Entreprise costs
> money (beause of the FLASH/RAM requirements) and is not absolutely needed
> for preparing the lab.
>
> 2/ Whenever you reproduce this lab try to do things differently from what
> you are used to do, and learn to
> quickly check your configurations. Use the "Show ...." commands as often
> as you can. You should be
> able to understand an entire RIP + BGP + OSPF + EIGRP + IPX + APPLETALK +
> DLSW config
> without any "show run" !!! This definitely makes the difference in the
> troubleshooting part of the CCIE LAB.
>
> 3/ Whenever you have time, read !!! Cisco Press Book are very good and if
> you use them wisely you will
> see that time spent reading books will allow you to gain precious time in
> troubleshooting your architectures.
>
> 4/ Kinton advices. He surely will send you the email he sent me the day
> before the "great Jump" if you ask him.
> Very Helpfull !!
>
> So here's end my long mail.
> Good luck to you now !
>
> Cheers.
>
> Greg.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Gregory LASSERRE Tel. : +33 1 69 18 98 53
> Cisco Technical Support Engineer
> CCIE #5228
>
> ARCHE Groupe SIEMENS Std : +33 1 69 18 32 32
> FRANCE
> E-mail : gregory.lasserre@arche.fr
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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