From: Jonathan Stevens (jonathanstevens.net@googlemail.com)
Date: Thu Jan 26 2006 - 09:10:04 GMT-3
Hi all,
In the spirit of groupstudy.com I'm very pleased to say I've just got my
number on my first attempt (in Brussels), so am feeling very pleased
with myself indeed.
Thanks to everybody who contributes, especially those who ASK the
questions, it's a great form of study trying to figure out the answers
to some of the questions posed here. Quite often I'd know I didn't
understand things as well as I should; merely by reading someone else's
question.
So, as I've found reading other peoples "Ten Top Tips" very useful here
are mine (except they aren't numbered or in any order)...
*
Chapter One*
7-9 Years ago I learnt to configure Cisco kit on my own on a live
network with bugger all experience and only the Documentation CD to help
me.... suffice to say I got myself into some terrible messes in the
early hours of the day (and caused the odd bit of chaos). However, it
was a baptism of fire which blessed me with the ability to concentrate on
1) What should this router be doing?
2) What IS this router doing?
3) What's the difference?
4) Why?
5) So how do I fix it?
We invented pencils, then had to invent erasers.
We invented pens, then had to invent tipex (or whatever you call it
where you are).
We have two eraser keys on every keyboard (one of them rather oversized)
The moral of this chapter is - We make mistakes, we all do, all the time
- there is no way you will not make any mistakes in your lab. Learn the
stupid mistakes you make, how to avoid them, how to find them, how to
correct them. Keep clear on what you are trying to achieve.
For example...
*route-map ospf->eigrp OR route-map OSPF->EIGRP*
Tip: If it isn't a *keyword *PUT IT IN CAPITALS
For example...
*redistribute eigrp 10 route-map OSPF->EIGRP metric 1000 0 255 1 1500
route-map OSFP->EIGRP
match ip address OSPF->EIGRP
ip access-list standard OSPF->EIGRP
permit 172.16.0.0 0.0.255.255*
Tip: If you have a route-map with a single access list linked to it, use
the same names. You can extend this to QoS etc.
Tip: If you can use named access lists in the exam, do, and include the
section you are solving e.g. ip access-list standard S10_1_BGP_AS
Tip: When things like the above don't work properly, and you are sure
they should, check your typing (mine is attrocious - I reckon teaching
yourself to touch type properly would be A Really Good Thing)...
For example (in the above)...
* sh run | inc OSPF->EIGRP*
This shows only...
*redistribute eigrp 10 route-map OSPF->EIGRP metric 1000 0 255 1 1500
match ip address OSPF->EIGRP
ip access-list standard OSPF->EIGRP*
So I've quickly found my typo.
Really Good Tip: Someone once told me this (thanks JohnL) and it is one
of the best bits of advice I've every had about troubleshooting
(anything)...
If something isn't working and you are going to change things, ONLY
CHANGE ONE THING AT A TIME, then look at the results, see what it has
done, IF YOUR CHANGE DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM CHANGE IT BACK. Then CHANGE
ONE THING AT A TIME. There are obviously caveats to this, for example if
you change BGP or RIP filters make sure that the router re-receives the
routes. This is especially true for BGP, make sure you know how to get
other routers to resend the routes. Understand route-refresh methods
because clear ip bgp * can lose you a lot of time.... You won't have
access to backbone routers, so know how to find out if they support
route-refresh options, or if they don't what your options are.
*Chapter 2*
Getting to know how Cisco want you configure their kit. They made it.
They designed it. They know what each command ACTUALLY does. So, learn
to do things the way they think you are supposed to - it might not be
the IEEE way, but the IEEE didn't make the kit.
I did my CCNP a long time ago, then my CCDP, then my CCIP quite
recently. The CCNP is better now than it was when I did it, I think. The
CCIP is very useful for ensuring your BGP, IGP and QoS skills are up to
scratch (and the MPLS is very interesting and makes you think a lot more
about MP-BGP).
This may sound strange as ISIS isn't in the exams now (for R&S), but
learn it. I found that learning ISIS really improved my understanding of
OSPF (and SPF in general). It also helped my understanding of BGP. ISIS
is a bit daunting at first, but it's a very good link-state routing
protocol. It's like you can't describe very well what a fruit is if you
only have an apple; but if you have an apple and a lemon you'd be able
to point out their similarities and how they differ from vegetables.
Hrm... fruit-state versus vegetable routing protocols. Which reminds me,
I never did discover the meaning of cold-potato routing....
*Chapter 3*
The written. I guess most people on this list have passed this, so I
won't bother much except that I found this difficult. I don't always see
the questions from the right point of view. I pretty much scraped
through (73%) on my second go.... The point is that you shouldn't take
it as a guide of how well you will do in the lab exam. They are, as many
many people have said before, very different beasts. However, you have
to know the theory, and well; because if you don't, you will go into the
lab swimming in a sea of uncertainty.
*Chapter 5*
How to prepare for the lab.
I was very lucky in that I work for a Gold Partner and was selected to
go for my CCIE. I had almost exclusive access to their lab kit every
day, and I used it.
I've probably been doing intensive practical study for about six weeks.
That's up early, do an eight hour practise lab, then grade myself,
understand where I went wrong and then correct my configs. After that
(so that's 10 hours of concentration) I'd go through the posting on
GroupStudy, then to bed with a cup of Horlicks and a book (Good point to
put my booklist in, but please check for the latest versions of any)....
Routing TCP/IP, Volume I (Cisco Press) (2nd Edition)
Routing TCP/IP, Volume II (Cisco Press)
Cisco LAN Switching (Cisco Press)
Internet Routing Architectures, 2nd Edition (Cisco Press)
CCIE Practical Studies, Volume I
CCIE Practical Studies, Volume II (CCIE Self-Study)
Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6)
Bridges, Routers and Switches for CCIEs, 2nd Edition
Troubleshooting IP Routing Protocols (CCIE Professional Development)
Advanced BGP Design and Implementation
Make sure any books you get are appropriate for the new lab.
I chose to use NetmasterClass
(http://www.netmasterclass.com/site/home.php) DoIts and CheckIts mainly
on the advise of postings just like this one. Another factor was their
quick (and detailed) response to the change in the labs - I am not
afraid of IPv6 (I actually rather like it - sad geek that I have become)!
This turned out to be A Very Wise Decision (Wise Like a Ninja Owl!)
I got their package of the DoIt Vol II Lab Workbook (it's got around 28
fiendish labs in it) plus 5 on-line CheckIts. They claim that these labs
are generally more difficult that the real thing, and I'd say that they
could well be correct in that.
If you are serious about passing your lab then I'd strongly recommend
you (at the very least) do the sample lab (which you can download for
free).
The DoIts you can do in whatever manner you prefer....
Do print them out and scribble all over them. Tick every requirement in
every sentence of every subsection of every section as you do them.
Remember that in the exam the sections are all interlinked, so it
unlikely that you can do the exam in the same order as the sections. You
will need to jump around a bit and you need to ensure you don't miss
things. The Devil Is In The Details.
1) Get yourself a nice Stopwatch or Countdown program and set it for
eight hours and pretend you're in the lab (same rules except you can
talk to yourself). All you can access on the net is the Documentation CD
(don't use search - learn where everything is). This way you realise
it's unlikely you're going to know it all, but if you know something
exists and roughly where it is, then you can check the syntax or
defaults or caveats or prerequisits or whatever quickly and easily. This
stops mistakes and saves time.
2) Take as long as you want on the DoIt lab and research and understand
the problems in the scenario. Perfect your diagrams and methods. Mess
around with what ifs and how comes. Make notes.
Try doing both methods, alternatively.
Don't read the Answer Keys until the end, but when you do make sure you
understand exactly why the solutions are what they are, how they work
and if it's a feature you don't know about learn it.
NetmasterClass have a forum for every lab, where you can discuss your
results, and any questions you have on either the scenario or the answer
key are always answered promptly and with detail and helpful advice
(Alexei - if you read this group, thank you very much indeed for all
your feedback and advice). These really helped.
Then there were the CheckIts. These were just brilliant. I really think
they made the difference for me. Remote 8 hour labs that are graded with
great detail. You get a great wad of feedback about your performance and
grading in all the sections, plus a detailed discussive answer key. You
can view your final configs and compare them with the "ideal" configs.
The thing that the CheckIt labs did for me was to put me under the same
sort of pressure as the real thing. I even did a couple with the TV on
in the background (to teach me not to be distracted by my surrounding).
I'd be anxiously waiting for my results in the evening, a bit like the
real thing! Get your marks up above the 80s and you will go into the
real thing with Confidence.
These labs are Tricky and sometimes Downright Devious, if not Evil. Just
like the real thing can be. They taught me how the thing works. They
taught me how to use my time. They taught me how to spot conflicts
between sections (ah the great Frame Relay interface v. OSPF network
type connundrum). They are sneakily written and you learn to recognise
the signs of getting setup for something (e.g. DO do this, DON'T do
that, DO this, DO that.... hahaha Now try and make THIS work). You might
even like to think of them as Network Sudoko. Some very clever puzzles
are to be found in the pages of the DoIts and CheckIts.
I'd say they worked for me, and contributed greatly to my first time pass.
Whatever provider you use for your practise labs, I'd say make sure you
use their products as effectively as you can. Remember you are learning,
testing, and practising all at the same time. Make sure you have a good
line of communication with them. If you don't understand something, you
have to have a quick way to find out what they meant in a certain
question or solution - you need that support (well it saves you time).
Above all, as everyone says, Practise. But one thing a lot of people
don't say here is that you really need to practise *how *you take the
test as well. This would include your own shorthands for diagraming and
marking out redistributions. In general I found I always benefitted from
four diagrams. A layer 3 IP and IGP diagram, onto which I'd transpose
redistribution, nat, redundancy (and *sometimes* multicast), a switch
connectivity diagram showing routers and switch ports along with vlans
and trunking information, a BGP diagram with my own notations for the
various methods, and normally a multicast diagram.
_*The Day Before The Lab*_
Check-in to your hotel.
Make sure you can access the email address in your CCIE profile.
Go to the lab location, find out exactly where you are supposed to be
the next morning.
Know how long it takes you to get there.
Buy some brand new nice coloured pens, four colours should do (but DO
check with the Proctor that he is happy for you to bring them in).
If you are a smoker, consider a patch or some Nicorette for the day....
_*The Lab.*_
Can't talk about this. ;)
By this point it should just be a case of doing it. If you've done your
preperation properly there won't be any surprises (except of course the
ones you are expecting)...
Here's how I worked out the time you have...
100 points = 8 hours.
Take the first whole hour.
This is to read the paper, read every section (look at the diagrams and
understand the questions as you do this). Look for relationships between
sections.
Look at the diagrams. Get a feel for where your hubs and spokes are,
where are your routing protocols, where could there be loops, where
might you need virtual-links, etc, etc. Look for good routers to do
debugs and tests on and from.
Now make a big clear copy of the diagram (you can't write on the
question paper). Copy all the IP addresses and as you add them to your
diagram check that they make sense. There's nothing that brings out the
hidden detail in a diagram so much as transposing it into your own.
Do any other diagrams you use (a switch/vlan one is really helpful).
While you are doing this have a check to find out what (if any) configs
are already on the routers.
Figure out which sections you are confident about, make short notes
about things you have to check later.
So that's your first hour (ignore everyone else tapping away).
Now if you assume that you should have an hour left at the end to check
everything (and you really do need to plan for this, they will catch you
out somewhere).
This leaves you 3.6 minutes for every point.
So if a question is worth 2 points, aim to spend no more than 7.2
minutes on it. That's scary, but sometimes you just know the answer and
in it goes. Job done, and you've gained some minutes for another more
tricky question. Don't spend an hour at the start of the day on 2 points
- it's just not worth it (unless everything else depends on it - if so,
you can always put a TEMPORARY workaround in).
As you go through the paper, note the sections you think might get
messed up by other sections and think of quick ways to test them.
Scribble this down somewhere.
You definately need to learn to leave a question alone if you're getting
lost in it. Sometimes you need distance (haha - if only you knew how apt
that was for my exam) for clarity. Make sure you note down the sections
you want to come back to though, and make sure you understand which
later sections might require it to be complete.
So then you just get on with it all. Don't be afraid to use the Doc CD,
by now you know it so well you can find the details on something very
quickly. Know when to go to the command reference and when to go to the
configuration guide. The two bits you really need to know are IOS 12.4
documentation (it's very well organised and well laid out - but huge)
and the 3550 12.2TSEC/D sections. The 12.3 Documentation is a bit all
over the place.
Keep an eye on the time and where you should be, but Don't Panic, just
calmly proceed. Don't be afraid to step back for a minute. I got myself
in a right mess in the middle of the exam, but somehow was wise enough
to leave it all alone. I came back at the end, and due to the Amazing
Incredible Power of the Subconcious (e.g. the backburner in your head) I
had a eureka moment. While I was waiting for my brain I did a good few
other questions....
Save your configs at milestones (and before any experiments)...
(IMHO) Reload at lunch and Reload before you do your final checks.
Last hour check, check, check and check - go through your notes, check
check check. If you have time, check each answer to each question to
appropriate degree.
If you are going to make corrections think about them very carefully.
You should at the very least have everything saved now, so if you make a
change and it goes wrong all you need to do is reload. The other option
is to copy out the section of config you are going to change, and keep
it safe in notepad.
Ah yes: Notepad. Notepad is your friend. Use it, abuse it, be clever
with it. I managed to get some bgp AS numbers mixed up and corrected
them in two minutes flat with the help of Notepad. Be clever with search
and replace. Be careful with pasting - never hurry!
I found two or three simple stupid mistakes in the last fifteen minutes,
things like configuring the right port in the right way, but on the
wrong switch... Doh! Don't Panic! Notepad is my friend. That could have
been quite a few fairly straightforward points lost for no reason other
than carelessness (and exam head).
I guess I'm recommending that your lab is actually six hours long. You
have an hour to prepare, and an hour to grade yourself.
_*The Result
Damn It Feels Good! It really does!
*_
Anyway, I think I've waffled on quite long enough.... hope someone finds
this as useful as I did some of the postings I read. I've just realised
I'm going to have to read through this now (to check for mistakes)...
sigh....
Yes, there were quite a few.
Good luck to everyone studying!
If anyone else did their lab in Brussels on the 25th January do let me
know how you did! I hope you did well!
Best Regards,
Jonathan Stevens
CCIE# 15714
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