From: darby.weaver@universalorlando.com
Date: Thu Apr 27 2006 - 02:46:37 GMT-3
I have been studying pretty regularly using an approach Bruce Caslow at NetMasterClass calls the Horizontal Approach.
That is taking a given topic and working out its details until I feel I have a handle with it off-rack. Then going on rack and practicing each particular topic again and again - and playing with some knobs.
I have taken it a step further...
I use the Class on Demand from InternetworkExpert to help ensure that I have a firm lecture in each topic and to ensure my foundation is secure.
Further, I have been using the topical study labs from CCBOOTCAMP as a mini-lab hands-on for each topic.
I have found this works quite well.
I attended NMC-1 and NMC 2 this year as well. (NMC-1 - I audited for a second attempt to get a good feel for all of those 0's and 1's that whizzed be me so quickly the first time).
In doing both of NMC's classes, I had the opportunity to challenge myself and found that my practice scores had increased from a mere 20 in January to as high as a 72 in April. Averaging 61 in 4 days with Bruce, Bob, and Val and only using a strict Horizontal Approach.
So basically my score had increased dramatically, (Now let's temper this a bit - during class we typically had 14 hours or so on Monday and about 10 hours each day thereafter to complete a lab and we were under the watchful eyes of 3 very helpful instructors at the same time - and let's face it, it was a learning environment - meant to help the student overcome some of these challenges).
Overall, I tried to come up with my own solutions, good, bad or indifferent, and more often than naught.
So I guess I left probably being effectively still a "D" Candidate or score-wise (0-60).
But I had learned quite a bit about where I was and what I now needed to get myself out of this rut.
I had seen several weak points some of which I had the nerve to think I actually had mastered.
So now armed with that I am now just 13 days from leaving NMC-2 and I have set out to master what I now call the "Bottom 50"
I had some items that I consistently missed that kept me from achieving a desired score of at least 80.
Having noted this, I decided to take all of my CheckIT's and analyze them.
I found that I was fairly consistent in my misunderstanding.
I loved the concept of getting to know the technology and understanding one's options for simply everything.
Some things I found myself doing, I was doing all of the time...
From my first exam (about 1/2 of a DoIT or CheckIT) to full CheckIT labs that were quite challenging in every way, I have come a long way in the past 3 months now.
So my solution was to enumerate each of these areas and I did.
And from there I started re-reading, watching videos, and some very particular scenarios on my racks.
I noticed that if I started using the more debug commands more often, that I notice my error more quickly, especially with more skillful use of debug (setting conditions).
I have not yet taken another graded lab these past 13 days or so yet.
However, I am scheduled to attend InternetworkExpert's Mock Labs in May and I am hoping to see very drastic improvement.
Having now visited each area, I found myself lacking in, I feel better prepared to zip through the InternetworkExpert Core Labs.
My process is more direct now:
1. Skim the lab quickly
2. View the Diagram
a. Look for Physical Loops
b. Look for Logical Loops
c. Look at interface types (P2P, P2M, MA)
d. If there are loops are they in the same protocol or not - prepare to look for issues.
3. Read the Lab Scenario
a. Frame Relay - Interface types - How does it compare with its IGP?
b. Split-Horizon Issues?
c. Broadcast | Multicast | Unicast
d. Bridging - where is it how am I going to deal with it?
e. P2P - where is it, what are issues I may have to contend with?
f. Virtual Interfaces like Virtual Templates, Loops, and Tunnels
g. Switching
a. VTP (Y/N - which mode)
b. Etherchannel
c. Trunking
d. InterVLAN Routing Issues
e. dot1Q or ISL
f. Port Assignment
h. IGPs - Look at them
i. BGP - Try to find hidden issues
j. BB's - What might be ties to them and how I may find their issues quickly
k. Other items such as QoS, Security, IP Services, etc. that may intertwine with any of the Layer 1-3 technologies.
l. Multicast
m. IPv6
n. I am more respectful of NAT, Redundancy, and DHCP, than I was before NMC and act more carefully as a result.
Note: Recall this part is done in about 15 minutes - 30 minutes - and I am just thinking about things at this stage.
Now I'm breathing and thinking about what I have seen, what it is worth, and how each technology may affect or impact my score... (Just me...)
4. Configure essential Layer 2 items starting with either Frame or 3550 and verify connectivity for each and that interfaces are in UP/UP status. I have gotten into a bit of a habit it seems of going ahead and configuring basic things over the frame core as well - especially with regard to IGPs. Basically, I am checking on a per-link basis for link-layer connectivity (Don't laugh, this bit me enough already).
5. Having ensured I have attained connectivity on a per-link basis, now, I move on to achieving connectivity on a per IGP basis.
6. Now I may have already configured simple Redistribution at this point as I was doing my IGPs but saved any tougher Redistribution requirements till now. I noted during my studies that I was having a tough time dealing with complex redistribution techniques as well as recursive routing with my tunnels and I also had to take time to thoroughly understand my options for configuring various metrics and associated knobs, but being a few months older and years more gray now, I am thinking about these items.
7. I want everyone to know I know the value of "debug ip routing" and am using it with relish now... I am very fluent with my TCL scripts. I recently even have some one to thank for coming up with that wonderful macro for the 3550, which I have been toying with. So needless to say, I am now checking my connectivity.
8. Having done all of the above and hopefully not too much to go back and rectify, I am now configuring my BGP neighbors and deciding how to deal with whatever challenge is before me - RR, Confeds, Peer-Groups or not... Sync o No Sync, etc. I have become more wary of a few things now and as a result; I am not in a hurry to configure everything BGP just yet. (Just me...).
9. Instead I move on to Multicast and get it operational and quickly functional - considering one of my easier topics.
10. At this point, I am reviewing topics that ad knobs and tweaking those knobs appropriately. Things like Spanning-Tree, IGP metrics, BGP filtering, etc.
11. I am not forgetting to reload by before lunch nor am I forgetting to run those scripts one more time... (Just me...)
12. At lunch, I'm probably not very hungry, but my mind is now mentally reviewing each task and working to methodically ensure I have met everything up to now...
13. After lunch, it's time to skim the lab looking for things thought about during lunch as my scripts are running one more time. If I have errors on any script I am adjusting them as required.
14. Now it is time to deal with NAT, Redundancy and DHCP - I may have done this earlier if I thought any of these would hinder my reachability verification scripts.
15. If for any reason, I had not dealt with MCAST, now I hit on that as well.
16. Being a lover of security and one who is very familiar with control plane traffic, I may or may not decide to tackle this before I hit my QoS.
17. System Management and IP Services have always been my friends, since I use them all of the time - they are easier for me and I consistently do well here.
18. Again I check my work with my trusty scripts. I did notice during my graded labs a tendency I had to forget about little things like those pesky summarized addresses and ensuring reachability to them when and where required.
19. As far as new features from 12.3T and 12.4, I have taken time every day to read a little deeper and with more of a mindset of "what does this do and not do, and how might it be twisted or hidden...
Overall, I cannot wait for my next set of challenges and I am sure that the Mighty Brians will cause me to find even more holes in my armor, but I have been trying to stitch them, read more and more and practice a thing or to here and there.
I will admit that I have taken time to read some of the various lab solutions that I have purchased over the years and I have this approach very helpful.
I am now ready to start full-scale lab practice and hopefully it will be more ready for primetime.
I have also noticed that when I first got hot in January, I was basically very frigid a the keyboard, not using many of the shortcuts provided by the IOS and now I am using them very proficiently or at least better than I was before.
Armed with more options and an idea of how to use them, I feel more confident as well and do not feel the need to hit the UniverCD to verify defaults - I have come to start committing them to memory and how things like the diameter in SPT may be used a bit more creatively...
I think I am progressing quite well and feel that by next month I should be able to firmly have the following areas under control:
1. Bottom 50 - 95-100%
2. NAT/Redundancy/DHCP - 95-100%
3. IP Services - 95-100%
4. System Management - 95-100%
5. QoS - 50-75%
6. Security 50-75%
7. IPv6 - 95-100%
8. Multicast 95-100%
I think I have done a nice job of improving my accuracy and issue spotting skills, recovering from my many deficiencies, and preparing for other topics in a structured and methodical manner. I say 95-100% since there is always room for interpretation.
QoS and Security, I honestly have put off committing to full mastery till after I had my Bottom 50 points on the run, I figured what is the point. However, this does not mean that as I am working with my Cisco Infrastructure at work I have been lazy either.
I have been taking my Paketeer and the findings and writing some accompanying rules in QoS, some I like and some I don't. I've found new and varied ways to appreciate ICMP, and I have been trying various type of ACLs (thank you - Richard Deal and Mr. Caslow for pointing it out.). So I have been playing, but not in a structured fashion here, so I still need major work - but hey, I know my ports pretty well. Sniffer University and Laura Chappel have taught me well in these areas.
Ok - I guess it is time to get torn to pieces...
Remember - as Johnny (I think that was his name - Fantastic Four - been a while I guess - they are not covered in the UNIVERCD) would say: Flame: OFF
Later...
Just my approach and where I was and how far my study has progressed with the insightful help of the entire staff at NetMasterClass and materials I have used from various sources, particularly, Cisco, InternetworkExpert, CCBOOTCAMP, Cisco Press, O'Reilly (love that cookbook), and all of the other materials I have been using to help me find all of the details or wording to start saying...
Oh, is that what they meant....
And how can I forget watching that guy sitting next to me at NMC-2 who intuitively scored 95-100's the whole time and averaging something like a 98 or so... Who probably has his digits by now... - This guy was the king of debugging and has since inspired me to get to know how to use this little tool a bit more proficiently than before.
Caslow mentioned using it and it is not like he did not demonstrate it often enough, but watching Brad slice through his labs like a hot knife through butter has made a believer out of me that I am now trying to ensure I use it whenever possible and as primary tool vs. a last resort.
Well, this has been a long one... and my hour on the soapbox is up...
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Mon May 01 2006 - 11:41:59 GMT-3