From: Michael Marran (louisemarran@bigpond.com)
Date: Thu Mar 15 2007 - 04:45:27 ART
Your posts are as long as an rfc, cant imagine the essay when you pass :-)
Michael Marran
#17439
----- Original Message -----
From: "Darby Weaver" <darbyweaver@yahoo.com>
To: <anthony.sequeira@thomson.com>; <Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com>;
<ccielab@groupstudy.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 11:18 AM
Subject: RE: Lab Strategy - Please Comment
> Actually I did this on my last attempt and I had
> plenty of time to spare.
>
> I'm more of a measure twice, cut once type of person.
>
> And I use notepad to a good advantage as well.
>
> Things I do across the board, I use notepad for. It
> also helps me minimize my mistakes.
>
> I do this day to day while configuring things.
>
> I guess I'm kind of used to it.
>
> I spent a time learning aliases, but now, I've just
> taught myself to use abbreviated commands.
>
> My way my sound like it takes a while and I allot for
> it, but I've been working on my config speed and my
> verification speed.
>
> I don't think time is my issue, and I know I am not a
> fast typist.
>
> I took labs early on and just typed them into the rack
> to get myself used to typing full configs and
> measuring how long it took me to input a whole lab
> successfully and accurately.
>
> Once I attained confidence there that it was doable I
> had to learn some things and make a lot of mistakes.
>
> My earlier graded labs show that for what it is and I
> review my scores and what I did wrong from time to
> time, just to be humble and remember what it was that
> tripped me up.
>
> I spend a while searching the archives of GS, and
> looking for items I may not understand and look them
> up read them, and try them as well.
>
> One by one, piece by piece, I pick up speed and the
> ability to spot issues. I can spot a lot of issues
> just be looking at configs these days.
>
> Reading a given requirement, asking myself which
> options are available to meet those requirement and
> ruling out that are not applicable.
>
> Some people on GS ask questions, I sometimes pick
> questions out and either ask them questions or find
> links or even try to break it down a bit to help out.
>
> So, I assure you I am a certain degree faster and more
> able that I was only last October and much more than
> the June before that and not even a resemblence of
> where I stood last January.
>
> Still need a bit of work, but now I know explicitly
> where I need adjustments.
>
> I'll tell you being able to write a list and think of
> issues that can come up within a few short minutes has
> helped me considerably. Knowing which topics are on
> the outline and being able to recite them helps a lot.
> It all goes a long way towards knowing one's options
> and one's own limitations.
>
> I know where I am lacking. Some things are acceptable
> to me, and others are not.
>
>
>
>
>
> --- anthony.sequeira@thomson.com wrote:
>
>> This looks like a pretty solid Checklist. And it is
>> unique to many I
>> have seen which makes sense because everyone seems
>> to have their own
>> strategy approach.
>>
>> I just want to point out that because I am so slow
>> and deliberate at
>> configurations - and my typing is terrible - I would
>> never have been
>> able to pass if I did everything PRIOR to
>> configurations that you
>> describe here.
>>
>> Here is what I learned to do prior to starting and
>> it worked perfectly
>> for me:
>>
>> 1. Read very closely the overall Lab Requirements.
>>
>> 2. Skim all of the Lab Tasks.
>> a. I am looking for major issues that later tasks
>> can cause for earlier
>> tasks.
>> b. I am getting a feel for what I am going to need
>> to do in each
>> section.
>> c. I am getting a nice picture of the overall
>> network design and
>> functionality - or lack thereof!
>>
>> 3. Start configuring and re-diagramming (if
>> necessary) Layer 2.
>>
>> Notice that I am configuring after about 10 minutes.
>> If there are issues
>> with equipment of any kind - I am running to the
>> proctor about it - and
>> that will still be early in the day because I will
>> touch all devices
>> early enough in my configurations of core lab tasks.
>>
>>
>> I am smiling thinking about one of my dual-CCIE
>> mentors who passed both
>> the R/S and the Security on first tries! He
>> re-diagrams the entire lab
>> as he carefully studies each task. After this time
>> intensive task - he
>> then begins configuring off of his new diagram. As
>> you might guess - he
>> is one of the fastest and most accurate at
>> configurations I have ever
>> seen.
>>
>> To each his own sometimes I guess.
>>
>> Anthony J. Sequeira
>> #15626
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Darby Weaver [mailto:darbyweaver@yahoo.com]
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 7:50 PM
>> To: Sequeira, Anthony (NETg);
>> Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com;
>> ccielab@groupstudy.com
>> Subject: Lab Strategy - Please Comment
>>
>> Here's some of the techniques I've picked up so far,
>> mostly from Bruce Caslow, Bob Sinclair, Scott
>> Morris,
>> and from Brian Dennis, however I might have a few
>> other tricks sprinkled in that I just like a bit.
>>
>>
>> 1. Read the Lab - Yes the Whole Lab. - Now just
>> reading it is great, since we are excited and all
>> but
>> what are we looking for?
>>
>> - Diagrams
>> - IP Addressing
>> - Physical Loops
>> - Logical Loops
>> - Issues with Split-Horizon
>>
>> 2. Read the Lab again - Yes I know the clock is
>> ticking. But I can promise you'll find something
>> you
>> didn't see before and besides the more familair you
>> are with the layout the better your performance will
>> be later when you have that headache, yours eyes are
>> sore, and you are wondering what you came for...
>>
>> - Again look closely
>> - Draw your diagrams
>> - Switch Layout VLANS/TRUNKS
>> - Spanning-Tree Topology
>> - Physical Diagram (Link-to-Link and IP's)
>> - Watch those IP Addresses - Anything wrong?
>> - Frame Relay Map - P2P, P2M, Phy.
>> - IGP Diagram per-IGP (note where they meet i.e
>> Redistribution (Y/N))
>> - BGP Fiagram
>> - Mcast Diagram
>> - Make a Diagram for your points/section
>>
>> Task Points Y N ?
>> ===========================
>> 1.1
>> 1.2
>> 1.3
>> 1.4
>> 2.1
>> 2.2
>> 2.3
>> 3.1
>> 3.2
>> 3.3
>>
>>
>> OK, So you spent about 20 minutes on item number 1
>> and
>> another 25-30 minutes on the items in number 2. You
>> still have not touched your pod.
>>
>> 3. Setup your icons. Now I'm kinda weird here, I
>> work
>> off of Notepads and I label each one per Device, ie.
>> R1, R2, R3, S1, S2, S3, etc. I also prefer to work
>> on
>> one session and only use other sessions when I need
>> them for testing. However you may like 1 session or
>> tab per device. You decide.
>>
>> As you are setting up your icons, you should log
>> into
>> each device. For a few reasons:
>>
>> - To be sure you can.
>> - To do a sh ver - Check the ver AND
>> config-registers
>> or if on a switch - look for env_vars and in any
>> case
>> look for other configs that may be there - you don't
>> need them and they could hurt you.
>> - To do a sh cdp neigh
>> - To do a sh ip int brief
>> - To setup housekeeping commands and/or aliases
>> - TO VERIFY WHAT IS ON YOUR WORKBOOK IS WHAT IS ON
>> YOUR RACK - If I yelled it any louder the glass
>> would
>> break.
>> - Oh yes, and a quick sh run might be valuable to
>> determine if any extra configuration is present or
>> not.
>> - Sometimes, I may also check anything that is
>> pre-configured for me. If there are vlans, I might
>> do
>> a sh vlan, or if there are trunks, I might do a sh
>> int
>> trunk. If there were pre-configured etherchannels,
>> I'd perform a cursory sh channel-group command, etc.
>>
>> What I am really doing is carefully inpsecting
>> anything that they gave me... Not that I do not
>> trust
>> the proctors, but hey...
>>
>> - config cdp on eveything - even frame, especially
>> frame - I like visibility.
>> - turn on multicast and IPv6 where required -
>> afterthought but it helps and besides - you did
>> script
>> it right?
>>
>> 4. Work on your layer 2 configuration and as you do
>> so
>> - verify link layer connectivity on a per-Link
>> basis.
>> Here I do things like config my VTP, Trunks,
>> EtherChannel, assign ports to trunks, config my
>> frame
>> relay, bridging, fallback bridging,
>> virtual-templates
>> etc.
>>
>> Here are the tips for this section.
>>
>> - Shut down interfaces before configuring things
>> like:
>> trunks, frame interfaces followed by no fram inv,
>> interfaces used for etherchannels, etc.
>>
>> - Create vlans before assigning ports.
>>
>> - Verify L2 etherchannel, before moving to L3
>> Etherchannel which we verify as well.
>>
>> - Verify connectivity to the Backbone. - We may have
>> to filter here one way or the other. But we need
>> connectivity first. Hah!
>>
>>
>> debug is our friend here for anything that even
>> think
>> it looks out of place.
>>
>> 5. Start configuring my IGP AS's one at a time, and
>> verify connectivity per AS. router-id's (yes, I use
>> them for eigrp and ospf).
>>
>> 6. Now configure Redistribution if and where
>> required.
>>
>> 7. OK - Time for a TCL Script.
>>
>> sh ip alias, notepad, and copy/paste are the tools
>> of
>> the trade.
>>
>> Verify connectivity - should not have problems. And
>> if you do you would fix them here and now.
>>
>> Run the Switch Macro too...
>>
>> 8. Repeat steps for IPv6 if required.
>>
>> - Intermission - Might as well reboot - Ensure
>> things
>> are going great. Ping script.
>>
>> Note: Some people say before lunch - I say after
>> IGPs.
>> Just me - I like to make sure things are the way I
>> want them and I tend to watch the order of the boot
>> as
>> well and watch for things that are not like I might
>> like and then I fix them.
>>
>> 9. Quickly complete BGP Connectivity (bgp router-id,
>> no auto, no sync or not)
>>
>> 10. Quickly enable PIM interfaces.
>>
>> 11. Quickly perform any authentication on a per-link
>> bassis, adhere to order of operations and then
>> verify
>> on a per-link and per-AS basis.
>>
>> 13. Ping scripts are working? Right? Try again.
>> Fix
>> any discrepancies.
>>
>> 14. Pick off easy tasks, SPAN/RSPAN, AUTOINSTALL,
>> NTP,
>> SYSLOG, RMON, FTP, SSH, CRASHDUMP, NAT/PAT, DHCP,
>> VRRP, IRDP, GLBP, HSRP, MENU, BANNERS, etc. The fun
>> and misc stuff.
>>
>> 15. Get Multicast working and testing.
>>
>> 16. Get BGP Advanced Tasks working
>>
>> 17. Get QoS Tasks working - would anything even
>> remotely filter or break anything - Check anyway.
>> The
>> Scripts were working before they work now. Only
>> takes
>> a few minutes.
>>
>> 18. Security - Let's get these guys in place.
>>
>> 19. I know you may have questions. You have
>> everything you know how to work working. So take a
>> step back and breathe. Look at your work. Run the
>> Scripts - BTW some labs may not require full
>> reachability.
>>
>> Tunnels, DHCP, NAT, or FHRP may be done earlier if
>> you
>> think you need them to work.
>>
>> Ask the proctor any mind-numbing questions.
>> Go back and work any sections you found difficult or
>> you skipped or that were ambiguius.
>>
>>
>> Anyway - I had a few random minutes so I thought I
>> would jot this down for RouterGirl2003 and anyone
>> else
>> who might find it handy...
>>
>>
>> I may have missed something, but not too much I
>> hope.
>>
>>
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