From: Scott Morris (swm@emanon.com)
Date: Fri Mar 16 2007 - 22:42:06 ART
It may also simply be attributed to "experience" the more you do something,
the more rapidly you'll be able to recall, adapt and execute something.
Think about how you handle day-to-day tasks in your network today compared
to when you started....
Same? (Doubtful) Faster? Yup... Yet, you're still basically the same
person!
While it not entirely impossible that some people are simply geniuses, for
the rest of us it's better to simply attribute it to experience! Break
something today. Fix it tomorrow. Know it forever, and don't break it
again! :)
Scott Morris, CCIE4 (R&S/ISP-Dial/Security/Service Provider) #4713, JNCIE
#153, CISSP, et al.
CCSI/JNCI-M/JNCI-J
IPexpert VP - Curriculum Development
IPexpert Sr. Technical Instructor
smorris@ipexpert.com
http://www.ipexpert.com
-----Original Message-----
From: nobody@groupstudy.com [mailto:nobody@groupstudy.com] On Behalf Of
Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 11:47 AM
To: anthony.sequeira@thomson.com
Cc: ccielab@groupstudy.com; darbyweaver@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Lab Strategy - Please Comment
I've met one of those very fast people at an IPExpert boot camp.
He was from Croatia and english was his 2nd language which would be a
disadvantage, but he'd fly through the practice labs at an almost superhuman
pace. He'd be asking a question about BGP (at the end of the
lab) before I was done with IGP. I think I saw a message from him that he
passed on his first attempt. Well deserved, but I'm thinking he was an alien
or Einstein's genetic double at least from a brainpower and speed
perspective.
The best I can hope for is an hour at the end of the lab for
verification. I can type very fast, I copy and paste from notepad
extensively, and I just don't understand how anybody can get through the
tasks so quickly. It's like seeing someone run 50mph. Truly amazing.
Sean
<anthony.sequeira@thomson.com>
03/16/2007 10:35 AM
To
<Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com>
cc
<ccielab@groupstudy.com>, <darbyweaver@yahoo.com> Subject
RE: Lab Strategy - Please Comment
As slow as I am (in more ways than one) here was the overall time breakout
for me on my passing version of the lab:
15 minutes until I started configuring
Config, Test, Troubleshoot
45 minutes for error checking at end of day
The 45 minutes of checking at the end may have indeed passed me b because I
did catch some issues.
I have heard stories of people passing and they finished just after lunch b
including error checking. I have also heard that there might be alien life
forms walking amongst us. If A is true, then I think B might also be true.
Anthony J. Sequeira
#15626
From: Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com [mailto:Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com]
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 11:15 AM
To: Sequeira, Anthony (NETg)
Cc: ccielab@groupstudy.com; darbyweaver@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Lab Strategy - Please Comment
It seems to me that you could either fly through the exam as fast as
possible, then go back and correct, or take Anthony's approach of slow
deliberate config and back check tasks such as ACL's that could affect
previous tasks. I type very fast, but I noticed that my mistake rate goes
up significantly when I rush.
<anthony.sequeira@thomson.com>
03/14/2007 07:20 PM
To
<darbyweaver@yahoo.com>, <Sean.Zimmerman@clubcorp.com>,
<ccielab@groupstudy.com>
cc
Subject
RE: Lab Strategy - Please Comment
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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