Re: dubs #17234 (RS/Sec)

Hi guys,
here are some details or my studying.

I started thinking of Security track in 2010 when I was choosing a 350-x
test for re-certification. Since I worked a lot with PIX/ASA/IOS
firewalls and all sorts of IPSec VPN setups before, I chose Security
written. Back then it was v2 soon to be retired so I had to rush to pass
v2 written which I did end of July 2010.

I started picking up on technology topics for the lab starting from
October 2010. At that time I also got involved in a very heavy project
averaging 60 hours of working weeks for another 5 months. At the end of
February 2011 I was burned out. We delivered our project successfully
and I decided I would need a break for several months to recover, easy
projects and BAU, no studies. :-)

I started revisiting technology topics again in October 2011. Soon I
realized I would not be ready to sit the lab before end of January 2012
(18 months from my written test). So I had to refresh my written (this
time v3) along with my lab preparations.

I finished my two runs on technology topics and switched to full labs
beginning of February 2012. Was done with 2 runs of all 10 INE labs and
6 of IPExpert labs by mid-May 2012. I signed up and took a one-week lab
experience bootcamp delivered by IPExpert in Brussels end of May. Came
back to Sydney and took my first attempt June 8th, failed.

Had a break for a week with my family, we went to the snow and I tried
to unwind as much as I could. Came back and booked my lab on July 26th.
During 5 weeks before the exam I completed untouched IPExpert labs from
WB2, 2 of Yousuf labs using INE rental racks, revisited some of the labs
I did earlier. I would also revisit heaps of technology topics where I
thought I was weak at, like VPN troubleshooting, ACS, network attacks
and some small non-core topics. For those last 4-5 weeks I would do 8-10
hours worth of studying a day including weekends.

Lab day on my second attempt was much more relaxed. I managed to finish
in 5 hours, spending quality 3 hours on verification and found 4
mistakes of mine. And I had a router crash! hopefully all
configurations were saved.

Got my lab results 30 minutes after I left lab facilities. :-)

Materials used for preparations:
CiscoPress titles:
Self-Defending Networks - The Next Generation of Network Security (ISBN#
1587052539)
AAA Identity Management Security (Santuka et al, ISBN# 1587141442)
Cisco Firewalls (Moraes, ISBN# 1587141094)
PKI Uncovered: Certificate-Based Security Solutions for Next-Generation
Networks
Cisco ASA: All-in-One Firewall, IPS, Anti-X, and VPN, 2nd Edition
(Frahim, Santos, ISBN# 1587058197)
CCIE Security v3.0 Cert Flash Cards Online (eBook) (Bhaiji, ISBN#
1587142171)
Router Security Strategies: Securing IP Network Traffic Planes (Schudel,
Smith, ISBN# 1587053365)
Network Security Technologies and Solutions (Bhaiji, ISBN# 1587052466)
CCSP IPS Exam Certification Guide (Carter, ISBN# 1587201461)
Comparing, Designing, and Deploying VPNs (Lewis, ISBN# 1587051796)

Also lots of white papers, presentations and examples on security
topics. Cisco DocCD goes without saying.

Vendor materials and rental racks.
INE WB1 and 2 and racks
INE video-on demand both ATC and Bootcamp
IPExpert WB1 and 2, also audio on demand course and racks

INE WB1, ATC and Bootcamp videos are very solid, cover things inside
out, very clear explanations.
WB2 is a bit outdated to my taste. Only one or two labs are giving you
some troubleshooting scenarios. For some people it may be important to
focus more on troubleshooting.
INE racks are flawless as usual. Not super fast but always working.

IPExpert WB1 and 2 are very good. WB2 is definitely a good choice to
combine with INE WB2.
Audio on demand I would be using when commuting, it was very helpful on
early stages. Of course some topics are impossible to absorb by audio
delivery method.

IPExpert one-week lab experience bootcamp was very helpful ate the end
of my preparations. Especially for those of us with families it is the
best way to get your concentration and focus without being disturbed. We
were doing minimum 12 hours of practicing during the bootcamp. And you
have to come there prepared, as the cousre summary states. Otherwise it
is a waste of time and money.

IPExpert racks... I hope they will improve the whole thing with upcoming
refresh, let me leave it at that. :-)

For practicing my technology topics I would also use Dynamips a lot
where possible as well as Gigavelocity rentals.

Rough time budget for me turned to be 10 months of intensive
preparations (that is across 2010-2012 including first run in 2010 and
excluding all holidays, breaks or other non-study days or weeks I had to
have). Rough money budget was around AUD 10K with tax return 37%. Not
bad. :-)

That is about it.
Happy to answer your questions.
A.

On 7/26/2012 6:15 PM, Shane wrote:
> Congrats!
> Looking forward to details!
>
> On 26 Jul 2012, at 09:10, Alexei Monastyrnyi wrote:
>
>> Guys,
>> have just got back home from my second Security lab attempt to find a lab result mail and I passed!!!
>>
>> More details later.
>>
>> Cheers
>> A.
>>
>>
>> Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
>>
>> _______________________________________________________________________
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Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
Received on Sun Jul 29 2012 - 22:35:02 ART