Re: dubs #17234 (RS/Sec)

wow, impressive! Congratulations!

thanks for the useful info in this post!

On Sun, Jul 29, 2012 at 12:35 PM, Alexei Monastyrnyi <alexeim73_at_gmail.com>wrote:

> 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.
> >>
> >>
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