Cisco Certification The Importance Of Building Your Own Practice Lab

Writen by Chris Bryant

CCNAs and CCNA candidates hear it all the time: "Get some hands-on experience". From my personal experience climbing the Cisco certification ladder, I can tell you firsthand that there is no learning like hands-on learning. No simulator in the world is going to give you the experience you will get cabling and configuring your own routers.

Whenever I mention this to one of my students, they always say it costs too much. The truth is, it is cheaper now to build your own CCNA and CCNP lab than it has ever been. The secret? Used routers.

The word "used" turns off a lot of people not many of us buy used computers or used servers. Cisco routers, though, are robust I personally own a Cisco 4000 router that I use as a Frame Relay switch in my lab that I've had for about four years, and I've never had a problem with it.

The good news for current CCNA and CCNP candidates interested in building their own labs is that used Cisco equipment has never been more plentiful or cheaper. eBay is a good way to get an idea of what's out there and what the prices are, but you don't have to assemble your lab one piece at a time. Many eBay vendors who sell used Cisco equipment sell ready-made CCNA and CCNP labs for one price, including cables. I personally recommend www.ciscokits.com and www.horizondatacom.com for your lab needs, and there are many other vendors as well.

And should you desire to sell your lab after you complete your certification, you can either negotiate a price with the vendor who sold it to you, or you can sell it yourself on ebay. It's my experience that 95% of candidates who earn their CCNA go on to pursue their CCNP within one year, though, so don't sell it too quickly.

In the end, you spend only a few hundred dollars, and you gain invaluable experience and knowledge that will help you both in your certification quest and your job performance. Having been there, I can tell you that you will learn much more from actually configuring and cabling your own equipment than you ever will from any simulation of the real thing.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Certification The Value Of The Ccna And Ccnp

Writen by Chris Bryant

One question I see often on the 'Net is "Is it worth my time to earn a CCNA / CCNP / CCIE certification?" My personal answer to that is a resounding yes. The power of Cisco certifications has allowed me to create a tremendous career, and they can do the same for you.

There has never been a better time to accelerate your IT career, and earning a technical certification is a great way to do just that. I don't care if you're looking at earning an MCSE, a Cisco certification, Red Hat, or any other vendor - you are always better off having a technical certification than not having one. Technical certifications are an excellent way to market yourself and stand out from the crowd. Earning certifications shows a potential employer (and your current one) that you are willing to go the extra mile.

Sadly, when you ask this question on most Internet message boards, you're going to get some very negative people giving you their "unbiased" opinion. Ask yourself this question: Do you want to entrust the direction of your career to someone you don't know, has no accountability for what they say, and has some kind of ax to grind? Do you want someone like that to decide whether you should earn a CCNA or CCNP?

I can speak from experience on this point. When I told a few people that I was going to earn my CCIE, almost 100% of the responses I got were negative. "It's too hard", "no one can pass that", "the CCIE isn't worth the work", etc. Every single one of these statements is false, and again I speak from firsthand experience. The same is true for the CCNA, CCNP, and MCSE. All of these certifications can add value to your career and put more money in your pocket. But you have to make the decision to earn them and to "keep your goals away from the trolls".

Don't ask anonymous strangers whether it's "worth the time" to get a CCNA, MCSE, or other computer certification. The only person you should ask that question of is yourself. Whether you want to start an IT career or jumpstart your current one, make the decision to move forward in your career - and then follow through on that decision.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Ccna Salaries

Writen by Marcus Peterson

The Cisco Certified Network Associate or the CCNA is a certification for professionals who are genuinely interested in networking, and who want to endeavor in the fields of Cisco routers and switches. CCNA certification is awarded by Cisco systems. It signifies that competency has been achieved in installing, configuring and operating various services for small networks. CCNA professionals not only earn more than others, but they are preferred for their level of competency. The professionals are paid the best salaries in the business and are assets to any company.

The average salary of a CCNA professional is approximately $ 43,376.67. Research has revealed that certification can lead to a 12% increase in salary or close to a $ 6,000 raise. CCNA certified professionals were reported to have an average income of $ 70,000 in 2000. Multiple certifications directly correlate to pay increases. Reports reveal that if the GPA or Grade Point Average is excellent, the professional is paid an even higher salary. The GPA and the performance level of the professional determine the salary.

The salaries of CCNA professionals differ within the region of operation. Data analysis shows that in the US, salaries differ according to the place of work.

The benefits of CCNA certification are far greater than the fees paid for it. These professionals can work as network administrators. They do well in Local Area Networks, LAN, Wide Area Networks, WAN, and other fields of computing. The salary of a CCNA professional largely depends on the organization. The metropolitan cities offer more compensation packages to their employees. The organizations, chiefly dealing with networking and allied services, hire CCNA professionals. The CCNA professionals have very good career prospects. Statistics show that CCNA professionals get highly rewarding opportunities in the field of computing.

CCNA provides detailed information on CCNA, CCNA Certifications, CCNA Exams, CCNA Training and more. CCNA is affiliated with Fiber Optics Training.

Ccnp Certification Bsci Exam Tutorial Hsrp Mac Addresses And Timers

Writen by Chris Bryant

To earn your CCNP certification and pass the BCMSN exam, you've got to know what HSRP does and the many configurable options. While the operation of HSRP is quite simple (and covered in a previous tutorial), you also need to know how HSRP arrives at the MAC address for the virtual router - as well as how to configure a new MAC for this virtual router. This puts us in the unusual position of creating a physical address for a router that doesn't exist!

The output of show standby for a two-router HSRP configuration is shown below.

R2#show standby

Ethernet0 - Group 5

Local state is Standby, priority 100

Hellotime 3 sec, holdtime 10 sec

Next hello sent in 0.776

Virtual IP address is 172.12.23.10 configured

Active router is 172.12.23.3, priority 100 expires in 9.568

Standby router is local

1 state changes, last state change 00:00:22

R3#show standby

Ethernet0 - Group 5

Local state is Active, priority 100

Hellotime 3 sec, holdtime 10 sec

Next hello sent in 2.592

Virtual IP address is 172.12.23.10 configured

Active router is local

Standby router is 172.12.23.2 expires in 8.020

Virtual mac address is 0000.0c07.ac05

2 state changes, last state change 00:02:08

R3 is in Active state, while R2 is in Standby. The hosts are using the 172.12.123.10 address as their gateway, but R3 is actually handling the workload. R2 will take over if R3 becomes unavailable.

An IP address was assigned to the virtual router during the HSRP configuration process, but not a MAC address. However, there is a MAC address under the show standby output on R3, the active router. How did the HSRP process arrive at a MAC of 00-00-0c-07-ac-05?

Well, most of the work is already done before the configuration is even begun. The MAC address 00-00-0c-07-ac-xx is reserved for HSRP, and xx is the group number in hexadecimal. That's a good skill to have for the exam, so make sure you're comfortable with hex conversions. The group number is 5, which is expressed as 05 with a two-bit hex character. If the group number had been 17, we'd see 11 at the end of the MAC address - one unit of 16, one unit of 1.

The output of the show standby command also tells us that the HSRP speakers are sending Hellos every 3 seconds, with a 10-second holdtime. These values can be changed with the standby command, but HSRP speakers in the same group should have the same timers. You can even tie down the hello time to the millisecond, but it's doubtful you'll ever need to do that.

R3(config-if)#standby 5 timers ?

<1-254> Hello interval in seconds

msec Specify hello interval in milliseconds

R3(config-if)#standby 5 timers 4 ?

<5-255> Hold time in seconds

R3(config-if)#standby 5 timers 4 12

Another important HSRP skill is knowing how to change the Active router assignment. I'll show you how to do that, and how to configure HSRP interface tracking, in the next part of my CCNP / BCMSN exam tutorial!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Valuing Network Certifications Is The Time Money And Effort Worth The Bother

Writen by Abbie Frank

There are many ways to get any of the large number of network certifications now available. There's not only software certification like those offered from Oracle, Java, Microsoft, etc. but there's also direct network hardware certifications from strong companies like Cisco and then there's the server administration, hardware repair, security and several sub category type certifications. All are available but the question is if these have any real value in the marketplace.

The answer, unfortunately is not simple. This is because while many companies demand a certain certification, they will also bend the requirement and allow you to get certified once you have the job. There's also people in the marketplace who are strong proponents of certification or another. The reason for this is usually because they have that certification and by requiring it, they somehow believe it validates their decision to obtain the training and pass the tests.

The reality is that like a good resume and education pedigree, certifications help get you in the door. Think about it for a moment. If you were hiring a network administrator, you would probably ask for the usually experience and basic education and some type of networking certification. If 100 people claiming the same skills and experiences levels all apply and all have at least the single required certification while 10 have not only the network cert but also maybe several MS and a security certificate, which candidates applying would probably get scheduled for interviews? Right! It would be the ones with the better paper qualifications.

So the value of a certification can be measured by it's recognition as important by employers, and the relative value they place on such training. If you're applying in network shops that value certifications, then they will naturally place a premium on the fact that your have that training and will probably reflect that in an increased earnings range.

The real key however is to recognize that employers are NOT employing you because you have a certification. You must have the skills necessary to do the job and meet the requirements of the position. No amount of certifications can make up for a strong work ethic and solid experience. With today's study materials, almost anyone can learn enough to pass the required tests and become certified. This however does not make anyone competent to work on a network anymore than walking into a garage makes one a mechanic. It's skills, talent and knowledge that are truly desired.

Microsoft Certifications are one of the most widely pursued and acclaimed professional certifications in the IT industry. Preparing MS certification tests, however, is a significant undertaking whether you're just out of college or have been in IT field for years. IT professionals are continuously demanded to acquire new knowledge in order to perform well on their jobs as new technology in the IT industry emerged at a pace that has never been seen before. Regardless what certifications (Microsoft Certified Professional or MCP, Microsoft Certified System Administrator or MCSA, Microsoft Certified System Engineer or MCSE ) you are pursuing, a thorough planning will increase the chance of success.

The importance of hands-on Experience, no matter if it's your own little network at home or at your job, experience matters! Being able to apply the knowledge gained by the study necessary to obtain your certification is just as important as the exam itself.

When preparing for any certification test, have a network available to physically learn the principles being taught. You network might only be a couple of old PC's and a switch but it's enough to understand the principles and basic information. You gain valuable skills that cannot be obtained any other way except through hands on work.

Finally, consider using CBT's or computer based training as part of your test preparation. These tools are a great way to take your level of understanding to a new level. This is also true of practice exams.

If you develop the skills necessary to support the certifications, all your training, costs and effort will pay off handsomely. With your knowledge and training, you can expect to be have an easier time getting considered for positions, moving up in a company, and enjoying a solid work career.

Abigail Franks writes on many subjects having to do with home, and Business. For more information on Network Certification go to http://www.vitalsource.org

Five Questions To Ask A Computer Training School Before Signing Up

Writen by Chris Bryant

As with any field, there are good technical training schools, and bad ones. When you sign up with one of these schools, you've made a significant investment in time and money. You deserve to know everything about the school and your job prospects after leaving that school before you put down your hard-earned money. The problem is, sometimes it's hard to know the right questions to ask.

The point of this article is not to bash technical training schools. That's how I got my start in IT eight years ago, and today I'm a CCIE™ and own my own Cisco training company and my own consulting firm.

Before I ever put down the first dime, though, I asked some tough questions. So should you.

What are my true job prospects and legitimate salary levels after I graduate from your school?

We've all heard the ads on the radio… "Did you know the average salary of an MCSE is $80,000?" "Are you worth $65,000 a year? If not, call us!"

I'm an optimist, and I often tell people that no field rewards individual achievement and drive like IT does. Having said that, none of us start at the top, and darn few of us start at that kind of salary.

I'm sure that there are some people who broke in at $80,000, but I haven't met very many of them. Be very wary of technical schools that use the famous/infamous MCSE Salary Survey as a marketing tool. They tend to represent those salaries as starting salaries.

Ask your technical school what the average starting salary of their graduates is. And keep in mind that salary is not the most important factor to consider when looking for your first job in IT; it's the experience you'll be able to put on your resume later on that you should weigh heavily at this point.

In short, be very careful about schools that brag about starting salaries. It's not where you start, it's where you end up.

How up-to-date are the courses you're offering?

Make sure the school you're going to attend has made efforts to keep their courses relevant. Ask what changes have been made to their curriculum in the last three years. No field changes faster than IT. If the answer to that question is "none", look somewhere else.

I want to work in IT security. Have you placed anyone in this field lately? If so, can I talk to them?

Technical schools are jumping on the security bandwagon, with a couple of schools running ads about training you to work in Homeland Security. If that's your goal, that's great, but keep in mind that you have to get a security clearance for any job like that.

And how do you get a security clearance? You have to be sponsored.

And who will sponsor you? Your employer.

Can you get employed in a Homeland Security job without having the clearance in the first place?

Hmmm. Probably not.

Hello, Catch-22.

Again, I'm certainly not saying you can't eventually get an IT security job; if that's where you want to go, you can eventually get there. The key word there is "eventually". Ask the school you're thinking of attending whether they've actually been able to place graduates in such jobs. Ask to talk to them. If the school's managed to do so, they'll be glad to put you in touch with such graduates.

What textbooks does your school use?

Some technical school chains use only books that someone in their organization wrote. I've heard some of their own teachers complain about the quality of these books. The technical school I attended used off-the-shelf books, and the quality was very good.

If you're looking into entering the IT field, you probably know someone who's already in it. Use that resource for everything it's worth. Ask that person what they think about the books, or for that matter, what the local reputation of the school is. IT is a small world, if the school has a good or bad reputation, most of the IT personnel in your city or town probably know about it.

The fifth question is a question to ask of HR representatives. Every technical school lists companies where they've placed their graduates on their promotional material. Pick up the phone, call these companies, and ask to speak to someone in HR. Ask that person about the reputation of the school. Five to eight phone calls will give you a good picture of where the school stands with local employers.

Making the decision to attend a technical school can be the best decision you've ever made; it certainly was for me. Make sure to ask the right questions before writing a check or taking a loan to attend; the answers to those questions will indicate to you whether this school is truly the school that can help you achieve your dreams.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Passing Ciscos Ccna And Ccnp Exams Five Tips For Exam Day Success

Writen by Chris Bryant

As you get ready to pass the CCNA or CCNP exams, you can feel quite a bit of stress as you enter your last week of study. Let's take a look at a few ways to reduce that stress.

1. Do not stay up late cramming. The CCNA and CCNP are not exams you're going to pass by cramming. "Cramming" is a study technique best left behind in junior high school. The CCNA can't be passed by memorization - you've got to know how Cisco technologies work. That leads us to the second point...

2. Get lots of rest. By far, this is the most overlooked factor on exam day. The CCNA and CCNP exams are going to demand your best. You're going to be performing subnetting, binary and hex conversions, analyzing network diagrams for troubleshooting, and much more. You've got to be mentally sharp. You can add 100 points to your exam score just by showing up well-rested. And let's be realistic - if you don't know something at 11 PM the night before your exam, you're not going to learn it overnight. Get some sleep!

3. Get everything together the night before the exam. You don't want to be running around the house the morning of the exam looking for your keys. Make sure you have your keys and your ID the night before the exam.

4. Know where the testing center is. If you've never been to the center you'll be passing the CCNA in before, go there before the morning of the exam. Do not rely on Mapquest or a friend's directions. You don't want to be late for your exam.

5. Allow for traffic. Many CCNA and CCNP candidates prefer to take their exams in the morning. Again, if you haven't been to the exam center before, you should drive there during morning rush hour traffic before your exam date to make sure you have enough time to get there. You don't want to be sitting in traffic when you should be sitting in the exam room!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Elearning Course Development A How To Guide

Writen by Quintus Joubert

Developing a Successful eLearning Course

OVERVIEW

This eLearning White Paper provides an overview of the steps involved in the development of an eLearning course. It is intended as a guide to avoiding common pitfalls that frequently occur during the development of a new eLearning course. Depending on the scope of your course some steps may not apply.

The 10 steps that will be discussed are:

1. Defining and maintaining a realistic project scope throughout the development process.

2. Defining and documenting the business case/need for the training course.

3. Identifying and recruiting business sponsors/champions.

4. Identifying and recruiting team members to assist in the course development.

5. Identifying and selecting the eLearning vendor.

6. Developing the eLearning course.

7. Testing the eLearning course.

8. Deploying the eLearning course.

9. Ensuring that there is sufficient technical support.

10. Adding content to future versions of the course.

STEPS TO DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL ELEARNING COURSE

1. DEFINE THE SCOPE OF THE ELEARNING COURSE

This may seem like a logical place to start and most companies do start at this point. Unfortunately, most companies do not document the course scope and as the course grows so does the scope. Considering that this may be the first time that you have developed an eLearning course, combined with the fact that you will be working with a new vendor my recommendation would be that you limit the scope of the project. Keep it simple and allow for expansion once the first version of the course is deployed. Generally the second version of the course will require additional functionality based on end user's input and feedback. You will also most likely need to add content based on feedback.

One of the keys to successful course development is to stick to the original scope for the first version and to share this scope with the user community when you deploy the course. Don't get distracted by comments from the Beta testing group that are outside the scope of the course. As I mentioned it is important to document the scope during the course development as Beta testing may be several months later, at which time you may be a little fuzzy on the exact scope of the initial project.

2. DEFINE BUSINESS CASE/ NEED FOR THE ELEARNING COURSE

Once again make sure that this is done right up front. Having a clear and defined business case/need for the project will be important during all phases of the project. Having a document that you can reference (and point naysayers to) will be invaluable to you. You can also use the ideas that you developed for the business case in your deployment letter to reinforce the value of the course to the target audience.

3. IDENTIFY BUSINESS SPONSORS/CHAMPIONS FOR THE ELEARNING COURSE

This is not only an astute political move, but business sponsors will also be an excellent financial and political resource during the development, testing and deployment phases of the project. Try to get business sponsors from diverse functional areas as there will most likely be cross organizational interactions that can be smoothed out by having the right mix of business sponsors on board.

4. IDENTIFY AND RECRUIT TEAM MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELEARNING COURSE DEVELOPMENT

Before describing any of the details for this step I would like to make it clear that it is essential to identify and assign project leader/s for the project. Who will be the main contact between the eLearning vendor and your company? Who needs to be copied in on emails? Who is ultimately responsible for making the final decisions? I would recommend assigning one team leader. It is great to have technical people within your organization that can help your eLearning vendor with technical questions that they may have regarding your software and hardware standards. However, ultimately the team leader in consultation with the group experts needs to make the final decision. If you don't have a central contact/team leader your eLearning vendor may become confused about who they should contact with questions that they have.

Use your business case/needs document and message to promote the course and recruit team members prior to the actual selection of an eLearning development vendor. You will need a wide range of expertise in your team including content providers; content verification and translation members; IT support such as networking, Learning Management System (LMS) staff and helpdesk. In addition, you should recruit a test audience based on the target deployment locations. These members of the team will be useful throughout the development process if you are using an eLearning vendor that develops prototypes. Regardless of prototypes, the test group will be essential during the Beta testing phase. Ensure that you select members that represent all your deployment sites. Members should also represent your user demographic in terms of technology setup. So ensure for example, that if most of your intended users have access rights restrictions on their computers that your test group represents this audience.

5. IDENTIFY AND SELECT YOUR ELEARNING VENDOR FOR THE ELEARNING COURSE DEVELOPMENT

Although this document describes this as one step, it is in reality a rather involved process. Please read CMC's white paper entitled "Selecting an eLearning vendor: A guide to making an informed decision" for a detailed overview of the vendor selection process in the eLearning industry.

6. DEVELOP THE ELEARNING COURSE

This step generally involves numerous interactions between the customer and the eLearning vendor. The process should not be dictated by the eLearning vendor, but rather you should be actively involved during the development process. The critical factor to consider during the vendor selection process is whether the vendor is flexible enough to meet your eLearning needs. Most often the development process requires regular interaction between the client and the eLearning vendor. This is an important consideration prior to beginning an eLearning course as in most cases the team leader and members will need to dedicate a significant amount of time during all phases of the course development.

7. TEST THE ELEARNING COURSE ACROSS THE VARIOUS DEPLOYMENT SITES

Prior to deploying the course you need to do extensive Beta testing. Depending on the media/program/platform that is used for deployment your testing needs will change. The main thing to bear in mind with Beta testing or prototype testing during the development process is that you need to replicate the final deployment conditions of your target audience as closely as possible. This relates to issues such as rights management, firewalls/security, internet access, software configuration, server bandwidths etc.

8. DEPLOY THE ELEARNING COURSE

Prior to deployment, you need to send out a deployment letter to your target audience describing the course and what the minimum technological requirements are, the location of help files and the main contact person/s regarding specific issues or feedback suggestions. If the deployment letter is not very specific you will get feedback from users that could easily have been avoided. For example, if people don't realize that the disc that they received is a DVD rather than a CD they may try to play the DVD on their laptop which only has a CD drive.

In addition to sending the deployment letter to all end users, it is also advisable to send any course specifications and help files to all of the local helpdesks to assist with technical issue resolution and support. You may also want to ask the eLearning vendor to put together a document that describes the main technical features and requirements to the local Help desks. This will be most valuable for course deployment on your corporate intranet or LMS.

9. FOLLOW UP TO ENSURE ADEQUATE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE ELEARNING COURSE

After deployment, follow up to ensure that users are getting the technical support that they require. If you are using an LMS for deployment you can follow up to see how many people have registered and completed the course and then compare these figures with the number of technical issues that you are facing. Generally, you will need to provide technical support to 5-15% of your end users depending on the complexity of the course and the deployment arena.

10. DETERMINE WHAT ADDITIONAL CONTENT CAN BE ADDED TO NEW VERSIONS OF THE ELEARNING COURSE

Once your course has been in the field for a couple of months get some feedback from your user community to see if there is a need to add or correct any content. If your course is successful you will most likely get content suggestions very early after deployment. Although suggestions and changes are great because they will most likely strengthen the course and broaden your audience's knowledge base, it is important to create, maintain and update a comprehensive change control system. It is important to track such data as content changes, graphic design changes, course numbers, course descriptions, scripting and functional changes.

Quintus Joubert is originally from South Africa where he received his Bachelor's and Honor's Degrees in Economic Sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Quintus also holds and Master's degree in Economic Sociology from Rutgers University, Piscataway. After graduating, Quintus joined a Princeton-based Knowledge Management (KM) consulting practice. In his position as a senior analyst, he was responsible for developing the first comprehensive industry-wide survey of Indian software companies; researching and conducting a needs and competitive analysis for an integrated KM and collaborative suite and assisting in development of several prototypes that were integrated into the final KM suite. Client engagements were focused on integrating knowledge flow through the customer's organization by integrating processes, technology and enabling meaningful collaboration. In December 2003, Quintus joined Cyber Media Creations (CMC) as Director of Business Development. Duties and responsibilities include sales, marketing, business development and project management.

Cisco Ccna Certification How And Why Switches Trunk

Writen by Chris Bryant

Your CCNA studies are going to include quite a bit of information about switches, and for good reason. if you don't understand basic switching theory, you can't configure and troubleshoot Cisco switches, either on the CCNA exam or in the real world. That goes double for trunking!

Trunking is simply enabling two or more switches to communicate and send frames to each other for transmission to remote hosts. There are two major trunking protocols that we need to know the details of for exam success and real-world success, but before we get to the protocols, let's discuss the cables we need.

Connecting two Cisco switches requires a crossover cable. As you know, there are eight wires inside an ethernet cable. In a crossover cable, four of the cables "cross over" from one pin to another. For many newer Cisco switches, all you need to do to create a trunk is connect the switches with a crossover cable. For instance, 2950 switches dynamically trunk once you connect them with the right cable. If you use the wrong cable, you'll be there a while!

There are two different trunking protocols in use on today's Cisco switches, ISL and IEEE 802.1Q, generally referred to as "dot1q". There are three main differences between the two. First, ISL is a Cisco-proprietary trunking protocol, where dot1q is the industry standard. (Those of you new to Cisco testing should get used to the phrases "Cisco-proprietary" and "industry standard".) If you're working in a multivendor environment, ISL may not be a good choice. And even though ISL is Cisco's own trunking protocol, some Cisco switches run only dot1q.

ISL also encapsulates the entire frame, increasing the network overhead. Dot1q only places a header on the frame, and in some circumstances, doesn't even do that. There is much less overhead with dot1q as compared to ISL. That leads to the third major difference, the way the protocols work with the native vlan.

The native vlan is simply the default vlan that switch ports are placed into if they are not expressly placed into another vlan. On Cisco switches, the native vlan is vlan 1. (This can be changed.) If dot1q is running, frames that are going to be sent across the trunk line don't even have a header placed on them; the remote switch will assume that any frame that has no header is destined for the native vlan.

The problem with ISL is that is doesn't understand what a native vlan is. Every single frame will be encapsulated, regardless of the vlan it's destined for.

Switching theory is a big part of your CCNA studies, and it can seem overwhelming at first. Just break your studies down into smaller, more manageable parts, and soon you'll see the magic letters "CCNA" behind your name!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Certification Five Key Combinations You Should Know

Writen by Chris Bryant

When you start studying for your CCNA and CCNP exams, many books will present you with a huge list of keystroke shortcuts for use on Cisco routers. While the 640-801, 811, and 821 exams may ask you about one or two of these, you really have to get hands-on experience with these commands to master them. Even better, there are some key combinations that Cisco routers mention, but then don't tell you what they are! Let's take a look at a few of the more helpful key combinations, and conclude with the "secret" way to stop a ping or traceroute.

The up arrow on your keyboard is great for repeating the last command you typed. Let's say you mis-enter an access-list. Instead of typing it from the beginning, just hit your up arrow to repeat it, then fix the problem.

CTRL-A takes the cursor to the beginning of a typed line. If you've written an extended ACL, you know that can be a very long command, and one you probably don't want to retype. If you get a carat indicating there is a problem with the line, use your up arrow to repeat the command. If you see the error is near the beginning, use CTRL-A to move the cursor immediately to the beginning of the line. CTRL-E takes the cursor to the end of a typed line.

To move the cursor through a typed line without erasing characters, you've got a couple of options. I personally like to use the left and right arrows, but you can also use CTRL-B to move back and CTRL-F to move forward.

Finally, there's the combination that Cisco mentions to you when you run ping or traceroute, but they don't tell you what it is! If you send an extended ping or a traceroute, you could be looking at asterisks for a long time if you don't know this one. In the following example, a traceroute is obviously failing:

R2#traceroute 10.1.1.1

Type escape sequence to abort.

Tracing the route to 10.1.1.1

1 * * *

2 *

The problem is that you're going to get 30 rows of those asterisks, which is frustrating and time-consuming at the same time. Note the router console message "Type escape sequence to abort". That's helpful - but what is it?

Here it is: Just type CTRL-SHIFT-6 twice, once right after the other. You won't see anything on the router console, but the traceroute will terminate.

R2#traceroute 10.1.1.1

Type escape sequence to abort.

Tracing the route to 10.1.1.1

1 * * *

2 * * *

3

R2#

The traceroute was successfully terminated. This combination works for pings as well, both extended and regular. Of all the keystrokes you can learn, this one is the most valuable!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Certification Exam Tutorial Configuring Dialer Profiles

Writen by Chris Bryant

The most common method of configuring ISDN is with dialer maps, but dial information can also be configured on a logical interface. To pass the CCNA exam, you must know how to configure and troubleshoot both dialer maps and dialer profiles.

Dialer Profiles allow different dialing information to be configured onto logical interfaces. The logical interfaces may have different dialing destinations, different remote router names, etc., but they'll be using the same physical interface.

Dialer strings are used on dialer profiles. Note that each logical interface has a different IP address, a different remote router to dial, and a different dialer string, but they will be using the same physical interface to dial out. The commands dialer pool and dialer pool-member are used to link the logical and physical interfaces. The number following each command must match for the logical interface to correctly bind to the physical interface.

R1(config)#interface dialer0

R1(config-if)#ip address 172.16.1.1 255.255.255.0

R1(config-if)#encapsulation ppp

<. The encapsulation type is placed on both the logical and physical interfaces. >

R1(config-if)#dialer remote-name Remote0

R1(config-if)#dialer pool 1

< places logical interface into dialer pool >

R1(config-if)#dialer string 5551212

< number dialed to contact router Remote0 >

R1(config-if)#dialer-group 1

< links logical interface to dialer-list 1 >

R1(config)#interface dialer1

R1(config-if)#ip address 172.16.1.2 255.255.255.0

R1(config-if)#encapsulation ppp

R1(config-if)#dialer remote-name Remote1

R1(config-if)#dialer pool 1

R1(config-if)#dialer string 5551234

R1(config-if)#dialer-group 1

R1(config)#interface bri0

R1(config-if)#no ip address

< With dialer profiles, IP addresses are assigned to logical interfaces. >

R1(config-if)#encapsulation ppp

< The encapsulation type is place on both the logical and physical interfaces.>

R1(config-if)#dialer pool-member 1

< The number associated with this command should match the number configured with the dialer pool number on the logical dialer interfaces. >

R1(config-if)#isdn spid1 0835866101

R1(config-if)#isdn spid2 0835866301

When configuring dialer profiles, the encapsulation type should be placed on both the physical BRI interface and the logical dialer interfaces. The SPIDs are configured on the physical interface as well.

Configuring dialer profiles can be a little tricky at first, and the best way to master this skill is to get real hands-on practice in your own CCNA / CCNP home lab or a rack rental service. Either way, hands-on is the best practice. Best of luck in your CCNA studies!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your CCNA study guide from The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Ccnp Certification Exam Lab Frame Relay Subinterfaces And Split Horizon

Writen by Chris Bryant

Earning your Cisco CCNA and CCNP is a tough proposition, and part of that is the fact that you quickly learn that there's usually more than one way to do things with Cisco routers – and while that's generally a good thing, you better know the ins and outs of all options when it comes to test day and working on production networks. Working with Frame Relay subinterfaces and split horizon is just one such situation.

One reason for the use of subinterfaces is to circumvent the rule of split horizon. You recall from your CCNA studies that split horizon dictates that a route cannot be advertised out the same interface upon which it was learned in the first place. In the following example, R1 is the hub and R2 and R3 are the spokes. All three routers are using their physical interfaces for frame relay connectivity, and they are also running RIPv2 172.12.123.0 /24. Each router is also advertising a loopback interface, using the router number for each octet.

R1(config)#int s0

R1(config-if)#ip address 172.12.123.1 255.255.255.0

R1(config-if)#no frame inverse

R1(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.2 122 broadcast

R1(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.3 123 broadcast

R1(config-if)#no shut

R2(config)#int s0

R2(config-if)#encap frame

R2(config-if)#no frame inver

R2(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.1 221 broadcast

R2(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.3 221 broadcast

R2(config-if)#ip address 172.12.123.2 255.255.255.0

R3(config)#int s0

R3(config-if)#encap frame

R3(config-if)#no frame inver

R3(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.1 321 broadcast

R3(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.2 321 broadcast

R3(config-if)#ip address 172.12.123.3 255.255.255.0

R1#show ip route rip

2.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 2.2.2.2 [120/1] via 172.12.123.2, 00:00:20, Serial0

3.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 3.3.3.3 [120/1] via 172.12.123.3, 00:00:22, Serial0

R2#show ip route rip

1.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 1.1.1.1 [120/1] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:06, Serial0

R3#show ip route rip

1.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 1.1.1.1 [120/1] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:04, Serial0

The hub router R1 has a route to both loopbacks, but neither spoke has a route to the other spoke's loopback. That's because split horizon prevents R1 from advertising a network via Serial0 if the route was learned on Serial0 to begin with.

We've got two options here, one of which is to disable spilt horizon on the interface. While doing so will have the desired effect in our little network, disabling split horizon is not a good idea and should be avoided whenever possible. We're not going to do it in this lab, but here is the syntax to do so:

R1(config)#interface serial0

R1(config-if)#no ip split-horizon

A better solution is to configure subinterfaces on R1. The IP addressing will have to be revisited, but that's no problem here. R1 and R2 will use 172.12.123.0 /24 to communicate, while R1 and R3 will use 172.12.13.0 /24. R3's serial0 interface will need to be renumbered, so let's look at all three router configurations:

R1(config)#interface serial0

R1(config-if)#encap frame

R1(config-if)#no frame inverse-arp

R1(config-if)#no ip address

R1(config-if)#interface serial0.12 multipoint

R1(config-subif)#ip address 172.12.123.1 255.255.255.0

R1(config-subif)#frame map ip 172.12.123.2 122 broadcast

R1(config-subif)#interface serial0.31 point-to-point

R1(config-subif)#ip address 172.12.13.1 255.255.255.0

R1(config-subif)#frame interface-dlci 123

R2(config)#int s0

R2(config-if)#ip address 172.12.123.2 255.255.255.0

R2(config-if)#encap frame

R2(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.13.3 221 broadcast

R2(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.1 221 broadcast

R3(config)#int s0

R3(config-if)#ip address 172.12.13.3 255.255.255.0

R3(config-if)#encap frame

R3(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.13.1 321 broadcast

R3(config-if)#frame map ip 172.12.123.2 321 broadcast

A frame map statement always names the REMOTE IP address and the LOCAL DLCI. Don't forget the broadcast option!

Show frame map shows us that all the static mappings on R1 are up and running. Note the "static" output, which indicates these mappings are a result of using the frame map command. Pings are not shown, but all three routers can ping each other at this point.

R1#show frame map

Serial0 (up): ip 172.12.123.2 dlci 122(0x7A,0x1CA0), static,

broadcast, CISCO, status defined, active

Serial0 (up): ip 172.12.13.3 dlci 123(0x7B,0x1CB0), static,

broadcast, CISCO, status defined, active

After the 172.12.13.0 /24 network is added to R1 and R3's RIP configuration, R2 and R3 now have each other's loopback network in their RIP routing tables.

R2#show ip route rip

1.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 1.1.1.1 [120/1] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:20, Serial0

3.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 3.3.3.3 [120/1] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:22, Serial0

R3#show ip route rip

1.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 1.1.1.1 [120/1] via 172.12.13.1, 00:00:20, Serial0

2.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets

R 2.2.2.2 [120/1] via 172.12.13.1, 00:00:22, Serial0

While turning split horizon off is one way to achieve total IP connectivity, doing so can have other unintended results. The use of subinterfaces is a more effective way of allowing the spokes to see the hub's loopback network.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! And coming in 2007 -- Microsoft Vista certification from The Bryant Advantage!

Passing Ciscos Ccna And Ccnp Ping And Extended Ping

Writen by Chris Bryant

I often tell CCNA and CCNP candidates that you do your best learning when you screw something up. I often get a funny look right after I say that, but the only way to develop your Cisco troubleshooting skills - the skills you'll need to pass your Intro, ICND, and CCNP exams - is by actually fixing configurations. Since your employer will take a dim view of you practicing these skills on his or her network, you better do so on your home lab!

Three essential tools for networking and CCNA/CCNP exam success are ping, extended ping, and traceroute. Today we're going to take a look at the ping that we're used to using for LAN issues, and the extended ping.

We're all familiar with "basic" ping, where you use the ping command followed by the IP address you want to confirm IP connectivity with. When you've got connectivity, you will see five exclamation points, as seen here:

R1#ping 172.12.123.2

Type escape sequence to abort.

Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 172.12.123.2, timeout is 2 seconds:

!!!!!

Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 68/68/72 ms

The default source IP address for ping is the IP address closest to the destination IP address. Other defaults - five ICMP packets will be sent (that's why you see five exclamation points), and they're sent two seconds apart.

That's fine for many basic situations, but as you progress through your networking career and most advanced scenarios in your CCNA / CCNP studies, you will want to change some of these defaults. What could you do if you wanted to send 10,000 pings? What if you needed your router's loopback address to be the source IP address for the pings? What if you wanted to send them five seconds apart, instead of two?

That's where extended ping comes in. To use extended ping, just type "ping" and hit enter. (Note that you cannot use extended ping in user exec mode - you must be in enable mode to do so.)

R1>ping

% Incomplete command.

"incomplete command" indicates that the router is waiting for an IP address; you can't use extended ping in user exec mode.

R1>enable

R1#ping

Protocol [ip]:

Target IP address: 172.16.123.1

Repeat count [5]: 1000

Datagram size [100]:

Timeout in seconds [2]:

Extended commands [n]: y

Source address or interface: loopback0

Type of service [0]:

Set DF bit in IP header? [no]:

Validate reply data? [no]:

Data pattern [0xABCD]:

Loose, Strict, Record, Timestamp, Verbose[none]:

Sweep range of sizes [n]:

Type escape sequence to abort.

Sending 1000, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 172.16.123.1, timeout is 2 seconds:

Packet sent with a source address of 1.1.1.1

.......................................

In this example, I sent 1000 ICMP packets to an address that doesn't exist, so I am getting periods instead of exclamation points. This illustration shows you the many options you have with extended ping.

Now that I've sent those 1000 pings, let's say that I want to stop that process. At the beginning of the basic ping output, you see this phrase:

Type escape sequence to abort.

This escape sequence works for ping, extended ping, and traceroute. Funny thing, though - Cisco doesn't tell you what the escape sequence is! One day, this will really come in handy. The escape sequence is , TWICE in rapid succession.

After I used it in this example, the pings stopped and I got this message:

Success rate is 0 percent (0/192)

The ping stopped after 192 ICMP packets were sent.

This keystroke takes a little practice, so practice it in your home lab. Knowing how to use extended ping will really come in handy on your CCNA and CCNP exams as well as your real-life networking job, and knowing how to stop an extended ping will as well!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

5 Surefire Ways To Maximize Your It Training

Writen by Roy Furr

What are the best things to look for when you're shopping for IT training? This article gives you five surefire ways you can tell if your IT training will be the best it can be - before you spend any money!

1. Try Before You Buy. Request free samples of the training if possible, so you know what you're buying before you get it. Make sure that the content you're getting will give you the training you need.
2. Check the Content. Most training only focuses on exam knowledge. This type of training won't help much on the job because it doesn't teach you how to apply your certification in the real world. Also, be wary of training that's nothing more than a thinly-disguised electronic copy of a book. This training is a high-cost alternative that doesn't give you more than you would get by reading the book yourself.

   The best training will give you complete certification knowledge, then show you how to apply that knowledge on the job to do your work successfully.

3. Research the Company. Look for customer comments on the training company's website, brochures, etc. Also, do a Google search to see what customers have to say when they're not being featured in promotional material.
4. Look for Engaging Training. Compare the free samples you've found: which are engaging and easy to learn from? Because training can be a long process, you want an instructor that holds your attention, gives a great learning experience, and delivers tons of content without sounding like they're reading from a textbook.
5. Find Training That Works For You. There are many types of training out there, such as books, classes, sample tests and videos. Books are usually the cheapest option, but they can be hard to follow and many people find themselves easily distracted when studying with them. Because classes are instructor-led, they can be engaging and easy-to-follow, but they can be very expensive and inconvenient. Sample tests often only determine if you know the material or not, and are better used to test the knowledge you have than for actually learning.

   Training videos are a great option for many people because they are instructor-led and easy to follow. They are a cost-effective alternative to classes, plus they're very convenient, allowing you to train on your own time and to keep the content so that you can use it as an ongoing reference.

Copyright 2005, CBT Nuggets, Inc.

CBT Nuggets, Inc. has been producing IT certification training videos since 1999. The videos cover all certification objectives and give real world application strategies, plus they're competitively priced. Visit http://www.cbtnuggets.com and register for unlimited free access to more than 50 videos, containing over 25 hours of training.

Sarbanes Oxley Certification For It Risk And Compliance Professionals

Writen by Andrea Caddle

The Sarbanes Oxley Institute is successfully satisfying the need of individuals and organisations wanting international recognition of their abilities. The Sarbanes Oxley Certification Institute has been set up by industry experts specifically to provide an international and acceptable measure of knowledge that an individual charged with implementing the Sarbanes Oxley Act has to have.

By passing the Institutes examination, individuals demonstrate their understanding and knowledge of all the issues required to implement all subject areas covered/required by the Act. It is then the Sarbanes Oxley Certification Institute's privilege to present the very much high in demand SOX-ITSEC Certification qualification.

The Sarbanes Oxley Certification Institute's mission is to promote top end professionalism and the best possible practices by developing and administering the Sarbanes Oxley program. The internationally acclaimed certification is already in high demand and candidates in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa are already certified.

The act was initiated by US Senator Paul Sarbanes and US Representative Michael Oxley. It came as a result of the large financial scandals involving Worldcom, Enron, Arthur Andersen and Global Crossing. As of 2006, all publicly traded companies are required to submit an annual report of their effectiveness of their internal accounting controls. Non compliance to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 can be detrimental to non US businesses who have a US presence and US companies alike.

Why be certified? All good companies need proof of the qualifications held by their staff. Holding the SOX-ITSEC Certification not only means that you have the knowledge, but proves that you have the wisdom to implement to an internationally recognised standard. Yes, all companies can only but benefit by certifying their staff with the new SOX-ITSEC Certification. Not only will your company benefit, but you will gain better marketability and will be able to command a higher income.

The SOX-ITSEC certification is fast growing and has exceeded all expectations. For more information contact: www.soxcert.org

Cisco Ccnp Certification The Bgp Weight Attribute

Writen by Chris Bryant

When you're studying for the CCNP certification, especially the BSCI exam, you must gain a solid understanding of BGP. BGP isn't just one of the biggest topics on the BSCI exam, it's one of the largest. BGP has a great many details that must be mastered for BSCI success, and those of you with one eye on the CCIE must learn the fundamentals of BGP now in order to build on those fundamentals at a later time.

Path attributes are a unique feature of BGP. With interior gateway protocols such as OSPF and EIGRP, administrative distance is used as a tiebreaker when two routes to the same destination had different next-hop IP addresses but the same prefix length. BGP uses path attributes to make this choice.

The first attribute considered by BGP is weight. Weight is a Cisco-proprietary BGP attribute, so if you're working in a multivendor environment you should work with another attribute to influence path selection.

The weight attribute is significant only to the router on which it is changed. If you set a higher weight for a particular route in order to give it preference (a higher weight is preferred over a lower one), that weight is not advertised to other routers.

BGP uses categories such as "transitive", "non-transitive", "mandatory", and "optional" to classify attributes. Since weight is a locally significant Cisco-proprietary attribute, it does not all into any of these categories.

The weight can be changed on a single route via a route-map, or it can be set for a different weight for all routes received from a given neighbor. To change the weight for all incoming routes, use the "weight" option with the neighbor command after forming the BGP peer relationships.

R2(config)#router bgp 100

R2(config-router)#neighbor 100.1.1.1 remote-as 10

R2(config-router)#neighbor 100.1.1.1 weight 200

Learning all of the BGP attributes, as well as when to use them, can seem an overwhelming task when you first start studying for your BSCI and CCNP exams. Break this task down into small parts, learn one attribute at a time, and soon you'll have the BGP attributes mastered.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccnp Certification Bcmsn Exam Tutorial Writing Qos Policy

Writen by Chris Bryant

QoS - Quality of Service - is a huge topic on both the BCMSN exam and real-world networks. QoS is so big today that Cisco's created separate specialist certifications that cover nothing but QoS! It can be an overwhelming topic at first, but master the fundamentals and you're on your way to exam and job success.

If you work with QoS at any level - and sooner or later, you will - you've got to know how to write and apply QoS policies.

Creating and applying such a policy is a three-step process.

1. Create a QoS class to identify the traffic that will be affected by the policy.

2. Create a QoS policy containing the actions to be taken by traffic identified by the class.

3. Apply the policy to the appropriate interfaces.

If the phrase "identify the traffic" sounds like it's time to write an access-list, you're right! Writing an ACL is one of two ways to classify traffic, and is the more common of the two. Before we get to the less-common method, let's take a look at how to use an ACL to classify traffic.

You can use either a standard or extended ACL with QoS policies. The ACL will be written separately, and then called from the class map.

SW1(config)#access-list 105 permit tcp any any eq 80

SW1(config)#class-map WEBTRAFFIC

SW1(config-cmap)#match access-group 105

Now that we've identified the traffic to be affected by the policy, we better get around to writing the policy! QoS policies are configured with the policy-map command, and each clause of the policy will contain an action to be taken to traffic matching that clause.

SW1(config)#policy-map LIMIT_WEBTRAFFIC_BANDWIDTH

SW1(config-pmap)#class WEBTRAFFIC

SW1(config-pmap-c)#police 5000000 exceed-action drop

SW1(config-pmap-c)#exit

This is a simple policy, but it illustrates the logic of QoS policies. The policy map LIMIT_WEBTRAFFIC_BANDWIDTH calls the map-class WEBTRAFFIC. We already know that all WWW traffic will match that map class, so any WWW traffic that exceeds the stated bandwidth limitation will be dropped.

Finally, apply the policy to the appropriate interface.

SW1(config-if)#service-policy LIMIT_WEBTRAFFIC_BANDWIDTH in

Getting your CCNP is a great way to boost your career, and learning QoS is a tremendous addition to your skill set. Like I said, learn the fundamentals, don't get overwhelmed by looking at QoS as a whole, and you're on your way to success!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your CCNP certification with The Bryant Advantage!

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician Mcdst Certification

Writen by Roger Stuart

Introduction

A research by the U.S. Department of Labor, shows that Computer support specialists held about 500,000 jobs in the year 2002, but at present there is still a shortage of skilled individuals to do this job. According to this research this is a fastest growing occupation through 2012. MCDST certification provides an excellent opportunity for those candidates who are interested in the job of support technicians because it validates that the individuals have the skills to support end users and to successfully troubleshoot desktop environments running on the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.

For more information you can visit: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos268.htm
http://www.certmag.com/articles/templates/cmag_department.asp?articleid=917&zoneid=63

IT managers are facing problems in recruiting their technical staff and arranging the training for them. They would like to ensure that their professionals are consistent and have the adequate knowledge of supporting Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office applications. The organizations that have made plenty of investments in the Microsoft software can utilize this certification as a benchmark for hiring support technicians and it can be also used as a training tool for development of the professionals.

To achieve this certification Microsoft presents only two core examinations. Exam 70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System, that measures the skills of the candidates required for supporting users and troubleshooting the Windows XP operating system, and exam 70-272: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System that measures the skills needed to support and troubleshoot applications like Microsoft office or internet explorer running on Windows XP.

Any individual who is interested in making their career in IT can opt for this certification. MCDST certification validates the skills of help-desk technicians, customer-support representatives, PC support specialists, technical-support representatives, and technical-support specialists.

Benefits of Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician certification:

1. It simplifies the process and reduces the cost of recruiting and hiring the staff. It also reduces the time spent by the management and the inherent risk in the recruiting, hiring and promotional process.

2. It lowers the costs involved in the training of the professionals.

3. It provides a benchmark to the organization for recruiting their staffs.

4. It provides a proof to the individuals for their abilities and skills.

5. It provides a certification that increases the qualification of the individuals.

6. It will be very beneficial for those individuals who are struggling for promotion.

Resources:

Books: The MS Press books are very good option for any Microsoft certification but there are various other Venders too who have published books for this certification. For MCDST certification some excellent books are MCDST: Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician Study Guide (Exams 70-271 and 70-272) by Bill Ferguson, MCDST Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-271): Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System by Walter Glenn, MCDST 70-272 Exam Cram 2: Supporting Users & Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Windows XP Operating System (Exam Cram 2) by Diana Huggins, Will Schmied, Ed Tittel.

Useful Sites: In addition to the books, you can get a number of resources on the web. Some useful sites for you to get adequate knowledge about certifications and practical articles are:

http://www.mcpmag.com,
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcdst/default.asp,
www.developer.com,
http://www.csharpcorner.com.

Exam Simulation: Practice is the most important ingredient for success. Although you have studied appropriate books, reviewed effective articles, read tutorials and notes, they will not help you much, if you do not practicing at all. Simulation exam provides you an environment of actual exam, which helps to discover where are you lacking and how far are you from success. It also enhances you confidence level.

The resources will definetly help you to prepare efficently and qualify in this highly specialized exam.

uCertify was formed in 1996 with an aim to offer high quality educational training software and services in the field of information technology to its customers. uCertify provides exam preparation solutions for the certification exams of Microsoft, CIW, CompTIA, Oracle, Sun and other leading IT vendors.

To know more about uCertify, please visit http://www.ucertify.com/

Cisco Ccna Ccnp Exam Tutorial Testing Isdn Links Without Pings

Writen by Chris Bryant

To earn your Cisco CCNA and CCNP certifications, you've got to master ISDN - and despite what some people say, there's still a lot of ISDN out there that needs to be supported. And when it comes to troubleshooting ISDN, there's a lot to look at. Is the correct ISDN switchtype configured? Are the dialer map statements correct? What about the dialer-group and dialer-list commands? And that's just the start.

I always say that all troubleshooting starts at Layer 1, the Physical layer of the OSI model. The usual method of troubleshooting ISDN is sending pings across the link, but the connection can be tested without using pings or even before assigning IP addresses to the BRI interfaces!

It's a good idea to place these test calls before configuring the interfaces - that way, you know you've got a valid connection before beginning the configuration (and there's a lot of config to go along with ISDN!)

To place a test call without using pings, use the isdn call interface command.

R1#isdn call interface bri0 8358662

R1#

03:54:43: BR0 DDR: Attempting to dial 8358662

03:54:43: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface BRI0:1, changed state to up

03:54:44: BR0:1 DDR: dialer protocol up

03:54:45: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface BRI0:1, changed state to up

03:54:49: %ISDN-6-CONNECT: Interface BRI0:1 is now connected to 8358662 R2

To tear the test call down correctly, use isdn disconnect interface. IOS Help displays the options with this command.

R1#isdn disconnect interface bri 0 ?

all Disconnect the data call(s) on all b channels

b1 Disconnect the data call on b1 channel

b2 Disconnect the data call on b2 channel

R1#isdn disconnect interface bri 0 all

03:58:36: BR0:1 DDR: disconnecting call

03:58:36: BR0:2 DDR: disconnecting call

03:58:36: %ISDN-6-DISCONNECT: Interface BRI0:1 disconnected from 8358662 R2, call lasted 20 seconds

03:58:36: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface BRI0:1, changed state to down

03:58:36: BR0:1 DDR: disconnecting call

03:58:37: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface BRI0:1, changed state to down

I say "correctly" because the one thing you don't want to do to end an ISDN call, test or otherwise, is just shut the interface. Telcos don't like it, and ISDN lab devices like it even less. Always let the d-channel do its work and tear the call down in an orderly fashion - don't just cut it off by shutting the interface down.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! And coming in 2007 -- Microsoft Vista certification from The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Certification Exam Tutorial Ospf Hubandspoke

Writen by Chris Bryant

CCNA certification demands that you master the basics of OSPF, and for many studying for the CCNA exam, their first exposure to OSPF is a hub-and-spoke configuration. That's a tough way to get started, because a hub-and-spoke configuration built over an NBMA technology such as Frame Relay requires quite a bit of attention to detail. Let's take a quick look at several common OSPF configuration errors and how to avoid them on your CCNA test.

Make sure the hub is the designated router and that there are no backup designated routers. This is done by setting the OSPF interface priority to zero on the spoke routers. This not only ensures that the hub wins the DR election with its default OSPF interface priority of 1, but it prevents the spokes from ever having a chance to become the DR or BDR.

Configure neighbor statements on the hub. Since we're dealing with an NBMA network, the hub cannot dynamically discover its neighbors. Neighbor statements are not needed on the spokes. (They don't hurt anything, but they don't do anything, either.)

Finally, if your OSPF adjacencies do not form as expected, make sure to use your OSI model knowledge to approach the problem. The issue may actually be at Layer Two, with your Frame Relay configuration. If you don't use the "broadcast" option on your frame relay statements, OSPF hellos will not be transmitted successfully between potential neighbors. OSPF hellos are multicast, but the "broadcast" option for Frame Relay includes multicasts.

By paying special attention to these details, you're that much close to CCNA exam day success and earning your certification. I recommend that you get some experience with configuring OSPF hub-and-spoke before taking the CCNA exam, because it's by actually performing tasks such as this that makes you supremely confident on CCNA test day.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Ccnp Certification Bcmsn Exam Tutorial Server Load Balancing Slb

Writen by Chris Bryant

When you're working on your BCMSN exam on your way to CCNP certification, you'll read at length about how Cisco routers and multilayer switches can work to provide router redundancy - but there's another helpful service, Server Load Balancing, that does the same for servers. While HSRP, VRRP, and CLBP all represent multiple physical routers to hosts as a single virtual router, SLB represents multiple physical servers to hosts as a single virtual server.

In the following example, three physical servers have been placed into the SRB group ServFarm. They're represented to the hosts as the virtual server 210.1.1.14.

The hosts will seek to communicate with the server at 210.1.1.14, not knowing that they're actually communicating with the routers in ServFarm. This allows quick cutover if one of the physical servers goes down, and also serves to hide the actual IP addresses of the servers in ServFarm.

The basic operations of SLB involves creating the server farm, followed by creating the virtual server. We'll first add 210.1.1.11 to the server farm:

MLS(config)# ip slb serverfarm ServFarm

MLS(config-slb-sfarm)# real 210.1.1.11

MLS(config-slb-real)# inservice

The first command creates the server farm, with the real command specifying the IP address of the real server. The inservice command is required by SLB to consider the server as ready to handle the server farm's workload. The real and inservice commands should be repeated for each server in the server farm.

To create the virtual server:

MLS(config)# ip slb vserver VIRTUAL_SERVER

MLS(config-slb-vserver)# serverfarm ServFarm

MLS(config-slb-vserver)# virtual 210.1.1.14

MLS(config-slb-vserver)# inservice

From the top down, the vserver was named VIRTUAL_SERVER, which represents the server farm ServFarm. The virtual server is assigned the IP address 210.1.1.14, and connections are allowed once the inservice command is applied.

You may also want to control which of your network hosts can connect to the virtual server. If hosts or subnets are named with the client command, those will be the only clients that can connect to the virtual server. Note that this command uses wildcard masks. The following configuration would allow only the hosts on the subnet 210.1.1.0 /24 to connect to the virtual server.

MLS(config-slb-vserver)# client 210.1.1.0 0.0.0.255

SLB is the server end's answer to HSRP, VRRP, and GLBP - but you still need to know it to become a CCNP! Knowing redundancy strategies and protocols is vital in today's networks, so make sure you're comfortable with SLB before taking on the exam.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your CCNP certification with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccnp Bsci Exam Tutorial Using Ospfs Quotsummaryaddressquot Command

Writen by Chris Bryant

BSCI exam success, not to mention earning your CCNP, can come down to your OSPF route summarization skills. There are a few different commands and situations you need to be ready for, and one of these vital details is the proper use of the "summary-address" command.

The summary-address command should be used on an ASBR in order to summarize routes that are being injected into the OSPF domain via redistribution. In the following example, four routes are being redistributed into OSPF on R1, making R1 an ASBR.

interface Loopback16
ip address 16.16.16.16 255.0.0.0
!
interface Loopback17
ip address 17.17.17.17 255.0.0.0
!
interface Loopback18
ip address 18.18.18.18 255.0.0.0
!
interface Loopback19
ip address 19.19.19.19 255.0.0.0

R1(config)#router ospf 1
R1(config-router)#redistribute connected subnets

These four routes are seen on the downstream router R2 as External Type-2, the default for routes redistributed into OSPF.

R2#show ip route ospf
O E2 17.0.0.0/8 [110/20] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:07, Serial0
O E2 16.0.0.0/8 [110/20] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:07, Serial0
O E2 19.0.0.0/8 [110/20] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:07, Serial0
O E2 18.0.0.0/8 [110/20] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:07, Serial0

You can probably do this summarization in your head, but do so before continuing with the lab. : )

R1(config)#router ospf 1 R1(config-router)#summary-address 16.0.0.0 252.0.0.0

Look at the difference in R2's OSPF table.

R2#show ip route ospf
O E2 16.0.0.0/6 [110/20] via 172.12.123.1, 00:00:05, Serial0

The external routes have been successfully summarized, and four routes have been summarized into one single route. Note that the summary route is still marked as an E2 route.

There's an interesting side effect from the summarization present on R1:

R1#show ip route ospf
O 16.0.0.0/6 is a summary, 00:01:51, Null0

When you configure summary routes in OSPF, a route to null0 will be installed into the OSPF routing table. This helps to prevent routing loops. Any packets destined for the routes that have been summarized will have a longer match in the routing table....

R1#show ip route

Gateway of last resort is not set

C 17.0.0.0/8 is directly connected, Loopback17
C 16.0.0.0/8 is directly connected, Loopback16
C 19.0.0.0/8 is directly connected, Loopback19
C 18.0.0.0/8 is directly connected, Loopback18
O 16.0.0.0/6 is a summary, 00:01:51, Null0

.. and packets that do not match one of the summarized routes but do match the summary route will be dropped.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Certification Exam Tutorial Rip Details You Must Know

Writen by Chris Bryant

RIP isn't exactly the most complex routing protocol on the CCNA exam, but that makes it easy to overlook some of the important details you must keep in mind in order to pass the exam! To help you review for the exam, here are just a few of those details!

RIP's default behavior is to send version 1 updates, but to accept both version 1 and 2 routing updates.

R2(config)#router rip

R2(config-router)#net 172.16.0.0

R2(config-router)#^Z

R2#show ip protocols

Routing Protocol is "rip"

Sending updates every 30 seconds, next due in 6 seconds

Invalid after 180 seconds, hold down 180, flushed after 240

Outgoing update filter list for all interfaces is

Incoming update filter list for all interfaces is

Redistributing: rip

Default version control: send version 1, receive any version

Interface Send Recv Key-chain

Serial0 1 1 2

By default, RIP v2 autosummarizes routing updates sent across classful network boundaries. To disable this behavior, run no auto-summary under the RIP process.

R1#conf t

R1(config)#router rip

R1(config-router)#version 2

R1(config-router)#no auto-summary

You do not specify a subnet mask or wildcard mask when configuring RIP – just the classful network, even if you're running RIP v2.

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#router rip

R1(config-router)#version 2

R1(config-router)#no auto-summary

R1(config-router)#network 172.10.0.0 ?

Debug ip rip displays the routing updates and metrics as the advertisements are sent and requested. To see this in action without waiting for the next regularly scheduled update, run clear ip route *.

R1#debug ip rip

RIP protocol debugging is on

R1#clear ip route *

01:16:54: RIP: sending v1 update to 255.255.255.255 via Loopback1 (1.1.1.1)

01:16:54: network 2.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 3.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 172.16.0.0, metric 1

01:16:54: network 10.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: RIP: sending v1 update to 255.255.255.255 via Serial0 (172.16.123.1)

01:16:54: subnet 172.16.123.0, metric 1

01:16:54: network 1.0.0.0, metric 1

01:16:54: network 2.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 3.0.0.0, metric 2

01:16:54: network 10.0.0.0, metric 2

To see only the routes discovered by a routing protocol, run show ip route followed by the name of the protocol:

R1#show ip route rip

R 2.0.0.0/8 [120/1] via 172.16.123.2, 00:00:26, Serial0

R 3.0.0.0/8 [120/1] via 172.16.13.2, 00:00:09, Serial1

[120/1] via 172.16.123.3, 00:00:09, Serial0

R 10.0.0.0/8 [120/1] via 172.16.13.2, 00:00:09, Serial1

[120/1] via 172.16.123.3, 00:00:09, Serial0

[120/1] via 172.16.123.2, 00:00:26, Serial0

And don't forget - to turn off all currently running debugs, run undebug all.

R1#undebug all

All possible debugging has been turned off

Don't overlook RIP and IGRP when it comes to the CCNA exam. OSPF and EIGRP are more complex to configure, but you need to understand how distance vector protocols work in order to pass the CCNA!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Get your CCNA study guide from The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Ccnp Home Lab Tutorial The 2520 Router

Writen by Chris Bryant

I hear from CCNA and CCNP candidates every day, and the most common question is "What routers and switches should I buy for my home lab?" There is no one right answer to this question, since every test candidate has a different budget. There are also CCNA candidates who want to go on to the CCNP and want to know what routers and switches are best for future study. Again, there's no one right answer, but there are routers that fit every budget and every study plan - and the Cisco 2520 router is the king of home study labs.

The 2520 has four serial ports, one ethernet port, and a BRI port. You can use a 2520 as a frame relay switch, and still have ports to spare to practice routing protocols and directly connected serial interfaces. I know ISDN home simulators are still expensive if bought new, but you can get a used one on eBay and go from there. Even if you choose not to buy an ISDN simulator now, the 2520 gives you that opportunity for future home lab growth - and "planning for future growth" is important when it comes to your home lab as well as production networks!

2520s are also remarkably affordable. Check your favorite online auction site for prices. You may also want to search on the phrase "frame relay switch".

I know that getting started on your Cisco home lab can be a little scary, but it's a vital part of being totally prepared to pass the CCNA and CCNP exams. Hands-on work is imperative in learning any skill - after all, great chefs don't learn to cook on kitchen simulators! Visit online auction sites and used Cisco equipment resellers and see what's out there - and if you're wondering where to start, the 2520 is a great way to start building your own Cisco home lab!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA / CCNP exam questions! Details are on the website. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! And coming in 2007 -- Network+ and A+ Certification from The Bryant Advantage!

Ready For A Career Change Travel The Microsoft Certification Route

Writen by James Croydon

Are you dissatisfied with your job? Do you want to find a new one or at least make a move to another department within your company? Do you need certifications in MCSE, MCP and any of those other abbreviations? You need to sit down and decide what career path you wish to take if you want to go the Microsoft Certification route.

First of all, do you have any prior experience in the business world? If so, no matter what you decide to do, whether it is MCSE training or MCP training or anything else, you will be ahead of others with no prior professional expertise. However, if you choose to make a career change that is a complete 180 degrees from what you are doing now, you will have some trouble finding gainful employment without some concrete experience.

For instance, if you are an Administrative Assistant and decide to go for a Microsoft Certified System Engineer, better known as an MCSE, you need to have some practical experience (the basic requirement is about a year of previous experience) under your belt before even starting your MCSE training. How could you go about doing that? You have several options. Find a mentor. Maybe another person within your company who has an MCSE could give you pointers and some on-site knowledge into his job. Volunteering through a nonprofit or some other community organization could net you some valuable experience. Serving as an intern, whether paid or unpaid, is another option.

A volunteer position or an internship also is beneficial for those people with a fresh Microsoft certification but no practical, hands-on experience. Practically every nonprofit organization or community group has computers. Some of them are small groups and others have computer labs (perhaps state-run job placement places) with no budget to hire full-time staff. You have got to think outside the box for ways to gain that practical experience.

Networking mixers or social time is another great idea. You can mingle with professionals in the field you are trying to break into and find out about their internship opportunities. It is the perfect venue in which to sell or market yourself. Check out your local Chamber of Commerce for any local trade organizations in the prospective field as a starting point in this networking endeavor. Many times, you can find out some priceless information about the ins and outs of your potential area of certification. Learning from the experts could be an eye opening experience for you. Heck, you could even change your mind from braving those MCSE boot camps and the seven tests for MCSE exams. Isn't it better to gain that insight before you spend the time and money?

Once you have completed your certification, whether it is navigating through MCP courses or any other Microsoft certification, be prepared to start from scratch in your new endeavor. Just remember, anything having to do with technology will change again in a year or two, so you have to keep up with new trends and that means continued instruction. As long as you travel the Microsoft route, you'll be successful.

James Croydon, Microsoft Certified Professional and MCSE Certification advisor - focusing on MCSE Online and MCSE Online Certification

Youre In The Army Now So Welcome To The Mcse Boot Camp

Writen by James Croydon

If a person wants to earn a specific credential provided by objective validation of the ability to perform specific IT functions, we should go in for MCSE. This course has helped many IT professionals to work more effectively. To learn this Microsoft certification course the MCSE boot camp has been set up. This MCSE boot camp intensive training gives a quick injection of knowledge.

The main aim of MCSE boot camp is to provide fast certification process. The duration of this course is short which are generally one or two weeks. Moreover the timings of MCSE boot camp are flexible to meet the training requirements.

The MCSE boot camp training is not given to anyone or everyone. The teaching in this camp is fast and basic knowledge of the chosen subject is a must. The MCSE course is not easy enough that a person can mange on his own thus training from a MCSE boot camp is most of the time most necessary. There are also a lot of complicated concepts in an MCSE boot camp, which are unraveled during the course duration. Thus to benefit all the people appearing for MCSE, an MCSE boot camp has been set up. The main aim of MCSE boot camp is to provide proper guide and training from an educated instructor who can help the examinees to pass the exams.

After attending two weeks program from an MCSE boot camp the percentage of examinees clearing the exam significantly increases. Before the MCSE boot camp had been set up the clearing percentage had been staggering 20-40% but after the MCSE boot camp has been set up the percentage shot up to as high as 90%.

In an MCSE boot camp a learned, knowledgeable and educated instructor is provided who can clear all concepts and complexities. In addition to this the class is like a sort of group discussion where fellow students ask their queries and get the clarifications. MCSE boot camp create high performance environment to make learning as fun as well as easy.

Microsoft certification is increasing day be day. It is the most widely recognized technical certification in the industry, which is on high demand. . The MCSE boot camp institutes make them earn their Microsoft certification and make them lead the organization in successful manner. The MCP personnel administer the most advanced Microsoft windows platform and Microsoft server products. The survey of MCP magazine states that the average base salary of MCP ranges from $60,000 to $70,000.

The MCSE boot camp is like a boon to the fellow students. This institutes brings us away from the day to-day commotion and makes us focus on nothing else but the certification course. The trainers are also well trained, experienced and have the real world experience with products. These instructors are available even after their teaching hours. The MCSE boot camp classes are well equipped with the products, which allows every student to obtain hands-on experience with the product. Fellow students may contact the instructors in case of any difficulty or doubts.

The MCSE boot camp classes provide several ways for successful completion of course. Some MCSE boot camp also provide refresher course, which is free of charge, after the completion of the course. This offer is valid six months after the completion of the MCSE boot camp. The terms and condition of the MCSE boot camp also state that if the person is not happy with the teaching and the course program then he can take the classes again without any additional tuition cost within next six months.

The MCSE boot camp clearly mention that they shall strive their best to make their fellow students succeed in obtaining the Microsoft certification. A MCSE boot camp helps in learning the content and clears all doubts and queries.

James Croydon, Microsoft Certified Professional and MCSE Online Training advisor - focusing on MCSE Certification Courses and MCSE Certification