Cisco Ccnp Bcmsn Exam Tutorial Configuring Cgmp On Routers Amp Switches

Writen by Chris Bryant

If a Layer Two switch doesn't have the capabilities to run IGMP Snooping, it will be able to run CGMP - Cisco Group Membership Protocol. CGMP allows the multicast router to work with the Layer Two switch to eliminate unnecessary multicast forwarding.

CGMP will be enabled on both the multicast router and the switch, but the router's going to do all the work. The router will be sending Join and Leave messages to the switch as needed. PIM must be running on the router interface facing the switch before enabling CGMP, as you can see:

R1(config)#int e0

R1(config-if)#ip cgmp

WARNING: CGMP requires PIM enabled on interface

R1(config-if)#ip pim sparse

R1(config-if)#ip cgmp

When CGMP is first enabled on both the multicast router and switch, the router will send a CGMP Join message, informing the switch that a multicast router is now connected to it. This particular CGMP Join will contain a Group Destination Address (GDA) of 0000.0000.0000 and the MAC address of the sending interface. The GDA is used to identify the multicast group, so when this is set to all zeroes, the switch knows this is an introductory CGMP Join, letting the switch know that the multicast router is online.

The switch makes an entry in its MAC table that this router can be found off the port that the CGMP Join came in on. The router will send a CGMP Join to the switch every minute to serve as a keepalive.

A workstation connected to the switch on port 0/5 now wishes to join multicast group 225.1.1.1. The Join message is sent to the multicast router, but first it will pass through the switch. The switch will do what you'd expect it to do - read the source MAC address and make an entry for it in the MAC address table as being off port fast 0/5 if there's not an entry already there. (Don't forget that the MAC address table is also referred to as the CAM table or the bridging table.)

The router will then receive the Join request, and send a CGMP Join back to the switch. This CGMP Join will contain both the multicast group's MAC address and the requesting host's MAC address. Now the switch knows about the multicast group 225.1.1.1 and that a member of that group is found off port fast 0/5. In the future, when the switch receives frames destined for that multicast group, the switch will not flood the frame as it would an unknown multicast. Instead, the switch will forward a copy of the frame to each port that it knows leads to a member of the multicast group.

Two major benefits of CGMP are the explicit Join and Leave Group messages. In the next part of this BCMSN exam tutorial, we'll take a look at the Leave Group messages.

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!

The Value Of It Certifications In Career Development

Writen by Natalie Aranda

Information technology (IT) is the branch of engineering dealing with the use of computers and telecommunications, developing and maintaining systems as well as retrieving, storing and transmitting information. Therefore, any person wanting to develop a career in IT should be aware of the value of IT certifications.

Through education and certification, professionals gain the skills, knowledge, and validation needed to be recognized as an expert in diverse products or technologies. MCSE Certification, CCNA Certification, A+ Certification, and SAP Certification are just a few of the many credentials an IT professional may achieve.

Microsoft certification programs are considered to be the major advancement to gain both professional and education background. There are several Microsoft certifications currently available for both onsite or offsite training; being MCSE Certification, one of the most frequently requested certifications.

The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification prove an individual's expertise in designing and implementing the required infrastructure for any type of business solutions based on the Microsoft Windows 2000 platform and Microsoft Windows Server System.

Demand for the network administration job function is another branch of IT, which has grown significantly, the same as candidates applying for this certification, particularly CCNA Certification.

The CCNA certification (Cisco Certified Network Associate) indicates a foundation in apprentice knowledge of networking with certified professionals able to install, configure, and operate WAN, LAN, and dial access services for small networks with 100 nodes or fewer

Operation and configuration services also includes but are not limited to use one but several of the following protocols: Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, IP, IGRP, VLANs, RIP, and Ethernet, Access Lists.

IT Certifications in career development add valuable credentials for IT professionals in a competitive industry where a certification for jobs like these is needed at the same time that learning is necessary due to the constant changing business environments

A+ Certification prove the competency of entry-level service technicians in the computer industry and it is an internationally recognized testing program sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)

This certification is different from the others because it is not promoted by one company only, but by a whole group of PC manufacturers and other companies in the hardware market and its acceptance as an industry-wide credential offers additional benefits.

The ultimate goal of all IT certifications is in the development of your professional career is validating a specific experience required by the network and systems administrator job role for any small, middle or large company.

SAP Certification is one of the few credentials in the world of business with additional value only issued to those professionals who demonstrated their abilities by passing demanding, process-oriented exams through rigorous study or direct experience.

Natalie Aranda writes about learning, training and information technology. MCSE Certification, CCNA Certification, A+ Certification, and SAP Certification are just a few of the many credentials an IT professional may achieve.

Cisco Ccna Exam Tutorial Five Ospf Hubandspoke Details You Must Know

Writen by Chris Bryant

CCNA exam success depends greatly on knowing the details, and if there's one protocol that has a lot of details, it's OSPF! This is true particularly of hub-and-spoke networks, so in this CCNA OSPF tutorial we'll take a look at some of the more important hub-and-spoke OSPF details. This will help you in working with real-world networks as well, since this OSPF network type is one of the more typical network topologies.

In OSPF, the hub must become the designated router (DR). The DR election's deciding value is the OSPF interface priority, and the default value is 1. It's not enough to set the hub's OSPF interface to 2, however, since the spoke routers must not become the DR or BDR. You must set the spoke interfaces to an OSPF priority of zero.

R2(config)#int s0

R2(config-if)#ip ospf priority 0

This ensures that the spokes will not become the DR or BDR if the hub goes down.

The hub does require a bit more configuration, though. The neighbor command must be used on the hub to indicate the IP address of the potential neighbors.

R1(config)#router ospf 1

R1(config-router)#neighbor 172.12.123.2

R1(config-router)#neighbor 172.12.123.3

It's common to have an ISDN link as a backup in an OSPF network, and when that ISDN link comes up the hello packets must be able to cross the link. What you don't want is to have the hellos keep the link up! By configuring the ISDN link as an OSPF demand circuit, the link will drop in the absence of interesting traffic, but the OSPF adjacency that formed across the ISDN link will be assumed by the router to still be up. (You usually see this command configured on both sides of the ISDN link, but it's only needed on one side. It doesn't hurt anything to put it on both sides, though.)

R2(config)#int bri0

R2(config-if)#ip ospf demand-circuit

A final detail of OSPF hub-and-spoke and demand circuits actually takes place at Layer 2. For the OSPF hello packets to successfully be transmitted across an ISDN link or a frame relay network, the broadcast option must be enabled in the appropriate frame and dialer map statements. Failure to enable this option can lead to a situation where pings will be successful, but OSPF adjacencies will not form.

R2(config-if)#dialer map ip 172.12.21.1 name R1 broadcast 5551111

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

When you're troubleshooting OSPF in a production network or your CCNA / CCNP home lab, don't just look at Layer 3 - because everything's got to be right at the physical and data link layers in order for the network layer to function correctly!

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! Get your CCNA study guide with The Bryant Advantage!

A Guide To Mcse

Writen by Ken Marlborough

MCSE stands for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and such a certification is a value addition to your resume, if you want to make a career out of computers. Apart from just giving a boost to your career, a certification from Microsoft can also increase your pay scales considerably. Getting certified increases your understanding and knowledge of the way systems work, making your talents a major asset and investment for your organization. It opens new windows for you, and prepares you for infrastructural implementation of designs unique to each business requirement.

MCSE is useful in any computer system that runs on Microsoft Windows 2000 or 2003 platform, as it trains the person in the basics of systems and prepares him/her in anything from the infrastructure design of a system to analysis of a company's needs before implementing a design. The certification boosts the industry recognition of a person's knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft products and services.

Since the start of the new millennium, Microsoft has introduced a lot of benefits for candidates wishing to certify. These include discounts in computer training up to 50%, and rebates on the subscriptions of TechNet and TechNet Plus during the first year. The computer training opens up access to MCP member site, through which candidates can get discounts on products and services from Microsoft and other select companies. Also, they get free subscriptions of important magazines, and can download wallet card, transcript, logo and other materials from the website after certification.

MCSE certification is highly useful and appropriate for systems engineers, systems analysts, network specialists, technical consultants and technical support engineers. The certification will be their passport to professional organizations, their reference for successful implementation of advanced Windows operating systems in different organizations.

However, eligibility of MCSE is clearly stated by Microsoft. For a person to enroll as an MCSE candidate, he/she needs to have at least one year experience in a system networking environment a minimum of 200 supported users and five physical locations.

MCSE provides detailed information on MCSE, MCSE Certification, MCSE Term Papers, MCSE Training and more. MCSE is affiliated with Online MCSE Certification.

Cisco Ccnp Bsci Certification The Bgp Attribute Quotmedquot

Writen by Chris Bryant

When you're preparing to pass the BSCI exam and earn your CCNP certification, one of the biggest challenges is learning BGP. BGP is totally different from any protocol you learned to earn your CCNA certification, and one of the differences is that BGP uses path attributes to favor one path over another when multiple paths to or from a destination exist.

Notice I said "to or from". In earlier free BGP tutorials, I discussed the BGP attributes "weight" and "local preference". These attributes are used to favor one path to a destination over another; for example, if BGP AS 100 has two paths to a destination in AS 200, these two attributes can be set in AS 100 to favor one path over another. But what if AS 100 wants to inform the routers in AS 200 as to which path it should use to reach a given destination in AS 100?

That's where the BGP attribute "Multi-Exit Discriminator", or MED, comes in. The MED value can be set in AS 100 to tell AS 200 which path it should use to reach a given network in AS 100.

As with many BGP attributes, the MED can be set with a route-map. What you need to watch is that there is no "set med" value in route maps. To change the MED of a path, you need to change the metric of that path. Let's say that there are two entry paths for AS 200 to use to reach destinations in AS 100. You want AS 200 to use the 100.1.1.0/24 path over the 100.2.2.0/24 path. First, identify the two paths with two separate ACLs.

R1(config)#access-list 22 permit 100.1.1.0 0.0.0.255

R1(config)#access-list 23 permit 100.2.2.0 0.0.0.255

Next, write a route-map that assigns a lower metric to the more-desirable path.

R1(config)#route-map PREFER_PATH permit 10

R1(config-route-map)#match ip address 22

R1(config-route-map)#set metric 100

R1(config-route-map)#route-map PREFER_PATH permit 20

R1(config-route-map)#match ip address 23

R1(config-route-map)#set metric 250

Finally, apply the route-map to the neighbor or neighbors.

R1(config-route-map)#router bgp 100

R1(config-router)#neighbor 22.2.2.2 route-map PREFER_PATH out

The key points to keep in mind is that while many BGP attributes prefer a higher value, the MED is basically an external metric - and a lower metric is preferred, just as with the protocols you've already studied to earn your CCNA certification.

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 Certification A Survival Guide To The Cisco Cable Jungle

Writen by Chris Bryant

One of the most confusing parts of beginning your Cisco studies is keeping all the cable types separate in your mind, and then remembering what they're used for. This often occurs when a CCNA or CCNP candidate starts putting together their own home practice lab, and they suddenly realize that they have the equipment to run labs, but not the cables.

With this in mind, here are some common Cisco cable types and their primary use.

First, there's the regular old "straight-through cable", so named because the eight wires inside the cable go straight through the wire. While the wires may be twisted inside to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI), the wire that's connected to Pin 1 on one end is connected to Pin 1 on the other end, and so on. In a home lab, a straight-through cable is often used to connect a switch port to an Ethernet port on a router, with a transceiver attached to the Ethernet port. Straight-through cables are also good for connecting a BRI interface to an ISDN simulator.

The "crossover cable" is so named because the wires do cross over between pins. This allows the devices to both send and receive at the same time, and crossover cables are a must for directly connecting ports on Cisco switches to create a trunk.

The "rollover cable" allows you to connect directly to a Cisco console port with your laptop or PC. This is the blue cable that comes with new Cisco devices, and it's the one that engineers tend to hold on to with their lives. Without a rollover cable (also commonly called a "console cable"), you can't connect your laptop directly to a Cisco device.

Finally, there's the DTE/DCE cable. To create a frame relay cloud in your home lab (using one of your Cisco routers as a DCE), or to directly connect two Cisco routers via their serial interfaces, you will need a DTE/DCE cable. Remember that the DCE interface will need to supply clockrate to the DTE interface.

The different cable types can be confusing when you first read about them, but after tearing down or building your home lab a few times, you'll definitely have them straight come test day!

Best of luck in your lab and your exams.

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 Ccnp Certification Exam Same Command Different Results

Writen by Chris Bryant

As a CCNA or CCNP, one thing you've got to get used to is that change is constant. Cisco regularly issues new IOS versions, not to mention the many different kinds of hardware they produce! While it's always nice to have "the latest and the greatest" when it comes to routers, switches, firewalls, etc., we have to be prepared for the fact that not all our clients are going to have that latest and greatest!

For instance, there are still quite a few Catalyst 5000 switches out there humming away, and if you're used to working on IOS-driven switches like the 2950, the same command can have dramatically different results.

Let's say you're going to examine the spanning tree protocol (STP) setup of a new client. You're used to working with newer 2950 switches, and you've always run show span on those switches to display spanning-tree information. Then, you run show span on a Catalyst 5000 - and something like this shows:

switch (enable) show span

Destination : Port 6/1

Admin Source : Port 6/2

Oper Source : Port 6/2

Direction : transmit/receive

Incoming Packets: disabled

Learning : enabled

Multicast : enabled

Filter : -

Status : active

Total local span sessions: 1

What's going on here?

The command show span on a 5000 will not show spanning tree stats - instead, what you're going to see are statistics relating to Switched Port ANalyzer (SPAN). Surprise!

Consider an example where you're used to running show span on 5000 switches to see SPAN information. When you run that on a 2950, you know now what you're going to get - spanning tree information! On a 2950, you'll need to run show monitor session, followed by the SPAN session number.

SW1#show monitor session 1

Session 1

---------

Type : Local Session

Source Ports :

Both : Fa0/1

Destination Ports : Fa0/2

Encapsulation : Native

Ingress: Disabled

As a CCNA and CCNP, this is one of those things you just have to get used to. Commands are going to be different, sometimes radically so, between models. That's why you need to be adept with both IOS Help and Cisco's online documentation site. IOS Help is easy, but the online doc site take a little getting used to. Once you learn how to navigate that site, a world of Cisco knowledge is at your fingertips.

Besides, when you sit for the CCIE lab exam, that will be the only friend you have! And a valuable friend it can be - you're just going to have to trust me on that one. :)

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 Ccnp Certification Exam Attending A Video Boot Camp

Writen by Chris Bryant

When you're studying for the CCNA and CCNP exams, you've got a lot of different choices when it comes to training. One popular choice is choosing one of the many "boot camps" and five-day in-person courses that are out there. I've taught quite a few of these, and while many of them are good, they do have drawbacks.

Of course, one is cost. Many employers are putting the brakes on paying for CCNA and CCNP boot camps, and most candidates can't afford to pay thousands of dollars for such a class. Then you've got travel costs, meals, and having to possibly burn your own vacation time to take the class. Add in time away from your family and boot camps become impractical for many CCNA / CCNP candidates.

Another issue is fatigue. I enjoy teaching week-long classes, but let's face facts - whether you're training for the CCNA or CCNP exams, you're going to get a lot of information thrown at you in just a few days. You're going to be mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the week, and that's when some boot camps actually have you take the exam! You've got to be refreshed and rested when you take the exam to have your best chance of success.

How can you get the benefit of an experienced instructor without paying thousands of dollars? By taking a Video Boot Camp! There are some high-quality computer-based training (CBT) courses out there, and these courses offer quite a few advantages for the CCNA and CCNP candidate. These courses run hundreds instead of thousands of dollars, and you can train on your own schedule. It is important for you to make and keep that schedule, but instead of spending thousands of dollars and having to travel, you can get world-class CCNA and CCNP training in the comfort of your own home.

By combining a high-quality CCNA or CCNP CBT or video boot camp with a strong work ethic, you're on your way to passing the exam and accelerating your career. Now get to work!

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! Get your CCNA CBT video training from The Bryant Advantage!

Mcse Certification An Insiders View

Writen by Michael Russell

In this article I am going to present an insider's view of this process. What you are about to read is the experience of an associate of mine. He is an MCSE, or at least he was. I'll let him tell his story in his own words. You should find this interesting.

Hi. My name is Steven. I am 48 years old and out of work. That may seem strange considering that I have a number of certifications including a Novell CNA and a Microsoft MCSE. So what's the problem?

To answer that question you need to have some background information.

I originally went to school for Accounting but lost interest. I eventually graduated with a degree in business, which at the time was good for nothing. Then my wife to be brought home an ad for computer training. This was long before Microsoft was big. We were still on DOS 3.0. Anyway, I went to school and learned COBOL and RPG. That did me a lot of good too because I had no experience and at the time these languages were already on their way out. I eventually did find a job but working on PCs. I worked on an Apple III.

This lead to a teaching position, teaching BASIC on TRS 80 computers. Eventually this died out too and I was out of work, yet again.

To make a very long story short, the cycle continued until networking became big. I got a Novell CNA and then eventually a Microsoft MCSE. I was set for life. Or so I thought. But let me back track just a little.

Before getting my MCSE I had to go through extensive training. The number of courses I had to take were mind boggling. The amount of information was mind boggling. I didn't know how I was going to keep all of that in my head, let alone pass an exam on it.

Then the first exam came. I failed. I studied more and went to retake it. Much to my shock, the exam was almost completely different with probably 70% of the questions different. Yes, there is so much information in these exams that you can actually take one of them 3 times (which I had to do) and still not get a majority of the same questions twice. Finally though, I passed the first exam and then after a period of nine months I passed all seven. It was the most horrible time of my life. But at least I was set.

At least that's what I thought.

At the time of the exam the system was Windows NT 3.51. If you know anything about computers and Microsoft you know that this particular operating system is long dead and buried. And as the changes came, I too became dead and buried.

Why?

To answer that question you have to understand how companies work. They always feel they have to have the latest technology, even though what they had was more than adequate to do the job. Part of this problem though is with Microsoft. They don't support old systems. So companies are forced to upgrade. With that comes the forcing of employees to get recertified and learn the new systems. This is where I just couldn't keep up. It was hard enough for me to pass the exams the first time. I wasn't about to even try again.

Sure enough, my company wanted me to learn the new systems and get recertified. I asked them what would happen if I didn't. They said they would have to let me go. I saved them the trouble. I quit.

I am telling you this story for a reason. If you are considering getting an MCSE certification you need to be prepared for exactly what happened to me, not just with losing my job if not getting recertified but the actual difficulties with the exams themselves. The amount of information is overwhelming and it won't be easy to pass seven exams. Then be prepared to constantly have to upgrade your skills as Microsoft isn't going to stop trying to make more money

-------------------------------------------------------
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to MCSE Certification
-------------------------------------------------------

The Road To Ccna

Writen by Mohammed Alani

There are two ways to handle any exam.You can read and prepare to pass the exam and pass the exam and become certified without learning the real thing. Things like TestKing and Pass4sure might help in this. On the other hand, you can study,learn and prepare yourself for the exam along the way. And that's something I might be helpful in managing.

I will not tell you things like "Take your CCNA in 3 days" or five days, because these are all mere lies. I will guide you through depending on my experience as a Cisco Academy instructor and having lots of students who passed the exam with grades from 950 to 1000.

Based upon my experience, a month would be adequate for understanding the CCNA materials as well as prepare yourself for the exam. First, I will go through the studying schedule and then I will go on further details regarding the exam and how to prepare for it and how to pass it.

First of all, prepare yourself for studying 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 4 weeks. This gives us an overall of 96 hours of study. And be careful not to pass hours from one day to another. DO NOT study for more than 4 hours a day. It will be tiring, and things you read after the four hours will have to be studied again because you will not be able to understand it. During these four hours you MUST have 30 minutes break. After the first hour and 45 minutes, you should take a 30 minutes break and go back for the other hour and 45 minutes.

For self study purposes, I recommend using the Cisco Press CCNA package. It has two books by Stephen McQuerry; INTRO (for the basics of networking) and ICND (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices). These two books cover the CCNA materials well. It's like a collection of the useful things from the CCNA academy materials.

If you are looking for a more brief coverage of the CCNA materials, you can use the Todd Lammle's book in its 5th edition printed by Sybex. But the problem with this book is that it doesn't cover the whole story. It lacks the two very important subjects of NAT and DHCP, which are practically very important. And I have put together some simple documents about NAT and DHCP that can help students depending on Lammle's book. You can find them here and here.

And for practical training, if you cannot borrow an old router, you can use a simulator. Many type of simulator are out there in the market and lots of them are useless. Few of the good ones that I recommend are either Boson's or the one that is sold by Cisco Press. And to be honest, the best simulator that I have seen until now is called PacketTracer. This is the router used by Cisco Academies for thier student. And I don't think its available for public use outside the academy.

I will do the schedule based on subject titles and not on chapters so you could go either way with Lammle's book or McQuerry's books.

Subject-Description-Hours

Introduction to networks and internetworks-getting to know the essence of networking and knowing the OSI layered model and the distinguished responsibilities of each layer-4

Ethernet-Understanding ethernet and its frame types, CSMA/CD and its cabling types-3

TCP/IP-Knowing TCP/IP layered model and Cisco Hierarical layerd model. Understanding the different type of protocols for each layer-5

Subnetting and VLSM-Subnetting is an essential part of understanding how IP networks work. Practice as much as you can-8

Cisco Routers-Knowing the pieces of routers and how they interact, types of interfaces and lines, how to connect to a router for configration purposes, and Basic router configration-4

Routing Protocols-Distance vector and link state protocols, what are the differences between them. Routing loops and thier avoidance is an important topic too-4

RIP & IGRP-Understanding the methods of operation, programming, testing, and troubleshooting of each protocol and what are the differences between them-6

OSPF & EIGRP-Understanding the methods of operation, programming, testing, and troubleshooting of each protocol and what are the differences between them-6

NAT & DHCP-What are they and how to configure, test, and troubleshoot them-4

Network Management-How to manage an internetwork, SNMP, telnet and all other things that helps to test and manage a network including password recovery procedures-4

Access-Lists-What are access-lists, how do they operate, how to decide which type and where and how to implement them. More and more practice is important in this subject-8

Switches-What are the types of switches and what are thier parameters. How to do basic configration of Cisco switches. Switching loops and STP are a key issue here-4

VLANs and VTP-Understanding the reason and operation of VLANs, trunking and VTP. Inter-VLAN routing is an important issue-8

WANs-In real life you will not find a network without WAN connection. You have to master the types of WAN connections and where and why each one is used. Configration, testing, and troubleshooting of PPP, FrameRelay, and ISDN are important-12

Exam preparation-Going through all topic and reading solved questions might be useful too-12

And this would leave you extra 4 hours that can be kept as a spare time.

After stating this schedule, I will start talking about the exam itself. The exam consists of 55 to 65 questions. Most of them are multiple choice questions with few simulation questions and drag and drops. You can take a look at Cisco's CCNA exam webpage. It has details about exam questions and exam description. The exam time is 90 minutes and in the middle east is expanded to 2 hours because its in a second language.

The exam doesn't have review ability, i.e., it has only "NEXT" button and no "PREVIOUS" button on the page. So, you will not be able to take a second look into the question you answer. And in my opinion, that's a good thing, so your mind would not be occupied with previous questions. The exams usually have two or three simulation questions. These questions are the ones that take time. Not because they are hard or long or any of that, its because you are afraid of it. Especially if this is your first time in such a computer-based exam. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT spend more than 15-20 minutes on the simulation questions. It would make you loose many other questions. The most important thing about the exam is timing. The questions are never too hard.

The passing score, as you might know, is 849 out of 1000. The zero point of the exam is 300. And not all questions in the exam are marked as Cisco says in its copyright notice before the exam.

Keep in mind that CCNA is not the farthest that you can go. CCNA is the stepping stone to a much wider world where you can select a road in. After CCNA, you can go in many different ways; wireless networks, voice over IP, network security, or CCNP.

www.mohammedalani.com

Cisco Certification Five Things To Do During Your Ccna Exam

Writen by Chris Bryant

There are plenty of articles out there about how to prepare for the CCNA exam. However, there are also things you can do to increase your chances of success on exam day during the most important part of the entire process -- the time that you're actually taking the test.

I've taken many a certification exam over the years, and helped many others prep for theirs. Here are the five things you must do on exam day to maximize your efforts.

1. Show up on time. Yeah, I know everyone says that. The testing center wants you there 30 minutes early. So why do so many candidates show up late, or in a rush? If you have a morning exam appointment, take the traffic into account. If it's a part of town you don't normally drive in during rush hour, you might be surprised at how much traffic you have to go through. Plan ahead.

2. Use paper, not the pad. Some testing centers have gotten into the habit of handing exam candidates a board that allegedly wipes clean, along with a marker that may or not be fine-pointed. You do NOT want to be writing out charts for binary math questions, or coming up with quick network diagrams, with a dull magic marker. It's also my experience that these boards do not wipe clean well at all, but they smear quite badly.

Ask the testing center employee to give you paper and a pen instead. I haven't had one refuse me yet. Remember, you're the customer. It's your $100 - $300, depending on the exam.

3. Use the headphones. Most candidates in the room with you understand that they should be quiet. Sadly, not all of them do. Smacking gum, mumbling to themselves (loud enough for you to hear, though), and other little noises can really get on your nerves in what is already a pressure situation. In one particular testing center I use, the door to the testing room has one setting: "Slam".

Luckily, that center also has a headset hanging at every testing station. Call ahead to see if yours does. Some centers have them but don't leave them at the testing stations. Wearing headphones during the exam is a great way to increase your powers of concentration. They allow you to block out all noise and annoyances, and do what you came to do -- pass the exam.

4. Prepare for the "WHAT??" question. No matter how well-prepared you are, there's going to be one question on any Cisco exam that just stuns you. It might be off-topic, in your opinion; it may be a question that would take 20 of your remaining 25 questions to answer; it might be a question that you don't even know how to begin answering. I have talked with CCNA candidates who got to such a question and were obviously so thrown off that they didn't do well on any of the remaining questions, either.

There is only one thing to do in this situation: shrug it off. Compare yourself to a major-league pitcher. If he gives up a home run, he can't dwell on it; he's got to face another batter. Cornerbacks in football face the same problem; if they give up a long TD pass, they can't spend the next 20 minutes thinking about it. They have to shrug it off and be ready for the next play.

Don't worry about getting a perfect score on the exam. Your concern is passing. If you get a question that seems ridiculous, unsolvable, or out of place, forget about it. It's done. Move on to the next question and nail it.

5. Finish with a flourish. Ten questions from the end of your exam, take a 15-to-30 second break. You can't walk around the testing room, but you can stand and stretch. By this point in the exam, candidates tend to be a little mentally tired. Maybe you're still thinking about the "WHAT??" question. Don't worry about the questions you've already answered -- they're done. Take a deep breath, remember why you're there -- to pass this exam -- and sit back down and nail the last ten questions to the wall.

Before you know it, your passing score appears on the screen!

Now on to the CCNP! Keep studying!

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 Certification Exam Training Passwords Cisco Routers And Network Security

Writen by Chris Bryant

CCNA certification is important, and so is securing our network's Cisco routers! To reflect the importance of network security, your CCNA certification exam is likely going to contain quite a few questions about the various passwords you can set on a Cisco router. Let's take a look at some of those passwords and when to apply them.

If the previous user has logged out of the router properly, you will see a prompt like this when you sit down at the router console:

R1 con0 is now available

Press RETURN to get started.

R1>

To get into enable mode, by default all I have to do is type "enable".

R1>enable

R1#

See how the prompt changed? By default, I can now run all the show and debug commands I want, not to mention entering global configuration mode and doing pretty much what I want. It just might be a good idea to password protect this mode! We do so with either the enable password command or the enable secret command. Let's use the enable password command first.

R1(config)#enable password dolphins

Now when I log out and then go back to enable mode - or try to - I should be prompted for the password "dolphins". Let's see what happens.

R1>enable

Password:

R1#

I was indeed prompted for a password. Cisco routers will not show asterisks or any other character when you enter a password; in fact, the cursor doesn't even move.

The problem with the enable password command is that the password will show in the configuration in clear text, making it easy for someone to look over your shoulder and note the password for future use, as shown below:

hostname R1

!

enable password dolphins

We could use the "service password-encryption" command to encrypt the enable password, but that will also encrypt all the other passwords in the Cisco router config. That's not necessarily a bad thing! Here's the effect of this command on the enable password we set earlier.

enable password 7 110D1609071A020217

Pretty effective encryption! However, if we want to have the enable password automatically encrypted, we can use the enable secret command. I'll use that command here to set this password to "saints", and note that I'm not removing the previous enable password.

R1(config)#enable secret saints

After removing the "service password-encryption" command, we're left with two enable mode passwords, and they appear in the Cisco router config like this:

enable password dolphins

enable secret 5 $1$kJB6$fPuVebg7uMnoj5KV4GUKI/

If we have two enable passwords, which one should we use to log into the router? Let's try the first password, "dolphins", first:

R1>enable

Password:

Password:

When you're prompted for the password a second time, you know you got it wrong the first time! Let's try "saints":

R1>enable

Password:

Password:

R1#

When both the enable secret and enable password commands are in use on a Cisco router, the enable secret password always takes precedence. "dolphins" didn't get us in, but "saints" did. That's valuable information for both the CCNA certification exam and real-world networks, because there's no worse feeling than typing a password at a Cisco router prompt and then getting another password prompt!

This is just one way to perform basic Cisco router security with passwords. We'll take a look at other methods in a future CCNA certification exam training tutorial!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Cisco CCNA certification test prep articles. His exclusive Cisco CCNA study guide and Cisco CCNA training is also available! Visit his blog and sign up for Cisco Certification Central, a daily newsletter packed with CCNA, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! A free 7-part course, "How To Pass The CCNA", is also available, and you can attend an in-person or online CCNA boot camp with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Certification Exam Tutorial Isdn Details You Must Know

Writen by Chris Bryant

CCNA exam success depends partially on knowing the details of ISDN, and there are plenty of them! To help you review for your CCNA exam, here are a few ISDN details that you must know on exam day. (They help in the real world, too – and there are still plenty of ISDN networks out there!

The Cisco-proprietary version of HDLC is the default encapsulation type for serial and ISDN interfaces.

R2#show interface serial0

Serial0 is up, line protocol is up

Hardware is HD64570

MTU 1500 bytes, BW 1544 Kbit, DLY 20000 usec, rely 255/255, load 1/255

Encapsulation HDLC, loopback not set, keepalive set (10 sec)

While there's only one D-channel in BRI, PRI (US) and PRI (EU), the bandwidth of that D-channel does vary from BRI to PRI. It's 16 kbps in BRI and 64 kbps in both PRI versions.

The global command isdn switch-type must be configured before you can even begin to have ISDN work. show isdn status will tell you whether or not you've done this correctly.

R2#show isdn status

**** No Global ISDN Switchtype currently defined ****

ISDN BRI0 interface

dsl 0, interface ISDN Switchtype = none

Layer 1 Status:

DEACTIVATED

Layer 2 Status:

Layer 2 NOT Activated

Layer 3 Status:

0 Active Layer 3 Call(s)

PAP allows passwords to be different; CHAP requires that they be the same.

PAP requires the "ppp pap sent-username" interface-level command. CHAP has no equivalent command.

Define interesting traffic with dialer-list and link that list to the interface with dialer-group.

R2#conf t

R2(config)#dialer-list 1 proto ip permit

R2(config)#int bri0

R2(config-if)#dialer-group 1

The dialer idle-timeout value is expressed in seconds, not minutes. (Even IOS Help isn't totally clear on this.)

R2(config)#int bri0

R2(config-if)#dialer-group 1

R2(config-if)#dialer idle-timeout ?

<1-2147483> Idle timeout before disconnecting a call

R2(config-if)#dialer idle-timeout 120

Dialer map maps a remote IP address to a remote phone number. You never dial the local router's phone number.

dialer load-threshold requires the ppp multilink command to be configured, and the value of dialer load-threshold is expressed as a ratio of 255, NOT 100. For example, if you want the second b-channel to come up when the first reaches 50% of capacity, the value to express with dialer load-threshold would be 50% of 255 – which equals 127.

R2(config)#int bri0

R2(config-if)#encap ppp

R2(config-if)#ppp multilink

R2(config-if)#dialer load-threshold ?

<1-255> Load threshold to place another call

Success on the CCNA exam depends on knowing the details. Keep studying, keep practicing on real Cisco routers and switches, keep a positive attitude, and you're on your way to CCNA exam success!

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!

Ccna Forums

Writen by Marcus Peterson

Like other forums, most of the CCNA forums also follow the same user level structure - administrators (people assigned the highest level of control, including setting permissions, banning users, creating user groups or moderators, etc.), moderators (having the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete, and split topics in the forum that they moderate), and user-groups (each user can belong to several groups, and each group can be assigned individual access rights making it easy for administrators to set up several users as moderators of a forum).

There are several CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) Forums available on the Internet, where users can discuss how to prepare for the CCNA exam or get a list of recommended books. These forums are an ideal place to discuss topics like exam experience and questions, apart from posting one's own experiences and questions about the CCNA exams.

The questions posed in such forums with niche user groups and focused subjects could be very technical in nature or it could be one where the user seeks guidance for avoiding exam fever. Besides, becoming a part of a large and active forum obviates one's need to wait for replies after posting a query. Instead, just searching for keywords in the query in all the posts in the forum may do the job. Since the entire group on the forum is focused on just one course, it is quite likely that one will find some post in the forum that answers the query that has been posed.

On the other hand, there could also be several replies to the post. However, these forums face the same issue as all others - the accuracy of the content. One may find several answers to a query posted on a forum, but one needs to be cautious and judge for oneself which replies are accurate. It helps to know some simple rules such as writing a very specific and to-the-point subject line for a query in order to avoid ineffective responses.

Thus, while there is no guarantee of the accuracy of the content on such forums, given a bit of flair for finding out the accurate content, these forums do help the students in preparing for the CCNA exams.

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

Information About Mcse

Writen by Keith George

MCSE stands for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. It is the most widely known Microsoft certification and it is available for Windows 2000 and Windows server 2003. Each has a different set of examinations. MCSE qualified persons have the ability to provide business solutions by designing and implementing the required infrastructure. MCSE certification is useful for Technical support & Systems engineers, Technical consultants, Network and Systems analysts and also for regular software engineers.

MCSE 2000 has four operating exams, two electives and one design exam that is a total of seven exams. The topics include configuring, installing and administrating Windows 2000 professional, Windows 2000 server and implementing and administering, Windows 2000 Network infrastructure and Windows 2000 directory service infrastructure.

MCSE 2003 has four networking exams, one design exam and one client operating system exam that is a total of seven exams. The topics include configuring, installing and administrating windows XP professional, implementing, planning and maintaining, windows server 2003 environment, server 2003 network infrastructure and server 2003 active directory infrastructure. The topics also include Microsoft SQL server, Microsoft exchange, Active Directory, Network infrastructure, network security, and topics on general networking and Microsoft products.

There are many ways of obtaining MCSE training. The easiest is to take training at any local training center. MCSE training can also be done at home by CD-ROMS or through books. The courses usually have extensive content but basic tutorials can guide you to pass the examination if you have a basic knowledge of Microsoft systems.

Presently the cost of a MCSE exam is about $125 USD. The exams have 50-90 multiple choice, drag and drop questions and solution building questions. The content of exam can be changed so it is prudent to check on the internet at microsoft website for any change.

There are lots of benefits of MCSE certification like industry recognition, access to technical and product information directly from Microsoft, discounts on products and services, Microsoft paraphrenalia like MCSE logo, certificate, transcript etc. However the immediate and most important benefit is the increase in market value of the person and boost in career for software professionals.

The URL`s http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/MCSE/requirements.asp and http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/MCSE/windows2003/default.asp provide all the details, courses, books and their cost, syllabus, modules etc for the MCSE training and examination for Windows 2000 and Windows 2003. MCSE training books cost approximately $50 USD.

Specialisations available on MCSE Windows 2000 are MCSE messaging on Windows 2000 and MCSE security on Windows 2000. Specialisations available on MCSE Windows server 2003 are MCSE messaging on Windows 2003 and MCSE security on Windows 2003.

Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is MCSE Training Further information can be found at Tips & News

Cisco Ccna Ccnp Home Lab Tutorial The 2501 Router

Writen by Chris Bryant

To be truly prepared for your CCNA and CCNP exams, you need real hands-on experience with real Cisco routers and switches. However, a production network is a really bad place to practice your configurations, but an excellent way to get fired and/or sued. The key to becoming a true CCNA and CCNP is assembling your own Cisco home lab.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to do so; used Cisco equipment is cheaper than ever. It's robust as well - I've bought literally hundreds of used routers and switches over the years and have had very few problems. I owe much of my skill to practicing configurations and troubleshooting in my own home lab.

2501 routers are fantastic for CCNA and CCNP home labs. They come with two serial interfaces, allowing you to connect one interface directly to another router (you'll need a DTE/DCE cable for that, too) while connecting another to a frame relay switch if you like. If you don't have a frame relay switch, you can connect a 2501 directly to two other routers via the serial interfaces.

You also have an AUI port, which requires a transceiver to operate as your Ethernet interface. Transceivers are pretty cheap and readily available from Cisco resellers and ebay vendors, so pick one up for each 2503 you decide to buy.

2501 routers don't come with BRI interfaces, but not every router in your lab has to be ISDN-ready. If you choose not to have ISDN in your lab at all, 2501s are the way to go. If you do want to run ISDN and have an ISDN simulator device, you can get two 2503s and the rest of your routers can be 2501.

All in all, 2501 routers are great for your CCNA / CCNP home lab. They cost less than $100 each on ebay, so they're also very affordable. There's no better training than training on your own CCNA or CCNP home lab, and you can always sell the equipment later if you like. Basically, you're renting the routers and switches, and the experience you get by working with the real deal is invaluable.

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!

Certify This

Writen by John Dir

Within the scope of my career, the advent of technical certifications is possibly the worst thing that ever came down the pike. I have already written some material on this subject, but this practice has caused me so much anguish, I wanted to add more fuel to the fire. If one is willing to overlook the fact that certification testing was originally introduced by software and hardware vendors as a means to produce additional streams of income, there are other issues that make this practice even more distasteful.

One analogy would be to imagine that someone was interested in hiring you to build a house. For purposes of making the story interesting, let us say you happen to be a master builder. Before you build the house for the customer, you must satisfy their confidence in your credentials by proving your skills before you are allowed to start work. You have agreed to take a test that was put together by other builders. On the day of the test, you have a general idea what the test will be about, and with your knowledge of house building, you decide passing the examination will not be much trouble for you.

When you arrive on the testing site, you are ushered into a room where you find a pile of materials. You are then told you will be required to construct a home using only the information you have in your head, and you are not allowed to refer to specifications, plans, tools or references associated with building the type of home the authors had in mind when they created the test. In addition, you will also have to know where each nail, screw, bolt, and fastener is recommended to go, and what angle is optimal for holding the structure together. You are allowed to make a few mistakes, but if the structure you build does not resemble the model intended, you will not pass the test. Also, you will have to complete the project within a predetermined amount of time, roughly equivalent to what the test creators determined as reasonable for kind of house you are assigned to build.

Of course, on the first try, you fail to complete the task successfully, but being a master builder, you take mental note of the various materials you saw while you were in the room. Your customer is willing to give you another try at passing the test, so you take what you can remember about the first crack at the assignment, and spend some time researching building plans before the next test date. You discover a set of plans that contains the same materials you remember from the test, and memorize as much as you can from the specifications you dug up in your research.

On the second try, you go right to the task, but discover there are now some slightly different materials included in the pile that were not there the first time, and decide the plans you studied were perhaps not the correct model for your project. You have failed again.

Using all the knowledge you gathered from the first two attempts, you are expected to take the test one more time. Your research before the test shows two slightly different models are possible from the materials you have memorized from your tests, and depending on the presence of a specific kind of guttering, you will be building one type of model or the other. On the third try at the test, you manage to struggle through completing the structure, and successfully complete the test with a passing grade, despite some errors you made in the design.

Feeling very good about yourself, you are satisfied that your credentials for building houses have been satisfactorily verified. Just before your customers agree to hire you for building their home, they suddenly have some real questions associated with their particular job. They decide you must also be equally qualified in how to build boats, automobiles, telescopes, and small aircraft as well. After all, building is building isn't it? They ask you if you would be willing to pay for the tests to prove your acuity for building the other items associated with their dream home, and if not they will just have to go on looking for a master builder who can satisfy all their requirements.

At this point in the negotiation, you smile, wish your potential customer luck, and push away from the table. Though certain aspects of this tale may be slightly exaggerated, welcome to the world of current technology expectations. The situation is enough to make you want to turn away from further interest in the industry, and ask those who participate in these practices to "certify this."

Director of Software Concepts BHO Technologists - LittleTek Center HTTP://home.earthlink.net/~jdir Please provide a rating for the article to help us determine future content choices.

Network Exam Tutorial Network Interface Cards Nics

Writen by Chris Bryant

Part of the challenge of passing the Network+ exam is learning about all the different types of hardware a network requires. Today we'll take a look at a vital part of network connectivity, the Network Interface Card (NIC, pronounced "nick").

The NIC is the device, or card, that gives the host a physical connection to the network. The NIC is generally an internal device, but one that can be removed and replaced with a different NIC. NICs are considered Physical layer devices and work at Layer 1 of the OSI model.

Most issues involving NICs occur before the device is even added to the network - because the purchaser didn't do their research. All NICs are not created equal. Some are for Ethernet networks, some for Token Ring, and speed capabilities vary as well. Don't assume a given vendor's NIC is going to fit your device and give you the results you want. A quick visit to the vendor's website and a few minutes looking up NIC specifications can save you a lot of trouble later on.

One more NIC warning - take your time when you're installing a new NIC. Make sure the device is off, and make sure you're properly grounded by connecting the grounding strap to your wrist. Otherwise, you can send static electricity into places on the host where it's only going to cause damage.

Your new NIC should also come with directions on how to download the drivers for that NIC. Drivers sound like something physical, but they're not. Drivers are simply software files that are needed on the host in order for the NIC to work correctly. Vendors used to include drivers on CDs with their NICs, but the trend now is to include instructions on where to download the drivers from the vendor website.

That does lend itself to an occasional Catch-22: "If I don't have this device on the Net yet, how can I download the drivers?" If the host has no network connectivity, you may need to download the drivers to a host that does, copy the files to CD, and then install the drivers from CD.

You'll see two different lights on a typical NIC, one green and one amber. Depending on whether the host has network connectivity or not, the lights will be solid, flashing, or out. Sometimes flashing is good, sometimes it's not! Here's a guide to the colors you'll see on a NIC:

A solid green light indicates connectivity is present. This link light is generally either green or off. Green is good, off is not! That light should stay a solid green. If you see it flashing green, that's a sign of intermittent connectivity, which is a fancy way of saying "one minute the PC is on the network, the next minute it's not". Most likely, either the NIC or the cable connected to the NIC is going bad. With the green light, flashing is not desirable.

Flashing amber lights indicate collisions. You'll see this flash occasionally even on a healthy network, but you don't want to see it flash so often that it looks like a solid amber light!

If you have an Internet connection at home, you can see these lights in action for yourself. The green and amber lights will be right next to where the cable from your modem connects to your PC.

On occasion, you'll have a PC that loses connectivity to the network. I advise you to always start network troubleshooting at the Physical layer of the OSI model, and that means checking both the NIC and the cable connected to it. I personally would swap the cable out first, since they seem to go bad more often than NICs, but that's up to you. If you swap NICs and you still can't get the PC on the network, try putting a new cable in.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Security+, Network +, CCNA, and CCNP topics. 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, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! 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 now, you can earn your A + certification from The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccna Ccnp Certification Exam Creating A Study Plan

Writen by Chris Bryant

Whether you're just starting to think about passing the CCNA or CCNP exams, or you've been on the certification track for a while, you've got to have a plan for success. If you wanted to drive your car from Florida to California, you'd create a plan to get there. You'd get a map and decide how far you wanted to drive per day, and maybe even make some hotel reservations in advance. You certainly wouldn't get in your car, just drive it randomly down the nearest highway, and hope you ended up in California, would you?

Certainly not. Earning your CCNA certification is the same way. It's not enough to just study a few minutes "when you feel like it", or tell yourself that you'll start studying for the exams "when I get such-and-such done". The perfect time to start on the road to Cisco certification is not tomorrow, and it's not next week. It's today.

You're much better off with one hour of solid study than three hours of interrupted, unfocused study. Here are a few ways to go about getting the kind of quality study time that will get you to the CCNA or CCNP (or any Cisco certification, for that matter!).

Schedule your study time, and regard this study time as you would an appointment with a client. If you were to meet a customer at 10:00 to discuss a network install, would you just decide not to show up and watch television instead? Not if you wanted the job. The same goes for your study time. That's an appointment with the most important customer of all - YOU.

Turn your cell, iPod, TV, instant messenger, and all other electronic collars off for the duration of your study time. I know those of us in information technology don't like to say this, but we can actually exist without being in touch with the world for a little while. You may even get to like it! Having uninterrupted study time is key to CCNA and CCNP exam success.

Finally, schedule your exam before you start studying. Contrary to what many people think, "deadline" is not a dirty word. We do our best work when we have a deadline and a schedule to keep. Make out your study schedule, schedule your exam, and get to work just as you would a network project for a customer. The project you're working on is your career and your life, and by following these simple steps you can make it a highly successful project - by passing your CCNA and CCNP exam!

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 Ccnp Home Lab Tutorial The 2503 Router

Writen by Chris Bryant

I know from experience that part of the excitement and anxiety of putting together your own CCNA / CCNP home lab is deciding what to buy! While you can make a workable home lab out of almost any combination of Cisco routers and switches, some routers are better suited for home lab work than others because they can fill multiple roles.

When you buy CCNA or CCNP "lab kits" - bundles of routers and switches - you can get a little confused about whether you're getting a good deal. One router I get asked about quite a bit is the 2503.

2503 routers are fantastic for CCNA and CCNP home labs. They come with two serial interfaces, allowing you to connect one interface directly to another router (you'll need a DTE/DCE cable for that, too) while connecting another to a frame relay switch if you like. If you don't have a frame relay switch, you can connect a 2503 directly to two other routers via the serial interfaces.

You also have an AUI port, which requires a transceiver to operate as your Ethernet interface. Transceivers are pretty cheap and readily available from Cisco resellers and ebay vendors, so pick one up for each 2503 you decide to buy.

2503 routers also come with a BRI interface. Even though you may not have an ISDN simulator right now, you may choose to add one later. That makes a 2503 a great bet for future lab expansion.

All in all, 2503 routers are great for your CCNA / CCNP home lab. They run about $125 each on ebay, or less, so they're also very affordable. There's no better training than training on your own CCNA or CCNP home lab, and you can always sell the equipment later if you like. Basically, you're renting the routers and switches, and the experience you get by working with the real deal is invaluable.

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!

How To Choose The Right It Certification Training

Writen by Natalie Aranda

IT training is an important part of your professional formation, offering a range of alternatives in software training, technical training and certification training, that sometimes make it hard to find out which one is the most convenient when it comes to deciding.

Although, any major IT giants have their own certification courses and programs, it is more likely people normally choose Microsoft Certification - the most renown and generalized computer certification.

Whichever certification you choose, you always will be totally dependant upon your planned career path or current position. You cannot simply specialize on Microsoft Windows, Windows Server 2003, or any other products in the Microsoft Windows platform if your development plans involve only Unix, Solarix or any other platforms.

It can be useful to have many different certifications, but it is also important to focus your primary attention to your immediate goals. Whether it's about certification training, software training or technical training, every path has elective exams that help you to pay attention on the skills that are really important to you, or accordingly to your job title.

IT training is the best way to earn certification in fields such as Network Administrator, Software Engineer, Software Application Developer, Systems Analyst, Database Analyst, IT Business Analyst, Trainer, Technical Consultant, Administrator, Web Application Developers, Internet Developers, Office Manager, Executive Assistant or Technical Writer.

Sometimes your career path may require extensive knowledge of all technologies, which is very confusing to make a decision for your next career step, particularly when this decision involves 2 different certifications. For example, Microsoft certification and Cisco certification are on two different areas of information technology.

There are currently more than 400 certifications available, and more and more certifications are created every year. It takes a lot of considerations to select right certification training cfor your career needs. If you evaluate your current skills and experience, and identify what it is exactly that you are trying to accomplish - technical training, software training, IT training, etc., the next steps will be easier.

In order to prepare yourself for a new career, narrowing your scope may also improve your opportunities to make the right decision. Once you feel comfortable with the acquired certification, you can always test your skills online or at the same locations where you are taking the IT training.

Natalie Aranda writes about computer training and technology. IT training is an important part of your professional formation, offering a range of alternatives in software training, technical training and certification training, that sometimes make it hard to find out which one is the most convenient when it comes to deciding.

Online Mcse Certification

Writen by Elizabeth Morgan

An MCSE certification is one of the most valued qualifications in the IT industry. The credentials of earning the MCSE traditionally would be same as earning it through an online system, and there are several advantages of following the online path.

Through an online course, all study takes place at home or in the office, wherever is convenient. Most companies who provide online certification training have been certified by Microsoft, and they have a network of teachers and administrative personnel to help a candidate sail smoothly through the study period and the exam. There is an added advantage of cutting down on traveling time and costs, which one would generally waste in traditional classroom training. Also, the fees of such programs are considerably lower than their study center counterparts.

The pace of study for these programs is decided by the candidate. One can spend from a few minutes to a few hours a day, depending upon one's personal schedule. Also, one can study anytime, twenty-four hours a day. The course materials, reference and sample test papers for individual subjects are available on the servers. Moreover, the entire software required for the learning process is in constant supply, and this software provides real exam-like simulations which engage the candidates in the learning process.

The duration of these courses can vary from 6 months to an entire year depending upon the company offering the course. Upon successful completion and passing of a grade of 70% or higher, these companies are authorized to grant the candidate with an MCSE certificate.

MCSE Certification provides detailed information on MCSE Certification, MCSE Certification Training, Online MCSE Certification, MCSE Certification Exam and more. MCSE Certification is affiliated with MCSE Term Papers.

The Value Of A Certification Training

Writen by Natalie Aranda

A+ certification is a standard certification for computer technicians in IT industry. The certification is one of many administrated by The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit trade association founded in 1982.

A+ training is the proof that you have received the adequate knowledge in computer hardware and operating systems. A+ certification confirms the knowledge of performing basic computer tasks, such as assemble a computer, install different operating systems and applications, and troubleshooting of computer hardware and operating systems.

Being an entry level computer training, A+ training and A+ certification do not require a determined scholarship to apply or a qualified job in the IT industry. Not all companies haring computer technicians will require A+ training or A+ certification, it will definitely highlight your resume and stand yourselves out from the rest of job applications.

The values of A+ training, for many organizations however, is that it provided a standard and effective way for other IT professionals to master the knowledge of computer necessary to be productive in IT industry whether they're Web developers, or database administrators. For IT professionals other than computer technicians, the value and purpose of A+ training is not about to gain a certification, instead it's about the understanding of basic computer knowledge. For instance, a software engineer would be troubleshooting in a few minutes rather than waiting for a computer technician for hours for the help. Some study has shown that general computer training, such as A+ certification training, does significantly improve the productivity of overall performance in an organization. In fact, anyone who is enrolled in computer training may benefit from the knowledge acquired with A+ training or getting an A+ certification even just for personal use or to aid an developer.

A+ training and A+ certification also offer the opportunity to people who do not meet the prerequisites of other certifications. The cost for A+ certification is about $150, cheaper compared with other compTIA certifications or IT certifications. People too young or those who have a limited budget or limited time to attend a college may benefit of A+ certifications. Whether you need a full-time or part-time job, or just get some computer training, this opportunity is for you and the certification is available either through land-based or online courses.

CompTIA also provides other IT professional certifications for the IT industry. A+ is an entry level one, and more advanced certifications includes Network+, Security+, Server+, and Linux+ certifications.

Natalie Aranda writes on technology and training. A+ certification is a standard certification for computer technicians in IT industry. A+ certification is one of many administrated by CompTIA - The Computing Technology Industry Association a non-profit trade association founded in 1982. A+ training is the proof that you have received the adequate knowledge in computer hardware and operating systems. A+ training confirms the knowledge of performing basic computer tasks, such as assemble a computer, install different operating systems and applications, and troubleshooting of computer hardware and operating systems.

Cisco Ccna Certification On A Shoestring Can It Be Done

Writen by Helen Brookes

The answer is a resounding YES!...and this article shows you how. For years, many would-be networking professionals have been put off by the thought of expensive and time-consuming courses, not having access to good quality teachers and mentors and, very importantly, not having access to a practice lab.

Well, the industry's very open secret is that there are scores of networking professionals delivering a very high standard of service who are primarily self-taught. While it is true that the advantages of instructor-led courses and live practice labs for a would-be certification candidate are obvious, taking the self-study route does have quite a few of its own advantages, a couple of them being you can work at your own pace, and can save a fair amount of money.

The biggest source of free and inexpensive resources is of course the Internet, which is heaving with information for the certification candidate. This is one area I've found where the "you get what you pay for" rule just does not apply. A lot of the information is very well written, accurate...and free! There's information for beginners, articles for "gurus", exam tips, lab practice material…quite literally everything you need to prepare for and pass your exam.

Let us start with what total beginners can expect. There are scores of people looking to embark on a career in networking, sometimes making a complete start from years working in a totally different field. People falling in this group are particularly at a disadvantage because of how little they know to start with. If this describes you, I have some very good news. A quick search on the Internet for articles and tutorials on basics such as OSI model, IP, routing, Internet and networking will yield a wealth of information. For example, a particularly excellent site for beginners is the computer channel of the very popular "HowStuffWorks" site, while Webopedia would be a good place for getting to grips with computing terminology and acronyms. Many sites will have free demos, articles, forums and discussion groups that will help a computing novice start to get a feel for the field.

Not-so-new beginners can move on to exam specific searches such as "CCNA certification", "CCNA exam tips", "CCNA tutorials", "Cisco self study", "online training", and the like, to get a feel of the scope of the certification exam.

Another group of people looking for free resources might be those who have some background in networking and would like to save on study costs, which can be considerable. When you add up the cost of tuition, course material, books, live labs and perhaps even the cost of setting up a private lab, it makes sense to consider making some savings. This group should try searching for articles on specific topics, such as IP Subnetting, VLANs, STP, WANs and Frame Relay, in addition to the above links suggested for beginners. A word of caution though – not everything posted on the Net is always accurate. You will need to learn use your own judgment to discern which sites are credible.

The final group of people who might benefit from some free stuff are those very close to sitting for the exam. This group would be well advised to hunt around for the masses of practice resources, many of them free, that will help. We are talking simulators, practice questions, and the like. If this describes you, please do not forget to first visit Cisco's very own CCNA page, which has details of exam topics and format, particularly important if you are completely self taught as this should help you stay on course.

Finally, let us not forget Cisco's own website, which is a huge resource of excellent material on protocols and computing standards that the certification candidate will be tested on. It will take a while to learn how to extract the best information from this massive site, but it certainly is a skill well worth learning.

Helen Brookes a Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI) and CCNP, has years of experience preparing candidates Cisco Certification and has her own website, NetworkingBreak.com, which, as well as focussing on how to find and use quality free and inexpensive Internet resources to get Cisco certified, features her very own Cisco exam "pratice-ator."

Cisco Ccnp Bsci Tutorial Comparing Ospf And Isis Hellos

Writen by Chris Bryant

While studying to pass the BSCI exam and preparing to earn your CCNP certification, you'll quickly notice that while OSPF and ISIS are both link-state protocols, there are a lot of differences between the two. One major difference is the way the two protocols handle hello packets.

Hello packets are imperative to keeping OSPF and ISIS adjacencies alive. Since they are both link-state protocols, neither of them will send updates at any specified time. Hello packets are the only method by which routers running OSPF and ISIS can see that a neighboring router is still available.

OSPF gives us some great options when it comes to keeping routing table size down via the use of stub and total stub areas, but to OSPF, a hello packet is a hello packet. ISIS routers are capable of sending two different types of hellos - Level 1 and Level 2.

ISIS routers are classified as Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), and Level 1-2 (L1-L2). By default, Cisco routers are L1-L2 routers; this means that every ISIS-enabled interface will send out both L1 and L2 hellos.

If one of the interfaces is forming only an L1 or L2 adjacency, there's no reason to send out hellos for the other adjacency type. For example, if R1 is forming an L1 adjacency with R2 via its ethernet0 interface, there is no reason to allow the router to transmit L2 hellos. To hardcode a router interface to send only L1 or L2 hellos, use the isis circuit-type command.

R1(config)#interface ethernet0

R1(config-if)#isis circuit-type level-1

Note: To configure this interface to send only L2 hellos, the full command is "isis circuit-type level-2-only", not just "level-2".

This configuration would prevent L2 hellos from being transmitted out ethernet0. While this does save router resources and prevents unnecessary bandwidth usage, there is also no way an L2 adjacency can be formed - so double-check your network topology before using this command!

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!

Taking Your Microsoft Skills To The Mcse Level

Writen by James Croydon

Microsoft certified systems engineer (MCSE) is the designing and implementation of the infrastructure based for business solutions. They schedule their instructors led classroom MCSE training at your complete control. They invite the best Microsoft and CISCO certified trainers in the industry to help us for the development of the ultimate training and certification program. The MCSE training program includes everything one needs to fully prepare for and pass the MCSE exams.

There are some coach and career advisors are also available in the MCSE training camp for providing a toll free advisor hotline. During the MCSE training, and certification program, you will be provided some materials and resources that access to a MCSE training coordinators who will advise the examinee how to best utilize the MCSE training material to complete the certification goals successfully and also teach how to apply new skills towards the career advancement.

Career academies virtual boot camp is a cost effective method that meets the critical demand of the computer users. Experienced users have been arranged here to lead courses in a comfortable and convenient environment. Environment of these camps makes one feel like a classroom delivered through flexible and familiar technology. The MCSE training provided for MCSE assessment and real world insight from the experts with vast experience in the subject matter. It is engaged in a dynamic learning method where multiple Microsoft operating systems were derived simultaneously and multiple senses help reinforce learning concepts. The videos help in clarifying the neutral steps and uplifting of the skills in right direction. They have proven methodology that provides as unequalled training experience with exceptional skills.

Career academies learning system include several unique features. Video lectures given by instructors during the MCSE training show one on one experience with the experts. The full motion video allows the examinee to see the steps, listen to the explanations and perform the Microsoft's operating system practically. MCSE training is one of the most flexible and comfortable training programs. The users are able to work according to their own convenience in any MCSE training program. They can opt to take the training at home or choose any convenient location for onsite training.

The MCSE training provided during the training sessions is quite rich, interactive and engaging. They incorporate all the live videos, screenshots, power point presentations, white board and lab simulations. All these give the examinee an engaging learning experience.

Lab simulations are the best components in MCSE training, which help in studying a lot. During any MCSE training program practice is provided with production level hardware and software along with step-by step detailed descriptions and instructions. Valuable hands-on experience can be easily experienced with real world scenarios such as installing windows 2003 server operating system as well as experience in adding WNS, WHCP, Domains, etc. can be easily received. Intelligent lab simulations during MCSE training programs allow the examinees to reinforce the concepts that have been learnt during the event and they can also perform various tasks.

The references are given so that the users can easily accrue the MCSE training PowerPoint slides, the printable study guide to help them to focus on areas of need and chart the programs. The practice exams of MCSE training program ensure your eligibility status and help in identifying areas that need more practice. Since various companies offer MCSE training, their task helps the IT candidates selected for the highest quality products and services.

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

Cisco Ccna Certification Exam Training What Is Packet Switching

Writen by Chris Bryant

Cisco CCNA certification exam training means you've got to learn a lot of new terms, and some of them can be a little confusing at first. To pass this tough certification exam, one term you definitely need to understand is packet switching. The first question, of course, is "What is packet switching in the first place?" Let's define this term in today's Cisco CCNA exam prep tutorial.

Packets transmitted from "point A" to "point B" all have to arrive at the same destination, but with packet switching, they do not all have to take the same path to get there. If you and I are standing 10 feet apart and I want to throw a basketball to you, I've got a couple of options. I could bounce the ball off the floor to you, I could throw it straight at you, or I could throw it high into the air to you. Packet switching is really the same thing - packets will take different paths to get from source to destination, but the end result is that all the packets arrive at the destination. The packets are then reassembled to take the form of the original message.

Packet switching may sound a little odd, but it's a very efficient way of transporting data. Frame Relay is a packet switching technology, as is X.25, and both of these protocols are highly efficient.

If we have packets that must arrive at the destination in the same order in which they left the source, packet switching isn't a good choice. For this situation, we'll need to use some form of circuit switching, and we'll discuss that in tomorrow's Cisco CCNA certification training article!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Cisco CCNA certification test prep articles. His exclusive Cisco CCNA study guide and Cisco CCNA training is also available! Visit his blog and sign up for Cisco Certification Central, a daily newsletter packed with CCNA, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! A free 7-part course, "How To Pass The CCNA", is also available, and you can attend an in-person or online CCNA boot camp with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco Ccnp Bsci Exam Tutorial A Guide To Ipv6 Addressing

Writen by Chris Bryant

Learning IPv6 is paramount in your efforts to pass the BSCI exam and go on to earn your CCNP, and it's going to help in your real-world networking career as well. IPv6 can be confusing at first, but it's like anything else in Cisco or networking as a whole - learn one part at a time, master the fundamentals, and you're on your way to success. In today's article we're going to take a look at IPv6 address types.

In IPv4, a unicast address is simply an address used to represent a single host, where multicast addresses represent a group of hosts and broadcasts represent all hosts.

In IPv6, it's not quite that simple. There are actually different types of unicast addresses, each with its own separate function. This allows IPv6 to get data where it's supposed to go quicker than IPv4 while conserving router resources.

IPv6 offers two kinds of local addresses, link-local and site-local. Site-local addresses allow devices in the same organization, or site, to exchange data. Site-local addresses are IPv6's equivalent to IPv4's private address classes, since hosts using them are able to communicate with each other throughout the organization, but these addresses cannot be used to reach Internet hosts.

Site-local and link-local addresses are actually derived from a host's MAC address. Therefore, if HostA has HostB's IPv6 address, HostA can determine HostB's MAC address from that, making ARP unnecessary.

Link-local addresses have a smaller scope than site-local. Link-local addresses are just that, local to a physical link. These particular addresses are not used at all in forwarding data. One use for these addresses is Neighbor Discovery, which is IPv6's answer to ARP.

You can identify these and other IPv6 addresses by their initial bits:

001 - Global address

(first 96 bits set to zero) - IPv4-compatible address

1111 1111 – Multicast

1111 1110 11 - Site local

1111 1110 10 - Link Local

As a future CCNP, you're more than familiar with the reserved IPv4 address classes. You also know that they're not exactly contiguous. The developers of IPv6 took a structured approach to IPv6 reserved addresses - any address that begins with "0000 0000" is an IPv6 reserved address. One of these is the IPv6 loopback address, and this will give you some practice with your zero compression!

IP v6 Loopback: 0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001

Using Leading Zero Compression Only: 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1

Combining Leading Zero and Zero Compression: ::1

Zero compression looks pretty good now, doesn't it? You just have to get used to it and keep the rules in mind. You can use all the leading zero compression you want, but zero compression ("double-colon") can only be used once in a single address.

IPv6 is here to stay, not only on your BSCI and CCNP exams, but in the real world as well. Learning it now will not only aid you in passing your Cisco exams, but in supporting IPv6 in the future.

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!