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CCNA Certification Self-Paced Walk-Thru

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Once upon a time I was great with working with cisco routing, if I had done the studying probaly could of gone on to get my CCNA. That was back when I was in college. Now graduated with BS in Network Engineering, doing desktop/network support. Still wish I new Cisco routing better.
 
1. She's pretty cool and watching her learn from the beginning is ultra-Kewl for me too.

2. It's never too late to learn Cisco, they still dominate the market with better than 85% market saturation for any platform they contend in.

3. My largest Cisco project that I was the lead engineer for was about $30 million list price in Cisco gear. I had to justify every penny of it.

I believe in Cisco.

Comblues
 
FYI - I'll be starting a collaborative online network project to build out a larger, more complex lab environment that emulates an entire Enterprise Network for the following technologies:

Routing and Switching

Security

Voice

Wireless

Design

SAN

Service Provider - thing BGP/QOS/MPLS

Remote Services - think VPN

The idea is to allow remote access to participants to run a data center / campus / enterprise / DMZ network like a Fortune 500 or better.


It's not free but it is a lot of gear and a process for those interested.


Coming soon.

Comblues
 
Status Update:

Life took over today, we had some stuff to do and it is 2:19pm as I write this.

We spoke of her progress and she's got a good feeling about things. Funny since the day before yesterday she ask me if I thought she could ever learn how to use all this IP stuff.

Now she's functional with a (paper) notebook and can work out mostly everything that is important for a CCNA except maybe wildcard masks. - That will come asap.

I've got my own dilemma going on right now:
 
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Danimal1209 said:
I would suggest her learning how the different routing protocols work and how they differ. That was important for me in understanding which one to implement when.

Looks like she has a great start. I hope she doesn't get discouraged by the fact that this type of information can take awhile to become very familiar with, especially if you are new to computers!!
Click to expand...

It's a little early to discuss routing protocols just yet.

Truth be told, she'll start with simple static routing.

I think she has a firm understanding of the investment in time required to be a rock solid professional with a very bright career outlook.

Comblues
 
Status Update:

I called her tenacious and I wasn't kidding.

She's back at it again with more IP Addressing exercises.

She said she wasn't going to stop until she was sure she understood it 100%.

Great attitude!

Every time we make it home she grabs a notebook and does more exercises.

Comblues
 
Status Check:

She's working on the TCP/IP versus OSI Model this morning. She did that video earlier and we discussed it.

Now she's learning how to check out a NIC's TCP/IP properties - sounds basic but she's really new at this so it is fresh for her.

Comblues


More as it develops...
 
She worked on some subnetting both late last night and early this morning.

She's still fighting it a bit, but I asked her a simple thing?

Did she remember that only a few days ago she was struggling with most aspects of subnetting that at least now she understands how to perform mechanically...

She smiled.

She's learning and anyone can too.

Comblues
 
Status Update:

We had to contend with a loss in the family these past couple of weeks.

Can't stop life or death.

She's been a trooper and is still working out the binary math in her notebook.

I also saw a lot of her notes for TCP/IP and the rest of the CCENT Video course she's been working on from Chris Bryant.

No stopping her.

I've been working on my Cisco/Linksys 4000 Network Storage System. It seems I have a bad 1.5TB SATA Hard Drive. Ouch!

Rebuilding a RAID 5 Array and then I'll setup a CIFS/FTP file system with the correct rights and permissions for our network.

It looks like 2.72TB for actual storage space until I get a replacement drive.

Comblues
 
I just looked over her notes and she's working on the definition of a "default gateway".

We've went over this a few times already and it is a concept thing.

We just were talking since my last post and she reminded me that she was not starting her studies of networking totally new. That is, she did spend some time this past year in a couple of A+ Certification books - mostly learning the physical aspects of networking, including cabling.

She's still a fresh unadulterated student in my humble opinion. Or the best I've seen so far.

I've set her brother up a computer to work off of and he's totally new to the stuff. A ripe age of 12, so he may be as much of a fresh page for a student as I can hope for.

About a "C" student in regular classes, so I'll report on his progress as he gets into this stuff too. I may start him out at A+ so he can build his own box and then get him into routing. Decisions?

Comblues
 
She's going over the OSI Model again using Chris Bryant's videos.

She started to go over IPv6 from Train Signal's TCP/IP videos but I told her she should wait until after she knows IPv4 and Hex addressing cold, backwards and forwards first.

I then explained IPv6 briefly and some shortcuts we use while testing IPv6 at the CCIE level or so.

Comblues
 
She's working with Chris Bryant again and learning about ROM/RAM/NVRAM/Flash etc.

I guess I should clarify what I'm going to call her boot camp starting a week from Monday.

I have to go work out of town with a client. So she'll come with me. It's an 8 hour drive both ways and she'll use that time to go over some video training and review what she's already covered.

When we get there, she'll be at the hotel working some hands-on exercises and some type of configuration items.

Example:

Week 1: Packet Tracer and some Cisco CCNA Labs.

The goal is to let her perform some basic Cisco configuration labs using the CCNA 640-802 Network Simulator. It's kewl for about 250 some odd labs or so:

- Router and Switch Navigation and Administration
- LAN Switching
- IP Addressing
- Routing
- WANs
- IP Routing Protocols
- Scaling IP
- Troubleshooting

Not too bad for a newbie.

Her evenings will be spent under my direct instruction with a live network's problems.

- We are being asked to upgrade a network and migrate it to an advanced state of the art Cisco Network Architecture - Cisco Nexus, ASA, and Load Balancing (F5) for example.

So...

I'll draw diagrams of the network. I have her create herself a SecureCRT Profile and populate it with a live network - I find it to be a good exercise in Network Management and Operations.

She will also have to get used to Kiwi for Syslog, Backups, and Network Management - So she'll have to profile and organize her devices there too. It's tedious but I think it critical for a Network Admin to do this ASAP.

After this first week - we'll work through the Syslog messages and verify what needs to be done to correct the noted issues, some by opening TAC cases and working with TAC for say... RMA's for example. She needs a lot of this and so does anyone else.

She'll have to configure her own IPSec VPN Client.

No - she will not have access to a live network, security restrictions still apply.

However, we'll model the design for the new network and validate the current network's logic for L2/L3 and higher functions.

An integral part of her internship/apprenticeship with me is that she has to feel some pressure that any professional has to go through.

Example: If I need to use TRILL versus Spanning-Tree, then I'd expect her to read up on each one and give me the Pro's and Cons of each and help me understand her point of view as to why each is better.

She won't know either very well at first but later she will, she's my student.

With Packet Tracer - I'm just going to configure some scenarios for her to complete with some basic device management features and use the rich options within the program to help me get her used to features like AAA and SSH for example.

I have some slides and exercises from the dawn of the CCNA/CCNP certification that seem trivial by today's standards but are still excellent learning aids in my humble opinion.

Each following week, she'll advance to L2 Switching Features, Frame Relay, Virtual Interfaces, NAT, Access-Lists, DHCP, one Routing Protocol per week, etc.

Remember she has a CCIE Bootcamp in September to attend with me in California.

Her CCNA Prep is taking her a few places:

1. Tampa, Florida - Client
2. Austin, Texas - Major Computer Vendor
3. RTP, North Carolina - Cisco Guest
4. Mobile, Alabama - Client
5. Pensacola, Florida - Client
6. Miami, Florida - Client
7. Glendale, California - Guest
8. Possibly - Delaware - Guest

This is just for starters.

As you can see we have a busy itinerary and she's going to be working the whole time on her studies.

No, I don't expect her to become a CCIE after the CCIE Boot Camp - to the contrary, I expect it to help her cement her hands-on with the CCNA for sure. I also don't expect her to become a CCNP/CCIE Wireless after our visit to RTP, either. It's just a 2 day visit there.

I'll cover F5 Fundamentals with her and then let her have about 12 hours of labs with F5 Load Balancers to her learn to play on them so when I have to discuss them, she'll have more background.

This is trial by fire. It's an experiment in learning like no other.

When I test the Nexus, I usually make a point of having my local Cisco Account Managers score me time with the Gold Labs for the product in question (Nexus) so I'll let her take some time with them along side of myself - I have labs for them outside of the Gold Labs and it will give her some time on Cisco's million dollar flagship. Same thing for the ASR Routers, etc.

I try.

Comblues
 
We just woke up and she's at it again, bright and early. She was working on the Cisco 640-842 Network Simulator a little last night.

Comblues
 
It's almost official - Her first internship with me is on the horizon.

Here's what I expect from her on her first assignment with me:

1. Current Network Discovery
- Prepare Tools - SecureCRT, Kiwi CatTools, TFTP, and Syslog.
- Network CDP, Ping, Spanning-Tree, L2/L3 Walk Through

2. Network Documentation Review and Update

That's a lot for a newbie, so I'm expecting she'll take about 4 weeks or so to help me with this. We'll do the initial in the first day or two and then get more granular from there.

Comblues
 
When you come down to Miami, can you take me with you? Lol.

Where would one go about finding a mentor like this?
 
Um...

I've started a thread on linkedin to see if there was any interest in just such a project.

That idea costs a little (annual donation) per participant when I get it started. The idea is to give folks (new and old) a taste and feel for running the operations and activities just like a Fortune 100/500 company does - literally all the way from planning/design/operations/troubleshooting etc.

Remote team members - Can work from a Starbucks or McDonald's for that matter.

I have went so far as to obtain a building, outfitted it with some 400amps of power, cooling or A/C, etc. It has enough equipment for about 12 full 42U racks of Cisco equipment and servers, complete with a Cisco SAN, etc. I even have 3rd party gear from a few other vendors.

So the idea is out in the open now.

I'm still toying with the cost factors and membership details.

More to come later on this one.
 
Everything looks good to go...

Just got a cash infusion for her prior to leaving...

I got a promise for the hotel bill for the month and another cash advance to pay for the project to get started from the employer's agent.

Things are in order. Awaiting hotel confirmation now.

Things are looking good for my apprentice.

That means we've been compensated nearly $10,000.00 sight unseen so far.

The heat is on and it is getting near time for her to deliver on the goods.

Can anyone else feel the heat?

Her status:

She's been about 1/2 way through the CCENT training.

She spent today going over how the router/switch loads and where the config files are kept on the device. We've discussed just about every possibility here.

She's been using the Cisco 640-802 Network Simulator to help her here. (Confession - I had her using this for about a year or so - one lesson at a time - just to do it blindly and type for me.) She tells me after watching Chris Bryant since May 22nd 2013 or so, it is now starting to fall into place and make sense.

How kewl is that?

Seriously?

So $10k to get the ball rolling and to get her on-site and then about $140k or so (annualized) for her first project.

Not too bad for a newbie who is halfway through her CCENT.

The first project is as follows:

1. Current Network Assessment
2. Remediate Network Deficiencies.
3. Design and Implement a New Facility serving some 400 nodes.
4. Migrate to the Cisco Nexus Platform.
5. Migrate from Checkpoint to Cisco ASA Firewalls.
6. Upgrade and Implement F5 Load Balancers in the Data Center.
7. Other duties as required.

To help meet these requirements, I expect her to perform the following tasks:

1. Complete the Train Signal CCENT and later the CCNA training itself.
2. Complete the Cisco Gold Labs for the Nexus and the ASA offered by the local Cisco Account Manager (I'll request and arrange for this for her and myself).
3. Complete a 2-day orientation with the Cisco CSS Load Balancers - My way of explaining them to newbies and follow this up with the free F5 Load Balancer training provided by F5.
4. Require that she work with me through the Cisco Academy Semester 4 Design a School Project to help her understand the concerns of designing a small campus network such as that required from us.
5. She has to watch a few select Cabling youtube videos to help ensure she knows precsiely why we cable as we do while on-site.
6. Review with her Cisco's Validated Designs for High Availability in the Campus Network.

Comblues

No - I don't expect her to be actually able to earn the $100k plus just yet. I do expect that she gets a full taste of what is expected of a network design engineer and more so what it takes to get the design implemented without affecting current operations - the stuff that pays the bill for us.



I think I read someone write in this thread that they would not hire her for a help desk role... much less a Network role...

That is why most people will never get paid the proverbial $100k-200k annual salary...

It's all about risk and reward.

Diamonds don't always look like Diamonds in the rough. 🙂
 
We've spent this morning's drive speaking of some of the Cisco First Step books. She likes them an was reading Computer Networking yesterday and read the first two chapters easily now. Previously she was challenged by this same book. It had a lot of new vocabulary and concepts to overcome then.

Now things are coming to her more easily and naturally.

Positive reinforcement.

Lots of review and re-review.

Comblues
 
Why isn't she posting?

It would be interesting to hear her side. Posting doesn't take long and would be a good break.
 
Well, this is an unusual thread.

If you haven't used it yet, INE has a free streaming CCNA class online.

I don't see why attending a CCIE bootcamp would be of any help to her at this stage, she won't understand 90% of what they are talking about.
 
Pheran said:
Well, this is an unusual thread.

If you haven't used it yet, INE has a free streaming CCNA class online.

I don't see why attending a CCIE bootcamp would be of any help to her at this stage, she won't understand 90% of what they are talking about.
Click to expand...

I tried the CCNA course from INE with Anthony and found it left something to be desired.

I much prefer Chris Bryant. She tried Jeremy first but could not commit to it.

No baby talk or analogies just facts.

Maybe later but for now it is Mr. Bryant.

On the CCIE Bootcamp, it is my treat and my privilege to be able to offer it to her along with free repeats as needed in the future. It is much advanced, no doubt. My dime - so she goes.

Comblues.
 
On CCIE candidates and preparedness, I have known many CCIE candidates who cannot configure Frame Relay or even understand how and why Spanning-Tree works in classes.

It is very sad but true.

She's my protege, you can believe she will be better prepared than most for a CCIE Bootcamp.

Comblues
 
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