CCNA Self Study

[VulcanX]

I want to do a self study CCNA course but i only have 2 years MCSE experience, do you think i will manage with the content or will i have to setup a lab and continually work with it, esp the SemSim or router simulation stuff or what you guys recommend? and i want to get a good self study guide, and advice in this department, and im not too jacked up on network, im running a lil 40 pc network now, with an ISA server, and DC, DNS, DHCP,Acronis RIS, on the other, and i had some difficulty setting up the ISA but really enjoyed it, how is CCNA in comparison to ISA, because i took to the ISA quite easily, i want to know in regard to difficulty here, thanks in advance

 

[ScottMac]

For CCNA, the Cisco Press Books cover the topics pretty well (assuming they're current, and you've checked for an errata sheet at the publisher's site).

Actually, most of the CCNA books are pretty well dialed in, you just need to take a little time at teh bookstore and review them to see which one(s) fit your style of study.

Hands-on absolutely helps, real hardware is best, but the SIMs are not too bad either. The issue with SIMs, and the reason they frequently get lukewarm (or worse) reviews, is that they target a specific curriculum, and many / most / all consumer-grade SIMs choke & die if you get too far away from the topics (i.e., no "free style" setups).

The Boson SIM and accompanying curriculum got a bunch of people at my office through the CCNA ... you do the module, do the practice lab, do the next module, do the Lab ... but if you freestyle, things frequently don't work as expecteed, if at all.

A lot of people make it through without ever touching real hardware. As I mentioned in teh other thread, make the effort to completely comprehend the foundational knowledge and skills and what you didn't read, you can figure out .... and there's no curve that the test can throw you.

Good Luck
Scott