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[CCNA] Thinking of starting CCNA

I just got done recently with the MCSA: Windows server 2008 and I am thinking of taking CCNA now that I am done. I was going to take the 640-822 ICND1 but I noticed that the its ending September 30, 2013. Is there enough time left to try and take the first part. I am not sure what its being replaced with does anyone know and what books are good for it?

tubbynet
reminds me of the danse russe
MVM
join:2008-01-16
Gilbert, AZ

tubbynet

MVM

you'll get two different opinions.
i like the wendell odom books -- the cisco press ones -- but i'm a nerd. he has a habit of taking a topic -- diving all the way to the deep -- then move to the next topic -- rinse -- repeat.

there are others (sybex) that ease you into things. some like that method.

if you can -- get yourself into a cisco networking academy. they help a lot with tools and gear access (crucial to learning, imho).

q.
markysharkey
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join:2012-12-20
united kingd

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Do the 640-802 combined exam.
I don't recall any job that lists ICND as a requirement but CCNA always. Besides why do two exams when when you can do one?
Or think of this. Each ICND exam will have a minimum of 44 questions each, so to get the CCNA with ICND1 and 2 means a minimum of 88 questions.
The combined exam is a maximum of 55 questions. And from what I understand the ICND2 is almost indistuinguishable from the combined exam.

Oh yeah, Sybex / Todd Lammle every time. Once you're past the CCNA, the Cisco Press books are what I choose.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

well from my reading the cost for ICND1+2 is the same as for just taking CCNA.

but if you should fail the CCNA then you have the whole thing to do over but if you earn the ICND1 then you have that so you have something.
tired_runner
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CT
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I tried doing straight CCNA on my first attempt and failed the exam by 12 points. It is a tough exam to get through all in one shot.

I did ICND1 and then ICND2 and passed both on the first try.

I credit Boson Software with my success in passing the test. Their practice exams and network simulator helped much more than using my lab at home, but an actual lab will help reinforce what you learned in the simulator.

I'm giving Boson a shot again for my CCNA Security. I'm hoping to pass it as well.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

As work has a group subscription I'm going to use cbtnuggests.com

I plan to do the 2 part path because its lower cost to get 50% there.

I then plan to work on ccnp after ccna. (though I already had training for CCNA back in 2004-2005 and the school used the cisco materials) I just forgot to much by the time I had the money for the test.
tired_runner
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join:2000-08-25
CT
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tired_runner

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I hear ya. I'm having to go back and redo the labs in the simulator to keep the knowledge bank fresh. My current job has nothing to do with networking so I don't get to play with any gear other than what I have at home. I'm hoping to change that when I do CCNA Security.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

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Ya at my current job they use juniper and due to how unstable its been I don't want to get the blame for touching it if it should die in some unrelated occurrence.
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT
·Frontier FiberOp..

tired_runner

Premium Member



A dying network is the prime, high-stakes opportunity you want to showcase your skill and do it your way.

If I were an evil little minion in your position, I would hope it dies during your tenure in that place.
aryoba
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join:2002-08-22

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DarkLogix See Profile and tired_runner See Profile; there is no problem, only opportunity

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

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said by tired_runner:

:)

A dying network is the prime, high-stakes opportunity you want to showcase your skill and do it your way.

If I were an evil little minion in your position, I would hope it dies during your tenure in that place.

Ya well upper IT management will have it done their way.

the 3 switch stack of EX4200's ($30,000 cost) have crashed badly several times.

When I suggested (before they were ordered that we get Cisco 3750X's instead at a cost savings of over $3,000) Upper IT management just laughed and said what would the company do with that savings "throw a party" (at a time when pay increases were frozen due to bad economy)

Combine that with training that my co-worker has attended to support the juniper gear and I'm sure you have costs on the juniper that far exceed 100% extra cost.

When we both were already fully capable of supporting a cisco network.

So the network isn't so much dying but the juniper gear has crashed so many times that our uptime compared to before the ex4200's looks very bad.
aryoba
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join:2002-08-22

aryoba

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Which JUNOS version the EX4200 are running on I wonder?

Btw; as long as you don't implement some fancy features, EX switches should be running stable.
aryoba

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said by DarkLogix:

Upper IT management just laughed and said what would the company do with that savings "throw a party" (at a time when pay increases were frozen due to bad economy).

Tell them that those saving will be your added bonus
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT
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said by DarkLogix:

When I suggested (before they were ordered that we get Cisco 3750X's instead at a cost savings of over $3,000) Upper IT management just laughed and said what would the company do with that savings "throw a party" (at a time when pay increases were frozen due to bad economy)

It's hard to spearhead a solution when you have cowboys running the show, but in that situation all you can do is speak your mind and hope the powers that be listen.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

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said by aryoba:

Which JUNOS version the EX4200 are running on I wonder?

Btw; as long as you don't implement some fancy features, EX switches should be running stable.

I don't recall but its been upgraded several times, and still the web and ssh interface crash regularly (though that's not as bad as the whole stack crashing like it used to)
DarkLogix

DarkLogix to tired_runner

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to tired_runner
said by tired_runner:

said by DarkLogix:

When I suggested (before they were ordered that we get Cisco 3750X's instead at a cost savings of over $3,000) Upper IT management just laughed and said what would the company do with that savings "throw a party" (at a time when pay increases were frozen due to bad economy)

It's hard to spearhead a solution when you have cowboys running the show, but in that situation all you can do is speak your mind and hope the powers that be listen.

Ya they listen then laugh and say no.

sk1939
Premium Member
join:2010-10-23
Frederick, MD
ARRIS SB8200
Ubiquiti UDM-Pro
Juniper SRX320

sk1939

Premium Member

said by DarkLogix:

said by tired_runner:

said by DarkLogix:

When I suggested (before they were ordered that we get Cisco 3750X's instead at a cost savings of over $3,000) Upper IT management just laughed and said what would the company do with that savings "throw a party" (at a time when pay increases were frozen due to bad economy)

It's hard to spearhead a solution when you have cowboys running the show, but in that situation all you can do is speak your mind and hope the powers that be listen.

Ya they listen then laugh and say no.

Better than having your funds reallocated for a project a separate division has going, coming up short for a crucial upgrade, and then finding out the other group spent it all on equipment. Even better is finding out 6 months later that same equipment has neither been installed, or has plans to be installed in the near future, while holding your own project together with chewing gum and some creative engineering.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

How about spending months setting up and testing the deployment of something only for them to say, sorry but we didn't care if you did or not and they pay some contractor to redo all the work without you having any involvement. Then for it to be a Cluster **** because they didn't listen to your info on how to do it and you have to go fixing it with some guess work as to what they did wrong or what setting they used.

or another case you show a colleague how to do something only for them to say or I was doing something else were you showing me something.

Or even document how to fix a problem (think admin count and active sync) and then have them never read the documentation and just ask you to fix it every time (even though its company policy that non admin accounts should not have protected group membership., and that admin accounts should not have mailboxes)
tired_runner
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join:2000-08-25
CT

tired_runner

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Yup. Sounds like the pinnacle of my own IT world.

Hey... It's keeping you gainfully employed...
aryoba
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join:2002-08-22

aryoba

MVM

Unless they decided that outsourcing IT would be cheaper solution

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix to tired_runner

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said by tired_runner:

Yup. Sounds like the pinnacle of my own IT world.

Hey... It's keeping you gainfully employed...

Ya, though I don't feel I've gained any useful experience for awhile now.

And getting stagnate in my skills. (its not really the job I applied for anymore)
tired_runner
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CT
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said by aryoba:

Unless they decided that outsourcing IT would be cheaper solution

The outfits that bill themselves as consulting firms are becoming increasingly popular 'round my neck of the woods for this very same purpose.

It begs to wonder what the billable rate is to go that route...
tired_runner

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said by DarkLogix:


Ya, though I don't feel I've gained any useful experience for awhile now.

And getting stagnate in my skills. (its not really the job I applied for anymore)

Where I work now I went from a desktop/network support guy to electronic medical system guru as my predominant "skill". I don't feel much more enriched in knowledge at all other than knowing with my eyes closed what issue they're calling me about for the one hundredth time.

And well.... I've been here for the past five years now...

And in between downtime at this place and my daily commute, I managed to read enough to get my CCNA.

Use your time in your job constructively.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

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Ya I'm working on that.

I figure I can be more constructive with my time, though some days its annoying.

I started off as a Co-admin but purely due to upper IT management take over they required someone to be in the user support role. So I've been mostly supporting users for the past couple years and have very little opportunity to work with anything interesting (often times my co-worker doesn't tell me about things till they're already here)

Like just the other week "is that HP shipment here?", "Um what HP shipment?" Then later "oh I already did that"

Yet I still get a great appraisal, I just don't even get the chance to be involved in the few interesting things that actually happen anymore.
tired_runner
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join:2000-08-25
CT
·Frontier FiberOp..

tired_runner

Premium Member

In this place I got to deploy a brand new active directory box and a brand new SQL 2005 box. I also got to reformat from scratch an older application server because the person who originally deployed it did such a poor job, it wasn't worth working with it in current state.

I got to put in place many neat features and got to lock down a lot of the non-sense that was going on. Progressive thinking wasn't a concept here until I came on-board. Unfortunately for the most, it still isn't. Fast-forward to now.... I'm stagnant, just like you.

So I feel you... I've been in your shoes... And to an extent... still am.

For me personally, the more I view this place for what it has become; income; the more I can decouple the reality of its shortcomings with where I would like to be eventually.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

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Ya the most interesting thing I've done lately is install a vcenter server w/ full sql 2008R2, and put two ESXi hosts into HA mode (though I will not test that feature any time soon)

So that was a learning experiance, and I also learned that I want SQL to run under the local comp and not network service (with network service you can't add groups as sql users) (I like to add local administrators as that makes it fairly easy for SQL on servers that are just using SQL as a back end)
tired_runner
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tired_runner

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I think if memory serves correct, you don't want to run as a network service unless you intend in authenticating multiple instances using a common domain and well.... if the role master in charge of servicing logon requests is unavailable and you happen to need restarting an instance, you're out of luck.

Local admins is the ideal approach. One less thing to break. Nothing wrong with using 'sa' account on the backend.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
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Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

said by tired_runner:

I think if memory serves correct, you don't want to run as a network service unless you intend in authenticating multiple instances using a common domain and well.... if the role master in charge of servicing logon requests is unavailable and you happen to need restarting an instance, you're out of luck.

Local admins is the ideal approach. One less thing to break. Nothing wrong with using 'sa' account on the backend.

Also got a reminder that if you do local admins and connect using sql mgmt studio on the server you must do run as admin (dang UAC)

And ya if I were doing a SQL cluster I'd make a AD service account instead of ether localservice or networkservice