BCMSN passed

I got an email a few days ago stating that my scheduled exam was cancelled because “the testing center you are scheduled at will not be able to administer your exam because they do not meet the minimum requirements.” Sounds pretty shady. Long story short I had to reschedule and ended up taking the exam early. The exam was difficult and I’m glad it’s over.

The test was ridiculous in regards to wireless and voice. I used multiple sources and even got familiar with hands-on stuff at work (Wireless LAN controllers, WCS, etc) and they still threw a bunch of questions from left field. My lack of understanding the voice CoS/QoS stuff was probably more a combination of lack of experience/studying the wrong stuff, but I still feel the blueprint does not adequately prepare you for these topics. Luckily, I felt I was very solid in the other topics and my score balanced out.

Now with this monkey off my back I can look forward to the big one. Yep, I’m going straight for my CCIE now. My lab is almost done (3 x 3550’s and 1 x 3560), I just need to finish putting my dynamips box together. The vendor battle really seems to have settled a bit with Version 4 so I will probably end up with INE. For now I’ll focus on the written and take advantage of what’s out there.

I’m excited and can’t wait to get started…but I’m taking a few days off to clear my mind. Dinner tonight will be extra sweet.

 

CCNP TSHOOT exam

Two posts in one day? Making up for lost time I guess, haha.

With the help of the Techexams forum here are links for the new CCNP track:

InformIT: CCNP SWITCH 642-813 Official Certification Guide

InformIT: CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 Official Certification Guide

InformIT: CCNP ROUTE 642-902 Official Certification Guide

Of particular interest is the TSHOOT book. After months of speculation we now have more concrete evidence of what exactly has been dropped from the NP track. Here’s the blurb of topics from the webpage:

Common network maintenance tasks and tools

Troubleshooting models

Cisco IOS® troubleshooting commands and features

Troubleshooting Cisco Catalyst® Switches and STP

Troubleshooting BGP, OSPF, and EIGRP routing protocols

Route redistribution, security, and router performance troubleshooting

IP services and IP communications troubleshooting

IPv6 troubleshooting

Large enterprise network troubleshooting

TSHOOT definitely looks in-line with the CCIE R&S track. We’ll find out more when Cisco finally makes their official announcements this month.

 

Learning the BCMSN technology

When I study for these exams I generally try to study each topic individually. Once I fully understand what’s going on, I will move on to the next one. I think this is better than powering through a book from beginning to end.

With that said, here are some of the sources I used for each exam topic.

Implement VLANs.
Cisco LAN Switching was a great resource to brush up on basic LAN technologies. I highly recommend it. It’s older than dirt and I found my copy for $10 brand new. The second half of the book is particularly dated, but the book and author are very readable. Some minimal lab time should pretty much cover your basic VLAN related stuff – trunking, VTP, etc. I also read the two Cisco Press study guide books and they both covered the topics adequately.

Conduct the operation of Spanning Tree protocols in a hierarchical network.
For STP I relied much more heavily on cisco.com documentation. There are some great configuration guides and individual tech notes on each version of STP. MST didn’t “click” for me until I watched the INE video. The official Lab Portfolio was pretty weak in regards to the advanced STP stuff. The Authorized Self-Study Guide went into overkill mode here for the BCMSN, IMHO, whereas the Official Exam Certification book was a bit skimpy. You’ll have to find a balance there somewhere. In regards to the advanced STP features, I liked the Trainsignal videos. Again, jump into a lab and play with election parameters, timers, the different advanced features, to really see how STP works.

Implement Inter-VLAN routing.
The Authorized Self-Study Guide was super boring and technical. I preferred the Official Exam Certification guide here. Again, it’s a bit skimpy on the nitty-gritty but I hope it’s enough for the exam. I have 3 layer-3 switches but did not lab this up too much. I didn’t find too much documentation on cisco.com either. It’s hard to find a source regarding MLS and CEF without it being overly technical. Make sure you lab up Router-on-a-stick if you have the equipment.

Implement gateway redundancy technologies.
This is one of the few topics where I had experience with thanks to work. I had to troubleshoot port-channels and HSRP issues my first few weeks at the new job so I became quite familiar with the technology. The usual suspects here all cover the technology adequately. I hope there aren’t too many questions regarding VRRP, though. I’m assuming Cisco will focus on their proprietary tech as usual on the exam. Cisco.com has some nice documentation, search for “high availability”. Configuring this stuff is pretty straight forward in a lab, which is where I focused most of my studies. Also, it is probably obvious to others, but instead of brute-force memorizing the modes of etherchannel, I finally realized that active passive are antonyms. It really simplified the process.

Describe and configure wireless client access.
Avoid the Trainsignal wireless portion. I don’t even feel it is adequate for a Network+ exam, much less the BCMSN. The INE videos are similarly thin. The best resource I’ve found so far is the Official Exam Study book. It’s fairly lengthy (3 chapters) but covers it better than anywhere else I’ve found. I have no Cisco AP’s or WLC’s in my home lab, but I’m lucky that we do deal with WLC issues at work so I get to have a little hands-on experience with this stuff.

Describe and configure security features in a switched network.
I consider security and QOS my weakest topics. There is just so much material on this stuff it’s hard to know where to begin. Again, the videos are thin and even the books seem a bit thin. I hope security isn’t too big on the exam, but aside from basic switchport security settings and understanding how some attacks work, my knowledge is rather limited.

Configure support for voice.
Before I started studying for this test I knew nothing about QOS. After a few months of studying, I still know nothing about QOS. Well, that’s a bit exaggerated, but I’m sure you know what I mean. I stuck to the official BCMSN sources for this topic, because once I looked outside of these sources, I quickly became overwhelmed. At this level, however, I’m sure it’s enough.

So what’s next on the agenda? I definitely want to re-read the wireless chapters of the Official Exam Certification book. I also want to take another look at QOS. I’ll probably get a few more lab hours in just to keep things fresh in my mind, but I am going to take it fairly light this week before the test.

Onwards…

 

Reviewing BCMSN

About 10 days left until the exam. I’ve been in review mode.

I’m re-reading/skimming through the Cisco Press Study Guide. About halfway through now.

Also watching the INE videos (first time despite purchasing months ago) as a refresher. Also about halfway through.

I should finish up by the weekend and hope to punch in about 10 more hours of lab time.

Now if only Cisco would let us know about the CCNP v6 changes already….

 

BCMSN exam booked!

Can’t believe it’s been 3 months since I last blogged. New job and new city have pretty much eaten my spare time but I’ve been chugging along with my studies at a pretty steady pace.

But I’ve been studying very consistently. I have a 90 minute (round-trip) daily commute and I try to read one BCMSN topic each day. I lab mostly on the weekends but still manage to squeeze in lab time during the week.

And of course now that I’m working in the networking field, I’m on the CLI all day at work. I almost feel guilty sometimes because I’m learning so much on the job and they’re paying me. Amazing, isn’t it?

Actually, these past three months have been quite a roller-coaster ride. The amount of knowledge I’ve gleaned from my coworkers is staggering. I just sit and absorb and learn as much as possible. In fact, I’ve noticed that I ask more questions than anyone else at my work. The other newer hires don’t seem to ever ask questions, but I am shameless. And that’s my favorite part about work. 90% of the people there are more than willing to help and teach and explain things, no matter how trivial or simple. I’ve never been in an environment like this and am very grateful for the opportunity.

The BCMSN is an interesting exam. There’s just a humongous amount of material. I’ve used at least four different Cisco Press books in preparation and I still find myself printing pdf files from cisco.com. To say there is a lot of material is an understatement, but taking in small chunks every day has made it more than manageable.

The exam is booked and scheduled for Feb 1st. At this point my weakest area(s) are still wireless and QOS/Voip stuff. I don’t have a WLC to play around with and although I do troubleshoot them at work, I don’t get a chance to configure or really play with them. Same with the phones. We’ll see how far theoretical/book knowledge will get me.

Now, back to the books…

 

Schedule

I’m aiming to take the BCMSN exam towards the end of December/early January. Sat down and actually outlined my tentative study schedule. Nothing seems drastic/extreme so I should be able to maintain this schedule. We’ll see.

Week of Oct. 11th: VLANs
Week of Oct. 18th: STP and advanced STP
Week of Nov. 1st: Inter-VLAN Routing
Week of Nov. 8th: Gateway Redundancy
Week of Nov. 15th: Wireless
Week of Nov. 22nd: Security
Week of Nov. 29th: Voice
Week of Dec. 6th: Misc Topics

If I stick to the schedule even with some leeway I should be ready by the end of the year. I’ll probably schedule the exam towards the end of November.

 

I made it!

Well, I feel pretty lucky and blessed. I moved to NYC three weeks ago and feel like I’m really starting to settle in. About 2 weeks ago I started the job search process. I interviewed for a position that I really wanted and they made me an official offer this morning! I’m finally going to be a Network Engineer – something I wanted since I took that fateful networking class in 2007.

I’m still studying for my BCMSN but I’m glad I completed the BSCI. They busted out some interesting WAN questions that I would not have known if I only had my CCNA. The LAN stuff they asked me was pretty straightforward, but my limited LAN knowledge proved to be pretty embarrassing. I couldn’t wait to move onto the WAN stuff.

It did make me appreciate theory a lot more and I really want to re-read Doyle’s Routing TCP/IP. It’s on my list after I finish the switching stuff I’m focused on now. Speaking of which…

I’m really enjoying the INE CoD videos. I highly recommend them, especially if you can get them at the sale price. The best part is the recommended readings they provide after each section. The videos pointed me towards the Cisco LAN Switching book which seems to be the switching equivalent of the aforementioned routing book (albeit a bit outdated). It’s $65 new on Amazon, but I grabbed a never-opened “used” copy for $10! Seems like an incredible steal.

All this is probably overkill for the BCMSN exam, but I’m overcompensating for my limited LAN knowledge. And I want to take advantage of my currently motivated mindset.

Back to the books…

 

Internetwork Expert CCNP Bootcamp

Looks like Internetwork Expert has their CCNP class-on-demand bootcamp available. It’s on sale for half price ($495) and it looks like coupon code OCT09 (only valid until 10/3) takes the grand total down to $364. Not bad for a $995 product.

I’ve looked at the CCIE training vendors in the past just to get a feel for what is out there. Obviously, INE is one of the two big CCIE training vendors on the market. I’m interested in seeing how their CCNP material holds up.

A friend let me borrow some INE audio cd’s when I wanted some extra material on redistribution. The section I listened to was very detailed and I liked the way the material was explained. I believe the same instructor on those tapes is the one teaching this bootcamp (Brian McGahan).

I’ll make my decision before the coupon expires. In the meantime, does anyone have experience with their products?

Update: Pulled the trigger. I’ll buy one less 3550 for the home lab.

 

The Big Apple

Well, I’m officially in New York now. The past few weeks have been hectic packing and moving. I’m still trying to get settled in, but I’m definitely more comfortable than I was a week ago.

I haven’t had a chance to study but my BCMSN book came in the mail today. Looking forward to jumping back in. I’ve been spending time finishing my resume. Now comes the fun part…applying for jobs. If anyone in NYC is looking for a Jr. Network Engineer, please contact me.

I wandered around the city today and stumbled into the Strand Bookstore. I loved it and found the BSCI Lab Portfolio for only $20. I already own a copy but if anyone is in the area, grab it. It’s a steal and I think it’s a fantastic book for the BSCI. I wish they had the BCMSN Lab book…maybe next time.

I’m also planning on reviewing some WAN protocols this week. I’d hate to go into an interview and forget how to configure OSPF or something.

Also, now that I’ve settled in a little bit I will probably update the blog more often.

 

BSCI Passed!

Well, I sat the BSCI exam this morning and passed!  I panicked early in the exam, but made it through.  I somehow got two lab sims within the first half dozen questions and my time management went out the window. 

I used a large mix of books to prepare for this exam.  In the end, my core study materials consisted of the Official Self Study Guide (3rd Ed.), BSCI Lab Portfolio, Cisco website, and Chris Bryant’s video series.

I did use some CCIE study material which may have slowed me down, but I want to go for my (R&S) number one day so I didn’t mind.  Then again, I probably didn’t need to read those RFCs on Teredo and ISATAP tunneling last week.  I still don’t quite understand them, lol.

I read through everything once and was in a bit of a daze.  There was just so much material to cover.  After my second time going through the material, I realized that I needed a system to properly review and retain what I was learning.  This is what I eventually settled on:

First, I wanted to create a list of all the topics I had encountered.  The Cisco official exam blueprint is pretty sparse so I looked for alternatives.  I found the table of contents for one of the popular study vendor products on their website and used that as a starting point.  I added topics as needed and printed this list out.   This list only contained topics and no actual details.  For example, Area Types, Network Types, Authentication, and Timers, were a few of the topics I had for OSPF.  Now that I had a proper list to review, I slowly worked things into my memory.  For example, before jumping in the shower, I would check the list and pick a topic such as “LSA Types”.  I’d make sure I’d go over all the OSPF LSA Types while I showered and if I had any problems I’d read some documentation as soon as I got out.  I’d do this everywhere – a drive to the store, waiting in line, before I went to bed, etc.  I’d pick a topic and review everything about it in my brain. If there was anything fuzzy, I’d hit the documentation to fill in the gaps.

Using this list, I quickly realized which topics I needed help with and which I were pretty comfortable with.  Eventually, the trickier topics were getting hammered into my brain.  I continued to practice labs every day.  Then, about a month ago, I felt pretty confident about the material and re-read the self-study guide from cover to cover.  This was an eye-opening experience.  It was amazing how much I was still learning.  Little nuances I had overlooked now made sense since I had a better overall picture.  Of course, there’s still a LOT to learn, but at the BSCI level I was feeling pretty good.  I continued working with labs and continued reviewing my list.

I also used the list with my labs.  I wanted to be sure I could implement everything on my list from pure cold memory including verification commands.  I tried to wean myself from using too much IOS help and I think it helped.  Chris Bryant also had a nice tip which is to avoid using too many shortcuts while working in the IOS.  I come from the minimalist school and always typed as few characters as possible.  And I loved using tab, lol.  But after hearing Chris’ advice I gave it a shot and I think it really did help me retain the proper syntax for certain commands.  Your mileage may vary, but give it a try if you’re having problems remembering specific commands.

One of the big problems I had was motivation.  I wanted to pass the exam, sure, but it was hard to keep up with my studies.  The Cisco blogging community and Techexams forums were a Godsend in this regard.  I’d pull up my RSS feeds and read some inspirational stories about how somehow got their number or passed their CCNA.  I’d lurk the Techexams Forums and see other struggling along with me.  I didn’t feel alone and it was pretty amazing how this community pulls for each other.  It took me over a year to take and pass the BSCI exam.  Without the community, I’m certain I wouldn’t even have the exam booked.

Passing this exam has been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever accomplished.  It’s great to see all your hard work pay off.  To my fellow certification geeks, my hats off to you.  I’m going to take the rest of the week off before starting BCMSN.  (I can’t resist ordering some books first, though.)