Agenda’s for the seminar

CCIE Lab training the right approach
General myths do’s and don’t
Boot camps and Rack access
Testing your CCIE lab readiness
Technologies V/S Rack access

Speaker: Mr. Chandan Sharma

CCIE Lab certification has really caught on in India not to mention about its cult following through out the world. Though numerous avenues are available world over and more are coming what remains unchanged is the average passing ratio of 3.4 attempts world over. Also a drastic number of candidates have admitted that it was only after first attempt that they realized what it really takes to become one and where did they actually stand in terms of preparation.

It clearly points toward the general lack of awareness or guidance among the candidates. Let’s see what all possible methods are employed by candidate’s world over.

a. Self-study
b. Rack access
c. Boot camps
d. On-job experience

Self study: There is no escaping from self-studies. Candidate will spend maximum time on it going through various books, Cisco documentation’s etc. there have been few candidates who have achieved success on self-study alone question is how would you like to use self-study as a part of your preparations.

 Many candidates have difficulty grasping QOS, or Security related topics. I guess   where self-study is the most challenging is when you are a total stranger to a topic and trying to understand it via self- study. Everyone will need help in one topic or other so jot down those topics and see whether you can get some guidance in those its vital that you have clear understanding of all the technologies.

From there-on you can dig deep into Docs and find out more details. Some topics are self-studied universally like Network monitoring topics e.g. SNMP, RMON etc
There is no-doubt that your maximum time will go in self-studies and Lab access a well planned approach however will render better results.

Rack access: Ok let me confess something here. There is widespread confusion or myths surrounding the Rack access part. Yup! It’s important no two ways about it but for many folks it’s the only thing which matters, wrong!

Many candidates have this general misconception that the more numbers of Lab they will solve the better chances they will have to clear it, now many Security related features, QOS, or even IOS features can not be really tested in the Rack all you do is to give the right Commands.

Its important that you have good understanding of all the various technologies before you hit the practice labs I would recommend first you spend some time doing Technology specific Labs before you go down to Mock labs.

When you are doing labs keep certain goals in your mind or jot it down on a sheet of paper. Number one should be end-to-end connectivity and here is a Tip Check for redistribution at the end. If you have issues check for the redistribution it may not be specially mentioned but your End-to-End connectivity depends many time on it.

Frame-relay, Bridging & Switching and IGP will build up your core topology and you must get it right I highly recommend practicing only core at the initial stages and see whether you get it working before moving on to other topics like BGP, Multicast which depends on your core to work.

Please also spend more time in the solution you have offered and your areas of concern. Take some time out refresh those topics before hitting the Next Lab rather than going for numbers try to practice in a way that gives you maximum opportunity in learning your strength and weakness gradually work on your time.

Many of the candidates do not have that level of industrial exposure so no doubt your Rack sessions are of great significance but purpose of the lab is to test your knowledge and not to discover things by doing labs ideally you should know that after doing certain configuration you will get certain output.

Troubleshooting skills can be sharpened here you will most definitely make silly mistakes see how much time do you need to trouble shoot. It’s always a good indication of your grasp on the technology. Whenever you are troubleshooting try to zero in on the contributing factor.

 Say you have Router on a stick scenario with two sub interfaces mapped to two different Vlan 21 and 22 one of your Router is supposed to be part of Vlan 22 and you should be able to ping it. Now what all Technologies are in action here if you were to troubleshoot the connectivity issues, Vlan assignment, sub-interface configuration on Router, trunk configuration on the switch and finally Vlans allowed on the trunk.

You will find on many occasions that troubleshooting requires basic understanding of the concepts and operations if at the base level everything is right then you can move on to more complicated stuff like in this example maybe you have an ill configured filter, maybe you have private-vlans or protected port configured a vlan map etc.

Panic attacks are not abnormal in the Lab exams and logical thinking is inversely proportional to racing heartbeats so spend as much time in upgrading your troubleshooting skills one of the best way of doing is to tell you pal or friend with whom you practice to create issues in the rack and then start troubleshooting them once its over take turn to do the same mind it even to create problems in the rack you got to have good understanding of the technologies.

 On job exposure

I have heard many candidates saying that “Oh, I have so and so experience so I do not need any training just get me the damn lab”. Caution ahead guys! There is no denying of the fact that nothing can replace on job exposure but really ask your self what has been your exposure at what capacity you have been working.

The biggest problem here is that on most of the occasion you have a specific kind of setup and you deal with only limited number of technologies. Unless you have been involved at designing or consultancy level headed numerous project for various client and been exposed to all sort of configuration just on the job exposure will be a definite advantage but might not be sufficient to pass the Lab.

Dealing with this monster means you really do not know what you are dealing with. The list of the topics is exhaustive and often leaves a lot to the imagination taking guidance will not hurt taking advice more so. Being overconfident certainly does not help and your love for traveling can not be an excuse. So do a self analysis see where do you stand which topics need attention and working out.

Boot camps and Training

Being in the business of Boot camps I can not be impartial isn’t it but then I never attended one though I do feel that it would have saved at least an attempt and lots of time.

“To each his own” is a popular saying and fit every candidate who is venturing out for the coveted CCIE lab title.

One must understand that what is good for me might not be good for you or your friend we all have our weakness, level of exposure, strengths and needs. So never bother about what he did or she did ask yourself, what do you need?

One of the worrying trend off late is many Institute are just providing Rack access but no real training. Also I have seen many under the impression that rack access is all you need to become CCIE Lab with increasing number of “Fresher” taking up CCIE Lab it indeed is a worrying trend. “CCIE lab is not just about practical but about deep understanding of the technologies which can be tested in a complex environment”

Boot camps or any sort of instructor led training is highly recommended if you do not have requisite level of exposure in the real world. Even to those who have it can also reap rewards of it. You need an instructor to help you understand the technologies clear your misconceptions and doubts which clouds your minds for years.

Some time what you learn in short span of time like 5 days take years to gather. An instructors take you beyond the books or Docs and help you understand the technology based on his own experience and understanding say reading the blog on “Internetworkexpert” is far more rewarding as what you discover would be difficult to find in any many books.

I think for many it’s the end result which matter and they are not too perturbed over the right approach or something but you got to keep in mind sooner or later you will need it so better go for it the right way and as it happen the right way is the best way.

Do’s

1 Pay attention to each topic and understand there relevance
2 Do take Mock exams or such tests to check you Lab readiness if possible it may save you an attempt
3 You must know how to access Cisco Docs
4 In case you have flunked but realize that you can make it don’t wait too long for the next attempt at times you got to be brave.
5 If you have not been able to clear it try to gauge your weakness or seek help of the experts. I know a guy how flunked it like 9 times and then went for a complete one month training before clearing it.
6 You have to have guts and strong enough to handle failures and most importantly be honest with yourself this exam is not a place to show off or being over confident.
7 Read the questions very carefully as there could be hidden agendas, conflicting
Solutions to one you gave earlier or you may have to alter previous configuration understand relevance of your solution.
8 remember failure means that you are still not up to the mark but there in the hunt.
Success means responsibility to do justice to it.

Don’ts

1 Don’t worry yourself too much about IPv6 as I have mentioned above it’s the relevance. Yes!  You got to know each technology well enough but for god sake don’t become emotional.
2 For many candidates planning a boot camp right before the scheduled lab will not work rather Boot camp should be your starting point.
3 You can solve the lab exam in any which order you please but again keep the dependencies in mind it will help you to make your troubleshooting easier like it makes sense to go for BGP right after IGP.
4 Though its hard but don’t panic when things doesn’t work. Put down on a piece of paper what all technologies are involved and where the trouble could be you must have done something wrong or forgot to do something so wait stop hammering the keyboard and think what it could be.
5 Don’t get too exited if the question appears to be very simple there might be a catch please read the question carefully always ask the Proctor if you are not sure about what the task is.
6 Don’t become too negative to scare if you couldn’t clear it obviously you are lacking somewhere and you should seek proper guidance and help.
7 Don’t try to chase too many workbooks from too many vendors or go into number games like I have solved so many practice labs, also seek advice or clarification right at the beginning of your preparation.

(Candidates can seek advice from Mr. Chandan Sharma they need not be students of horizon for any advice to clarification Pls. contact)