Cisco CCNA Certification: Becoming A Truly Valuable CCNA

I've been active in the Cisco Certification track for four years, working my way from the CCNA to the coveted Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert title, and during that time I've conducted job interviews and casual conversations with hundreds of CCNAs and CCNA candidates.

The CCNA is an exciting beginning to your Cisco career, but just having the certification simply isn't enough. A recruiter or interviewer isn't going to be impressed just with the cert; you've got to have some real-world knowledge to back it up.

I've been down that road myself, and sat on both sides of the CCNA job interview table. With that in mind, I'd like to offer to you some tips on becoming a truly valuable and employable CCNA.

Get some hands-on experience. I know the trap well; you can't get experience until you get a CCNA, and you can't get a CCNA without real experience. Well, actually, you can, but do you want to? Working on simulators is fine to a certain extent, but don't make the classic mistake of depending on them. I've seen plenty of CCNAs who were put in front of a set of routers and really didn't know what to do or how to put together a simple configuration, and had NO idea how to begin troubleshooting.

There are CCNA classes that offer you the chance to work with industry experts on real Cisco equipment. Beyond that, you can put together your own CCNA rack for less than $1000 by buying used routers. Some people think that's a lot of money, but this is the foundation of your career. Treat it that way. The work you do now is the most important work you'll ever do. Do it on real Cisco equipment. The skills I learned as a CCNA helped me all the way up to the CCIE.

Besides, after you get your CCNA (and after that, hopefully you'll choose to pursue the CCNP), you can always get some of your money back by selling the equipment. The hands-on experience you gain this way is invaluable.

Know binary math. Do NOT go the easy route of memorizing a subnet mask chart for the CCNA exam. I know some people brag about being able to pass the CCNA exam without really understanding binary math. I've seen those people on the other side of the interview table, and they're not laughing when I ask them to do a subnetting question. They're not laughing when they can't explain or create a VLSM scheme. That chart does nothing to help you understand what's going on.

If you can add and know the difference between a one and a zero, you can do binary math. Don't let the name intimidate you. Become a REAL CCNA -- learn binary math !

Run "show" and "debug" commands. No commands help you truly understand how things work in a Cisco network than show and debug commands. As you progress through the Cisco certification ranks, you'll be glad you started using these at the CCNA level.

Do you need to know these commands for the exam? Probably not. Do you need them to be successul in the real world? Absolutely.

The Cisco certification track has been great to me, and it can boost your career as well, whether you stop at the CCNA, CCNP, or go all the way to the CCIE. It's the skills you develop today that will truly make you a networking engineer. Don't take shortcuts or get the attitude of "just passing the exam".

It's what you achieve after the exam that counts, and it's the work you put in before passing the exam that makes those achievements possible.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Cisco CCNA test prep articles. His exclusive Cisco CCNA study guide and certification training is also available! Visit his blog and sign up for Cisco Certification Central, a daily newsletter packed with CCNA, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! A free 7-part course, ?How To Pass The CCNA?, is also available, and you can attend an in-person or online CCNA boot camp with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Training: What Is Packet Switching?

Cisco CCNA certification exam training means you've got to learn a lot of new terms, and some of them can be a little confusing at first. To pass this tough certification exam, one term you definitely need to understand is packet switching. The first question, of course, is "What is packet switching in the first place?" Let's define this term in today's Cisco CCNA exam prep tutorial.

Packets transmitted from "point A" to "point B" all have to arrive at the same destination, but with packet switching, they do not all have to take the same path to get there. If you and I are standing 10 feet apart and I want to throw a basketball to you, I've got a couple of options. I could bounce the ball off the floor to you, I could throw it straight at you, or I could throw it high into the air to you. Packet switching is really the same thing - packets will take different paths to get from source to destination, but the end result is that all the packets arrive at the destination. The packets are then reassembled to take the form of the original message.

Packet switching may sound a little odd, but it's a very efficient way of transporting data. Frame Relay is a packet switching technology, as is X.25, and both of these protocols are highly efficient.

If we have packets that must arrive at the destination in the same order in which they left the source, packet switching isn't a good choice. For this situation, we'll need to use some form of circuit switching, and we'll discuss that in tomorrow's Cisco CCNA certification training article!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free Cisco CCNA and CCNP tutorials! For my FREE "How To Pass The CCNA" or "CCNP" ebook, visit the website and download your copies. Get your CCNA certification exam training from The Bryant Advantage!#BREAK# #TITLE#Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Training: What Is Packet Switching#/TITLE#

Cisco CCNA certification exam training means you've got to learn a lot of new terms, and some of them can be a little confusing at first. To pass this tough certification exam, one term you definitely need to understand is packet switching. The first question, of course, is "What is packet switching in the first place?" Let's define this term in today's Cisco CCNA exam prep tutorial.

Packets transmitted from "point A" to "point B" all have to arrive at the same destination, but with packet switching, they do not all have to take the same path to get there. If you and I are standing 10 feet apart and I want to throw a basketball to you, I've got a couple of options. I could bounce the ball off the floor to you, I could throw it straight at you, or I could throw it high into the air to you. Packet switching is really the same thing - packets will take different paths to get from source to destination, but the end result is that all the packets arrive at the destination. The packets are then reassembled to take the form of the original message.

Packet switching may sound a little odd, but it's a very efficient way of transporting data. Frame Relay is a packet switching technology, as is X.25, and both of these protocols are highly efficient.

If we have packets that must arrive at the destination in the same order in which they left the source, packet switching isn't a good choice. For this situation, we'll need to use some form of circuit switching, and we'll discuss that in tomorrow's Cisco CCNA certification training article!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Cisco CCNA and CCNP certification training articles. CompTIA Network+, Security+, and A+ certification tutorials are available, also! Visit his blog and sign up for Cisco Certification Central, a daily newsletter packed with CCNA, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! A free 7-part course, ?How To Pass The CCNA?, is also available. Coming in 2007 -- Microsoft Vista certification with The Bryant Advantage!

Cisco ASA 5500

This is a review on the new Cisco ASA 5500.

The Cisco ASA or Adaptive security appliance can use different modules for different security needs. There are currently four unique modules. They include the firewall module, IPS which is a intrusion protection system. Anti-x module and a VPN (virtual private network) module.

The benefits of this appliance is that modules can be added as your needs grow. All in one device. There is a business edition provides small to medium businesses with VPN and gateway capabilities. The firewall module can be implemented to stop corporate users from abusing instant messaging, the introduction of Spyware and Adware onto the corporate network.It will also protect against external threats suck as hackers or crackers. Policies can also be set up to block peer to peer file sharing.

The Cisco ASA 5500 can also provide VPN access for remote users. The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and also IPSec protocols can be used to encrypt traffic. Different forms of authentication can be used such as Kerbeos, Microsoft Active directory, LDAP lightweight directory protocol and RSA secure ID.

Everything can be controlled through the Cisco Security Manager, a all in one management platform. I watched a video on this at Cisco's website. I like the interface, you can even see attacks in real time and decide to section off that part of the network. Thats pretty slick. Another way to do this is through MARS, which is Cisco's analysis tool.

There are different modules for different needs Some firewalls can support up to 1.2Gbps.

The Anti-X technology is based on Trend Micros technology to stop threats like viruses, spyware, trojans and worms.

Benjamin Hargis
IT Security Analyst

http://www.computersecurityadvice.com

Cisco's Catalyst 6500 Remains The Network Switch To Beat

San Francisco, California October 10, 2006: Following a lackluster Q3, Cisco Systems emerges as the leader in the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Switch Market for the fourth quarter. Fueled by increased demand and an overall rise in the average selling price, Cisco experienced significant gains in a market of over $300 Million.

With almost 70% of the projected $1.3 Billion 10-Gig market share and a more powerful, yet affordable design, the Catalyst 6500 is poised to cement Cisco as the dominating force in the industry. With the recent release of an eight-port, 10-Gigabit Ethernet module for the 6500, Cisco is quickly pulling away from the rest of the pack.

In addition, upgrades like the Application Control Engine (ACE) module have prompted companies like Pure Video Networks to adopt Cisco switches to manage traffic of their popular video websites. Implementing simultaneous data center services such as server load balancing, integrated network and application switching/security, the ACE module delivers the highest performance in the industry. The ACE Simplifies application infrastructure by combining the functionality of multiple application delivery appliances into a single module, including server load balancing and off-load, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, security, and application optimization capabilities.

Already the most successful networking switch on the IT market, the 6500 Series reduces existing operational costs and improves a network's ability to respond to intensive bandwidth demands. In general, customers using the services modules for the Catalyst 6500 reduce their total cost of ownership by taking advantage of simplified infrastructure, improved investment protection, pervasive security, and the high levels of performance, scalability, and innovative technologies.

With over twenty unique service modules in five distinct categories, the Catalyst 6500 ranks among the most scalable, high-performance platform for integrated services. Currently, Cisco offers modules that address security issues, application, networking, network monitoring, wireless/mobility, and IP communications, which can be integrated into existing catalyst switches. Each modules offers upgraded performance and reinforces Cisco's hold on the market for network switches. With more than $20 Billion is sales sine it's release in 1999, the 6500 Series switch has become the most popular networking platform ever.

While Cisco has been able to fend off most threats to their position, rival Foundry Networks, and newcomer Force 10 have recently launched new 10Gbe ready products aimed at disrupting the company's market share. According to literature on Force 10's Terascale E-Series 1200, the E1200 boasts of more than double the ports of the Catalyst 6500 (1260 vs. 576 Ethernet ports/chassis). While this may be good news for the company, Force 10 has been focused on the data center vertical, and is therefore still untested in the enterprise market. Foundry's BigIron RX series switch has received favorable press for it's size/performance ratio and lower prices. With the launch of the new RX series, Foundry has mounted a consistent affront to Cisco's unchallenged reign.

Even with the competition mounting new efforts, the Cisco name is still a major factor among IT professionals whose networks depend on their equipment. Fortunately for the stalwart Cisco, reputation is still the key to market dominance.



Oliver Rowen is currently Director of Corporate Accounts for Townsend Assets Group (TAG), a leading reseller of pre-owned data networking and refurbished equipment like the Catalyst 6500. With more than 2500 customers in 23 countries, TAG helps customers acquire, manage and remarket their technology. For more information go to www.townsendassets.com

Visit San Francisco On The Cheap

Also known as Fog City, San Francisco is a west coast jewel. Gorgeous scenery, charming tourist attractions and mild weather all contribute to this popular destination. Cheap, on the other hand, is not usually a word visitors or residents use to describe the city. Follow our tips below to get around SF On The Cheap.

~Cheap Lodging

As usual, hostels are our choice for cheap lodging and the same advice applies to San Francisco. A couple of our favorites include:

*USA Hostels San Francisco* Just 3 blocks from Union Square and includes an all-you-can-make pancake breakfast. Single and mixed gender dorms (3-4 beds) start at $28 or opt for a private double room for just over $70. Another bonus: Some of the dorm rooms have an ensuite bathroom. Free linen and lockers are also included and staff are happy to help arrange activities or transportation. This relatively new chain of hostels also has locations in Hollywood, Las Vegas and San Diego.

*Green Tortoise Backpackers Hostel* Located near Chinatown, this very popular hostel has some great amenities. In addition to free breakfast (and dinner 3 nights per week!), there is also free internet, free lockers and tons of activities planned. There is also a spinoff company that organizes travel to nearby destinations such as Yosemite. We also love that the dorms have small numbers of beds in them (2-5!) and are available in female-only or mixed genders. Rates start at $25 pp for 5-bed dorms and 33.50 pp for 2 bed or double bed rooms.

Not up for hosteling? There are also some budget hotels left in San Francisco. We particularly like the Park Hotel or the SW Hotel. Both are centrally located and include some nice extras.

~Free San Francisco

Check out the Palace of Fine Arts. This structure was built as part of an Expo after the 1906 quake, and has withstood many a quake after that. The Palace of Fine Arts is a place of indescribable beauty, with a huge dome with thick pillars, creating a classical Roman sort of effect.

Also notable are Fisherman?s Wharf/Ghirardelli Square/World Famous Sea Lions. Fisherman?s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square are two big shopping centers located near the water. As one of San Francisco?s finest attractions, you simply can?t say you?ve been to San Francisco unless you?ve been there. These two centers are located only within a few blocks of each other, at the end of one of SF?s Cable Car routes. While you?re there, be certain to check out the World Famous Sea Lions. For some odd reason, sea lions tend to lounge around and basically hang out there. According to an SF guide, they are the most popular attraction in CA, save for Disneyworld and Disneyland.

~Cheap Eats

If you walk along San Francisco downtown, you will be bombarded by some of the best scents the world has to offer. Try these restaurants of various international cuisines that are easy on the wallet.

*Cordon Bleu Vietnamese Restaurant: The French-sounding name of this place is kind of misleading, but this restaurant serves wonderful Vietnamese food at a low price. For fewer than 8 dollars, you can enjoy a good combo meal that includes 5-spice chicken, grilled barbeque pork, an imperial roll, rice with sauce, and a country salad.

*The Pork Store Caf?: As the name implies, this place is dedicated to all things pork, and you can definitely pork out with the Pork Store Special. For $6.95, you can get two pork chops, two eggs, two biscuits, and lots of hash browns.

*Chow: What the name says, that is what it gives. The food choice is incredibly diverse. The highlights include Goat Cheese and Mushrooms on Toast ($6), Sonoma chicken ($9), lemon and butter mussels ($6.50), and a salmon sandwich ($8).

Don't miss San Francisco just because you hear how expensive it is. For more tips on how to visit SF On The Cheap, please visit our website at www.onthecheaptravel.com.

Happy Travels!

Kadie Kozee is the founder and editor of www.OnTheCheapTravel.com. She takes great delight in visiting the world's most fascinating places on a minimal budget.