A new day

Well, if you couldn't tell from my short, quick post last night, I've moved away from practice labs for now. Why? There are some things that I still don't understand fully. No matter how many times I read them, I still can put the whole picture together. I had a copy of CBT Nuggets for the CCIE Lab that my boss tossed to me several months ago. With no other avenues at this point, I decided to fire it up and take it for a spin.

In taking tips from another CCIE, I decided to stay away from the labs for now until I have a better understanding of the topics at hand. Now while Ethan suggests he should not have started with the practice labs, I disagree to some extent. When you are starting your CCIE Lab studies, fire up a few practice labs first thing. Then you can determine how far in over your head you may be. If you are anything like me, you will jump away from the practice labs until you understand better.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the CBT Nuggets video, even though it is several years old. But when you get down to the details, the core of the CCIE R&S Lab exam has changed very little. It's the other details that have changed (ATM, ISDN, Multicast, IPv6, etc.)

Since I do not have my own rack of equipment, I've been using Dynamips. So I decided to cruise the Internets and search for a Dynagen topology file. I found one, but not one I was particularlry fond of. First, the author took the cheap route of creating a "hidden" ethernet switch by using the ethersw directive inside of Dynamips. Well, the lab does cover 3550/3560 catalyst switching, and while using a 3640 with Etherswitch module isn't the same thing, it at leasts gets me in the mindset and allows me to follow the video verbatim. Secondly, instead of mapping multiple DLCIs to the frame switch, they used another serial interface on one of the routers. Perhaps the author simply did not know how to map multiple DLCI's to one interface?

Anyway, I've made it through the first section of OSPF already. If you can tell by my tips, I've already learned quite a few interesting facts. Since I've been studying in my office, with little distractions, I am now able to take notes and draw diagrams. This is going to help me immensly in the long run.

Speaking of my office, I got a surprise yesterday in that my new office chair arrived early. While I was watching my son while my wife was at the dentist, I put the chair together and immediately noticed an improvement. The first half of the day, I sat in my old chair, only to get up for lunch with an aching back and a sore tailbone. The second half of the day, I sat comfortably in my new chair. When I arose at around 6pm, no back aching, no pain. It was great! Also this is not necessarily CCIE related, there is one tip you could take from this. Make yourself comfortable. I find that I am able to focus better now that I am comfortable and not getting up every couple of minutes to relieve my aches.

I also now have a copy of IPExpert's Class-on-demand from a friend of mine. I plan to watch these videos following the CBT nuggets. If I encounter areas within the videos that I am not comfortable with, I will read-up on the topic in my BSCI book, my CCIE Written book or the Cisco DocCD.

Well that is it for now, need to get studying. Oh and by the way, I've scheduled my lab exam - July 27, 2009. The pressure is on!!

CCIM for me...

Well I finally finished lab 3 after only a few hours today. I've gotta say that I'm burned out after this week. Since I'm treating my studying like an actual job, I am looking forward to the weekend. I'm going to use the rest of my time today to do some reading and studying. I've got to say that after these first two weeks, I'm feeling more like a CCIM than a CCIE candidate. That's CCIM, Cisco Certified Internetwork Moron. Even though I've been working with Cisco for almost 10 years, these labs strip me of all my confidence, and sometimes even my manhood. ;-)

I've got to say that my study approach just is not working. Even though I said I was not going to, I'm trying to limit myself on time for each lab. I just absolutely, cannot do this. Why do you ask? Because I don't understand a lot of the topics fully to implement them without peeking at the answer key.

I've also realized that my "study area" is just not working out. I usually study on the couch with my laptop so that I can spend some time with my family during the day. Unfortunately this is not working out, and not because of distractions. To be able to really understand what I need to do, some topics need to be visually represented for me to understand them. I also need to take notes and build things on paper before I start hacking IOS. Drawing diagrams and notes while on the couch will not work.

So starting next week, I'm going to begin studying in my office, in the basement, with all of my equipment. For this to really work for me, I need a new office chair. My current chair is at least 9 years old, and after years of wear and tear, it just does not support me anymore. I also need to get some notepads so that I can draw diagrams and keep notes. I'm also looking to get at least another monitor. With another monitor, I can have my terminal, the lab docs, and the Cisco DocCD all up at the same time. I know I won't have another monitor for the actual lab, but this will help me prepare. I may also look into using TreePad. Comes recommended from other candidates...

Starting next week, I also need to quit trying to get through the labs. When I see something I don't understand, I need to research it (through the DocCD and OECG) and understand it before I attempt the task. Once I understand the task, then I will attempt it. My goal for the remaining labs is to learn as much as possible. I'm planning on re-reading a few sections from the OECG before I move on to the next lab. I plan to make a second round through the labs, and then and ONLY then will I work on my speed. I may also purchase the 3rd IEWB workbook, which will also help with my speed.

Well that's all for now. Stay tuned...