CCIE 100 Success Secrets Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert; The Missing Training, Exam Study, Certification Preparation and CCIE Application Guide Gerard Blokdijk
CCIE 100 Success Secrets Copyright 2008 by Gerard Blokdijk Notice of rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Notice of Liability The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of he book, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the products described in it. Trademarks Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
CCIE 100 Success Secrets Gerard Blokdijk There has never been an CCIE manual like this. 100 Success Secrets is not about the ins and outs of CCIE. Instead, it answers the top 100 questions that we are asked and those we come across in forums, our consultancy and education programs. It tells you exactly how to deal with those questions, with tips that have never before been offered in print. This book is also not about CCIE s best practice and standards details. Instead, it introduces everything you want to know to be successful with CCIE.
Table of Contents How to Become a CCIE Certified Expert...10 CCIE Exam Taking on the Highest Level of all CISCO Certifications...11 CCIE Jobs The Difference between a Network Administrator and a Network Engineer...12 CCIE Lab Exam A Hands-on Test to Prove One s Qualification...14 CCIE Resume The Need for CCIE Recertification...16 CCIE Security Learning the Principles of Network Security...17 CCIE Training The Best Line of Defense Against Failure...18 CCIE Voice Becoming an Expert on VoIP...20 CCIE Written Exams The Most Critical Part of the CCIE Certification...21 The Five Tracks of CCIE...22 Tips on Passing the CCIE 350-001...24 Thank God for CCIE audio...25 The Average Salary of a CCIE...26 More Info From a CCIE Blog...27 Get Yourself a CCIE Blueprint...28 Getting Yourself a CCIE Book...29 Where to Get CCIE Books...30 The Need for a CCIE Boot Camp...31
The Popularity of CCIE Boot Camps... 32 Choose the Right Kind of CCIE Bootcamps... 33 Why Not Try CCIE Braindump?... 34 The Ease That CCIE CBT Brings... 35 The Essence of CCIE Cert... 36 CCIE Certification: The Real Deal... 37 The Prestige of CCIE Certification... 38 Benefits of Being CCIE Certified... 39 How To Make The Most Out of a CCIE Class... 40 Always to Your Advantage: Enroll in CCIE Classes Now!... 41 The Easiest Way to Finish A CCIE Course... 42 Important Considerations in the CCIE Exams... 43 CCIE Forums A Great Way to find Solutions to Cisco Matters.44 Setting Up A CCIE Home lab? Start off With Routers... 45 CCIE: Creating Impact All Over the World... 46 CCIE Jobs Challenging and Rewarding at the Same Time!... 47 Getting Started with Lab Equipment in CCIE... 48 Timely Tips for CCIE Lab Exams... 49 What s In Store for You In CCIE Lab Rentals... 50 Consider Getting Into CCIE Labs... 51 Expert Advice for CCIE Lab Training... 52 Useful Tips For Prospective CCIE Lab Workbook Purchasers... 53 The CCIE List of Readings... 54 Some Important Notes Regarding the CCIE Exam... 55
CCIE Number: The Mark of an IT Expert...57 CCIE Online Training: How to Find Excellent CCIE Training Center...58 CCIE Pay: The Rewards of Becoming an IT Expert...59 CCIE Plaque: The Coveted Badge of Honor...60 CCIE Practical Studies: A Thousand-page Resource for IT Experts...61 CCIE Practice is Key to CCIE Certification Success...62 CCIE Prep Kits: Essential Tools for Passing the CCIE Exams...63 3 Foolproof CCIE Preparation Tips...64 Familiarize Yourself with CCIE Questions...65 The Scope of CCIE R&S...66 Success with CCIE Rack Training...67 CCIE Rack Rental: Providing Convenient CCIE Lab Exam Training...69 CCIE Routing & Switching Exam: Requirements for Successfully Passing the CCIE Lab Exam...71 CCIE Routing and Switching Exam: 3 Best Ways to Prepare for the Exam...73 Simple Ways to Pass the CCIE Routing Exam...75 Getting to Know CCIE Routing and Switching...77 The Benefits of CCIE Routing and Switching Lab Boot Camps..79 CCIE Routing Switching: The Twin CCIE Track...81 Basics of CCIE RS Examination...83 Why CCIE Salaries Continue to Top the List...84
CCIE Salary: The Fruits of Hard CCIE Labor... 85 How to Prepare for the CCIE SAN Exam... 87 The Benefits of Attending CCIE Security Boot Camp... 88 Ways to Prepare for the CCIE Security Exam... 90 CCIE Security Lab... 92 A Primer on CCIE Security Lab Workbooks... 94 Bits and Pieces of CCIE Security Rack... 95 Figuring Out Security Training for CCIE... 96 Dissecting the CCIE Security Written Exam Bit by Bit... 97 Cracking the Code: First Dibs on the CCIE Security Written Exam... 98 CCIE Service Provider Provides Real Assistance... 99 Preview of CCIE SP Examination... 101 Rise Up the Ladder with CCIE Storage... 103 The Lowdown on CCIE Storage Networking... 104 CCIE Study: Best Preparation for the Examination... 105 CCIE Study Groups for Better Learning... 107 Spending on a Good CCIE Study Guide Has Its Rewards... 108 Pass the CCIE Test and Get an Expert Level Cisco Certification... 109 Master s List of CCIE Tracks... 110 Verifying CCIE Members Certification with the CCIE Verification Tool... 111 Passing the CCIE Voice Exam Means Expertise in Cisco VoIP Solutions... 112
Completing the Certification by Passing the CCIE Voice Lab Exam...113 Passing The CCIE Voice Written Exam Is a Good Start...114 Going for a CCIE VoIP Certification...115 Getting the CCIE Workbook That Gets You Certified...116 Passing the CCIE Written Exam Brings You a Step Closer to a CCIE Certification...117 CCNA CCIE Certification: Which One is Appropriate for YOu?118 CCNA CCNP CCIE Certifications: Get It All Or Get CCIE Certified Right Away...119 The advantages of becoming CCIE-Cisco Certified Network Professional Holder...120 Cisco CCIE Taking Chances on a Bigger Challenge...122 Mastering Cisco s CCIE Lab Exam...123 What it is to know about CCIE-DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)...124 What does it take to acquire the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification?...125 IP Expert CCIE: Qualify as a VoIP expert...127 Pass CCIE for Sure with Pass4sure CCIE...129 Steps to pass CCIE exams...131 Utilizing Rapidshare CCIE...132 The Real CCIE Labs is the Real Way to Review...133
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10 How to Become a CCIE Certified Expert The Cisco Certified Internet Expert certification or CCIE is an internet certification that is becoming more and more popular. As the IT industry is expanding at an exponential rate, the demand for highly trained IT personnel is also increasing. Because of this, many multinational companies are on the lookout for competent and certified IT professionals and network engineers to look after their IT network. A person having a CCIE certification would be highly in demand for such corporations. This article will give an overview on how to become a CCIE expert. Before anything else, a candidate must first choose what CCIE track or tracks to take. There are five basic tracks available, namely; (1) Routing and switching track, (2) security track, (3) service provider track, (4) storage networking track, and (5) voice track. After choosing which CCIE track to take, the candidate must then pass a two-hour multiple-choice written exam specifically designed for the chosen track. The passing rate for the exam is 70 percent out of 100 questions. The next step in the CCIE certification process is for the candidate to pass the CCIE laboratory exam. This exam is also designed for the track that the candidate has chosen and would last for about 8 hours. The laboratory exam would ensure that the candidate has both the theoretical and the practical or applied knowledge of IT. Candidates who pass both the written exam and the laboratory exam are then given CCIE certified status for their chosen track. Candidates may also hold multiple CCIE certifications for a number of tracks. In order to do this, the candidates must also pass both exams for each of the track applied for.
11 CCIE Exam Taking on the Highest Level of all CISCO Certifications Getting Cisco certified is one of the priorities of most IT professionals nowadays. Not only that a high paying job awaits those who are skillful and knowledgeable enough to pass the certification exam, but it is also a great career move that gives way to more learning opportunities for personal growth and development. Among the Cisco certifications, CCIE is the most in demand, having a total of 15,658 people with active CCIE certifications in the world as of November of 2007. CCIE stands for Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert and is the highest level of CISCO certifications. The program started in 1993 originally with a two day lab and was later changed to one day format. The degree of difficulty is a bit high for this exam that only fewer than 3% of Cisco certified individuals attain the CCIE status. Before then exam proper, the candidates are expected to spend more money to attend trainings and practice lab scenarios, not to mention the fee for every exam attempt on both written and lab exams. The written exam costs US $315 per attempt and will be taken first. Candidates need to take note that there is a need to pass the written exam first before taking the lab exam within a period of 18 months. The lab exam costs about US $1400 per attempt, and if the candidate is unsuccessful in passing it on the first try, he or she has 3 years to accomplish the lab exam. If after this period and still the candidate has not yet passed the lab exam, then he or she needs to take the written exam again. Indeed, it is critical to pass both exams on first attempt to save more of one s valuable money.
12 CCIE Jobs The Difference between a Network Administrator and a Network Engineer Taking on the role of a Cisco certified IT professional is rewarding and yet challenging at the same time. A wide variety of jobs await CCIE exam passers, which also depends on the candidate s expertise and experience. Two of the most popular CCIE jobs include working as a Network Administrator or as a Network Engineer on a certain company. Now, what makes one networking job different from the other? A Network Administrator, who manages an organization s PCs or LAN network, has a lot of other job titles attached to it, such as Systems Administrator, Network Operations Analyst, Network Technician or an Information Systems Administrator. Job responsibilities of a Network Administrator include installing, configuring and maintaining PCs, network equipment and network operating systems. He or she must also deal with patching and locking down systems to make sure that only authorized personnel can enter and use the network. He or she must also diligent with strong analytical and interpersonal skills to work closely with users and troubleshoot problems under tense situations. On the other hand, a Network Engineer is also often referred to as a Senior Network Administrator, Network Designer, Network Architect or Network Analyst. He or she is the one responsible in designing and managing the organization s LAN and WAN networks, which means this position is higher than a Network Administrator. Job responsibilities of a Network Engineer include deciding on which software applications and hardware equipment to meet an organization s IT needs, aside from managing the rolling out of new systems while ensuring that appropriate corrective
13 measures are performed. A Network Engineer usually starts out as a Network Administrator and moves on to more specific roles in the future.
14 CCIE Lab Exam A Hands-on Test to Prove One s Qualification Each of the five tracks of CCIE - (a) Routing and Switching, (b) Security, (c) Service Provider, (d) Storage Networking and (e) Voice, has its own written and lab exams that candidates should successfully pass before getting a Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) certification. A written exam is just like any other exam that consists of multiple choice questions taken from various subjects, depending on the candidates chosen track. It is because of this very nature of the written exam that makes it easier for exam takers to pass mostly on first attempt. But then again, the challenge lies on the lab exam, requiring candidates to think of possible practical lab scenarios that will most likely appear on the actual exam. The exam for the lab is what makes CCIE different from other certification programs. It costs around US $1,400 per attempt. It is usually a full day (8 hour) hands-on tests that measure a candidate s ability to configure and troubleshoot equipment. Because of this, there are only quite a few who pass this exam while others may need multiple attempts to complete it. This is not administered by Pearson VUE as there are only 10 specific Cisco lab exam locations worldwide - Bangalore, India; Beijing, China; Brussels, Belgium; Dubai, UAE; Hong Kong, China; Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; San Jose, CA, USA; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; and Tokyo, Japan. However, lab exams for a particular CCIE track are not available at all testing locations so it is better to inquire about it first. Say for example, the lab exam for