Technical Certification (Computers & Networking)
Cisco CCNA Certification: The Value Of Holding A CCNA - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
One question I see often on the 'Net is "Is it worth my time to earn a CCNA / CCNP / CCIE certification?" My personal answer to that is a resounding yes. The power of Cisco certifications has allowed me to create a tremendous career, and they can do the same for you. There has never been a... Submitted 6 years 23 days ago.
Cisco CCNP / BSCI Certification: The BGP Attribute "MED" - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When you're preparing to pass the BSCI exam and earn your CCNP certification, one of the biggest challenges is learning BGP. BGP is totally different from any protocol you learned to earn your CCNA certification, and one of the differences is that BGP uses path attributes to favor one path over... Submitted 6 years 24 days ago.
Cisco CCNP Certification: The BGP Attribute "Local Preference" - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When studying for your BSCI exam for the CCNP, you get your first taste of BGP. One of the major differences between BGP and the other protocols you've studied to date is that BGP uses attributes to describe paths, and to influence the selection of one path over the other. In this free... Submitted 6 years 25 days ago.
Passing the CCNA, Intro, and ICND exam is all about knowing and noticing the details. (Which makes perfect sense, since becoming a master networking administrator or engineer is also about noticing the details!) One such details is knowing the difference between error detection and error... Submitted 6 years 25 days ago.
Cisco CCNP Tutorial: The BGP Weight Attribute - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When you're studying for the CCNP certification, especially the BSCI exam, you must gain a solid understanding of BGP. BGP isn't just one of the biggest topics on the BSCI exam, it's one of the largest. BGP has a great many details that must be mastered for BSCI success, and those of you with one... Submitted 6 years 31 days ago.
Cisco Certification: The "Secret" Key To Getting Your CCNA And CCNP - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
Whether you're working on your CCNA or CCNP, Cisco certification exams are the most demanding computer certification exams in the IT field. Cisco exams are not a test of memorization, they're a test of your analytical skills. You'll need to look at configurations and console output and analyze... Submitted 6 years 31 days ago.
Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: Five Key Combinations You Should Know - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When you start studying for your CCNA and CCNP exams, many books will present you with a huge list of keystroke shortcuts for use on Cisco routers. While the 640-801, 811, and 821 exams may ask you about one or two of these, you really have to get hands-on experience with these commands to master... Submitted 6 years 32 days ago.
Cisco CCNA Certification: The (Many) Different Kinds Of Switching - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When you're studying for your CCNA exam, whether you're taking the Intro-ICND path or the single-exam path, you're quickly introduced to the fact that switching occurs at Layer 2 of the OSI model. No problem there, but then other terms involving switching are thrown in, and some of them can be... Submitted 6 years 34 days ago.
Cisco CCNA Certification: How And Why Switches "Trunk" - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
Your CCNA studies are going to include quite a bit of information about switches, and for good reason if you don't understand basic switching theory, you can't configure and troubleshoot Cisco switches, either on the CCNA exam or in the real world. That goes double for trunking! Trunking is... Submitted 6 years 57 days ago.
Cisco CCNP Certification: A Tutorial On BGP Attribute Types - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
You have to master the details on BGP to pass the BSCI exam and to earn your CCNP, but BGP is an entirely new world from the protocols you studied to earn your CCNA. BGP paths contain attributes, while no protocol you studied for the CCNA carried. BGP Attributes are used to choose the best path... Submitted 6 years 58 days ago.
Occasionally, during your CCNA and CCNP studies, you'll run into a term that just doesn't quite make sense to you. (Okay, more than occasionally!) One such term is "reverse telnet". As a Cisco certification candidate, you know that telnet is simply a protocol that allows you to remotely connect... Submitted 6 years 59 days ago.
Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: Introduction To BGP Attributes - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
BGP is one of the most complex topics you'll study when pursuing your CCNP, if not the most complex. I know from personal experience that when I was earning my CCNP, BGP is the topic that gave me the most trouble at first. One thing I keep reminding today's CCNP candidates about, though, is that... Submitted 6 years 60 days ago.
Cisco CCNP Certifcation: Using The "Update-Source" Command In BGP - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When you start preparing for your CCNP exam, particularly the BSCI exam, you're introduced to Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) configurations. BGP is unlike any protocol you learned during your CCNA studies, and even the similarities are a little bit different! BGP forms neighbor relationships... Submitted 6 years 61 days ago.
Your IT Career: Beware The "Comfort Zone" - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
I've seen it happen time and again to programmers, network engineers and administrators, and other IT personnel. They get a solid IT position, a good-paying job, and they get comfortable. They stop keeping up with the latest technologies, they stop studying, they no longer keep their CCNA, MCSE... Submitted 6 years 81 days ago.
Cisco Certification: Keeping Your CCNA and CCNP Certifications - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
Once you get your CCNA and CCNP, you can't just rest on your accomplishment. You've got to continue to study and add to your skill set - and then prove to Cisco you've been doing just that by recertifying. Recertification sounds like a pain, but it's actually one of the best things to ever... Submitted 6 years 82 days ago.
Computer Certification: Become A Utility Player - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
In baseball, a "utility player" is one who plays more than one position. These players are usually backups, but they have a job in the major leagues because of their value to the team since they can play more than one position, they have that much more value to their employer. Too often in IT... Submitted 6 years 84 days ago.
Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Labs: The Secret To Mastering Troubleshooting - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
CCNA / CCNP candidates are going to be drilled by Cisco when it comes to troubleshooting questions. You're going to have to be able to analyze configurations to see what the problem is (and if there is a problem in the first place), determine the meaning of different debug outputs, and show the... Submitted 6 years 84 days ago.
Cisco CCNA / CCNP Free Tutorial: Home Lab Assembly Case Study - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
Part of your CCNA / CCNP education is deciding what network topology to use when you're putting together your home lab. Some of you are starting with one or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A customer recently sent me a list of his Cisco routers and switches that he... Submitted 6 years 86 days ago.
Tips On Buying A Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Kit - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
Buying a CCNA / CCNP home lab is the best way to be totally prepared for your Cisco exams. Most home labs are put together one router or switch at a time, but many CCNA / CCNP candidates prefer to buy kits where you get multiple routers and switches, along with all the cables and other connection... Submitted 6 years 89 days ago.
CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Assembling A Cisco Home Lab - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
A CCNA or CCNP candidate who wants to be totally prepared for their exams is going to put together a home lab to practice on. With used Cisco routers and switches more affordable and plentiful then ever before, there's really no excuse to not have one! With the many different models available... Submitted 6 years 91 days ago.
Cisco Certification: Where Do You Go After Your CCNA ? - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
Once you've got your CCNA, you're ready to move on to the next level, the Professional certifications. For years, Cisco had one Professional certification, the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification. Over time, Cisco has expanded this level of certifications to include the... Submitted 6 years 92 days ago.
Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: OSPF E2 Routes vs. E1 Routes - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
OSPF is a major topic on both the CCNA and CCNP exams, and it's also the topic that requires the most attention to detail. Where dynamic routing protocols such as RIP and IGRP have only one router type, a look at a Cisco routing table shows several different OSPF route types. R1#show ip route... Submitted 6 years 94 days ago.
CCNA and CCNP candidates are well-versed in Spanning-Tree Protocol, and one of the great things about STP is that it works well with little or no additional configuration. There is one situation where STP works against us just a bit while it prevents switching loops, and that is the situation... Submitted 6 years 97 days ago.
Passing The CCNA And CCNP Exams: Setup Mode - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
CCNA and CCNP candidates need to know all about Setup Mode, why a router goes into that mode, and as you'll see, how to get out of that mode. Practicing Setup Mode at work is a good way to get fired, though, so you need to practice this on your CCNA / CCNP home lab or rack rental. In this article... Submitted 6 years 98 days ago.
Cisco CCNA & CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Cables And More Cables! - Chris Bryant CCIE 12933
When you're putting your CCNA and/or CCNP home lab together, you're not just buying routers and switches you're creating a blueprint for success. There is no better way to learn about how real Cisco routers and switches work than to work with the real thing! Of course, it's not enough to just... Submitted 6 years 99 days ago.
