Break into Cisco Networking. 2

[Giant99]

Hi,

I'm a CCNA living in England just south of London. My CCNA is out of date next May and I have just started studying for my BSCI.
I work in 1st/2nd line support for a large company (2000 users).
I am finding it impossible to break into networking. The network team here have no jobs for someone at my level. I do well in interviews except I cannot say 'yeah, I have Cisco experience'. I tell them I got my CCNA from zero knowledge to passing in three weeks (studying eight hours a day including weekends). I have a Boson simulator. I do not have the space or money to set up actual routers and switches.

Can anyone out there give me advice on breaking into the field?

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[lerdalt]

I usually recommend people to try and get an internship to try and get some experience. Another thing you could try is asking the network team to just help out with projects. It may end up being just plugging in cables, but some exposure is better than none.

Also, do you have any equipment at home? Some of my best experience has come from setting up various labs either at home (or sometimes at work even) with live equipment. Nothing beats hands on experience.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

lerdalt,

You said - "do you have any equipment at home?" I will second that, it is VERY hard to get a lot of experience on the job because in most cases you just monitor a working network and only act if and when something goes wrong!

Build a complex home network like this and no one will ever question if you have have experience -

http://smorris.uber-geek.net/lab.htm

You don't have to go to this extreme but have a home lab and then you can "talk the talk" and "walk the walk" when you interview - make yourself the best "Cisco Guy" they have ever interviewed! And - if you are moving up to CCNP, YOU NEED A HOME LAB - BOOK KNOWLEDGE WILL NOT GET YOU ANYWHERE!!!!!!

Just some thoughts!





E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[maczen]

You can get a decent CCNA lab for a good price.

Buy a couple of 2500 series routers as well as a 3640. Then buy three 2924-XL-EN Catalyst Switches. Other than that you just need a couple of back to back DCEtoDTE serial cables and some cross-over and straight through ethernet cables plus one two network modules/WICS. An NM-4T and NM-1FE2W or an NM-1FE2W and a WIC-1T. This will give you a fast ethernet port on the 3640 as well as a serial connection to interface to one of the 25xx's that will be acting as your FR (Frame Relay) switch. TOTAL AVERAGE eBay COST = LESS THAN $350

Best deal on the 3640 router is at

http://www.cablesandkits.com

... Ask Burtbees about the free M&M's!!! Cost = $99

This is just one direction.. Limitations of this design is the lack of IOS on the switches which run CatOS... In a way this is no limitation as it will provide flexibility in your capabilities...

The good thing about this is that it is easy to upgrade for CCNA Security (Just need a server and an ISR), for CCNA Voice (Cards exist for the 3640 + buy the phones ETC) or you can also buy a 1760... There is even a a couple of wireless modules that work with the 3640 which adds credence to this particular router in the CCNA Wireless setup... For CCNP you will invest a little more but that is on down the line..

If you can afford a tad more in the beginning then I would recommend replacing the 2924-XL-EN switches with 2950 switches. You can usually find the 2950-12 and 2950-24 (SI models) for under $100 each... TWO WENT FOR $120 TODAY ON eBay!!! I was tempted but have three already.. two are EI models..

Good Luck and I hope this helps!!!



B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI

 

[lerdalt]

Something else we never talk about as far as equipment goes is the possibility of getting a rack to put it all in. Not that it's a requirement, but it is nice to have all the stuff mounted in something.

I managed to pick up a 20u rack on ebay pretty cheap, but they are harder to come by I think. One thing I always considered was this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/19-TABLE-TOP-RA...ryZ23789QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pretty cheap and would hold enough stuff to easily get through CCNA's and CCNP.

Wild part is, when I bought my rack, the wife didn't even think I was crazy for it. But then again, she already knows I'm a little nuts.

 

[maczen]

Nice one Lerdalt.. $25 after shipping... I spent closer to $100 on my Skeletek B20U...

I would buy/build a "roll cart" for it though as it is nice to have the wheels.. LoL

Ultimately you will have to buy the equipment for the hands on experience Giant99... I just bought a NM-4B-ST, a NM-4B-U and a an NM-4T1-IMA (Need two of these for a back-to-back setup)... Like this..

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk39/tk356/technologies_q_and_a_item09186a0080111162.shtml

That is the beautiful thing about the 3640 in a lab environment.. You have four network module slots which provide a lot of flexibility in your lab later on. I have three now...

Here is my lab currently... (It has evolved)

3x Cisco 3640
3x Cisco 2950
1x Cisco 2511
1x Juniper NS-5GT Wireless
1x Cisco AP-350

I plan on complementing this with both a 3550 EI layer 3 switch and an ASA device. (Probably the 5510) But I have everything I need for now so I will wait to buy those devices as prices will eventually drop...

This lab would probably cost you around $1500 or so to piece together if you include cables and everything but you can get by with much less!!!

B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI

 

[lerdalt]

no kidding about the roll cart for it. I just put my rack on wheels a couple weeks ago. I've had a small break from studying for awhile now. But once have already taken advantage of it being on wheels.

My other little trick is using colored electrical tape to tag both ends of a cable and even color code the routers.

 

[maczen]

I am slowly building up the need to color code those cables.. Just bought some ISDN and went ahead and bought a second ATM card as well.. Will give me something to play with other than the Security.. I am growing slightly annoyed with the inability to obtain ACS.

B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI

 

[lerdalt]

looking for windows or linux install for acs?

 

[lerdalt]

maczen..here is a link to download the 90day eval:

https://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/apps/frmgen/formgenerator.pl?pid=10180&fid=10281

 

[CiscoGuy33]

lerdalt,

You aren't kidding about color coding - I have a whole drawer of different color electric tape at work - makes it so easy to tell what is plugged into what.

At home, I have all the Ethernet cables color coded - Gray from Fios jack to a Cisco Fast 400 hub then yellow from the Cisco hub to 3 different routers - a Cisco 2651XM, a Cisco 831 and a Linksys router they all are connected to another Cisco hub with red cables (only have 1 router on at a time but at times I will play with the Ciscos and the Linksys can be switched on and I am back connected to Internet) I have 2 more red cables that run from the Cisco hub to 2 IP Cop firewalls, one a Dell Dual 600 P3 and the other a Gateway P3 500 (the Gateway is just a redundent firewall and I only turn it on if I have trouble with the Dell)

Both the IP Cop Firewalls have Green, Blue and Orange cables running to 3 different Cisco 2924 switches, Green is my main network, Blue is my test network and Orange is my DMZ, I normally do not have the Blue and Orange switches on.

                   _ Linksys________
                  |                 |
FIOS ----Cisco Hub|- Cisco 2651XM --|-Cisco Hub-|
                  |_ Cisco 831______|           |
                                             _______    
                                            |       |
                                            |       |
                                      IP Cop       IP Cop
                                       Dell         Gateway
                                        | | |        | | |
                                        G O B        G O B
                                        R R L        R R L
                                        E A U        E A U
                                        E N E        E N E
                                        N G          N G
                                          E            E

E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[lerdalt]

haha..I take it even another step...I color code the ends of my power cords too. Even at work. Makes tracing power cords a snap. Especially for some of those 3am downtime sessions.

 

[maczen]

Thanks Guys!

B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI

 

[CiscoGuy33]

lerdalt,

You said - "haha..I take it even another step...I color code the ends of my power cords too" I have done that at work also - it makes it sooo much easier to track down what is plugged in where when you have 10 switches and routers in the rack.

At home I have everything plugged into 4 of those 5 switch under monitor controlers (I have 3 of them stacked) and each switch is labled, so when I need to turn on the "Blue" switch (switches do not have on/off buttons) I just turn on the Switch marked "Blue", same for the 3 routers, the 2 hubs and the 2 IP Cop firewalls - makes it very easy to control and when things are off they are off completely!

I will say that this is a nice arrangement - if I EVER suspect any kind of hack or other trouble, I just turn off the hub that is connected to the FIOS jack and NO MORE CONNECTION! I can also tell at a glance exactly what is on since each switch is lighted when "on" ! This also helps because I work 12 hour shifts and I might not use my home network for several days during the work week - I can power EVERYTHING down.


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[maczen]

Hey Ciscoguy,
What was the process for your CCAI? I asked my Net Acad instructor but he did not have his!

B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI

 

[reddevil2]

Unlike Giant99 I don't have my full CCNA yet just the CCENT, do good at the IV stage, only to be rejected on the lack of exoeriece points later on. I have just bought a lab off EBAY. cost £215 with postage. It is not up and running yet but I feel the more I'll gat time to get things wrong at home the less time I'll waste when I get a networking job. And hopefully it will make me a better Tech

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Billy,

To be a CCAI or Certified Cisco Academy Instructor you have to be a CCNA and then teach a Cisco Academy class, in the past you had to go through several weeks of training, in 1999 I had to go through all 4 CCNA classes but we did all 4 in about 20 days. We took all the tests, did most of the hands-on as well as learning what you need to know to be an instructor.

Passing that allowed me to teach in a Cisco Academy and once I had taught several classes and got my CCNA I was able to apply for CCAI. I have taught about 75 15 week classes over the past 8 years. We had to recertify about 3 years ago when Cisco first changed the CCNA - had to do several online tests as well as configure several routers!

So to be a CCAI, you need to find a Cisco Academy that is willing to let you teach, go through the "train the trainer" classes, teach the required classes and apply to the Cisco Network Academy to be a CCAI.

Hard part is finding some place that will let you teach!!

Hope this explains it!

E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[maczen]

Explained it perfectly.. Thanks CiscoG!

B Haines
CCNA R&S, ETA FOI

 

[Giant99]

Thanks for all your great replies.

I am thinking of putting a lab together. The head of networking has said I can borrow some old equipment from the store room. I will have look and post a list of what is available. He said there is a pair of 7200 routers and a couple of 24 port switches.
I don't know a lot about what equipment is what so if there is advise on the list I would appreciate it.

Thanks again.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Giant99,

Read this post at Network World from Wedell Odom CCIE about setting up a CCNA lab, it goes into great detail about cost and different equipment you should have etc -

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24916

He also wrote about setting up a CCNP lab!

See what you can get from the company, however, you are not looking at more then $400 to $500 even if you have to buy it all yourself. Start small and one day you will have one like the uber geek I linked at the top of this post

E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +