failed ccna with 750, book + testking + actual routers 1

[dmb2002man]

what should i do now. I have setup 2500-2503-1900-2924 equipment at my house running eigrp and can ping all devices and everything. On my exam there were alot of nat and ip access list and i need to get alot more in depth with them. I do have the latest testking but im not sure how much that helped me or not. I did find a few similiar questions on the exam. Basically i found out there wasnt one easy question on the exam i took. I thought for sure some of these questions would be on it.

DOD-Application, host-to-host, Internet, Network Access and how it compares to layers of the IOS.

Bits, frames, packets, segments, datagram, datagram, datagram

I know exactly how to commute the ip address with hosting and network bits. Like for example 192.168.0.12/26, how many usable host will this address adddress. 2^6-2=62

Im having trouble like if there is a network with routers/switches, pcs, and most of the stuff has ip address and it says what will be ip address of this router?

I know that rip, igrp are distance vector and dont support VLSM

I know that OSPF, EIGRP and RipV2 are link state and do support VLSM

Eigrp is a cisco proprietory. CDP is cisco proprietary.

Rip is 120, osp 110, igrp 100, eigrp 90.

Rip and igrp are calculated on hops and rip is maxed on 15 hops and igrp is 255.

Rip sends out broadcast every 30 seconds while igrp is 90 seconds.

Ospf and Eigrp dont broadcast.

Eigrp is the best routing protocol but its cisco proprietary so the next is ospf if your not running all cisco equipment.

I had a lot of questions where it would show a question or problem and you would have to pick 2 or 3 layers for the problem and i wasnt sure on a few of those.

I had one simulation where alls i had to do was no shutdown serial port 1 to bring it up since when i do show running-config it said it was administravely down and wasnt receiving any updates and that had to be the problem to solve that one. I did show ip interfaces on the serial port one to show it was down. First i had to log into the router, show cdp neighbors detail so i can get the ip address to router adjacent to it, then telent into that router, do a show cdp neighbors detail on that to get the router that was on the farthest right. So i got the ip address of that and telnet into it and do a show ip interface and it shows serial 1 administ down, so i bring it back up and save the running-config and move on to next questions.

I had a question about password recovery and it was at the command prompt and it wanted to know what you type in and i put 0x2142 and after that you change it back to 0x2102.

Had alot of nat questions that i wasnt 100% on because i didnt think there would be 10-15 questions on just that alone.

Alot of questions on access lists too which i wasnt 100% sure on.

I had a few questions on vlans, that one showed a vlan in client mode and asked what would he doing. Well being in client you know he wouldnt beable to change anything he would just sent out updates.

Alot more questions on ospf than i thought and only a few on rip.

Im still kind of confused on nat and how you take a private address and convert it to the web. So i really need to study alot more on that subject too.

Im just too the point now that i need something that is going to be pretty clear of why the answers are that. I know testking gives the answers but on alot you dont even know why on the subnetting parts and stuff which is basically the whole ccna exam and im sure some answers are wrong too.

Has anyone tried

http://www.thebryantadvantage.com/

package deal.

I just need some examples that i could translate to my real exams and practice more on the code and commands. He states that he will give you complete examples and everything.

thanks

Josh

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Josh,

First, the CCNA is a hard test - I have known many people that have failed it several times and they had a good grasp on the content. If it was easy - everyone would be doing it!!

The only study material you said was TESTKING - drop the Testking - it is basicly cheating - memorizing questions and answers will only lead to trouble - Cisco can get the TestKings also and all they have to do is change a question just a slight bit and you are sunk!!! This will kill you unless you know the content like the back of your hand - avoid Testking - they are braindumps!!

You have to know the material!! More hands on and I would get at least 2 GOOD Cisco CCNA books - one from Cisco Press, I think Cisco Press goes into a much deeper degree then needed just to pass the test but that is GOOD because you need to understand this to that degree!

The other book I would get is Sybex CCNA Study Guide by Todd L. 5th edition - he has been writing this study guide since the CCNA came out - tends to cover just what you need for the CCNA exam - covers about 90% of what you need on the exam - it has been stated here that he is short in some areas but I have a lot of students that have done his book front to back and passed the CCNA with no trouble.

You also might try CBT Nuggets - go to

http://www.cbtnuggets.com

and you can try a bunch od the full Cisco videos and see if you like them - when it gets hard to read it can be nice to have an expert explain a subject to you on a white board - try one of the free ones - I think they are great but not cheep!!

As far as the questions - no rhyme or reason what you can expect - I have had 10-15 subnet mask and I have had friends that had 8-9 ISDN - only Cisco knows how it is picked what you get!!!

Most questions build on several concepts like all the things you listed OSI Model, encapsalation, etc - they might not ask it but you need to know it to answer another question.

CCNA is about troubleshooting - you can expect lots of common troubles like passwords and routing trouble - OSPF is big - understand it - set it up run the show commands - understand it, then take it off and do RIP, then EIGRP - this is why you need at least 3 routers (3 2503 will be fine) tons of hands on.

Read the forum and you will see you are not the only one to fail a Cisco exam - just learn from it and get better!

Hope this helps!



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

 

[dmb2002man]

thanks for the reply. Im going to start understanding 100% throughly until i know it off the back of my head. I did read the cisco intro and icnd books which come to about 1200 pages. But remember that is alot of info to take in to remember every single little detail. To be honest, alot of the testking questions are easy compared to the real ccna exam. I got the sybex book too and thought about reading that book before i go take it again and practice practice practice with all my routers.

My goal is to retake it again in a few months.

Do you know if i will get the same exam before or do they change it. Because i remeber alot of questions i had the first time around.

If i would of known the whole test was troubleshooting i would of studied that more in dept but i thought there would be some intro questions on there but not very many at least on the exam i took there wasnt.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Josh,

No you will not get the same test - you might get a few of the same questions but that will just be "luck of the draw"!

And yes it is a lot to know - as you do the labs, read the books, watch videos, work on a sim, read forums and all the other things we do to stay on top of the technology you will find you remember more and more.

There are no shortcuts - learn it now or it will next haunt you on the job interview or once you start to work! Stay away from the Testkings!

Do ALL the labs in the Cisco Press and Sybex books - lots of hands on - and as you are reading something - stop and try it on the routers. Learn by doing!

Just my thoughts after about 8 years of this!


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

 

[dmb2002man]

well i wasnt trying to shortcut it. I did read the the cisco book which was 1200 pages. I setup my home network, i work in IT and setup the network at work but its just a basic setup to support 20 pcs. So im just using a router and a switch with mac addressing configured on each and a firewall.

I need to go more in depth with my cisco equipment at home each night. I currently have 2501-2503-2610-2924-1900 switch. Do you think i need another 2520 so i can run and setup a frame relay setup so i can understand that better.

This next time around i will make sure i know the info down to everything.

I really didnt think it would be that hard but i found out wrong. It was harder than any school exam getting me a 4 year bachelor of science degree.

Josh

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Josh,

A 2520 makes a great Frame Relay switch - sounds like a great idea - you can have a pretty good lab that could be a foundation if you move on to CCNP.

Do not rush it - read the Sybex book and go through the Cisco Press books again! Check out the FREE videos at CBT Nuggets, also check past posts here for links to other free resources for Cisco exams.

Once again - good luck!


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

 

[onoski]

Hi Josh,

Judging from your post it seems you did not use an exam practice test software such as Transcenders I heard it's quite good and harder than actual exam. I also heard testsoftware practice sims are good as well.

I am planning on taking this exam soon and really taking in a lot of information and hands on practice. Don't worry about your result as am sure next time round you'd come out with a smile on your face and don't give up just keep at it. Thanks for sharing. I am also reading the exam cram book with lots of info and hands on.

Apparently, someone that took the test recently recommended the book as well equiped to prepare for ccna exam than sybex and cisco press ones. I can see why as he goes into way a lot of details with hands on and exam tips too.

keep us posted on how you get on.

 

[dmb2002man]

thanks onoski.

I started reading sybex last night. I really like the first chapter so far and its really easy for me to understand. I cant wait to go further into my real equipment this time around and i will be doing cisco flashcards every and each day im bored at work.

When i was driving to work this morning, after reading chapter one, i just kept writing down everything i remembered about it. Tonight im going to do all the chapter questions and if i dont understand it thoroughly i will be reading again before moving on.

I plan on taking the exam again in march or april no sooner though because im taking this alot more serious and im going to pass this time around and then go get a beer afterwards, lol.

I will keep posted on a daily basis or something and if i have a question or something i will definately make a post to try and get a answer or some feedback.

thanks everyone,

 

[GM2005]

Firstly, you will get there.

Understanding the reason behind what you are doing is the trick. Use whatever method that works for you, I drew chaotic diagrams picturing the process going on in the section I was reading and asked lots of questions from peers. Most are so pleased to be consulted they bent over to help.

I honestly believe that there are two ways to pass certification exams;

Firstly to ensure you genuinely grasp the basic theories confidently, so that however a question is framed, you can spot the answer or deduce the answer by examining the options.

Secondly is to take loads of practice exams and discover that just one single parameter in a question, from testking or whoever, has changed in the real exam and you are exposed.

If you take the second route and somehow pass you will still not ready to fulfill the expectation the title denotes. Thats where the real difference lies.

 

[dmb2002man]

GM2005 - WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS COMMENT

If you take the second route and somehow pass you will still not ready to fulfill the expectation the title denotes. Thats where the real difference lies.

========================================================
I have a full lab setup in my house with 2501-2503-2610-1900-2924 equipment. I have them all running igrp now but im deleting everything and starting over which im going to do a million times before i take the next exam.

Im goign to completely read the sybex book and do all the tutorials and questions at end of each chapter.

Plus im going to do cisco global knowledge.

Plus actually turn my network at work into all cisco since i am the IT person.

So your trying to tell me this isnt enough?

 

[onoski]

I think when people are replying to a post sometimes actually a lot of the times their post comes across as am the only one talented to take certs or work in the IT dept with bla bla bla yrs of experience.

I believe this is the type of attitude that sends a wrong message and hence hinders true hard working individuals from taking up IT as a career.

All I would say is that if your real and know what you want to get out of IT it would not mean jack what bashers and negative people comment.

Keep working hard and get as much hands on you can get with the real stuff like what you are already doing with the switches and routers dmd2002man. Cheerio.

 

[dmb2002man]

hey everyone,

Im currently on chapter 4 so far in the sybex book. Okay on with a programming question.

I did a erase startup-config on all my routers and a reload after. So that made me start over on everything.

So i was setting the hostnames, the secret passwords, console passwords, banners, date/time, etc and i was setting up the serial port on one of the routers and since it was a wan, router to router connection on S0, i tried to us the ip address 192.168.1.128 255.255.255.252 and it was saying /30 invalid mask. I dont get it because that should be valid or am i missing something. I also tried 192.168.1.20 255.255.255.252 which didnt work either. So then i tried 192.168.1.12 255.255.255.240 and that worked. I wanted to use the /30 for the wan link since i only need two hosts so it wouldnt waste none.

I was using a 2610-2503-2501 router.

Someone please answer my question.

 

[jonez90]

Hi,

You cannot use IP 192.168.1.128 with a /30 mask, as it is the subnet address. with a /30 mask you only get 2 host addresses, however you also have a subnet and broadcast address, see the following breakdown.

192.168.1.128 - subnet address
192.168.1.129 - 1st host address
192.168.1.130 - 2nd host address
192.168.1.131 - broadcast address

The same rule applies when you use 192.168.1.20 with /30 mask.

192.168.1.20 - subnet address
192.168.1.21 - 1st host address
192.168.1.22 - 2nd host address
192.168.1.23 - broadcast address

 

[dmb2002man]

thanks very much i totally understand it now. I should of known it was the subnet address but i just kept overlooking it. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[dmb2002man]

hey i got another question guys as reading the sybex book.

What is exactly when configuring ospf.

Network 192.168.10.64 0.0.0.3 area 1

Im not sure what the .3 is and how do you do it.

Network 10.10.10.0 0.0.0.255 - i do understand the 255 wildcard

Can someone please clear this up with me. Im retakign the exam by end of month as i will finish the sybex book this weekend and start craming again. I definately like the sybex book makes you understand everything very well.

So far i have done all the end of chapter questions and all hands on labs with my real equipment. Im actually running ospf at home right now on my cable modem network.

thanks everyone,

Josh

 

[techkiwi]

The statement

network 192.168.10.64 0.0.0.3 area 1

defines the interfaces to run OSPF on, and the wildcard mask is used as a shorthand way to cover multiple interfaces. So the above statement would start the OSPF process running on any interfaces with the following IP addresses

192.168.10.64
192.168.10.65
192.168.10.66
192.168.10.67

And will put them all in area 1.

Hope this helps





Graham M. CCNP

 

[helpdeskdan]

It's the area wildcard mask. The bits that are on are the bits that ospf looks at. For instance, that .3 is 00000011. So, it says "Ignore the last two bits as they are not part of the network address."

So, you are used to thinking 255.255.255.252, which is 11111100. Just turn the 0's to 1's and the 1's to 0's and you have your. Your 0.0.0.255 is 255.255.255.0. Does this make sense?

 

[helpdeskdan]

Sorry techkiwi - I guess you beat me to it! & I meant to say "Just turn the 0's to 1's and the 1's to 0's and you have your area wildcard mask of 0.0.0.3" I have a cold and maybe a fever - can't think. Need NyQuil.

 

[Superd04]

0.0.0.3 signifies a network block size of 4
eg. you want to block a network range of 192.168.10.60 to 192.168.10.64 i.e. will need a wildcard mask of 0.0.0.3

Think of it as inverting the subnet mask:
A 255.255.255.0 subnet, wildcard mask is 0.0.0.255
A 255.255.255.252 subnet, wildcard mask 0.0.0.3
The wildcard mask is always one less then the network block size

 

[dmb2002man]

thanks everyone for the replies. I totally understand it now.