Cisco Certification: The Joy Of Hex by Chris Bryant
Cisco certification candidates, particularly CCNA candidates, must master binary math. This includes basic conversions, such as binary-to-decimal and decimal-to-binary, as well as more advanced scenarios involving subnetting and VLSM. There’s another conversion that might rear its ugly head on... (CCNA candidates will remember that a MAC address of “ffff.ffff.ffff” is a Layer 2 broadcast.) Practice Your Conversions For Exam Success Now that you know where the letters fall into place in the hexadecimal numbering world, you’ll have little trouble converting hex to decimal and decimal to...

CCNA Tests by Marcus Peterson
Most of the modes for preparing for CCNA Certification - study guides, forums, online and classroom courses, etc., - give the students several CCNA tests to prepare them for the actual CCNA exam. These tests not only sharpen their knowledge but also provide the students with realistic... These tests tend to be the most realistic exam simulations with item types unique to every exam (case studies, active screen, drag and drop, hot area, multiple choice, free response, etc.). ... Apart from giving CCNA tests, these companies also include flash cards and 24/7 mentoring as a part of their...

Free CCNA Study Guides by Marcus Peterson
The CCNA certification (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is a certification that indicates a foundation in and apprentice knowledge of networking. CCNA certified professionals can install, configure, and operate LAN, WAN, and dial access services for small networks (100 nodes or fewer)... The 640-801 single exam option is the most popular route for earning the CCNA certification; however, a two-exam option has been introduced by Cisco since 2003. ... There are two options available for CCNA certification: 640-801 CCNA or 640-821 INTRO combined with 640-811 ICND.

Passing The CCNA And CCNP: Cisco Home Lab FAQ by Chris Bryant
There is a real revolution today among CCNA and CCNP candidates. More and more of you are turning your back on "router simulators" and putting your own CCNA and/or CCNP Home Lab together, which is the best way to totally prepare to pass these tough Cisco exams. ... Make sure that at least one of your switches has an IOS; 1900 switches do not have an IOS and while they're better than not having a switch, they're not going to give you the practice you need to pass the CCNA and CCNP. ... Again, the configuration is easy, and having a frame relay switch in your home lab will give you practice...

Four Important Commands For Your CCNA / CCNP Home Lab by Chris Bryant
More CCNA and CCNP candidates than ever before are putting together their own home practice labs. It's more affordable than it ever has been, and I receive emails daily from new CCNAs and CCNPs who say it's the best thing they could have done to improve their studies. ... If you have an access server, I highly recommend you configure this command on your lines, as shown here: ACCESS_SERVER(con)#line 1 8 ACCESS_SERVER(con)#no exec From your CCNA studies, you know that the command "no ip domain-lookup" prevents a Cisco router from sending a broadcast to find a DNS server anytime you enter...

Cisco Certification: The "Secret" Key To Getting Your CCNA And CCNP by Chris Bryant
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... No software program or "simulator" is going to give you the debug practice you need. ... By using debugs as part of your CCNA and CCNP studies, you're going beyond just memorizing commands and thinking you understand everything that's happening when you enter a command or two.

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab: Why You Need An ISDN Simulator by Chris Bryant
ISDN is a vital topic for today's CCNA and CCNP candidates, especially for the ICND and Intro exams - you've got to know ISDN inside and out to pass those exams. Naturally you want to include it in your home lab. What many candidates don't realize is that you can't connect two Cisco routers... Either way, an ISDN simulator is great for your CCNA/CCNP home lab, because you can practice dial scenarios that actually work. ... Don't just settle for trying to memorize theory - get your hands on the real deal, practice and fix your configurations, and you'll be amazed at what you learn and how...

Cisco Certification: Taking Your First Certification Exam by Chris Bryant
You've studied hard; you've practiced your configurations; you've used your flash cards over and over again; and finally, the big day is here. Your first certification exam! For many Cisco certification candidates, their first exam is the CCNA Composite exam or one of the two exams that make up... Pay Attention To The Exam Tutorials You'll then be presented with an exam tutorial, showing you how to answer the different types of questions Cisco may ask. ... I strongly advise that if you're taking your exam at a technical school, ask to see the testing room BEFORE you sign up for the exam.

How To Earn Cisco's Firewall Specialist Certification by Chris Bryant
Security is a hot topic in today's networks, and will continue to be for a long time to come. With that in mind, you must consider adding a Cisco security certification to your resume and firewall skills to your skill set. It's quite a jump from the CCNA to the CCSP (Cisco Certified Security... (As always, you should check for the latest exam blueprints at Cisco's website. ... The final day to register for the SECUR exam is December 19, 2005. ... The only prerequisite for this certification is that you must hold a valid CCNA certification.

CCNA / MCSE / CCNP Certification: Making Failure Work For You by Chris Bryant
Whether you're on the road to the CCNA, CCNP, MCSE, or you're on any other computer certification track, the odds are that sooner or later, you're going to fail an exam. It's happened to almost all of us, yours truly included. What you have to keep in mind in these times is that success is not a... I'm not asking you to be happy about failing an exam. ... You're allowed to get mad for a few minutes, vow to never take another exam again, and be disappointed. ... Did you get some hands-on practice with the technology you're studying?