Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification Exam: Frame Relay Encapsulation Types by Chris Bryant
When you're studying to pass the Cisco CCNA and CCNP certification exams, you quickly learn that there's always something else to learn. (You'll really pick up on this in your CCIE studies, trust me!) Today we'll take a look at an often-overlooked topic in Frame Relay, the encapsulation type. ... You don't exactly change this on a daily basis in production networks (not if you want to stay employed, anyway!), but it's an important exam topic that you must be familiar with. ... In the following example, all PVCs will use the default Cisco encapsulation type except for PVC 115.

Cisco CCNA Certification: The (Many) Different Kinds Of Switching by Chris Bryant
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... The circuit-switching technology most familiar to CCNA candidates is ISDN. ... Cell-switched packets are fixed in length. ... When the protocol runs at Layer 2 rather than Layer 3, the process is referred to as frame switching.

Passing Cisco's CCNA and CCNP Exams: Traceroute by Chris Bryant
In preparation for your CCNA and CCNP exam success, you've got to learn to troubleshoot Cisco routers. And while ping is a great basic IP connectivity tool, it doesn't give you all the information you need to diagnose network connectivity issues. Let's say you have six routers between CityA and... Add this command to your Cisco skill set, and it will serve you well both on the CCNA and CCNP exams and your real-world networks. ... That keystroke takes a little getting used to, but a CCNA or CCNP can do it!

Cisco CCNA Certification: Defining Broadcast Domains by Chris Bryant
When you're studying to pass the CCNA exam and earn your certification, you're introduced to a great many terms that are either totally new to you or seem familiar, but you're not quite sure what they are. The term "broadcast domain" falls into the latter category for many CCNA candidates. ... These switches are not tested on the CCNA exam.) That router we just talked about also defines broadcast domains. ... Knowing how broadcasts travel across your network, and how they can be controlled, is an important part of being a CCNA and of being a superior network administrator.

Cisco Certification: The Most Important Cisco Study You'll Ever Do by Chris Bryant
All of us are familiar with the pyramids of Egypt. These magnificent structures have stood for thousands of years, withstanding extreme heat and other factors that would bring down an ordinary structure. When we look at these pyramids, we instinctively look toward the peak. ... Keep in mind, though, that when you're studying for your CCNA, you're not just studying for a certification exam - you're building the foundation for the rest of your Cisco certifications and the rest of your career. ... Your CCNA studies are the most important studies of your career.

Cisco Certification: The OSI Model Isn't Just For Exams Anymore! by Chris Bryant
There's nothing I enjoy more than teaching Cisco technologies, especially CCNA candidates. Whether it's in-person or online, everyone's excited to be there. There's a sense of anticipation in the air, and everyone is ready to work hard, get their hands on the racks of Cisco routers and switches... That's why I tell CCNA and CCNP candidates that they've got to get all the hands-on practice they can; while I understand the importance of theory, the only way to develop troubleshooting ability is to work on the real deal.

Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: The Four (Or Five) STP Port States by Chris Bryant
As a CCNP candidate and a CCNA, you may be tempted to skip or just browse the many details of Spanning Tree Protocol. After all, you learned all of that in your CCNA studies, right? That's right, but it never hurts to review STP for a switching exam! ... SW1#show spanning-tree interface fast 0/11 Vlan Role Sts Cost Prio.Nbr Type ---------------- ---- --- --------- -------- ---------- VLAN0001 Desg FWD 19 128.11 P2p To see these states in action, shut a port down in your CCNA / CCNP home lab and continually run the show spanning interface command.

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Training: Telnet, Passwords, and Privilege Levels by Chris Bryant
Your CCNA certification exam is likely going to contain questions about Telnet, an application-level protocol that allows remote communication between two networking devices. With Telnet use being as common as it is, you had better know the details of how to configure it in order to pass your... In this CCNA case study, R2 has an IP address of 172.12.123.2 and R1 an address of 172.12.123.1. ... If we wanted to allow all telnetting users to be put into privileged exec mode immediately without being prompted for an enable password, the command privilege level 15 placed on the VTY lines will...

Cisco CCNP Certification / BSCI Exam Tutorial: Route Summarization Basics by Chris Bryant
As you earn your CCNA and CCNP certification, you're going to have to get comfortable with manually summarizing routes. This isn't just another reason to learn binary math (although it's a good one!), but summarizing routes is a true real-world skill that can help your network operate more... To prepare for success on your CCNA and CCNP exam, you've got to know how to summarize routes as well as the specific commands for doing so with OSPF, EIGRP, RIP, and IGRP - but knowing why to summarize routes is just as important as knowing how!

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Tutorial: Configuring Dialer Profiles by Chris Bryant
The most common method of configuring ISDN is with dialer maps, but dial information can also be configured on a logical interface. To pass the CCNA exam, you must know how to configure and troubleshoot both dialer maps and dialer profiles. Dialer Profiles allow different dialing information to... Configuring dialer profiles can be a little tricky at first, and the best way to master this skill is to get real hands-on practice in your own CCNA / CCNP home lab or a rack rental service. ... R1(config)#interface dialer0 R1(config-if)#ip address 172.16.1.1 255.255.255.0...