This just in, Cisco announces the retirement of the CCIP track to be replaced by the CCNP Service Provider track.
This definitely will put an acceleration on plans, or change them altogether for those studying for this certification, including myself.
The official announcement including a link to a migration tool for those wanting to transfer passed exams to the CCNP Service Provider track can be found here:
https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-14595
Well what to do now? Having only passed the Route test that is/was relevant to both tests, it is not feasible to finish with the QOS, BGP, and MPLS tests. Especially since BGP,MPLS, and BGP+MPLS last days to test is July 27th 2012. The new replacement tests will be:
SPRoute- Deploying Cisco Service Provider Network Routing
SPADVRoute- Deploying Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing.
SPCore- Implementing Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation Core Network Service
SPEdge- Implementing Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation Edge Network Services
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/docs/ccnpSP_oView.pdf
New tests means more books, and a different set of exam objectives.
Two more bits of bad news. There is a new prerequisite for a CCNA Service Provider (not Service Provider Ops) to obtain the CCNP Service Provider. AND the tests will be using IOS XR and IOS XE, which is a little harder to get a hold of unless you already work in a Service Provider network.
Well what to do now? Comments? Suggestions? Not really wanting to finish the Design Professional and not sure if I want to study for an environment that I do not work in, yet. So shoot for the top and start the long process off CCIE greatness??
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Video Training
INE & CBT Nuggets:
Just wanted to post a quick comparison between the two videos.
I have mostly used the videos from CBT Nuggets with Jeremy Cioara but this is my first time using a different vendor and instructor.
Without trying to be biased...
The CBT nuggets are more of a birds eye view or swimming in the shallow end of a pool when covering a particular technology. The videos average longer in length with at least 25-30 minutes or so being the average minimum. However, with Jeremy's many years of teaching, there is a good flow he has honed over the years.
The INE videos seem to go into a little more into the nooks and crannies of a technology. These videos definitely seem to be tailored towards short bursts of information with no video, except one (at least in the MPLS series), being more than 25 minutes in length.
One thing I have noticed is that the flow from the instructor is not as smooth and it definitely helped since I have read a lot from Cisco Press and performed some labs beforehand at GNS3Vault. Otherwise, I would be lost when small tangents of information and different options are talked about.
I hope that helps anyone looking for different resources for studying. I usually watch, read, and do when I study. Always use as many resources as you can!
Just wanted to post a quick comparison between the two videos.
I have mostly used the videos from CBT Nuggets with Jeremy Cioara but this is my first time using a different vendor and instructor.
Without trying to be biased...
The CBT nuggets are more of a birds eye view or swimming in the shallow end of a pool when covering a particular technology. The videos average longer in length with at least 25-30 minutes or so being the average minimum. However, with Jeremy's many years of teaching, there is a good flow he has honed over the years.
The INE videos seem to go into a little more into the nooks and crannies of a technology. These videos definitely seem to be tailored towards short bursts of information with no video, except one (at least in the MPLS series), being more than 25 minutes in length.
One thing I have noticed is that the flow from the instructor is not as smooth and it definitely helped since I have read a lot from Cisco Press and performed some labs beforehand at GNS3Vault. Otherwise, I would be lost when small tangents of information and different options are talked about.
I hope that helps anyone looking for different resources for studying. I usually watch, read, and do when I study. Always use as many resources as you can!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Have a Plan
It has been way too long since my last update, and unfortunately, this will not necessarily be a technical post. I DO eventually plan to post technical articles on different technologies based on what I come across in my studies, work, or just networking news in general.
I hit a wall with studying as I did not follow my usual study schedule. So this post will be on sticking to your game plan, and if you don't have one, make one!
Currently studying MPLS for the Cisco CCIP certification track, I was only casually reading the book with no set date or goal in sight. The book I am reading, MPLS and VPN Architectures is somewhat difficult to read. What made it even worse is the fact that I had no set date to reach my goal. Once this was brought to my attention, I immediately got the Cisco bug again!
SO in addition to reading Cisco Press and using the network emulator GNS3, I have added the INE video library for the CCIP certification to my arsenal. Perhaps at a later date I will compare these videos to the CBT Nuggets that I have used in the past.
In conclusion, have a game plan, set a time frame or end date, and do your best to stay on track!
The more I study/learn, the less I know.
I hit a wall with studying as I did not follow my usual study schedule. So this post will be on sticking to your game plan, and if you don't have one, make one!
Currently studying MPLS for the Cisco CCIP certification track, I was only casually reading the book with no set date or goal in sight. The book I am reading, MPLS and VPN Architectures is somewhat difficult to read. What made it even worse is the fact that I had no set date to reach my goal. Once this was brought to my attention, I immediately got the Cisco bug again!
SO in addition to reading Cisco Press and using the network emulator GNS3, I have added the INE video library for the CCIP certification to my arsenal. Perhaps at a later date I will compare these videos to the CBT Nuggets that I have used in the past.
In conclusion, have a game plan, set a time frame or end date, and do your best to stay on track!
The more I study/learn, the less I know.
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