CCNA Books – How To Choose the Right Exam Preparation CCNA Book
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There are basically 2 broad categories of CCNA Books, those used for a quick review before the exam, and those designed for the relatively new person to the computer networking field of study. In this post, I’ll be reviewing the 2nd kind (more comprehensive CCNA Exam Preparation books). These very complete guides will provide an in-depth look at every one of the CCNA objectives. They usually go into far more detail than is required for passing the exam. However, this will build a strong foundation for future Cisco studies as well as allow you to be more effective in the job of the CCNA networks engineer. There are basically 2 excellent exam preparation guides that I recommend strongly here.
CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide: Exam 640-802 (Paperback) – Todd Lammle (Sybex)
This CCNA book by Todd Lammle is one of the most well known CCNA books today. You might have heard this CCNA book being referred to as the Sybex CCNA book. Todd Lammle is a well known author and this book is already in its 6th edition. I’ve used this CCNA guide in the past to get my CCNA certification and the CCNA material and objectives are brought forward in a easy-to-understand manner. In addition, the book comes in a softcover edition and thus is relatively cheaper than the equivalent Cisco Press book (which I will review below). In addition, this comes with 4 practice exams, electronic flashcards and a PDF version of this CCNA book. I always prefer to get books with an accompanying PDF version as this allows me to study for the exam during the long commute to and from work.
Features:
- Easy to understand
- Cheaper (soft cover book)
- Comes with PDF of the book
- Comes with practice exams
- Comes with electronic flash cards
Get CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide: Exam 640-802
This article is continued in the next post. Please subscribe to my RSS feed to ensure you get the latest updates. You can also follow my twitter stream to get notified when I have a new post.
Cheers,
Francis (@savvynetcert – Twitter)
P.S. I created a handy chart to compare the various CCNA books. Click on the link to compare and buy now.
[Updated 24 Jul 2009 : Link to 2nd part of post]
CCNA Video Training – 2 Best CCNA Video Training Products Compared
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The 2 most popular ways to study for the CCNA traditionally have been to use CCNA preparation books or to attend a formal class – whether attending an official CCNA academy class or training via one of Cisco’s authorized training partners. Using CCNA books to study is still an excellent choice – see our quick CCNA book comparison chart here if you are still unsure of what to buy. However, if you very much prefer CCNA video training, there are high quality materials available now.
Using video to study for the CCNA essentially gives you all the benefits of studying for the CCNA in a classroom setting but you are able to do so at your own pace. Suppose you can only attend “class” once a week, and only at night after work – with CCNA video training, this is not a problem. If you need to repeat a class, you can simply watch the video again. It’s like having a fully qualified instructor with you all the time, and you can repeat the class as often as you would like. All this, with the added advantage that CCNA video training costs just a fraction of what a classroom based course would cost.
There are 2 CCNA video training courses which are well established in the market today. They are the CBT Nuggets Cisco CCNA Certification Package and the TrainSignal Cisco CCNA training.
The CBT Nuggets video training covers all the essential topics in the CCNA exam, and includes 59 videos totaling 27 hours of training. It is taught by Jeremy Cioara, a CCIE certified instructor. 2 CCNA practice tests are also available for $69 each. The video training costs $399.
The TrainSignal Cisco CCNA training also covers all the topics of the CCNA exam, and includes 29 hours of video training. It is taught by Chris Bryant, a well known CCIE certified instructor. In addition, the TrainSignal training boasts and impressive array of training materials over and above the video training, This includes iPod videos, mp3 audios and accompanying instructor notes. In addition, the TrainSignal CCNA package also includes accompanying PDF instructor notes which you can print out. On top of this, the package includes a full version of the Cisco CCNA practice exams by Transcender, which is a well known award winning practice exam. This comprehensive package is available from TrainSignal for $397 (cheaper than the CBT Nuggets solution).
Comparing the 2 products, I would definitely recommend the TrainSignal Cisco CCNA video training. They have a free CCNA training sample video over at their site so you can take a look at the quality of the video and they stand by their product with a 90 day satisfaction guarantee. Do check out the free CCNA training sample video and see for yourself.
If you use twitter, you would be happy to know that @TrainSignal is very active on twitter and always willing to help – you can’t beat that for support!
For a quick comparison, please see the below chart:
TrainSignal CCNA Video Training(Recommended) | CBT Nuggets CCNA Video Training | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers all CCNA topics |  | |
| Run Length | 29 Hours | 27 Hours |
| Trainer | Chris Bryant, CCIE | Jeremy Cioara, CCIE |
| High Resolution Video | | |
| iPod Video | |  |
| MP3 Audio | | |
| Instructor Notes | | |
| Practice Exam | Transcender Award-Winning CCNA Practice Test | Extra at $69 each. |
| Guarantee | 90 Day Complete Satisfaction Guarantee | Guarantee against media damage |
| Price | $397 | $399 |
| Buy Now! |  |  |
I’m not too sure how long the TrainSignal $397 price will last as this is a limited-time discount from their usual price of $799.
Click here to get your copy of the TrainSignal CCNA Training Video series – with a 90 day total experience guarantee!
CCNA Tutorial – What You Need To Know About NAT And Routing
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This is a CCNA tutorial on how Cisco NAT (network address translation) works. I wrote previously about how to use the proper NAT Cisco IOS Commands. This article will provide more detail on the NAT order of operations and routing.
One important point of NAT which is not mentioned in many CCNA tutorials and CCNA books is the NAT order of operations. Cisco has written a document about the NAT order of operation which can be intimidating to read for the new network engineer or CCNA candidate. Strictly speaking, you might not need to have this knowledge for the CCNA test, however, this is very useful to know for any practical implementation of NAT, and it’s definitely something within the CCNA level of knowledge. Read this CCNA tutorial well and you’ll be able to improve your practical NAT knowledge.
The translation is done whenever the packet traveses the router from the NAT inside interface to the NAT outside interface, or the other way round from the NAT outside interface to the NAT inside interface. In many NAT implementations, there is no dynamic routing configured due to security restrictions in the network DMZ or at the network edge. In this case, how would you know which routes you need to configure for the NAT to operate smoothly? Do you need to have routing to the untranslated or translated address? This is a source of confusion to many network engineers new to networking and the topic I will focus on for this CCNA tutorial.
Network Address Translation - Outgoing Packet
NAT Inside To Outside
For packets going from the NAT inside to the NAT outside interface (local to global translation), when you check the Cisco order of operations guide, you will find that routing occurs before translation. In this case, you’ll need a route for the untranslated network or address (in the above diagram, 196.168.100.1). This can be added statically if no dynamic routing protocol is configured.
Network Address Translation - Incoming Packet
NAT Outside To Inside
For packets going from the NAT outside to the NAT inside interface (global to local translation), routing occurs only after translation. In this case, you’ll need a route to the post-translation address (in this case 192.168.1.1), NOT the global address as you might expect.
There are other aspects of the NAT order of operation that affect the NAT configuration but by far the routing is the most important to have a functional NAT configuration. Some other parts of the NAT process such as when the ACLs are checked are also important, and I’ll cover this in an article sometime in future.
I hope this CCNA tutorial has helped improve your knowledge of NAT for the CCNA and beyond.
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Cheers,
Francis (@savvynetcert)
2 Most Important Topics To Focus On For The CCNA Exam
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The CCNA might be intimidating at first, especially since Cisco has expanded the scope of the exam to include more advanced topics such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing which is traditionally only tested in the CCNP and other professional level exams. Time management during the exam is the number 1 most important thing to do well. This means scoring easy points when possible and to spend more time focusing on those questions which are harder. To maximize the chance of passing the CCNA exam, here are 2 most important (in my opinion) topics to focus on for the CCNA:
Subnetting
Learning how to subnet effectively is the most important thing for the CCNA. It’s also important to be able to size subnets quickly in the real world for network planning and troubleshooting purposes. Because the CCNA (and any other certification exam) is a test of your time management skills during the test, and subnetting can be done quickly (and 100% correctly) if you know the right technique, it’s a quick way to score easy points.
Common subnetting questions include calculating the number of hosts in a subnet, finding if 2 hosts are in the same subnet, and deciding on the correct hostmasks, among others. Being able so solve such questions quickly means that you will be able to free up valuable exam time to solve other questions. Answering such calculation questions are a matter of simple calculations and it’s hard to get them wrong once you know how. Again, the key is speed and you will definitely want to get subnetting questions out of the way as quickly as possible. You might want to take a look at our recommended CCNA books and CCNA notes if you want to be able to learn how to do subnetting well.
Simulation Questions
Simulation questions (commonly now referred to as “sims”) are designed by Cisco to test the practical aspect of Cisco networking. A simulation of a real Cisco IOS command-line is provided to you and you are expected to troubleshoot or otherwise configure the network to the required specification.
These questions are more time consuming but very important. Only Cisco knows for sure how these are actually scored but it’s very likely that you won’t get enough points to pass the CCNA if you cannot answer all the simulation questions to a satisfactory level. The CCNA passing score gets higher all the time, which makes scoring high on the simulation questions a priority.
One good thing about using simulation questions is that you’ll be able to gauge roughly how well you’ve done by showing the running configuration and running other tests such as ping and using other show commands. A good way to prepare for the exam is to use a Cisco router simulator.
I hope this post has helped you prepare for the CCNA more effectively. Till next time!
P.S. Become a fan of SavvyNetCert on FaceBook now. Click here to see our FaceBook page.
Cheers,
Francis (@savvynetcert)
CCNA Notes – 3 Crucial Things To Know When Choosing CCNA Summary Notes
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CCNA notes, also known as CCNA summary notes or exam cram notes are an essential part of preparing for the CCNA. One of the best known is the Exam Cram CCNA notes book. Employers these days value troubleshooting skills and hands-on configuration skills to be extremely important when they are deciding which network engineer to hire. I believe that one of the reasons that Cisco introduced simulation questions into the CCNA is because of this market requirement.
Even with this new focus on practical skills, the fact remains that if you want to pass the CCNA and become an effective networks engineer, you need to remember all the important networking terms. Factual knowledge such as the OSI model, and the default administrative distances of each of the routing protocols are something that you need to be certain of before taking the exam or trying to apply for an networking job. In this regard, CCNA notes are very useful as a memory aid which can help you prepare for the CCNA exam. Here are 3 points to look out for when choosing CCNA notes:
- CCNA Notes Exam version – This is the most important thing to take note of. Cisco changes the CCNA syllabus regularly perhaps every 1-2 years. It is important that all your certification CCNA books and notes are up-to-date with the current version of the exam. This is particularly important as CCNA notes are usually the slowest to get updated when it comes to CCNA study material. Do check carefully to see if the exam revision stated on the CCNA notes is that of the current exam. You can check the current exam version at the Cisco.Com.
- Portability – Portability is something you need to take note of when choosing good CCNA notes. For the usual CCNA candidate, you would have already attended the CCNA class or read throughly the important CCNA books and just need some study material to jog your memory and improve your recall of the key facts. At this point in your CCNA revision, you certainly do not want to be carrying thick and heavy books. Small-sized CCNA notes can be brought anywhere to study and you’ll be able to constantly revise the difficult to remember networking facts wherever you are
- Qualification of Authors – Although there really isn’t a need to get CCNA notes written by certified CCIEs, it is important that the notes are written by qualified professionals. Technical material needs to be written in a technically coherent manner in order to be useful for the CCNA exam. In my opinion, only certified individuals or Cisco trainers will know the best way to present this material. Do check who is writing the book before you buy.
I recommend the CCNA Exam Cram (Exam 640-802) (3rd Edition) CCNA notes for CCNA exam summary revision. It comes from the well known Exam Cram series of books and the current 3rd edition is up-to-date for the 640-802 CCNA exam. It comes in a very portable size and is written by CCNA experts. I used a previous edition of the book to obtain my CCNA previously and I highly recommend the exam cram series of books for clear and concise CCNA notes.
Cheers,
Francis (SavvyNetCert.Com)
P.S. The CCNA Exam Cram (Exam 640-802) (3rd Edition) CCNA notes is available from Amazon.Com with a 34% discount and FREE shipping.
CCNA Video Training – CCNA Certification Breakdown
If you’re considering whether to get the CCENT then work on the ICND2 exam, or just take the 1 CCNA exam, you might want to check this video by TrainSignal training.
I now recommend that you always take the CCNA in 2 parts (unless you are re-certifying), just because it costs the same. The ICND1 and ICND2 exams cost $125 each, and the composite CCNA exam costs $250. In addition, you’ll be a certified CCENT once you’ve passed the ICND1 and you can start applying for some basic networking jobs based on that certification.
If you want the best in CCNA training, do check out CCNA video training by TrainSignal and do remember to supplement this with the right CCNA books.
Cheers,
Francis (SavvyNetCert.Com)
CCNA Network Engineer Tips – An Overview Of Using The OSI Model For Troubleshooting
For any CCNA network engineer, The 7 layer OSI (Open System Interconnection) model can be said to be the most important reference model for networking communications today and is emphasized in just about every one of the CCNA books. It’s essential to have a good understanding of the OSI model so you can have a common frame of reference with other network engineers in your organization and even elsewhere outside your organization, for example, with service providers and even application developers.
The OSI model is also extremely useful as a basis for network troubleshooting. One way to do this is to isolate problems and troubleshoot from Layer 1 up to Layer 7. This is slightly out of the scope of the CCNA exam but it’s still important to know this for practical day to day troubleshooting. Here is a short overview of what possible issues can happen at the first 3 layers:
- Physical Layer (Layer 1)- At the physical layer, it’s possible to have some issues with the transmission media. This includes faulty, malfunctioning or improperly terminated cable, or even something wrong with the switch hardware. There could also be very low-level errors from the switch or other active media such as signaling or buffering issues.
- Data Link Layer (Layer 2) – The most common layer 2 protocol is Ethernet. In an Ethernet network, problems that can occur in the data link layer include misconfiguration of the switch leading to spanning tree loops, broadcast storms as well as other frame forwarding and switching problems. It is usually quite difficult to troubleshoot issues at layer 2 when they occur, and the convergence time for the spanning tree makes this even more complicated.
- Network Layer (Layer 3) - Since the majority of networks these days are running IP, the network layer is also commonly referred to as the IP layer, due to the fact that IP addresses reside at this layer. The most common issue at this layer are routing related problems, due to incorrectly configured dynamic protocols or misconfigured static routes. Problems at layer 3 are usually easier to isolate when compared to layer 2 issues, however, the potential impact of a routing issue is very high. If a bad route is inserted into the network and this is redistributed across the entire network, the results could be devastating.
I’ll focus on network issues that can happen at layer 4 in a future article. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on twitter so you don’t miss anything!
Cheers,
Francis (SavvyNetCert.Com)
