One of the most important CCNA study materials to be studied are those for the simulation questions (whether in the form of CCNA books or otherwise).  The simulation questions in the CCNA exam are probably the hardest.  Mastery of the Cisco IOS commands at a CCNA level is essential to pass the CCNA exam.  For many of you, this might be because you have never configured a real Cisco router and switch and don’t have enough confidence with the Cisco IOS commands.  Cisco devices can be expensive and to setup a physical CCNA lab is extremely costly for the beginning network engineer.

CCNA Emulator

If you are lucky enough to have access to IOS images (through Cisco.com if you or your company is a registered customer and have a valid CCO account), then this is the solution i recommend.  GNS3 is a graphical frontend to the dynamips emulator which emulates Cisco IOS router platforms.  Through dynamips, you are able to experience and practice on a real Cisco IOS device as opposed to just simulated on your computer.  GNS3 can be downloaded here.  However, be forewarned – this can be a real pain to set up and configure and strictly speaking is not a legit use of the IOS images and software.

CCNA Virtual Lab and CCNA Router Simulator

There is another solution of using a Cisco IOS CCNA simulator/CCNA virtual lab which is quite sufficient for the purposes of taking the exam.  There is one flaw, and that is candidates will not feel confident because after all, it somehow does not seem “real enough”.  However, this is a cheaper alternative to buying a physical lab and it also has an advantage of being highly portable.  The CCNA Virtual Lab, Titanium Edition 2.0: (Exam 640-802)> has just been revised this year and is a recommended lab if this is the way you want to go.

Click here to get the CCNA Virtual Lab, Titanium Edition 2.0: (Exam 640-802) Cisco Router Simulator from Amazon.com

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