.. i have been self studying some cisco stuff but theres only so much you can learn from reading.

So I got a lab from ebay, couple of routers and a switch, all very low end and old but enough to get the idea:


Untitled by Adam Woodford, on Flickr

Im sure theres probably a few cisco certified people on here, tempted to try for a CCNA, how hard is it? its not even close to the top of the cisco cert path from what I can tell.

It's actually harder than some of the more advanced paths like CCNP, purely because it covers absolutely everything! Such a wide variety of subject matter its a hell of a lot to revise. Best approach is the two seperate exams route (ICND1 + ICND2) and more than anything else learn your subnetting until you can do it very quickly, in your sleep, whilst on fire. It's a huge part of the exam.

That's similiar to my setup. I gave up on it tbh, I can't work up the enthusiam to learn how to subnet in 5 seconds. That's the thing you need, that and real world experience. I learnt like half the material last year but I've forgotten most of it already since I'm not doing it every day.

Plus those old routers and switches sound like delta fans.

You can get some good subnetting practice apps for iphone, and probably android too.

I just tried reading this and my brain melted

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/ip-subnetting-made-easy/6089187

Good luck to you though, I'd have had the same mindset of thinking it more useful/practical to learn hands on.

Well we have RivKid's subnetting guide: http://www.tekforums.net/guides-projects/rivkid's-simple-subnetting!!/

I haven't touched CCNA stuff for over 5 years when I was at uni, tbh I wouldn't mind getting stuck back into it.

I half considered buying a kit from ebay of switches/routers but It's really hard to tell what is adequate for current exams, iOS version, features etc.  Perhaps simulator software would be more practice.  Mind I still need to build myself a Hyper-V environment to put my Exchange 2010 training to good use.

Quote from: Clock'd 0Ne on September 19, 2012, 00:19:18 AM
I just tried reading this and my brain melted
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/ip-subnetting-made-easy/6089187
Good luck to you though, I'd have had the same mindset of thinking it more useful/practical to learn hands on.

can you remember trying to set my cisco router up ?

the problem wasn't that we weren't smart enough to do it... the problem was that it was a MASSIVE MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ARSE

went something like this...
typing for 20min at HyperTerminal window....
test it....
doesn't work...
why didn't it work ?
no idea at all
30min on google... new idea... oh that might work....
20min at HyperTerminal window
does it work ?
nope...
why not....
no idea....
hour on google... new idea... oh that might work....
copy and past into HyperTerminal
test it...
does it work ?
does it balls
why not ?
couldn't even make a guess if my life depended on it
goes to pub

I still swear to god we could have got that working with a bit more effort and less beers!