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Re-starting the R&S study

Brandon Carroll — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:53:20 +0000

Some time ago I had the hair brained idea that I was going to do the R&S in 90 days. Why not right? I mean, Tyson Scott, my fellow instructor at IPexpert, passed the Service Provider lab in 3 weeks. Well, I am no where near the level that Tyson is at but I figured that 90 days would be plenty since I had been teaching Routing and Switching for the netter part of 8 years. Well I must say that my studies never got a fair shot. At the time I was working for Ascolta and between the travel and teaching there, the family responsibilities and so on I basically hit a dead end with my studies.

Then comes IPexpert. When I came on with IPexpert I was planning on taking the lab by April. I mean, I had an all access pass to my fellow instructors, the best training material on the market, and a rack of equipment that I could use whenever I wanted. So what happened? It’s now Mid-May and I have not attempted the lab? Well, frankly, work is what happened. In the last 5 months I’ve taught a few bootcamps, which if you werent already aware of, last about 12 hours a day. I’ve recorded video solutions for ALL of IPexperts CCIE Security Volume 1 labs, Slightly over half of the Volume 2 labs, recorded the Audio-on-Demand Product, and written an 8 hour mock lab. Not to mention the time I’ve spent on OSL trying to field questions and additional time I’ve spent writing another book. Fortunately I have a few co-authors on this one that have done most of the work. So you can pretty much see what I haven’t taken a run at the lab.

Well now I’m cracking down. The R&S BLS is complete and now I think it’s time to make the boss happy and knock out #2. So the question I asked myself was, “Where do I start?” Well taking a look at the R&S BLS I found that in the Getting Started Section there was a blueprint that I could follow. I really think this is going to give structure to my studies. So where will I begin? Here is the breakdown from the list found at http://www.ipexpert.com/blsdemo/v4/rs/:

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I will begin with the VoD. This VoD is Joe Astorino taking you through and demonstrating much of the material that you would expect from a 5-day ILT class. I’m not saying the material is identical, but obviously there is going to be overlap. I personally need that.

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Next Ill move into Volume 1. I’ve worked on some of Volume 1 labs in the past. The labs are difficult, yet designed to let you experience the specific technologies. There are a total of 34 labs here. I estimate about 2 to 3 weeks to go through every one once. I’ll pick the ones that I’m not very comfortable with and work on them a few times.

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Now this section I’ll have to admit, I’ve already cheated on. This week I have been teaching a class in Amsterdam and riding the RAI (Train) to the hotel every morning. It takes about an hour to get there so I’ve been listening to the Audio-on-Demad which was recorded by Marko Milivojevic. It’s funny, because he is teaching across the hall from me right now so when I get here in the morning it’s like I’ve already been talking to him for an hour.

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After the second time around with the AoD I will start the multi-procotol labs in Volume 2. So in this workbook there are 20 labs. I have a feeling that the first time I go through these labs I’m going to get my butt kicked. I may need to do these a few times.

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Next step will be to hit one of the bootcamps with either Marko or Joe. I have a feeling that since I’m in the USA and so I Joe that I’ll be sitting this class with him. Either one of those guys would be just fine with me. In fact, Tyson could end up teaching one of them depending on what’s going on and that would be cool as well. I have the utmost respect for all three of these instructors and feel confident that any of them can help me.

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Now I know that the OEQ’s have been removed, so I’m not going to need to worry about that section, but the troubleshooting section is certainly something I’ll need to work on.

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My next step will be the OWLE, or the One Week Lab Experience. I teach one of these for Security and I know how important it is to gain a solid grasp on Time Management, How to speak with proctors and how to deal with things coming up in the actual exam. This is something I am really looking forward to!

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And of course the end result should be a pass. I’m not holding my breath on a first time pass, but I’m not counting it out either. Well, I suppose it’s time to get on with it.

Time to dive into the VoD.

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Congrats Michael Davis, CCIE #26050

Brandon Carroll — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:09:11 +0000

So I have to post here because one of my recent students has passed the CCIE Security lab. Michael attended the IPexpert OWLE and said that the Volume 2 labs, although very difficult, were what enabled him to pass on the first attempt. Well done Michael! Related posts:Congrats to Paul Stewart, CCIE 26009. Congratulations Paul [...] Related posts:

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A Quick Look at what I’m using to Study for R&S.

Brandon Carroll — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:05:08 +0000

Many of you know that I have been working on the CCIE R&S. Since I’m with IPexpert its only natural that I use their product line for my studies. In fact, before coming to IPexpert I used them anyhow, and here on the blog I have voiced my reasons why. But I wanted to take a moment to share the products that are in the R&S BLS with you. These are the products that I personally use.

I also wanted to share with you the interface of the Blended Learning Solution in a short tour that I’ve recorded. There is also a BLS for Security and Voice if you are on those tracks. This one, R&S, is the one I personally use right now. Who knows, after R&S I may move on to voice.

Enjoy!

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CCIE Security Adds Core Knowledge Questions

Brandon Carroll — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:00:44 +0000

For a short while now those working on routing and switching have been talking about the new Core Knowledge questions that can now make or break your lab. On May 15th Cisco announced the same change to the CCIE Security Lab exam.

So what does this mean for current CCIE Security Candidates? Well, for one, it means that you will be asked a series of four open-ended questions that require a short, typewritten response. Cisco says these will typically be several words. They are not looking for you to write a book, rather prove that you know the fundamentals. Like the Routing and Switching, as a CCIE Security Candidate you will get 30 minutes to complete this section prior to starting the hands-on portion and once you leave this section there is no looking back. This makes it even more important for you to know the fundamentals.

So how can you remain sharp when it comes to the fundamentals? I would recommend augmenting your hands on time with a review of the CCIE Security Written Exam Study guide from CCBootcamp, a read through Network Security Technologies and Solutions, and listening to the CCIE Security Audio Bootcamp from IPexpert.

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Joe Astorino Gets the Digits!

Brandon Carroll — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:49:32 +0000

Go Astorino, over at the CCIE Journey Blog just got his digits and is now recognized as CCIE #24347 under the Cisco CCIE Program. Congrats Joe!

If you haven’t already, head on over and give Joe a pat on the back. Also, read about his experience. It’s a long road if you are just starting out but totally worth it in the end.

Again, Congrats Joe!

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Another GREAT IPexpert Special (May 2009)

Brandon Carroll — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:33:35 +0000

IPexpert is known for Great Material, Industry Leading Instructors, killer deals and excellent customer service. Today, I noticed a special that they have started advertising. Here is what the promotion that i recieved in Facebook states:

If you’re preparing for your CCIE R&S, Voice or Security, and your training budget is a concern, be sure to review our May 2009 promotion.
Throughout this month only, our online (live – instructor led) virtual classes (and bundled vClasses & our complete self-study end-to-end / BLS) are discounted if you reference the following discount code: MD05VSR (in order to receive this promotion pricing please contact one of our CCIE-focused Training Advisors directly.

• Telephone: 1.810.326.1444 x 206
• Email: mdown@ipexpert.com
• Live Chat: www.ipexpert.com/chat

Promotion Pricing:

Track vClass Pricing Bundled (BLS + vClass)
R&S * $999.00 $1,499.00
Voice * $1,499.00 $2,999.00
Security * $1,499.00 $1,999.00

* vClass dates priced at the promotional rates are as follows:
R&S: June 15th – 19th, August 31st – September 4th
Voice: September 7th – 11th, November 16th – 20th
Security: June 29th – July 3rd, October 19th – 23rd

So what’s the big deal?

Well, look at the R&S pricing. It’s 999.00 for the vClass but if you add the BLS you get it for only 500 bucks more.

Here is the big deal- thats all their workbooks, solutions, video-on-demand, and audio bootcamp plus an class in the vClass environment. This saves you so much money- you dont have to travel, you dont have to waste time just getting there, and you don’t have to worry about missing something an instructor said because the class is recorded.

Anyhow, the pricing on Voice and Security isn’t too bad either, but R&S really stood out for me. If you haven’t seen the BLS, head over to the demo on the IPexpert web site. Just click the image to go there now!

I have the CCIE Voice BLS, but maybe I’ll try to take the voice vClass. I could really use that! I think I want to pass the R&S, Voice, and Wireless by end of 2010. Anyone think I can do it?

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Recap of my journey CCIE Security

Brandon Carroll — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:41:54 +0000

I know most of you have heard already, but if not, I passed the CCIE Security exam in RTP on March 13th, 2009. I wanted to take a moment to recap my journey.

I have been a Cisco Instructor for 8 years now. I have been teaching the CCSP track since it’s inception, and taught various courses of the CSS-1 prior to that. Although I was a CCSP, I didn’t take the CCIE Security Written exam until March 21, 2007. I passed with an 85 on my first attempt. I used the CCBootcamp written exam guide to prepare for that, along with my existing knowledge as a CCSP/Instructor.

Studying for the lab is a whole new ball game. It’s weird because there is a total difference between knowing the book material that Cisco tests you on for the Professional level certifications, and being able to teach it, and knowing the material that is on the CCIE lab exam and being able to implement it. Don’t get me wrong, I knew the material, and the concept of why things were happening were easy to me. What was difficult is putting it all together. When you teach an ASA class, IPS class, or any other security class for that matter, it doesn’t cover how all these things work together. Thats where the CCIE will get you!

Anyhow, I know people are wondering what material I used in preparing for the lab exam. I made a video to show you, mainly because I think the spread of material is impressive. Please do not get mad at me for killing a tree. In the future I’ll use PDFs. Also, forgive me for the quality of the video. I am to cheap to buy an HD camera. I made the video at 6-am so don’t expect much.

So, assuming you watched that video and know what I used to prepare, I’ll give you the run down of the lab.

First time was in San Jose. I was overwhelmed. I had a decent understanding but no strategy. I ran out of time and had maybe 50 points.

Second time was in San Jose as well. It went better than the first but still there were some grey areas for me and even though I took the InternetworkExpert Online Bootcamp and used Brian’s strategy I still was missing something.

The Third, and Final attempt was in RTP, North Carolina. There is no particular reason I switch to RTP. It’s not closer to me by any means. I live in Seattle. But I wanted something fresh. I stayed at the Wingate hotel which was great. The bed was comfortable and the rate was fair. I flew in the night before the exam. I arrived at the hotel at 9pm, took half of a sleeping pill (Melatonin) and crashed. I woke up refreshed and ready to go.

The hotel had a continental breakfast and I didn’t eat much but forced myself to eat a little. I stopped at Starbucks on the way, and headed over to the Cisco office. Now when you get there you should know that the building will remain dark until right around 7am. There is nobody there to meet you in the lobby. Someone from Cisco was taking the lab as well and they let me in the lobby using their badge. At about 7:10 the proctor came out. He was very nice and much more chatty than Tom (nice guy) in San Jose.

We were led back to the room and from there its your standard lab exam stuff. We broke at about 11 for lunch. I say about 11 because they cater in lunch and there wasn’t a set time. You still only get 30 minutes for lunch. I ate a bit and tried to work out some issues in my head.

I finished about 45 minutes early but left 15 minutes before the Proctor called it a day. That includes my clean up and so on. I didn’t use the last 45 minutes to do any extra verifications because I didn’t want to break anything. Then I went to dinner at the Angus Barn. I had Alaskan King Crab Claws, a 24oz New York Strip and an Oatmeal Stout. Pass or fail I was going to enjoy that meal.

The wait was excruciating. I didn’t get my results until about 8:30 on Sunday night, so if you are planning on taking the lab on Friday you should be aware of that.

Now that its over I am enjoying the fact that I don’t have a deadline staring me in the face, but I still love the technology and want to learn more. I think the next track that I am going to pursue is the CCIE voice, but I have the CCVP in between that I have to get up to Instructor level on. I already have the IPexpert CCIE Voice BLS and plan on renting from Proctor Labs.

The big kicker for me was the bootcamp at ipexpert and the labs i did after that. Without the information I gained from IPexperts Jared Scrivener I dont think I would have passed. Im not going to give away all of his tricks because thats what he gets paid to do. But Seriously, Jared- You are the man!.

Also I can’t say enough about the support that I received from Ted Wagner at Ascolta. He really stood behind me even though there were other things he probably wanted me working on.

Wayne Lawson at IPexpert was another key player in my success along with Matt Brooks, Neil Apolzan, and Drew LaPla.

I can’t forget to mention Mike Down. Before Mike started pinging me online I only owned the IPexpert Volume 4.1 and the Proctor Guide, and I wasn’t really looking at using IPexpert.

One last person I have to mention is my wife. She was patient with me even though the family would take a hit from time to time while I was studying. The CCIE is not easy on a family but the accomplishment and the job security afterwards was the payoff I was looking for. I think I got it. Time will tell. At least I have her if the other stuff doesn’t pan out.

Thats about it for this rant. I’m going to keep blogging about topics that come up in my classes as well as through the contact form. When I start to study for the Voice IE I’ll try to blog it all here as well. In the mean time I am going to spend some time posting on Network World for the CCNA Wireless candidates and catching up on my sleep/socializing/theocratic activities/yard work/home improvement projects/reading/DVR/family videos/familiy photos/email/projects at work/fitness/weight loss/rss feeds/staring into space/day dreaming/playing darts with tyrel/texting my daughter/emailing my mom/calling my grandma/netflix/and enjoying whatever comes my way.

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Status Update: 2-16-09

Brandon Carroll — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:49:47 +0000

Finished IPexpert CCIE Security 1-week lab experience- Exam One. That was tough. The biggest issue I had was that the ASA2 is backwards in the diagram (inside vs- outside) so nothing I configured matched the solution; it was all backwards. Oh well. I learned that there are certain things that will require proctor verification.

Another thing I learned is that I hate NAC. So much work!

Tomorrow morning I’ll reset the rack and load the starting configurations for Exam two. This next one I want to be done with by Friday.

That’s it for now.

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Follow UP- IPexpert Training Announced

Brandon Carroll — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:15:43 +0000

Last week I posted a brief announcement that IPexpert, the CCIE training company, was to launch a “Sister Company” called IPexpert Training. I didn’t have a lot of time last week to sum up any real thoughts on the subject. Today, I still don’t, but I will anyhow. Where to begin?

Lets begin with the announcement (all quotes from http://ipexpert.ccieblog.com):

Over the next few months you’ll begin seeing the following:A separate brand named “IPexpert Training” (at www.IPexpertTraining.com) that will be focused on CompTia, VMWare, CCENT, CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCSP, CCVP and MCSE training products.

My first thought was….wow! If anyone can do it right it would certainly be IPexpert. They did however mention the following”

These classes will *NOT* be Cisco authorized and neither business unit will endorse or offer the Cisco 360 CCIE Lab offering. After understanding the 360 program, products and Cisco’s initiative – I have made the decision that the current CCIE Lab offerings we have (already shipping) are much more mature, proven, more up-to-date and more cost-effective for our clients.

This will make things interesting. What about Cisco Learning Credits (CLC)? Many people that take Cisco training have budgetary constraints and the CLC program helps alot. Will IPexpert find a workaround? Well, regardless I still think they can do it right. Lets examine some more of the announcement:

These classes / products will include self-study materials (Blended Learning), lab workbooks, Audio, Video on Demand, eBooks, quizzers, iPhone applications, ILT (traditional classroom-based training), online mentoring and online training classes – and will be priced very competitively. Students taking these classes will be eligible for a *significant* discount on all IPexpert, Inc. CCIE lab products as that will be their next progression (eventually). These classes will be delivered during the week – as our CCIE Lab classes are (from IPexpert) – however, we will also have weekend and even classes available online and at various locations.

As a user of the IPexpert BLS I have to say that this will be sweet! The CCIE BLS is a fantastic product. I can only imagine that the lower level certs would be as well.

An online community for these students.

I don’t know how this will compare to the Cisco Learning Network, but I can tell you that the Cisco Learning Network doesnt let you blog there. They do however cover ALL categories of Cisco Certification including the CCNA, NP, SP, VP, and IE.

While this sounds pretty cool I have to point out my favorite part of the announcement, and what I believe to be the best feature for a student:

Proctor Labs vRack rental for these certifications (Cisco and Microsoft – VMWare down the road in Q2).

I can’t stress enough how big of a gap this is for students. Think about it, you take a class, work on the gear for a week, go back home and book study until you take the test. Usually you lose the practical knowledge and end up with lopsided book knowledge. If you can use the PL equipment to make a topology that supports ANY certification class you may have a corner on a market that is lacking.

Anyhow, it looks like it could be a great option for students, however I dont know how Cisco will handle it. I’m sure that Learning @ Cisco folks are not happy about another “non-certified” solution but I do know that IPexpert takes care of their customers and will certainly produce a quality product.

You can read the entire announcement on the IPexpert blog.

And now back to my studies! Cheers.

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Another Great Announcement from IPexpert

Brandon Carroll — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:37:02 +0000

IPexpert just made a new announcement. It’s something that I had a feeling was coming for some time now.

You can read about it here:

IPexpert, Inc. Plans to Launch Sister Company – “IPexpert Training, Inc.” Focusing on the Lower-Level Certification Training Market

On another note, if you are in the Glendale, Ca area tonight at 6:30pm Ascolta will be hosting a “Meet the Author.” Ping me for more info!

Cheers!

Brandon

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