CISCO CCNA CERTIFICATION - ABOUT CCNA CERTIFICATION TRAINING AND EXAM

A Cisco CCNA certification, or Certified Network Associate certification, is the first step in Cisco certifications. From a CCNA certification, you move up to "Professional" and then "Expert" levels. Training in Cisco certifications can be completed at a college or university. While many schools offer courses on campus, more and more universities are offering online courses as well.

A CCNA certification shows that you have the skills and abilities in networking that many companies want and even require. It increases your chances of being selected for the prime jobs and it can also mean an increase in your salary. But training is imperative in order to obtain the skills that are required for the certification. When you enroll in a CCNA training program, you will learn basic skills in networking, including:

Design
Installation
Configuration
Troubleshooting
Maintenance
Management
Both IP and non-IP Networks

Information technology is constantly growing and expanding. This makes a career in network management a smart choice. The demand for qualified personnel is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade due to the lightning fast developments in information technology. A Cisco certified network associate has the potential to earn more and choose top jobs, particularly if they continue up the ladder and obtain further Cisco certifications.

In order to obtain a Cisco CCNA certification, people must be able to pass the CCNA exam where they must exhibit a grasp of the following skills:

A basic history of networking
Basic network design
OSI reference model
LANs and WANs, Ethernet and VLANs
IP addressing
TCP/IP protocols ARP, RARP, BOOTP and ICMP
Routing protocols, routers, bridges and switches
Cisco's IOS (Internetwork Operating System)

Network security and management

There are several ways to prepare for the CCNA exam. You can study through one of the official Cisco learning partners, at a university or college, or online. Your employer may offer training for their employees so it would be a good idea to check. One of the online study options is Cisco's e-learning system which offers a great deal of study materials and practice tests for free. You can learn what you need to know to get your CCNA certification.

When you take the CCNA exam, be prepared to spend about two hours. You must answer about 80% of the questions correctly in order to pass the exam and receive your certification. There are approximately 78 questions on the exam. There is a fee to take the exam. It is generally $100 and must be paid either before the exam or on the day of the exam. The CCNA certification, however, is valid for three years. If you wish to recert, you can take an official recertification exam at the end of the three years.

There are three certificates that Cisco offers. The first rung on the networking ladder is the CCNA, Cisco Certified Network Associate certificate. This level is best suited for help desk engineers, field technicians and beginning net workers. The second rung in the networking ladder is the CCNP, Cisco Certified Network Professional. Network administrators and network technicians with a little experience under their belts most benefit from this level. The last rung on the networking ladder is the CCIE, Cisco, Certified Internetwork Expert. This is the highest certification level and senior network administrators benefit most from it.
Obtaining a Cisco CCNA certification can be the doorway to a lucrative, rewarding career. Your future is waiting.

BENEFITS IN USING ONLIE COMPUTER TRAINING AND DISTANCE LEARNING !

With the upsurge of the internet and the need for continuing education and training a niche arose in the market for institutions to deliver content and training over the internet. These organizations created online portals of information and courses covering topics such as IT, Personal Development, Human Resources and Business Skills.

These educational portals are central resources for the delivery of Online Computer Training and Business Skills training to the internet community, offering everything from reporting to assessments.

So why use Online Training:

* Online Training is convenient and flexible, you can take courses anytime, work, home etc. Online Training provides people with an outlet to enjoy a better work life balance, while still learning.

* Distance Learning provides people who are traveling a lot with information on demand, if they need to learn something new they can just login and start learning.

* Training provided through Online Learning is cheaper, in fact its over 90% cheaper than instructor led courses.

* These websites are usually easy to use, all you need is an internet browser. The courses have bookmarks, help sections, tips and tricks and much more. Navigation is simple.

* The course material is usually highly relevant, information that is not required is usually abstracted. The content is clear and precise.

* You should use e-learning because theirs an old adage Knowledge is Power. The knowledge you have the more opportunities will come your way, beside that e-learning is fun and easy to use.

* E-learning is interactive by its nature, courses have simulations (graphical simulations of how to do things) and assessments.

* E-learning courses are usually assessment driven, provides a way of tracking your progress. If you notice your progress is not good you can go back and start that lesson again.

CISCO CCENT - CCNA CERTIFICATION EXAM TUTORIAL - LOOGING SYNCHRONOUS AND EXEC - TIMEOUT COMMANDS

Throughout my CCENT and CCNA exam tutorials, you'll notice these two curious commands on the console port:

line con 0

exec-timeout 0 0

logging synchronous

I've been recommending these commands for years to CCNA and CCNP candidates putting their own home labs together, but they can come in handy on the job as well. Let's take these commands one at a time, starting with the logging synchronous command.

When the router wants you to know something, it wants you to know right now. If the router sends a message to the console while you're entering a config, by default the router will interrupt your work to show you that message.

In the following example, I opened a Serial interface, which will always result in at least two messages relating to the physical and logical state of the interface. I started typing a sentence immediately after I opened the interface to show you what happens. I've bolded the sentence I was entering.

R1(config)#int s0
R1(config-if)#no shut
R1(config-if)#^Z
R1#so here i am
4d04h: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by consoletyp
4d04h: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface Serial0, changed state to uping and
4d04h: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Serial0, changed state to upi've been interrupted quite badly!
4d04h: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Serial0, changed state to down

This may seen trivial, but when you have a long command entry interrupted by a console message, you'll wonder how to prevent that from happening. (After you stop yelling at the router, that is.) By configuring the logging synchronous command on the console port, you're telling the router to hold such messages until it detects no input from the keyboard and no other output from the router, such as a show command's output.
R1(config)#line console 0

R1(config-line)#logging ?

synchronous Synchronized message output

The second command I always enter on the console port of a home lab router or switch is exec-timeout 0 0. This disables the default inactivity timeout of 5 minutes and 0 seconds. If you want to change that timer rather than disabling it, the first number represents the number of minutes in the inactivity timer and the second number is the number of seconds.

R1(config)#line con 0
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout ?
<0-35791> Timeout in minutes
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout 0 ?
<0-2147483> Timeout in seconds
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout 0 0 (disables the inactivity timer)

This command can also be configured on the VTY lines to set or disable the inactivity timer for Telnet and SSH users. Here, we'll set the VTY line inactivity timer to 10 minutes.

R1(config)#line vty 0 4
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout ?
<0-35791> Timeout in minutes
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout 0 ?
<0-2147483> Timeout in seconds
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout 10 ?
<0-2147483> Timeout in seconds
R1(config-line)#exec-timeout 10 0

Some network admins hate these commands, and I personally don't like to disable my router's Telnet and SSH inactivity timers. They're great commands for your present or future home lab, and I also recommend you know them for your CCENT and CCNA exams!

COMPUTER CERTIFICATIONS

Computer certifications are a great way for a person who doesn't want to spend the extra time and money to get a college degree but wants to gain education and a resume builder. Certifications show that you know this specific subject well instead of just general knowledge. This may be a good for you if you want to learn more but don't want to go back to spend 4 years in college.

Microsoft the software leader has a hole series of certifications that are in high demand. There is a good chance to get a job with these certifications. Weather it be Microsoft Windows Systems Engineer, Microsoft Windows Networking Professional or Microsoft Windows Professional Engineer. Almost every organization that has a computer will have a Microsoft product so there will be demand for Microsoft support for some time to come.

Other Certifications are Cisco and Oracle certifications. They are the biggest providers of Network and Database solutions. There is a high demand for these postions and are very high paying. With no sign of the internet slowing down these will positions have a good future.

How will you study for your certification exam? Everybody learns different but you can use flash cards and try to memorize what content that the test will have. For most repetition of the material will be the best way to ensure that you can pass the exam. Most exams have books written for the purpose of passing the exam. There are also places that offer practice test. Many you will have to pay for, but they allow you to see how you will stack up against the real test.

Another option it so enroll into CBT or WBT. These are computer or web based training. These are good because all of your training can be done from your computer. They make the class room available to all locations. This also allows for you to work at your own pace. If you don't like the idea of just studying out of a book CBT/WBT traing may be for you.

BEWARE OF HABBITS THAT NIBBLE AWAY AT YOUR TIME

You may have heard it mentioned that time management is really about managing ones self.
That truth becomes all the more apparent when your ingrained habits seem to chew away at the time you have available each day.

Most of us deal with a few “bad habits,” but sometimes our habits move beyond “bad” into “destructive and limiting.” Does this describe some of your habits? And do those habits make managing your life almost impossible?

When it comes to bad habits, there are several that can completely stall your efforts at effective time management, but here are two common ones to start with:

1. Procrastination. This is a habit that can range from mildly annoying to downright debilitating. While some people procrastinate only occasionally, others have gotten locked into a rut of inaction that will eventually create severe problems in their lives.

2. How often do you procrastinate? Do you consistently avoid doing the things that would make your life easier? Is your favorite phrase, “I’ll do it later”? If so, you are likely causing more problems for yourself because you can’t realistically do everything later.” As a result, more and more things aren’t done getting done, right?

In order to overcome this habit, you’ll need to develop a stronger will to do certain things immediately instead of setting them aside until later. You’ll find that many tasks you’re tempted to put off until later really wouldn’t take that much time if you’d just get them over with quickly.

When you do decide to set a task aside for later, just be sure you schedule time for it so it doesn’t remain in the “later” category forevermore!

ONLINE CERTIFICATION COURSES

Today if a person is looking to improve their skills set or obtain a qualification can do so all from the comfort of their own homes. A quick search of the internet will soon provide you with details of the various different types of online certification courses a person can take. There is everything from being able to obtain some IT qualifications through to be able to gain a Degree in many different subjects including English language etc.
However when you are considering to do an online course there are a number of different factors that you need to take into consideration before you actually sign up to one. Below we take a look at just what these factors are.

1. The first thing you need to do is decide just how much time you can afford and want to give to your training in order to get your certification at the end of the course. Most of the online certification courses now available allow you to spend between 60 and 120 hours of class time. Certainly the more time a person spends studying on their course then the more information and material they will obtain from it.

2. Next you need to look closely at the curriculum’s each of the institutes who are offering the course that you would like to study and choose the one that appeals to you the most. It is important that you choose the institute that is offering what you want and will ensure that you continue with your studies once you have started. Remember that once you have paid the money for the course there is very little chance of you getting any of it back if you choose to stop with your studies halfway through.

3. Once you have selected a couple of institutes that you are interested in doing your course online with then you need to check them out. You need to make sure that they are actually certified to teach such courses online and also do they offer the same classes to those who wish to attend their college in the traditional way. The best way to check if they are creditable is by looking at the states teaching laws and requirements in relation to such institutes offering online certification courses.

4. Finally spend some time talking to the administration staff as well as the tutors at the institute where you are considering taking your course at. Spend time getting them to answer any questions they may have in relation to the online certification courses that they offer should you have any.

As long as you keep the above factors in mind when considering doing any kind of online certification courses you will find choosing the right one for you much easier than you first expected. It is vital that you spend as much time as possible investigating the various institutes that are offering the kinds of courses you are interested in before you hand over any kind of money.

CISCO CCENT - CCNA CERTIFICATION EXAM TRAINING - INTRODUCTION TO THE OSI MODEL

As network admins, we're going to be primarily concerned with the first three layers of the OSI model - but for the CCENT and CCNA exam, we need to be concerned with all seven!

The OSI layers are often referred to by numbers, with the Application layer being Layer 7 ("L7"), the Presentation layer being Layer 6, and so forth all the way down to Layer 1, the Physical layer. To get you used to that, I'll refer to the layers by their names and numbers throughout these tutorials.

The Application Layer

This is the layer where the end users themselves interact with the network. Authentication services also run at Layer 7.

Protocols and services that run at L7 include:

Email protocols SMTP and POP3

Telnet

HTTP

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

The Presentation Layer

This layer answers one simple question: "How should this data be presented?" In addition to properly formatting data, encryption occurs at this layer.

The Session Layer

Layer 5 is the "manager" of the two-way communication between two remote hosts. This is the layer that handles the creation, maintenance, and teardown of communications between those two hosts.

The Transport Layer

TCP and UDP both run at the Transport layer, and we've got to know both of those protocols inside and out to pass the CCNA and CCENT exams. We'll look at those protocols in a future tutorial.

The Network Layer

It's at Layer 3 of the OSI model that you and I as network admins begin to have a great deal of interaction with the network. Internet Protocol (IP) runs at this layer, and since routers operate here at L3, this layer is often called "the routing layer".

In a nutshell, routing is a two-question process:

What valid paths exist from the local router to a given destination?
What is the best path to take to get there?

The Data Link Layer

Switches operate at Layer 2, as do Wireless Access Points (WAPs). We've got four major specifications that run here, some of which you may already be familiar with:

Ethernet

High Data Link Control (HDLC)

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)

Frame Relay

The Physical Layer

When things get a little complicated in networking, I like to remind myself that "it's all ones and zeroes!" Whatever data our end users are creating, it's going to eventually be "translated" into a series of 1s and 0s. Once that is done, it's the Physical layer that handles the actual data transmission. Anything to do with a physical cable - the pins, the connectors, the electrical current itself - is running at the Physical layer.