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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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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.

Next:

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.

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

IPexpert claimed an announcement to be made today.  Many of us are waiting!  Lets have it!

Read the Announcement.

IPexpert vs Internetwork Expert

I have to start by saying that the announcement from Internetwork Expert yesterday was well worth the wait.  In fact, I couldn’t believe how much press they were getting.  Brad Reese speculated that they had been bought by Cisco.  Others thought that they would be announcing their involvement with the new Cisco 360 program.  That wasn’t the case at all.  In fact the announcement was far from all speculation.  In essence I understood to be the general message to be that the way training is delivered today is getting old and stagnant and that needs to change, and is going to change.  People are becoming more dynamic and as a company so is Internetwork Expert.

The good news for me is that I own the end-to-end program.  That means that everything I have will be upgraded at no cost.  The bad news is that I am going on my third attempt, which by the way is the average, and the CCIE Security track is third on their list. No matter though, its still exciting news.

I waited till this morning to finish this post because I wanted to see what Matt Brooks over at IPexpert had to say on the IPexpert blog.  Matt Brooks has a really good way of pointing out the flaws in Brian Dennis’ Announcement. And by-the-way, I have had a few conversations with Matt Brooks and he really is a nice guy!  Still I wanted to put some of the thoughts in my mind down in print, not to point out flaws, but to express my thoughts, my likes, my hopes, and my disappointments.

Ill work in no particular order here.  But lets begin with the claim of certifying the most people.

Continue Reading »

Some of you are aware that I use the Amazon Kindle.  I have had it for about 1 month and I have already purchased 167.94 in books.  Most of them are books I already have.

My curiosity is this, would any of you that are also studying for the CCIE use a Lab guide on a Kindle or other eReader?  I have a 2 week trip coming up soon and would sure like to take my CCIE Lab guides from IPexpert and maybe even IE with me, but it is expensive to check additional bags.  I can only carry so much.

To the folks at IPexpert;

I’m willing to beta test a Kindle Version and even sign an NDA!

What a valuable asset that would be.