Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All

It's been a while since I touched any materials and listened to Scott Morris' Audio bootcamp. My current job really demands a lot of my time. After 3 months of inactivity I promised myself that I will bounce back. I only have 11 months left to take the lab so I'll be studying full force when the new year arrives.

Anyways have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to be everybody. Let us overcome any hindrances that tries to stop us from getting our dreams fulfilled. Expect new posts coming when the new year comes. Enjoy!

It's Been A While

Again, its been a while since I posted something here. I miss the technical stuff I was doing and I could say I was 70% ready for the CCIE exam now I am back to mere 1%. I have a lot more things to share and once again I'll try to find time. Whatever happens my dream to be a CCIE still stands. Hope to hear good news from guys reading my posts.

New Job

It's just today that I have posted something here and the reason behind this is that I am moving to Singapore for a new job on first week of September. I have been very busy with employment passes and other things required for the transfer. My new job involves lesser technical job than what I did in Hewlett Packard but its around 50/50 similar to my current job in a bank. 50 percent for technical and 50 percent for network project management. Even though I lost the other half to project management :), its still related as I will be handling network projects specifically MPLS migrations. Will my pursuit for CCIE still continue? The answer is yes. I love the technical stuff and its still useful with my current job position. My studies for now is in a standstill though I have finished all the topics I need a round or two to go through again all of them.

I will be posting here topics from time to time since there are people who requested from me. I never thought there are people interested with my blog. :) I have created a Facebook page for those who view my blog entries and those who like to be my friends. Please join/like I WANT TO BE A CCIE in Facebook. See you there and keep in touch.

Free Troubleshooting Lab

If you want to check out Narbik's troubleshooting workbook and want to get an idea of it, you can visit Dan's blog. This contains around 12 trouble tickets and 1 full TS lab challenge consisting of 10 trouble tickets. Good news is that these are Dynamips ready for those who don't have a real home labs.

If I am not mistaken, Dan is Narbik's partner in creating the Micronics Troubleshooting Workbooks. You can also find a free Narbik troubleshooting workbook in this link. Go check it out and have some fun!

Flag Counter

I have added a flag counter. I haven't realize I need to track from which countries readers are coming from. It's only after I got 25,000 visits based on the counter below the blog, I realized this. Thanks for the people who are visiting this blog.

If you have any topics you wish to request, please do. Despite of my busy schedules for work and study, I'll find time to blog the request.

CCIE Written Cleared

Finally, I have cleared the written exam last week. This doesn't mean I will stop with the theory stuff, in fact I am reading again the certification guide and some QoS books. I am currently doing Narbik Kocharian's Labs Workbook "The Gap from CCNP to CCIE". Though this might be considered an old workbook by some, but the topics here still apply to the current blueprint. I don't have my own rack so I basically do the labs that can be done in GNS3. I am skipping some topics that can only be done in 3550/3650 switches which I will do in a free community lab that I know of. I am halfway through the topics after this I will do the latest Kocharian's workbook. I might as well consider purchasing Kocharian's troubleshooting labs as I find the sample lab very amusing.

I am not promoting Micronics Training in any way. I really like Narbik's approach: Study the technology one at a time and do as much exploration on one topic. This kind of approach IMHO can really make the candidate understand the topic thoroughly. Many candidates fall into the mistake of doing right away the mock labs like crazy but never really explored the topic one after another. Understanding (again IMHO) what you are configuring is a key to passing the lab.

I have not enrolled in any bootcamp but would love to. My primary reason is MONEY, I don't have tons of it. I am a self paying CCIE candidate. Since I can't attend a bootcamp, I read books and visit Cisco Univercd. We have a saying back home and I paraphrase, "If you can't buy a longer blanket, better learn to fit yourself into the blanket", and this is exactly what I am doing.

My plans for doing the lab will be on January 2011, probably take it in Hong Kong. If I feel that I am ready before that, might consider the mobile lab in Singapore by November. I am spending at least 3 hours a night, and a few hours in the office (if not busy) studying and doing some labs on GNS3. For the next 8 months, I will have little to no social life (I never had one before anyways :D). Good day mates and hold on to the Cisco Dream!

No Updates, Yet!!!

I have no time to write a technical blog as of now as I am currently in transition moving from my current company to a new one. I have to do all the necessary stuff needed for this move. Currently I am reading CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide, 4th Edition as preparation for my CCIE written mid this year. I don't have much lab time yet but I do have time reading the concepts I have studied when I took my CCNP. My target is Written this year and probably late this year or early to mid next year for my lab attempt. Will be posting something technical here probably 2 weeks from now.

Study Tip: Gathering Configurations

I am fond of checking Cisco website and other blogs. Whenever I come across a configuration I am interested whether its something familiar or unfamiliar, I copy that config, save it on a notepad. Though I might not understand some of the configuration files I gather, I find time researching what those config lines mean, try it in Dynamips and read more about it.

If you work doing network configuration changes, doing configs line by line will really get in your nerves. One best practice is to prepare yourself a template config per technology or per setup and save this in a notepad. Network configs in an enterprise environment usually have standard format so this will really save time and you can use time reviewing the config you prepared using the template. In the future the configs you have gathered will surely come in handy.

New Year, New Challenges

It's been a month since I last posted something and 2 months since I posted something technical. I have been on break from studying since the holiday season started and I am again picking up the momentum on my studies. I am determined to finish my Multicast studies but it seems just reading theories won't satisfy me. Though I am still aiming for my written doing the mini labs sure does help when it comes to understading the topic more.

Before the New Year started, I landed a new job with a multinational banking firm. This will be a new challenge for me because its a new network environment, new setup, new people, everything is new. To be familiar with the network environment takes a few months of study and support. I am pretty excited with that new position and I am sure I will learn and experience more.

As for this blog, it really helps writing something here for my studies. Blogging keeps me on focus and keeps me motivated to study more. I noticed that when I don't blog my motivation for my CCIE diminishes. So for the regular readers ( I don't know if there are even any :)) expect technical posts here regularly. I will be sharing what I have learned from my current environment and the new environment I will be in by February.

Busy with CCIE Written Preparation

I haven't been able to post lately since I am busy with theory and will be back on the labs once I finish my written exam. For the meantime, I will be posting some notes from time to time. I have several books to read and need to finish them and make sure the theory sinks in. My plan is to take my written exam first quarter next year. I can feel the Christmas season in the air and this chilly air makes me wanna sleep and not study :). For all those of you who celebrate Christmas, happy tidings to you and enjoy your holidays.

Study Tip: Audio Recordings

I take 2 trains and the company bus going to work each day so I spend around 1.5 to 2 hours travel from my house to my work vice-versa. It's really a waste of time just standing there and looking at the scenery which I have been looking at everyday for almost 2 years. I need to study and make most of my time even when traveling, so what I did is record some of my Cisco notes in audio and convert it to mp3. With my cheap Creative Zen Stone mp3 player, I am able to review even in the train and I am amazed how effective this is for core knowledge. I'll bet if you do this you will even laugh listening at your own voice. An audio class from a reputable vendor is also a great way to study if you don't have time to record your own notes. Listening to audio notes will become one of my daily habits.

Multicast Lab Preparation

My idea of studying the CCIE topics includes sniffing the packets using Wireshark and study the contents of the packet. This I think, is a good way to understand how a protocol works and what components/ fields make up a packet of a certain protocol. I also will continue making use of VMware to host operating systems to be used for my studies of Multicast, QoS and other topics. Here I will show I set up my Guest OS and install the Multicast Traffic Generator I will be using.

Requirements:

VMware Server Installer
MINT software for Linux (Multicast Application)
GNS3
Ubuntu image
Wireshark

Steps:

1. Install VMware software. After installation, create a new virtual machine. For steps, on how to create a virtual machine in VMware click here. Use the Ubuntu ISO image downloaded as the ISO for the virtual CD drive in the virtual machine. This would automatically boot the live cd. It will display a menu and choose "Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer." Screenshot from Ubuntu site seen below.



2. Let the Live CD run and when it fully boots up and shows the desktop, click Install Icon as seen below.


3. Once Ubuntu is done installing on your VMware, run it and it should be ready to be used the first time. Make sure the virtual NIC is set to NAT or Bridge. If this is set to bridge, your internet router should lease an ip addresses to this virtual NIC and would be on the same subnet as your real NIC connected to your internet router.

4. Check if you can browse the internet using Firefox on your Ubuntu VM. Download the MINT from http://mc-mint.sourceforge.net/. Download the latest version 1.2.

5. Ubuntu might need an update to install or compile *.tar files so we would need to update and install those updates. Execute the commands below on the Applications -> Accessories ->Terminal, just make sure you have internet connectivity on your Ubuntu VM.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install build-essential

6. Now its time to install MINT. Copy the downloaded mint to your /home/username directory. Unzip the file using commands below.

gzip -d mint-1.2.tar.gz

tar -xvf mint-1.2.tar

7. Go to the new mint directory created and execute the command "make" to compile.

8. If you want to install it to /usr/local/bin execute "make install". Open the README file for more details on how to install and run MINT by going to the directory ./mint and execute "more README".

9. Integrate your Ubuntu VM to your GNS by dragging a cloud as seen below(Click on the image to enlarge). Click on the cloud and Choose the VMware NIC and click add. Connect your GNS3 routers ethernet interface to the cloud and then configure the interface with same subnet IP as your VMware interface. Mine defaulted to 192.168.18.0/24. Check your Ubuntu ip address by executing "ifconfig" on the terminal and then ping it from the router to test connectivity. This should be ready for the exercises I will do in my studies.


10. Download Wireshark, on your host Operating System, (I assume its Windows) then install it. It should be ready to sniff any traffic on the VMware virtual NIC's.

Now, I am ready to start my mini labs for Multicasting. :)

Multicast Studies Loading

Its been a while since I posted something here. I have finished my BGP studies but will get back on that again after I have finished the other topics. Now I am into Multicasting and currently reading the book Developing IP Multicast Networks. The book might be a little old but the author is good at explaning what Multicast is and the other topics. I haven't even finished half of the book and yet the information it shares really helps. I have also setup VMware in my laptop and setup Ubuntu as a Guest Operating System on where I will run a multicast software to send and receive multicast traffic. Installed Wireshark for packet sniffing so I can see what's going on, on a multicast packet. I will post the instructions how I set up the lab I will be using and integrate it with Dynamips/GNS3. I am excited in this study because Multicast is one areas I have little to no experience with. I rarely encounter Multicast in the production networks in my present and previous jobs. This is one of weaknesses but the book I'm reading will greatly help me overcome this weakness.

JNCIA-ER Finally

After the whole year of inconsistent reading and studying, I passed the JNCIA-ER exam today with a good grade. I just focused on my studies last month and I found the exam easy because its similar to the principles in CCNA. I will finally get back to focus on the CCDA/CCDP track again while preparing for my CCIE Written exam early next year. JNCIS-ER exam will be taken on the last week of November.

I have updated my certification logos at the right hand side of the blog which now contains the JNCIA-ER logo. Hopefully I will see the CCDA and CCDP logo before this year ends. Next year, I hope to see the CCIE logo displayed there. These logos serve to remind me what I have accomplished and what should I be accomplishing. How nice would it be to see 5 CCIE logos there and even 1 JNCIE logo. Call me a certification monkey but I am more like a certification chimpanzee. :)

Juniper Configuration on the Mini Labs?

I have been busy with my preparation for my Juniper JNCIA-ER exam tomorrow thats why I haven't been able to do any technical posts here. I often read an ebook and do Juniper emulator using "Olive" even at work. Doing Juniper configuration is pretty much like doing the CCNA but learning a different command language. Remember, any networking lessons and principles that applies to Cisco is pretty much the same with Juniper provided that its not vendor specific.

Something crossed my mind while I was doing the Juniper preparation. I have read many networking blogs but I haven't found anything that posts both Cisco and Juniper configs. My idea is to include one Juniper router on the Mini Labs and post Juniper basic configs here just for my reference and for those who read this blog. It's a good way to learn Juniper configs while mastering the Cisco IOS. I am not talking about very advanced Juniper configs. I rarely come across with a Juniper router here in the global network I support so including a Juniper router in the mini labs will really help with Juniper exposure.

What can you say about this? Would this be a good idea? After all, I am looking for some aspects that will make this blog different from the rest and this one I think will make it a unique one. Will this defeat the purpose of this blog? Let me know your thoughts.

For the time being, I have booked my Juniper JNCIS-ER exam on the last week of November so I have ample time to prepare (I have been reading from time to time about Juniper few months before.) My CCDA is underway too and my ARCH exam will be taken on December hopefully.

Focused Mini Labs or Mock Labs???

I can't recall where I read it but I read some posts on which is better Focused Mini Labs or Mock Labs. I can't really say one is better than the other because in my opinion, these two should be equally useful for the CCIE lab exam preparation. I believe that a person preparing for the CCIE should focus first on the mini labs and understand the topics as clearly as possible and the mock lab a few months before the exam. What I am doing in this blog is doing the labs from the basic to the possibly more advanced topics. If you notice, I rarely jump from one topic to another but instead I focus more on one routing protocol/ subject at a time and divide it into smaller topics ( I wonder when I will finish blogging about BGP :) )

To tell you the truth, I don't have Mock Labs yet from those famous CCIE training vendors for two reasons, first I don't have money to purchase one for the moment (too bad for me ;) ) secondly I don't want to get tempted to get into the Mock Labs without first completing the mini labs I am doing. Gives me the study focus I need but its just me. There are people who the mock labs first and do mini labs later, its okay we have our own unique ways of doing things ;).

Currently, I am doing Kocharian labs but the labs I post here in my blog aren't copied from there or any source. I create my own topology for my own personal understanding and explanation. I can truly say I have understood something if I can explain it clearly and that is one purpose of this blog.

Juniper Fast Track 100% Discount on Exams

Yesterday, I was visiting the Juniper Fast Track page to find out what happened to the voucher I got when I passed the pre-assessment exam. I found out that Juniper is making the exam free and you can use the previous voucher you had to avail the free exam.

This may be inappropriate to post in this blog which is all about Cisco, but I think this will be a good certification to get. Besides, JNCIA-ER and JNCIS-ER are the certifications I targetted to achieve this year. These certifications will not only make your list of cerfications longer :), but also boost your morale for aimed certifications like the CCIE. This will give a networking individual a higher market value than those who only has Cisco certs. I am not pro Juniper or something. I consider Scott Morris my example for multi vendor certified experts and I think he has a wider market than those CCIE's who only have Cisco certifications. It's like having a coat of many colors! My opinion though, but my proof is there are a lot of companies out there looking for Juniper Certified individuals. You can check the job sites if you want to see for yourself.

As for me, I have booked my free JNCIA-ER exam by October and will be booking my JNCIS-ER by December. I am looking forward to passing these exams but I still don't neglect my aim for the CCDA/CCDP this year and ultimately the CCIE next year. Don't miss this chance to get a good and acknowledged certification for free! This will only be available throughout the rest of 2009. You have nothing to lose! :) Check the link below for more details.

https://learningportal.juniper.net/juniper/user_fasttrack_home.aspx

Anyone Reading?

I have been pretty busy this month. Not only I was sidetracked from my studies but also I tend to relax this month because, I just turned a year older. My counter shows people have been reading this blog but I am not sure if these are just one time visitor or there are people actually reading and learning something from this. Like I said first and foremost, I created this blog for my own personal reference and for others also who likes to learn from blogs.

If there are people out there who are following my entries, please comment and let me know how much more I can improve this blog for the benefit of us all. I know this blog can't even compare to other blogs but your comments can really help improve. If you have topics you want to be covered let me know cause, my way is I am covering mini focused labs per topic and per protocol.

My Next Target: CCDA

Currently I am working as a Change Management Engineer and my job involves planning and preparing configuration for new site setups, partner vpn and just about anything in the WAN/LAN side of the network. There are times that it is required for me to do some proposals on how the network should be designed and I really need to do some research on how this should be done the proper way. As a network engineer, I believe we are not only only into configuring routers and do it for a lifetime.:) I think its best if we also know how the network should be designed and it pays a lot if you work for pre-sales job which requires designing knowledge and experience.

I first started reading Dianne Teare's book on CCDA a few months ago. I find it boring at first but when I went into the succeeding chapters, I find it more interesting. The book is so nice, you have to read it twice or thrice!:)

My journey towards the CCIE, doesn't mean I am not open for other certifications. I believe certifications like the CCDA and CCDP can greatly help not only for the exam but also for your value as an individual in the networking industry. Certifications like ITIL which I currently have, are also good in terms of the business and process side of the networking job.Being multi vendor certified is also good because there are also good networking products out there. Juniper and Checkpoints are my next targets after I have achieved my CCDP certification. I only need two more exams and I hope to accomplish the certifications I mentioned this year. I will learn as much as I can but will not forget on my target and my focus.

Improving the Pages

I spent this whole Sunday on improving the pages. For a long time, I have been looking to put the routers' show output command in a textbox so the alignment will be correct but sadly textarea sucks in blogger. I happen to run accross an CSS code somewhere and I applied it to my page. To my surprise, it worked fine and I am now able to put the show commands and configurations on these boxes without any problem or any weird text coming out. Now, I am looking for visio stencils/ symbols I can use for my drawings cause I find my drawings really sucky! :) If someone happens to have a pretty neat collection of visio symbols, kindly let me know where to get it. Some modern and funky styles will do! Ok, now I'll resume putting the show commands in textboxes on my previous posts. Good day!