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Cisco CCNA ICND1 100-101 Prep — Getting started

Computer networking is something that I’ve always been involved with for most of my career, but it has only been a part of it. Rather, it has never been the focus of my career. Recently, I’ve decided that I want to move away from pure software development and back into IT with the focus being Networking. In this day and age, one cannot really get a job without the requisite certifications to demonstrate basic competence in said field. In short, I decided to go for my Cisco Certified Network Associates (CCNA) certification in Switching and Routing.

There are 2 paths to getting one’s CCNA in Switching and Routing:

From what I’ve read, each of the ICNDx tests cost $150, while the composite test costs $250. So taking the composite test could save you $50 vs taking the two ICNDx tests.

On the other hand, if you take the ICNDx path, by passing the ICND1 test, you get your CCENT — which is Cisco’s Entry level certification which says that you’re not an idiot. When you complete the second test, you automatically get the CCNA. Also, by breaking the test into 2 pieces, it allows you to focus your energies on the material at hand.

Given this knowledge, I decided it would be prudent to take the slower/longer path.

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Everything that I have read about getting one’s CCNA says to start with this book: Cisco CCENT / CCNA ICND1 100-101 by Wendell Odom

At this point in time, I’ve read about 400+ of the 830 pages in the book. I would say that about 70% of the book so far has covered theory and fundamentals of modern computer networking while the remaining 30% is on knowing and understanding how to setup and control the Cisco gear itself. Since I am rather well versed in Networking basics, it has mostly been review so far, but I have to say that the writing is very good and can see that even a newcomer to computer networking should be able to pick up what is taught here pretty quickly given enough motivation and determination.

The challenge for me has been trying out and practicing the commands on the command-line. The book includes a DVD with some software, but it seems pretty limited. So to rectify this problem, I’ve ordered two Cisco Catalyst 2950 10/100 Ethernet switches off of eBay. I managed to get them both for a total of $72 (S/H included.) With two Cisco switches, I should be able to set them up and practice the commands as well as VLAN’ing and Trunking.

Although there are plenty of network simulators available, this seems to be the way to go since it gives real, hands-on exposure to actual networking equipment. And $70 ain’t bad for 2 network switches.

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