Thanks for the wonderful write up and congrats... a job well done.. FNK
On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 5:56 PM, Jónatan Þór Jónasson <[email protected]>wrote: > Thanks everyone.**** > > ** ** > > Since I'm being asked, here's info about my CCIE studying.**** > > ** ** > > Apologies for the long post... I had a three hour flight and I couldn‘t > sleep :)**** > > ** ** > > Study resources:**** > > A bunch of security-related books.**** > > IP Experts End-to-End material (BLS + 10 day bootcamp)**** > > Yusuf Bhaiji labs**** > > Cisco‘s Documentation**** > > This email list.**** > > ** ** > > The journey:**** > > ** ** > > Some background info; I've been working with Cisco/Networking from late > 2000.**** > > My main interest has always been security, but because of the small market > (Iceland) it isn't possible to focus only on security.**** > > CCNA in 2001, CCNP in 2003, CCSP sometime in 2006-2008.**** > > ** ** > > The decision to start the CCIE process was in sept/okt/Nov 2010, when I > had to recert the CCSP.**** > > I did so by studying for, and eventually passing the CCIE Security Written > exam.**** > > (I took two weeks vacation off from work and spent almost all of my waking > hours studying.)**** > > ** ** > > From Nov2010 - July 2011, most of my studying was done by either reading > and/or testing induvidual items fromt he blueprint that I knew I needed to > work on. Very slow progress actually.**** > > In july 2011 I bought the CCIE End-to-End solution from IP Expert and > started doing the IPExpert's labs along with the Audio and Video from > IPExpert.**** > > The lab that I spent most of the time on was a dynamips/GNS3 based lab we > setup at work, with real switches and two ASA5510.**** > > This was a really good starting point, but I also had to spend alot of > time troubleshooting what turned out to be dynamips-related issues. That > was frusterating.**** > > I tried as well to do some tests on my home-router, but other "users" in > my home did NOT find this acceptable behaviour of a "production > environment".**** > > ... And I thought my customers were demanding.**** > > ** ** > > From that point and until the end of january all my studing was done in > "my own time", after work hours.**** > > A bit difficult to make everything fit together since I was already > overloaded at work, and with two kids.**** > > (8yr old stepson and a daughter who is 2yr old today.)**** > > ** ** > > In the beginning of february I took a vacation from work, and from then > and until mid-March I spent all the time that otherwise would have been > spent at work, studying.**** > > Most evenings (after the kids were asleep) and weekends were used as well. > **** > > (Still in GNS3)**** > > From 19-30 March I took the combined 10day course from IPExpert in San > Jose.**** > > From 2-13 april (still on vacation) all lab time was now done on > proctorlabs and Cisco's ASET/PEC labs.**** > > Due to time differences and the "availability" at proctorlabs rack > equipment, that basically ment that I woke up at 3am and started my labs at > 4am (4-12), and studying until 15-16 in the afternoon and then going home. > **** > > Practically the same scedule on weekends.**** > > The last lab I did was on 13. april**** > > ** ** > > During all the labs I took I used Evernote to keep track of my progress. > (And also while listening/watching the VoD/AoD he mentioned something that > I didn‘t know about.)**** > > I used it in the same way I used notepad in the LAB exam, I wrote down all > the question numbers (1.1/1.2 etc) and checked them off when I had > fininshed configuring.**** > > For each item I was unsure about, didn't know how to do, did wrong or did > differently that the solution guide suggested, I made a note about that.** > ** > > I did the same thing during IP Expert's OWLE/bootcamp.**** > > ** ** > > Because my proctorlabs time was usually over at 1200(noon) (and very few > days that I managed to schedule the time from 12-20, never anything > available), I spent the time from 12-16 going over previous lab notes, > re-organizing them into a checklist and the studying all induvidual items > that I had been unable to configure without confidence (or unable to > configure at all...)**** > > After I came home from IP Experts bootcamp and reviewed my notes, I ended > up with a single note containing a list of 141 different bulletins with 68 > sub-bulletins. **** > > Items that I needed (in my opinion) to review, reread and/or redo. **** > > (This is a combined note from both the bootcamp and all my labs.)**** > > I managed to go over and review most of the items on the list, but not > everything.**** > > ** ** > > I arrived at Brussels on 14 april, and that day and evening was mostly > spent revisiting all the Cisco's documentation to be sure that I could > easily navigate it, and also reviewing my old notes and comments.**** > > ** ** > > On the day before the exam (15. april), I played chess.**** > > This is the only thing I remember from that day, eating, going out for a > walk, and playing chess in my ipad. No lab time, no studying, no reading.* > *** > > ** ** > > In the actual exam, I was off to a bad start, I spent a good hour and a > half to get some basic connectivity working. **** > > The main reason: It took time to get familiar with ip addressing and cable > layout, which resulted in me configuring the wrong ports, and then > troubleshooting my own mistakes.**** > > This is one way of getting your stress up a few levels...**** > > The fact that I took a backup of all the initial config from all devices > into a single notepad document was a lifesaver here. When I found out that > I had been configuring the wrong stuff I used that to revert my changes.** > ** > > ** ** > > This has been said before, and I'll say it again. The two Yusuf labs were > EXTREMELY helpful. (In regards to wording and thinking.)**** > > It was also good to use a different rack every now and then,, since I had > memorized proctorlabs/ipexpert both cabling and ip addressing schemes. (I > realised this in the actual LAB, because I took too much time getting > familiar with the ip addressing and cableing, I even configured the wrong > ports a few times.)**** > > I have to point out, that the reason I started doing the Yusuf labs was > because of other emails on this list that said that they were > good/important. Thanks again! :)**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > English is not my native language, and I *do* need help with wording and > I'm very prone to not seeing words like "do" and "don't" in sentances. So I > became best friends with the proctor and I have no idea how many times I > stood up to go to talk to him to verify my understanding of a question.*** > * > > He was very helpful. **** > > ** ** > > I tried out a few different strategies during my studying before settling > for something that worked for me, and for the 3-4 weeks before my LAB I was > following the same exactly same strategy each day.**** > > During the lab however, my time management wasn‘t as good as I hoped it to > be. It‘s difficult to leave an item unfinished when you can‘t finish it in > a decent amount of time.**** > > ** ** > > I don't know how, but I managed to make alot of "basic" errors while doing > the LAB.**** > > After I finished everything that I could do (two questions that I was > unable to finish), I had a little more than 1 and a half hour left, and I > spent that time re-reading the entire exam and re-verifying everything that > I could do.**** > > I found so many mistakes that the last "change" I made was 30 seconds > before the proctor said "Time's up! Please hand over your workbooks/paper." > **** > > Most of these errors were in sections that I could't complete in the first > attempt, but had moved on and came back to later on. Errors like adding or > removing a line when verifying/trobuleshooting, and then forgetting to > remove/re-add the line again before continueing.**** > > ** ** > > If there's one single item that I spent the most time on, then that's FPM. > **** > > I spent over an hour getting that stuff to work correctly.**** > > Mainly because every time I modified the FPM configuration the router > crashed.**** > > Basically I could build FPM config, and apply it to an interface, but if I > changed it, or removed it from the interface/changed/re-applied, the router > crashed.**** > > ** ** > > Regarding the docmuentation on the exam, the connection speed itself > wasn't all that bad.**** > > However, if I opened two many browser windows or large pages, the browser > started to stall/hang and become unresponsive. **** > > This is like working on a computer with 128Mb ram...**** > > There were two items that I had problem configuring correctly, and I > didn't know exacly what document I should be looking for. I eventually gave > up on trying to find the documentation and just went with what I thought > was the correct solution.**** > > I now know that one of these items was incorrect (after finding the > documentation when I came back to the hotel.)**** > > So just to re-affirm one thing: If you don't know where the documentation > is before you enter the LAB, you're probably not going to find it in the > LAB.**** > > ** ** > > I have to mention, that I arrived at the LAB location (Brussels in my > example) two days before the LAB. There were other candidates taking the > LAB at the same time that had arrived just the day/evening before, and some > of them said that they were not well rested.**** > > Also, my flight back was the day AFTER the LAB. **** > > Some of the other candidates had a flight just a few hours after the exam, > so they went straight to the airport (or about so) to catch a flight home. > **** > > Maybe this didn't affect them, but I wanted to have a clear mind and not > having to focus on anything except the lab for this day. I wouldn't want my > mind to go wandering about catching a flight after a few hours.**** > > ** ** > > Unfortunately I didn't keep track of my time during studying, so I don't > know exactly how much time was put into this.**** > > (I may try to calculate this later). But it's quite a lot.**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > With best regards,**** > > J‘J**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* Piotr Matusiak [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* 17. apríl 2012 18:18 > > *To:* Jónatan Þór Jónasson > *Cc:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [OSL | CCIE_Security] CCIE Security LAB (16.04.2012) - > Passed!**** > > ** ** > > Congrats mate! > > Please stay with us and help others... > > Regards, > Piotr > > **** > > 2012/4/17 Jónatan Þór Jónasson <[email protected]>**** > > Hi,**** > > **** > > I know I haven‘t been a big contributer here, but I want to give credit > where credit is due.**** > > This email list has been a great value for me, especially for the last 1-2 > weeks after I started going through majority of the emails sent the last 12 > months.**** > > So thanks everyone here!**** > > **** > > With regards,**** > > J‘J - #35262**** > > **** > > **** > > > _______________________________________________ > For more information regarding industry leading CCIE Lab training, please > visit www.ipexpert.com > > Are you a CCNP or CCIE and looking for a job? Check out > www.PlatinumPlacement.com**** > > ** ** > > _______________________________________________ > For more information regarding industry leading CCIE Lab training, please > visit www.ipexpert.com > > Are you a CCNP or CCIE and looking for a job? Check out > www.PlatinumPlacement.com >
_______________________________________________ For more information regarding industry leading CCIE Lab training, please visit www.ipexpert.com Are you a CCNP or CCIE and looking for a job? Check out www.PlatinumPlacement.com
