Cisco CCNP / BCSI Exam Tutorial: Broadcasts And The IP Helper-Address Command

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

While routers accept and generate broadcasts, they do not forward them. This can be quite a problem when a broadcast needs to get to a device such as a DHCP or TFTP server that’s on one side of a router with other subnets on the other side.
If a PC attempts to locate a DNS [...]

Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: Switches, QoS, And Cisco’s Networking Model

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

QoS is a big topic on your BCMSN and CCNP exams, and for good reason. As more and more traffic flows through today’s networks, accurately applying QoS to both your routers and switches becomes more important.
Note the phrase “accurately applying”. You must have a plan in place before you start configuring QoS on [...]

Cisco Certification: Making A Good Impression In Your Job Interview

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Okay, you did it! You earned your Cisco Certified Network Associate certification.
Now what?
People who pass the CCNA exam fall into one of three categories. You may be just entering the IT field you may be working on the LAN side and want to move to the WAN side (that’s where I was when [...]

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: How And Why To Build An Etherchannel

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

CCNA and CCNP candidates are well-versed in Spanning-Tree Protocol, and one of the great things about STP is that it works well with little or no additional configuration. There is one situation where STP works against us just a bit while it prevents switching loops, and that is the situation where two switches have multiple [...]

Configuring Basic Cisco Router Security

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Network security is a hot topic today, and will only increase in importance in the months and years ahead.
While most of the attention is paid to exterior threats, there are some steps you can take to prevent unwanted Cisco router access from within your organization.
Whether you want to limit what certain users can do and [...]

Cisco CCNA Exam Tutorial: CCNA Recertification Requirements

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Passing the CCNA exam and earning this coveted Cisco certification is an important step in your career, but it’s not the end of your responsibilities as a CCNA! When you work with computer networks, you’ve got to be continually learning and staying up on the latest technologies and changes in the field. Part of this [...]

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Buying And Configuring An Access Server

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

A Cisco access server is generally the last item a CCNA or CCNP candidate has on their mind when they’re putting together a home lab. The thinking tends to be that since this router isn’t really doing anything in the production part of your practice lab, it’s not really important.
Once you have more than two [...]

Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: The Core Layer Of Cisco’s Three-Layer Model

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

In this section, you’re going to be reintroduced to a networking model you first saw in your CCNA studies. No, it’s not the OSI model or the TCP/IP model - it’s the Cisco Three-Layer Hierarchical Model. Let’s face it, just about all you had to do for the CCNA was memorize the three [...]

Cisco CCNA Certification: The Value Of The CCNA And CCNP

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

One question I see often on the ‘Net is “Is it worth my time to earn a CCNA / CCNP / CCIE certification?” My personal answer to that is a resounding yes. The power of Cisco certifications has allowed me to create a tremendous career, and they can do the same for you.
There has never [...]

Cisco CCNA Exam Tutorial: The Best Time To Schedule Your Exam

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

In preparing for CCNA exam success, one of the basic steps is to schedule your exam! And when should you do that?
Schedule your exam NOW.
I can hear you now — ” Why should I schedule my exam now? I haven’t started studying yet!”
From experience, I can tell you that this technique works. People complain about [...]