Cisco CCNA Exam Tutorial And Case Study: VLANs and IP Connectivity

Monday, April 7th, 2008

In this CCNA case study, we’ll take some basic switching and trunking theory and put it into action. We have two routers (R2 and R3) along with two switches (SW1 and SW2). R2 is connected to SW1 at fast 0/2, and R3 is connected to SW2 at fast 0/3. Both routers have [...]

Cisco CCNP Exam Tutorial: Defining Collision Domains

Monday, April 7th, 2008

CCNA exam success depends on mastering the fundamentals, and two important fundamentals are knowing exactly what the terms “collision domain” and “broadcast domain” mean. In this free Cisco tutorial, we’ll take a look at the term “collision domain” and how a collision domain is defined.
A collision domain is an area in which a collision [...]

Router - Transmitting Packets

Monday, April 7th, 2008

In a previous article we discussed the basics of what a router did. We’re now going to get into a more detailed, and yes technical, explanation of how packets are transmitted as well as a few other tech specs of how routers work. So put on your learning caps because you’re in for [...]

Passing Your CCNA and CCNP: Configuring And Troubleshooting Router-On-A-Stick

Sunday, April 6th, 2008

For CCNA and CCNP candidates, it’s hard not to laugh the first time you hear the phrase “router on a stick”. Let’s face it, that’s a pretty silly term. But as those who have passed the CCNA and CCNP exams know, this is a vital exam topic that you must know how to [...]

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: The 2503 Router

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

I know from experience that part of the excitement and anxiety of putting together your own CCNA / CCNP home lab is deciding what to buy! While you can make a workable home lab out of almost any combination of Cisco routers and switches, some routers are better suited for home lab work than others [...]

Cisco Certification: The “Secret” Key To Getting Your CCNA And CCNP

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Whether you’re working on your CCNA or CCNP, Cisco certification exams are the most demanding computer certification exams in the IT field. Cisco exams are not a test of memorization, they’re a test of your analytical skills. You’ll need to look at configurations and console output and analyze them to identify problems and [...]

Cisco CCNP / BSCI Exam Tutorial: IP Version 6 Zero Compression

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

BSCI exam success is all part of becoming a CCNP, and part of that success is now learning the basics of IP Version 6, or IPv6. One of the most difficult parts of learning IPv6 concepts is the radically different addressing scheme that IPv6 uses as compared to IPv4. Just look at these sample [...]

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

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

As your CCNA / CCNP home lab expands, an access server such as the Cisco 2509 or 2511 is one of the best investments you can make. In this article, we’ll look at the basic configuration for an access server and discuss how to connect to the other routers and switches in your pod [...]

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification Exam: Creating A Study Plan

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Whether you’re just starting to think about passing the CCNA or CCNP exams, or you’ve been on the certification track for a while, you’ve got to have a plan for success. If you wanted to drive your car from Florida to California, you’d create a plan to get there. You’d get a map and decide [...]

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification Exam: Cabling Your Home Lab

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

More CCNA and CCNP candidates than ever before are putting together their own home labs, and there’s no better way to learn about Cisco technologies than working with the real thing. Getting the routers and switches is just part of putting together a great CCNA / CCNP home lab, though. You’ve got to get the [...]