CCIE SPV3 Written Scheduled Next Month

Cisco has announced the new version for CCIE SP v3 with alot of new contents and hardware, Although i had completely prepared for V2 but then i decided to go for v3 as it was more interesting and up-to-dated, quite silly decision but this is what I am :)

Lets review the new version through my eyes ;)

Hardware:

• Cisco XR12000 Series Routers (IOS XR 3.9.1)
• Cisco 7200/7600 Series equivalent Routers (IOS 12.2-33 SR)
• Cisco ME3400E Series Switches (IOS 12.2-54 SE)

I just loved these changes specially with the introduction of XR as it was a must update, to mark a true SP engineer one must be good in XR and must have deep understanding of its architecture.

Practicing on XR12000 would be tough for people, but if you are good on 7200/7600 architecture and technologies, i dont think it would be tough to configure same feature on XR. (After all you will always have access to DOC-CD)

Metro switches are just another update in the topology,  with the introduction of ME3600X and ME3800X Cisco is increasing their portfolia in the Metro Access networks, and as SP engineer one must have good understanding of these switches as well. (Configuring ME isnt any new thing though, its same 12.2 IOS)


Exam Topics:

Content is the most interesting part of this exam with alot of new features to configure which is really exciting, specially VPLS, MPLS TE P2MP, mLDP, BGP PIC, XR SDR, GRE L2VPN, and many more.

Cisco has provided hell long list of topics for V3, but i believe they can't test you on all topics, but its good to have a focus and list to prepare for the exams.

I have tried to compile a complete checklist for the exam in the pdf format which is downloadable from the link below:
https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-11611

It will provide a great help for preparing the written Exam.

How to Prepare for CCIE R&S PART2

Let’s assume you have passed the CCNP, and have met the basic criteria of  good foundation of knowledge and practical grasp mentioned in my last post.

Before going in more detail please note that CCIE is not only content oriented paper, its strictly a technology oriented paper where your understanding of technology, analytical thinking, and your versatility in huge list of topics is tested in practical scenarios.

That's why most of the people reach at the CCIE (Written) Level with the help of some shortcuts but then they fall flat at this level and enter into a kind of dead lock, where going back to basics becomes ego problem and going ahead extremely hard.

CCIE R&S has two parts:

1. Written
2. Lab

One must pass written exam before registering the LAB, today we will cover the written paper, how to study, which books are recommended and what to study.

CCIE R&S (Written):

Written part of the CCIE is quite boring and lengthy but please notes that it’s very very important phase.

It will provide a strong foundation to your concepts and understanding, and strong grip on most of the topics.

 If you have studied well in your CCNP preparations then going through these topics won’t be very difficult for you. To start preparation of CCIE Written exam, you must download the Written Exam Topics from Cisco Website from the following link:

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-4374

Official Books List:

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-4601

I know the List of Books is quite long, but let me tell you that you cannot study complete CCIE from one book, that's why CISCO has shared the list of topics and expect the candidates to study topic wise.

You can also find the online study resources from the following link:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/rs/online_resources.html

And for Video Trainings, you can also buy Internetworkexpert's CCIE R&S Written Videos/Class on Demand Videos or IPEXPERT CCIE R&S Class on demand DVDs.

You need to take print of Written Exam topics and read them topic by topic from the mentioned above Books/Online Resources/Videos. Once you feel confident that you have covered most of the topics, you can register your Written Exam from VUE's Website.

To Be Continued....

How to Prepare for CCIE R&S PART1

It's been a long time since i wrote any blog, may be i was too busy or lazy but i wanted to write this blog specially after answering so many queries regarding "How to prepare for CCIE".

This time I have made up my mind and will write all of my Algorithms of preparing CCIE exam and my CCIE-SP preparation updates.

For last few weeks i have been very busy studying my CCIE SPv3, as my target is the Beta Exam which will start on 18th Feb, 2011. But i will try to finish this post as soon as possible.

I will start with "Preparing CCIE R&S" method which i followed after reading lots of blogs, guides, videos and earned my CCIE R&S, and currently preparing for my CCIE SPv3.


How to Prepare for CCIE R&S:

First of all i will recommend everyone to start your career with CCNA as it is the foundation of Cisco Data Networking, and spend more and more time on Cisco Packet Tracer- try to understand the basic concepts and try to design your own topologies and implement different technologies.

Working on Packet Tracer/Real Devices and implementing complex topologies will clear most of the basic concepts for you, and will also improve your Design understanding of Data Networking, which is very very important.

Once you achieve the CCNA Level, start your career towards CCNP. It will introduce you to more advanced topics and complex topologies which will further improve your understanding and approach.

CCNP is a major step towards CCIE, if you did not earn it with pure concepts and understanding then going for CCIE would be very tough for you, its better to take enough time and practice to master most of its contents and Lab requirements.

Try to familiarize yourself with GNS3/Packet Tracer/Real Labs, at CCNP level you must be now an expert of implementing different technologies and understanding most of the technologies featured in CISCO IOS.

Once you finish the CCNP, take a leave, enjoy and try to refresh your brain because you are going to start a tough journey of CCIE :)



To Be Continued.....

CCIE#26003

I started my career in Data Networking in 1999, i was introduced to CCNA/Cisco Networking Contents by one of my online friend.

At that time connecting internet through MS windows and then sharing the internet to LAN was a skill, i learned that skill but then i realized that's not enough, there is something more, something which makes you The Expert...and then i started my journey towards CCIE(Thanks to Zeeshan Khan).

I started my studies with a question: "how does internet work" I wanted to pursue my career in Data Networking but lack of trainings, and good institutions kept me away from mastering CCNA. but as DiruBhai Ambani once said "“Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities".

Lack of trainings, and opportunities in our town led me to self study(Best thing i have ever learned from life) and i started my journey in Computer Networks, in both side: System Engineering, and Network Engineering. I mastered Microsoft Windows, little bit Linux then, and little bit CISCO because i dint know about simulators then, and couldn't buy routers & switches of my own.

Gr8 thing about my life has been the practical experience i have been getting from life, i started from friend's Internet Cafes in school time, where i was famous for my Networking Skills, that led me to work for my college as part time Lab Manager, and then My University where i worked 4 years, and learned a lot of networking and system engineering and yeh practiced too, it was all time learning experience because every day there used to be an issue and i had to solve it, and used to get student's appreciations lol.

BUITMS(My University) brought alot of exposure to my life, 24 Hour Free and Fast Internet(so i could download alot of books and CBTs), Teachings of some excellent teachers like (Sir. Khalid Mengal, Sir. Ikram-ullah, Sir. Nisar) brought alot of revolution in my life, i was feeling like raptor of knowledge there, i used to spent hours in Server room, learning everything, and downloading all trainings i could.(never gave enough interest to regular classes lol, because most of the teachers were boring (except some i mentioned above) and i realized it in first semester that they were wasting my time, my journey was CCIE and i had to focus it right from first day ;))

In the middle of my Graduation, i had almost finished my CCNA , i had studied it and had started studying for CCNP, and then i did 6 month Internship in PTCL, it was marvelous, excellent experience in my life, in the supervision of Sir. Usman (D.E PTCL) it was my first practical experience in field and i enjoyed alot, learned alot alot of things, in very few months i had studied their whole network and had started discussing how to optimize the network more.

Usman Bhai used to say, if you were in PTCL you would have been fired lol because i used to ask alot of questions and then used to give alot of ideas to improve network more and scalable but he used to say "Yeh Government Khata hai Bhai, yahan aisey nai chalta" and that day i committed to myself i wont work for PTCL ever, but Usman bhai was a great inspiration and i really loved working with him.

I Passed CCNA exam, before my convocation it was commitment i did to my self in my graduation time and i achieved it, completed CCNP in 2008 Mid, and CCIP in end of 2008, i had taken the CCIE LAB in 2009 but Belgium Embassy rejected my VISA 2 times with no justification, at that time i thought its finished, my journey has come to an end... but that dint stop me in the end.

I joined Micronet BroadBand Ltd, As Network Support Representative in March 2008. (One of THE best Decision of my life)

Nayatel/Micronet was just another excellent discovery in my life, time i spent there was full of exposures, once again the best thing i liked was FAST internet, very very Fast internet which first time in my life helped me to download 1 GB file, lol i was like flying in the air when first time i downloaded 1 GB file in one day.(sorry Nayatel, i ate hell lot of your bandwidth) and then i felt my dream for CCIE is very near, i had trainings, i had production network to grasp practical concepts, and something very special was the people who were working there specially Sir. Masud Reza, the very first day i took his training on joining i realized my CCIE is very near now.. he was the first person in my life who stopped training and sat down and said to me "Now ask as many questions and as you like lol" and then i said to myself, i want to work with him.

2 Years of Nayatel were like a voyage with full of discoveries, experiences, emotions, and alot of achievements, where i started with Sr. NSR, and in just 18 months i was Senior Network Engineer, wow people were giving my examples, i had sat a standard, but still i wasnt happy with my self, i thought i had lost my focus, my real goal was CCIE, and then i had to take a decision, either follow up my bright career in this company or CCIE.... and in the end i had to go for CCIE.

I re-scheduled my LAB on 7th April, 2010 i had 3 full months to prepare well but very soon i realized i couldnt manage it with Job so i had to quit which was quite difficult but i had to.

Ok Now 2 Months and a monster Lab in front of me, i had studied alot of books, and had gone through all trainings, and workbooks, but now i had to master it, it was time to expertise all those blueprint topics, and let me tell you one thing they were huge, one time i thought i have made a mistake.. i can't cover them all... but then i realized " CCIE is not about JUST Studies, Learning, and making concepts, reading hell lots of books, practicing labs all the day....There is something more which is important than any thing, and that is being positive, and sprit of being stubborn to make things possible, and if you have that passion... This 5 Digit No. will be yours"

i made a commitment to myself, no matter what happens, doesn't care if i fail first time, i will go again and i will keep taking the labs until i clear. and i started giving full 18 hours a day to my preparations.... it was never easy because im not a nerd, i can't sit and take book and start memorizing every word, so i used mind maps(Special Thanks to Krzysztof Załęski for his excellent mind maps notes) and used INE workbooks for final preparations, and yeh i practiced all labs on Dynamips, Thanks to creator of Dynamips.

I also bought INE MockLabs, man they were great, they taught me hell lot of lessons, i got failed in all 4 labs lol, not because i dint know the technology but because i made very small, and silly mistakes and from there i learned to avoid them, when i took INE LAB4 with difficult level 9, i completed it all with style, wah i was confident and expert, i dint miss a single section... that day i realized i can do it, i can pass the lab...common Yasir you can do it. go for this babyy and get it....

I came to dubai on 2nd of April, was feeling very confident, couldnt study in plane lol, all time i kept watching out of window and enjoyed journey(CCIE hota rehega yaar, enjoy the journey and exposures) but after arriving i started studying again.

Day before exam i went to CISCO office in Knowledge Village, man it was so beautiful, i was so excited to give the exam that i dint even follow a single tips of other CCIEs of last day, i dint study a single word on last day, i went to CISCO office, visited university of Woolong just behind the Cisco office, visited some other institutes too and went to Emirates Mall and came back, had some chats with my room mates, and spent almost all day on facebook and kept reading success CCIE stories, lol really i was so exhausted that i dint even wanted to touch any study material, "i said bus yaar jo hoga dekha jayega" and guess what i couldnt even sleep all night.

On the Exam day i went to Cisco office 1 hour early, met a Kashmiri Guy (Saddam Ryaz) who was there for his CCIE Security lab, and he was very well worried for OEQs and after watching him i myself became worried for OEQs lol i thought what happens when ppl study 99% and these 4 stupid questions come from this 1% lol you get fail man.... but then i thought CCIE is about being Expert, if you are really an expert you will answer these 4 questions and i kept telling it to that guy too.

Ok Exam was Nice, i did good in OEQ because i knew my stuff, i did 100/100 in Troubleshooting, because it was my favorite part, and i did very good in configurations part too because they were damn easy in comparison to INE workbooks, i just got stuck in one question because i thought it was unfair to ask and question and skip the necessary information for the solution, i asked the proctor but he said "You will have to resolve it by your ownself, Cisco never makes mistakes" i think he should have helped me, but he was busy in his own CCIE voice studies lol i observed it while i was taking my test he was doing test voice lab himself lol.

Ok after the exam, i said its time to see Dubai.. so lets visit Dubai.... Yuhaaa result will be out in late night till then, i dont want wana think of it..

and then the moment came when i got email from CISCO (My Kashmiri friend called me and told me he couldnt pass because of OEQ, Sad) that was a time when i started getting little worried, and started remembering what i answered, did i make any mistake, oh yes i did, oh no, oh yes, oh no... oh man how can i make such small mistakes, if i got failed because of OEQs i will be the most stupid person on earth.. lol these things kept comming in my brain... and i opened Cisco's Email thank god they dint tell in email that you have passed or not lol they just said check your account info for that...ok should i click or not... but when i clicked on the very first line i saw this Golden Number, "Congratulations CCIE#26003" by god i dint believe it... i went to cisco CCIE verify page and entered my info, it verified... i couldnt believeeeee Heyyyyyyyyy i did it.... whom to telll whom to tell.. its late night my family is sleepingggg, hey facebook.... lets tell them all... i was damn happy ... in the end i did it..

but it hasn't ended yet, Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain. Abhi ishq ke imtehan aur bhi hain.... therez alot to do now... this Ishq hasnt ended yet, its just a start.......