CCNA Exam Simulations - Tips from How2Pass.com

I found the following tips from www.how2pass.com very useful - not  in the main Router Simulation but in the Simlet I got in my exam that involved correcting the configuration of an EIGRP Network.

For a free example of this type of question see
http://www.9tut.com/64-ccna-eigrp-lab-question

• If you are asked to correct a configuration, follow the sequence below:
  1. Use the show running-config command, on the suspected router. Compare the output with the configuration shown in topology, specially look for:
     • IP address and subnet mask on all interfaces,
     • Clock rate command on all interfaces marked as DCE (normally it is Serial 0/0 and the value of clock rate is 64000).
     • Routing protocol and and all connected networks should be there.
     • No interface should show the keyword shutdown, except the interfaces which are not connected to any network, for example, Serial 0/0 interface of the right-most router and Serial0/1 interface on the left-most router are shutdown.
  2. Most probably you will catch the bug, using show running-config only. Correct wrong entries and ping all remote addresses to ensure connectivity.
  3. If the problem is still there, or you are unable to detect one, try these troubleshooting commands:
     • Use show ip protocol command to confirm if the routing protocol is enabled and advertising the connected networks.
     • Use show interface command to confirm if the interface(s) are active and not shutdown.
     • use show ip route command to see the IP Routing Table of a router.
  4. Correct configuration as required and test again with the ping command.
• Cisco cares only for the final result - typos and corrected mistakes will not hurt you.
• It is important to save config with copy running-config startup-config command ( or the short form copy run start). Please note that newer Cisco sims do not acceptcopy run start command - it is not required in this case.
• It is better to draw a rough sketch of the topology on a paper/pad. This saves time wasted in switching between network topology and CLI (Command Line Interface).
  
  
  My Own Exam Tips
  (1) You may  be asked to correct an EIGRP (or other) configuration that looks very complex e.g. the topology diagram may show a Central Router R1 AND 3 other routers R2, R3 and R4; you will be told that one router (say R3) was recently added to the network but is not functioning properly and you must correct the problems. The diagram may show details of networks connected to all 4 Routers and looks very complex. HOWEVER the only thing that concerns you is: 
  (A) the configuration of the new router - R3
  (B) the network that links R3 to R1 - the Central Router (you need to use the show running-config command on R1 AND R3 to check this).
  
  
  The details concerning R2 and R4 are basically irrelevant. However when you are finished you should be able to use a Show IP Route command on R3 and it should display the networks linked to all of the other routers.
  For a free example of this type of question see
  http://www.9tut.com/64-ccna-eigrp-lab-question
  
  (2) In the above example, the network that links R1 to R3 is 192.168.77.0
   
  When you use the Show IP Route command on R1, you may think that the link between R1 and R3 is OK because the network 192.168.77.0 will appear in the table of networks as a "C" (directly connected network).. HOWEVER the Show IP Route command will display directly connected networks even if there is no routing protocol at all! You need to use the Show Running-Config (Show Run) command to check if the network has been properly configured as an EIGRP network. 
  
  Note the following:
  
  R1# show running-config
  
  <output omitted >
  router EIGRP 212
  network 192.168.36.0
  network 192.168.60.0
  network 192.0.18.0
  no auto-summary
  
  <output omitted >
  
  Thus the link connecting R1 and R3 has NOT been configured as an EIGRP network - even though it appears in the Show IP Route routing table!
  
  (3) In the free example quoted at (1) above, you know that the correct AS number for the EIGRP network is EIGRP 212 - because this is included in the topology diagram that you are given. If you are NOT given this information, you can find it by using the Show-Running-Config command on R1 - as shown in (2) above.  You can confirm this by using the command on R2 or R4.
  
  However don't try to find the correct AS number by using Show-Running-Config on the new router R3, because the AS number on R3 is wrongly configured as EIGRP 22 - and this is something you must change!