- If you are asked to correct a configuration, follow the sequence below:
- 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.
- Most probably you will catch the bug, using show running-config only. Correct wrong entries and ping all remote addresses to ensure connectivity.
- 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.
- 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!
Saturday, 11 August 2012
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.
Thursday, 9 August 2012
How2Pass CCNA Simulations and Labs
The www.how2pass.com website has the best CCNA Labs and exam Simulations that I have come across. It is a Pay website but worth it.
There are 8 interactive Hands-On Labs i.e.
There are also 18 Router Simulations/Simlets/Testlets i.e.
Troubleshoot OSPF - Router Simulation
Complete Topology and Configure Passwords - Router Simulation
Static and RIP Routing - Testlet
Testlet - Identify STP Features
(b) You are sure to get a few "Drag and Drop" type questions in the exam. How2Pass does have these but again they are divided between various Tests according to subject matter. It would be useful to have these questions in a separate category also. Like the three categories mentioned in (a) above, the database of possible Drag and Drop questions seems to be fairly small.
FREE Equivalent of www.how2pass.com ??
Note that the 9tut.com site has separate sections on WLAN, Security, IPv6 and Drag and Drop questions! There are in fact 27 of the latter divided into 5 parts. However the section on IPv6 has only 8 questions which is not enough.
There are 8 interactive Hands-On Labs i.e.
Hands-on Lab # 1: Connecting to a Router in CCNA/ICND Exam Simulations
Hands-on Lab # 2: Exploring Router Command Modes
Hands-on Lab # 3: Gathering Basic Router Information
Hands-on Lab # 4: Setting Passwords
Hands-on Lab # 5: Basic Router Configurations
Hands-on Lab # 6: Configuring RIP Routing
Hands-on Lab # 7: Configuring NAT Overloading/PAT
Hands-on Lab # 8: Basic switch configuration and VTP
Troubleshoot OSPF - Router Simulation
Configure OSPF - Router Simulation
OSPF Testlet
OSPF Testlet
Switch Simlet - Identify VLAN and STP features
Troubleshoot EIGRP - Router Simulation
Troubleshoot EIGRP - Router Simulation
Access Control List - Router Simulation
Testlet 1 - Identify the Path a Packet Takes in a Network
Testlet 2 - Identify the Path a Packet Takes in a Network
Testlet 3 - Identify the Path a Packet Takes in a Network
Static and RIP Routing - Testlet
Testlet - Identify STP Features
Use of Various SHOW Commands - Simlet
Complete Network Topology - Simlet
Frame Relay - Testlet
Basic Router Configurations - Router Simulation
DHCP - Testlet
Troubleshoot Ping - Access List - Simlet
Note: The NAT Sim and VTP Sim are available in Hands-On Labs section, LAB# 7, 8.
Complete Network Topology - Simlet
Frame Relay - Testlet
Basic Router Configurations - Router Simulation
DHCP - Testlet
Troubleshoot Ping - Access List - Simlet
Note: The NAT Sim and VTP Sim are available in Hands-On Labs section, LAB# 7, 8.
Apart from the Simulations and Labs there are a total of about 920 questions and Answers (many with detailed explanations), devided into 11 sections and a a final random test on all exam topics.
Any Issues/Problems with How2Pass.com?
(a) Test # 07 deals with "Wireless LAN (WLAN)" and has 22 questions and Test # 08 has 12 questions on "Security Threats". No problem here as I got about 4 questions out of these 32 in my third (successful) CCNA exam. Obviously there is a fairly small database of possible questions. HOWEVER I also got a number of questions on IPV6. There also seems to be a small database of possible questions on this topic but How2Pass divides these between two large databases i.e. Test # 04 on "Implement IP Addressing and IP Services" (116 questions) and Test # 12 a miscellaneous series of 93 "Recently Added/Modified Questions". There is scope for a separate test on IPOv6 questions alone. (Moreover while the number of possible IPv6 questions may be limited, they are more complex than the WLAN and Security questions).(b) You are sure to get a few "Drag and Drop" type questions in the exam. How2Pass does have these but again they are divided between various Tests according to subject matter. It would be useful to have these questions in a separate category also. Like the three categories mentioned in (a) above, the database of possible Drag and Drop questions seems to be fairly small.
FREE Equivalent of www.how2pass.com ??
The how2pass.com test engine costs $49.99 for 60 days. For those who don't have the cash OR a credit card, many of my other posts contain details of sites where you can get free CCNA questions, Answers and the TEXTS of Router Simulations, Simlets and Testlets. The main one that was recommended to us in College is www.9tut.com . I found that the Simulations in 9tut were very relevant to the (3) CCNA exams that I did.
See in particular my post
See in particular my post
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
What is a CCNA Router Simulation? a Simlet? a Testlet?
You will probably get one of each of these in the CCNA exam. According to the How2Pass.com exam guide (Members Area):
Type of Questions
- Router/Switch Simulations
- Assign appropriate IP addresses to the router interfaces, as per given subnetting requirements, enable RIPv2.
- Troubleshoot existing EIGRP network, when a newly added router does not communicate with existing routers.
- Configure passwords for Console, Telnet (vty lines) and Privileged EXEC mode.
- Configure NAT on a router to provide Internet access to a group of hosts on the internal LAN. A hands-on lab for this sim has already been added.
- Configure and apply an Access Control List to satisfy given requirements.
- Configure basic switch configuration, default gateway, and VTP.
- Simlet
- You have to use the information given in a network topology and the available show commands in user EXEC mode on a router/switch, and answer 3 to 5 multiple-choice questions.
- Testlet
- It is slightly different in format from the Simlet. You are provided with a scenario statement and/or a command output and/or a network topology only. You have to answer multiple questions about this scenario. No command prompt is provided.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
CCNA Exam Marking System (also non-English-Speaking Students)
Some of the following is taken from Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the www.9tut.com website
http://www.9tut.com/ccna-faqs-a-tips
Time Allowed for Exam
At present you have 90 minutes to answer about 50 questions in the CCNA exam.
HOWEVER if your native language is not English, Cisco allows you a 30-minute exam time extension. There are a few requirements to get this extension, so the best way is asking your teacher before taking the exam. (There were Russian speaking students in my own class but I think they did not succeed in getting an extension because they were attending an English-speaking college. )
Router Simulations etc in Exam
The popular simulations now seem to be Access List (extended), EIGRP and VTP but no one can guarantee you will not see other simulations in your exam. It looks like you get one full Router Simulation (probably Access List), one Simlet (where you troubleshoot and make corrections) and one Testlet (where you use SHOW commands to answer questions).
How many points are there for each Simulation?
Cisco doesn’t tell how many points you will get for each correct sim but the author of the 9tut.com site believes you will get from 80 to 100 points for each of them. You need 825 out of 1000 points to pass the exam.
According to my own college teachers, you need to get the main Router Simulation completely correct or you get no points for it. However the Simlet and the Testlet questions each have several parts and you will get points for each part that you get right. (There are 4 or 5 questions to answer in each Simlet and Testlet).
The main Router Simulation is very important and it will be difficult to pass if you get no points at all for it. My own experience suggests that if you make one mistake, you will not necessarily lose all marks. I think that the Access List Router Simulation that I did was divided into two sections i.e.
(1) Configuring the Extended Access List itself - 3 statements
(2) Applying it to the correct interface and in the correct direction.
If you get part (1) correct and part (2) wrong, you will probably get 50% of the marks. However CISCO is not saying!
So be careful with the simulations and try to write all the commands on paper many times before taking the exam. (Also do the simulations if at all possible).
How Much Time Should You Spend on Simulation Questions?
According to 9tut.com: You should not spend more than 15 minutes for each sim. Recall that you only have 90 minutes so if you spend 15 minutes for each sim x 4 sims = 60 minutes (now the sims have been reduced to 3 but we calculate 4 sims for safe). The 30 minutes left is for solving 40 multiple choice questions. If you are not a native English speaker and have 30-minute expansion (ask your teacher or testing center to confirm) than you can spend 20 minutes for each sim.
The www.How2Pass.com paysite that I used, allows 12 minutes to practise each Simulation/Simlet/Testlet i.e. a total of 36 minutes compared to the 45 minutes that www.9tut.com recommends for 3 sims. You will probably find that you need more time for the main Router Simulation than for either of the other 2.
Can you pass without doing the Simulations?
As mentioned above, each simulation will cost you from 80 to 100 points. In the CCNA exam you will probably have to solve 3 simulations that give from 240 to 300 points. Suppose you answer all other questions perfectly then you will get 700 to 760 points but the passing score is 825. It means that you will surely fail if you ignore them.
From the calculation above, if you miss only one sim the chance to pass is average but if you miss two, the chance to pass is very low.
Very Important - You Cannot Go back Once you Click NEXT
When you click NEXT at the end of a question you cannot go back to change it later. (Be careful not to click NEXT by mistake!). There is one exception. When you are doing a Simlet or Testlet with 5 parts (for example) you can move between the parts and make changes - until you click NEXT at the end of the full question.
It follows that you cannot skip a question and come back to it later. If you don't know the answer guess it! You will not be penalised for a wrong answer. If it is a multi-choice question there are usually 2 or 3 answers that you know MUST be wrong. Choose one of the others.
You can visit
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/wwtraining/certprog/training/cert_exam_tutorial.html
to be familiar with the exam interface.
http://www.9tut.com/ccna-faqs-a-tips
Time Allowed for Exam
At present you have 90 minutes to answer about 50 questions in the CCNA exam.
HOWEVER if your native language is not English, Cisco allows you a 30-minute exam time extension. There are a few requirements to get this extension, so the best way is asking your teacher before taking the exam. (There were Russian speaking students in my own class but I think they did not succeed in getting an extension because they were attending an English-speaking college. )
Router Simulations etc in Exam
The popular simulations now seem to be Access List (extended), EIGRP and VTP but no one can guarantee you will not see other simulations in your exam. It looks like you get one full Router Simulation (probably Access List), one Simlet (where you troubleshoot and make corrections) and one Testlet (where you use SHOW commands to answer questions).
How many points are there for each Simulation?
Cisco doesn’t tell how many points you will get for each correct sim but the author of the 9tut.com site believes you will get from 80 to 100 points for each of them. You need 825 out of 1000 points to pass the exam.
According to my own college teachers, you need to get the main Router Simulation completely correct or you get no points for it. However the Simlet and the Testlet questions each have several parts and you will get points for each part that you get right. (There are 4 or 5 questions to answer in each Simlet and Testlet).
The main Router Simulation is very important and it will be difficult to pass if you get no points at all for it. My own experience suggests that if you make one mistake, you will not necessarily lose all marks. I think that the Access List Router Simulation that I did was divided into two sections i.e.
(1) Configuring the Extended Access List itself - 3 statements
(2) Applying it to the correct interface and in the correct direction.
If you get part (1) correct and part (2) wrong, you will probably get 50% of the marks. However CISCO is not saying!
So be careful with the simulations and try to write all the commands on paper many times before taking the exam. (Also do the simulations if at all possible).
How Much Time Should You Spend on Simulation Questions?
According to 9tut.com: You should not spend more than 15 minutes for each sim. Recall that you only have 90 minutes so if you spend 15 minutes for each sim x 4 sims = 60 minutes (now the sims have been reduced to 3 but we calculate 4 sims for safe). The 30 minutes left is for solving 40 multiple choice questions. If you are not a native English speaker and have 30-minute expansion (ask your teacher or testing center to confirm) than you can spend 20 minutes for each sim.
The www.How2Pass.com paysite that I used, allows 12 minutes to practise each Simulation/Simlet/Testlet i.e. a total of 36 minutes compared to the 45 minutes that www.9tut.com recommends for 3 sims. You will probably find that you need more time for the main Router Simulation than for either of the other 2.
Can you pass without doing the Simulations?
As mentioned above, each simulation will cost you from 80 to 100 points. In the CCNA exam you will probably have to solve 3 simulations that give from 240 to 300 points. Suppose you answer all other questions perfectly then you will get 700 to 760 points but the passing score is 825. It means that you will surely fail if you ignore them.
From the calculation above, if you miss only one sim the chance to pass is average but if you miss two, the chance to pass is very low.
Very Important - You Cannot Go back Once you Click NEXT
When you click NEXT at the end of a question you cannot go back to change it later. (Be careful not to click NEXT by mistake!). There is one exception. When you are doing a Simlet or Testlet with 5 parts (for example) you can move between the parts and make changes - until you click NEXT at the end of the full question.
It follows that you cannot skip a question and come back to it later. If you don't know the answer guess it! You will not be penalised for a wrong answer. If it is a multi-choice question there are usually 2 or 3 answers that you know MUST be wrong. Choose one of the others.
You can visit
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/wwtraining/certprog/training/cert_exam_tutorial.html
to be familiar with the exam interface.
Monday, 6 August 2012
FREE CCNA Simulation Questions (basic)
The website "CCNA Simulation Questions" has six basic simulation exercises that are relevant to the CCNA exam.
http://www.simulationexams.com/simulation-questions/cisco-ccna.htm
1. Hostname motd banner exercise
2. Interface configuration exercise
3. IGRP routing configuration exercise
4. Frame Relay configuration on an interface
5. RIP Routing configuration exercise
6. Console and vty configuration exercise
They are useful and you don't need Cisco Packet Tracer or any other simulator to operate them. However they ARE basic - and note that no 3 refers to IGRP rather than its modern-day successor EIGRP so they are a little out of date! However the router and switch commands they deal with will certainly come up in the exam - either as part of a major Simulation question or as ordinary questions e.g.
Why can't the administrator Telnet to RouterA?
Because he didn't configure a vty Password on the Router (or he forget to include the Login command when he was doing it).
It is worthwhile reviewing the basic commands even if you think you know them by heart. (You might not be so sure in the middle of an exam with time ticking away!). For example
http://www.simulationexams.com/simulation-questions/cisco-ccna.htm
1. Hostname motd banner exercise
2. Interface configuration exercise
3. IGRP routing configuration exercise
4. Frame Relay configuration on an interface
5. RIP Routing configuration exercise
6. Console and vty configuration exercise
They are useful and you don't need Cisco Packet Tracer or any other simulator to operate them. However they ARE basic - and note that no 3 refers to IGRP rather than its modern-day successor EIGRP so they are a little out of date! However the router and switch commands they deal with will certainly come up in the exam - either as part of a major Simulation question or as ordinary questions e.g.
Why can't the administrator Telnet to RouterA?
Because he didn't configure a vty Password on the Router (or he forget to include the Login command when he was doing it).
It is worthwhile reviewing the basic commands even if you think you know them by heart. (You might not be so sure in the middle of an exam with time ticking away!). For example
- The Login command is used for Console and Telnet (vty) Passwords only - not for Enable or Enable Secret.
- The formula for the Enable password (where the actual password is Cisco) is "Enable Password Cisco"
- The formula for the Enable Secret password is "Enable Secret Cisco" (NOT "Enable Secret Password Cisco")
Sunday, 5 August 2012
CCNA Exam Pay-Site Pass4Sure and FREE CCNA Labs
This is another CCNA testing engine that was recommended to us. I did not use it myself before my exam and had difficulty downloading the free demo.
http://www.pass4sure.com/640-802.html
It is more costly than the How2pass material that I did use although it offers more resources - if you are prepared to pay for the full "Bundle" of four products - $178.16 USD. The Module containing 633 Questions and Answers costs $99.99 and you would certainly need the Practical Labs Module - 31 of them for $49.99. The other modules are a Study Guide and an Audio Guide that you are unlikely to need if you have taken a recognised CCNA course. If you haven't taken such a course they are probably essential (well the Study Guide anyway) as I don't believe you can pass the 640-802 exam by memorising questions and answers. Even the two main Modules cost a total of $150 compared to $49.99 for How2pass.
Comments about Pass4sure on the Internet are mainly positive although some people say they have difficulty in getting the promised refund if they fail the exam.
Tip Re FREE Content
If you Google Pass4Sure and CCNA and click on Videos, you will find a lot of free Pass4Sure Labs. The lady who reads the explanations has a strong Asian accent. (Note these Labs are worked examples that show you how to set up VLANs, use VTP etc They are not the Simulation questions and Answers.)
Most of the above videos are 2 to 4 minutes but there is one 8 minutes long "Pass4Sure 640 802 1" which gives Questions and Answers. It may be the free Demo that I was unable to download - but some of the explanations are in curious English - as if they have been translated from Chinese or whatever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv-AXpX0-Rs
There is also a Pass4Sure 640 802 2" which also includes some Simulation questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hcjbp2gDdo&feature=relmfu
http://www.pass4sure.com/640-802.html
It is more costly than the How2pass material that I did use although it offers more resources - if you are prepared to pay for the full "Bundle" of four products - $178.16 USD. The Module containing 633 Questions and Answers costs $99.99 and you would certainly need the Practical Labs Module - 31 of them for $49.99. The other modules are a Study Guide and an Audio Guide that you are unlikely to need if you have taken a recognised CCNA course. If you haven't taken such a course they are probably essential (well the Study Guide anyway) as I don't believe you can pass the 640-802 exam by memorising questions and answers. Even the two main Modules cost a total of $150 compared to $49.99 for How2pass.
Comments about Pass4sure on the Internet are mainly positive although some people say they have difficulty in getting the promised refund if they fail the exam.
Tip Re FREE Content
If you Google Pass4Sure and CCNA and click on Videos, you will find a lot of free Pass4Sure Labs. The lady who reads the explanations has a strong Asian accent. (Note these Labs are worked examples that show you how to set up VLANs, use VTP etc They are not the Simulation questions and Answers.)
Most of the above videos are 2 to 4 minutes but there is one 8 minutes long "Pass4Sure 640 802 1" which gives Questions and Answers. It may be the free Demo that I was unable to download - but some of the explanations are in curious English - as if they have been translated from Chinese or whatever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv-AXpX0-Rs
There is also a Pass4Sure 640 802 2" which also includes some Simulation questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hcjbp2gDdo&feature=relmfu
Saturday, 4 August 2012
CCNA Exam Pay Site Test-Inside.com
Another CCNA exam site that was recommended to us is http://www.test-inside.com/640-802.htm
The version that I saw is out of date now but should still give a fair insight into what is on offer. There were about 400 questions divided into 14 chapters PLUS a section on Drag and Drop questions (27 of them) and a section on Simulations (3).
The Simulations were
VTP
Access Control List
EIGRP
The Simulations were in text format only.
The chapters included questions on IPv6 (12), Wireless (13) and Security (7). These are not the most important sections of the CCNA exam. I mention them because you are sure of a couple of questions on each AND the database of possible questions seems to be quite small. Thus there should be some easy points to be picked up in these areas.These are also sure to be a couple of Drag and Drop questions and again the number of possible variations is limited (besides which a study of these questions provides a useful insight into various parts of the CCNA course).
The current test-inside website offers the latest July 2012 edition of its questions and answers for $79.99. There are 633 questions and answers and free updates are offered for 90 days. It is stated that you can install on multiple computers for self-paced at-your-convenience training! There is a free Demo for this and it looks like the demo EIGRP simulation has more to it than text. There is also an Exam Study Guide - 105 PDF pages - on offer for $19.99 and an Exam Audio Guide - 127 minutes - for $24.99. (I never heard of this kind of CCNA exam aid before).
This doesn't seem to be as good value as the www.how2pass.com price of $49.99 for 920 questions including inter-active Router Simulations. OTOH the Test-Inside gives you 90 days - as opposed to 60 for How2Pass - installation on multiple computers AND a money-back offer if you fail.
The version that I saw is out of date now but should still give a fair insight into what is on offer. There were about 400 questions divided into 14 chapters PLUS a section on Drag and Drop questions (27 of them) and a section on Simulations (3).
The Simulations were
VTP
Access Control List
EIGRP
The Simulations were in text format only.
The chapters included questions on IPv6 (12), Wireless (13) and Security (7). These are not the most important sections of the CCNA exam. I mention them because you are sure of a couple of questions on each AND the database of possible questions seems to be quite small. Thus there should be some easy points to be picked up in these areas.These are also sure to be a couple of Drag and Drop questions and again the number of possible variations is limited (besides which a study of these questions provides a useful insight into various parts of the CCNA course).
The current test-inside website offers the latest July 2012 edition of its questions and answers for $79.99. There are 633 questions and answers and free updates are offered for 90 days. It is stated that you can install on multiple computers for self-paced at-your-convenience training! There is a free Demo for this and it looks like the demo EIGRP simulation has more to it than text. There is also an Exam Study Guide - 105 PDF pages - on offer for $19.99 and an Exam Audio Guide - 127 minutes - for $24.99. (I never heard of this kind of CCNA exam aid before).
This doesn't seem to be as good value as the www.how2pass.com price of $49.99 for 920 questions including inter-active Router Simulations. OTOH the Test-Inside gives you 90 days - as opposed to 60 for How2Pass - installation on multiple computers AND a money-back offer if you fail.
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