Cisco Exam Preparation (Or Anybody Who Likes To Know More Professionally of Cisco and/or IP Networking)
Note: In addition of Exam Preparation, the links also provide good reading for those who like to have deeper understanding of various IP protocols and networking technologies.
CiscoPress publishes the definitive resources for learning about Cisco technology and products as well as study materials for their various certifications.
The cheapest place I have found to get CiscoPress books is at www.bookpool.com. They average around a 35% discount off the cover price of all the books and they carry all the latest and greatest and even hard to find texts.
Go to the CiscoPress section at bookpool.com and you can browse the inventory or search for a specific title.
If you know any other good links for purchasing CiscoPress books, please submit them by clicking on the feedback icon at the bottom right hand-side of the page or contact one of the FAQ editors. They may be found at the top of the Cisco FAQ home-page. Thank you.
This FAQ is courtesy of Mem who allowed me to use the link he posted in a thread in the networking forum.
The Cisco website has a lot of online documentation within it, ranging from troubleshooting tips to configuring and installation notes. There is also another side to the website, the Cisco University, which can be accessed via clicking the Technical Documentation link in the Useful Links menu on the right hand side on the main page.
A very useful link within the Cisco University for CCNA candidates and Cisco newbies is this. It contains an overview of all the internetworking technologies and protocols.
This FAQ is brought to you courtesy of Rhodium_UK and Mem .
Note that 2500 router series (including 2514) are EOL (End Of Life) and Cisco no longer offers support for them. Several other EOL router are also SOHO 91, 1700, and 2600/2600XM series.
For most SOHO or Cisco beginners that are in process of learning networking and preparing CCNA, the 2514 should be more than enough. You may need a router with a Fast Ethernet Layer-3 interface to practise inter-VLAN routing. FYI, you may also use 2610, 2611, and 2612 that only has integrated Ethernet Layer-3 interface but capable of doing inter-VLAN routing.
At the time this FAQ was written, the 800, 1800, and 2800 series are the current routers for SOHO, small/medium business, and Cisco beginners; and Cisco does still support them. It is then suggested (not required) to use these router model for either learning networking, setting up SOHO network, or both; assuming financial budget is permitting.
Check out the following thread as preliminary info. You may also need additional equipment such as AUI/Ethernet transcievers, a switch, straight through and/or crossover Category-5 patch cables, and Cisco console kit.
/forum/remark,11053117~mode=flat?hilite=2514
Keep in mind that Ethernet ports (Ethernet interfaces) of any 2500 series router are the AUI ports, NOT the RJ-45 ports. The RJ-45 ports are for CONSOLE and AUX (Auxilary) access which are for totally different situation. This is where the AUI/Ethernet transcievers come in handy.
You may also need the latest IOS and the maximum size of DRAM and flash memory (16/16 MB). My suggestion is to always max out the DRAM and flash memory size before installing latest IOS. This way should not encounter problemw with insufficient memory space.
Since the inception of the CCNA in 1998, the exam has always been a "one" path test but in 2003, Cisco announced another path for the coveted Cisco qualification, and that is the "two" path method.
The INTRO exam contains a subset of the CCNA topics and should be taken before the ICND exam. Conversely, the ICND should be taken after the INTRO exam and it also covers a subset of CCNA topics.
The CCNA exam can be taken instead of the INTRO and ICND exams. It covers the same content as the other two exams combined.
Cisco's INTRO exam covers a broad range of topics and is a general overview of the technologies involved whilst the ICND exam covers fewer topics but delves into them in more detail.
The CCNA exam covers everything within the INTRO and ICND topics but due to time constraints, it cannot ask you everything. Hence, it will ask you about more advanced topics but using the basic knowledge gleaned from the INTRO topics, e.g. instead of asking you to list out the network numbers for Class A, B and C networks, it will give you a configuration and ask you to troubleshoot the lack of connectivity between two routers where a classful routing protocol has been used and VLSM has been implemented in the networks. Information correct as of 02/01/2004
For CCNA, using 2500 series routers, a router that support ISL, and Catalyst 1900 series switch with VLAN and trunking capabilities, and ISDN switch or ISDN simulator are enough. However you might want to consider to use 2600 series router instead for all the routers and Catalyst 2950 for the switch instead since they are newer and longer lasting. Check out the following link for more info.
/forum/remark,10795352
As for books, Lamme's and Ciscopress should be sufficient. FYI, there is a nice Ciscopress book that cover all commands necessary for the current CCNA exam preparations (640-821 INTRO and 640-811 ICND, or 640-801 CCNA): "CCNA Command Quick Reference" by Scott D. Empson (ISBN: 1587131595). Check out the following link for more info.