Cisco Certifications Overview

Posted on July 8th, 2008 in 1y0-731, 220-602, 250-924, 310-880, 350-030, 640-812, CCIE, CCIP, CCNA, CCNP, CCVP, Cisco by

Cisco Certifications Overview

Cisco offers three levels of general certification representing increasing levels of expertise: Associate, Professional, and Expert (CCIE). Different tracks across these levels align with varying career needs. A variety of focused Cisco Qualified Specialist certifications are available as well to show knowledge in specific technologies, solutions or job roles.

310-880? 640-812?642-825 642-552

CCNA

The CCNA certification (Cisco Certified Network Associate) indicates a foundation in and apprentice knowledge of networking. CCNA certified professionals can install, configure, and operate LAN, WAN, and dial access services for small networks (100 nodes or fewer), including but not limited to use of these protocols: IP, IGRP, Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLANs, RIP, Ethernet,
Access Lists.

CCSP

The CCSP certification (Cisco Certified Security Professional) indicates advanced knowledge of securing Cisco networks. With a CCSP, a network professional can secure and manage network infrastructures to protect productivity and reduce costs. The content emphasizes topics such as perimeter security, virtual private networks, intrusion protection as well as how to combine these technologies in a single, integrated network security solution.

CCIP

The CCIP (Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional) provides individuals working in service provider organizations with competencies in infrastructure IP networking solutions. CCIP professionals have detailed understanding of networking technologies in the service provider arena including IP routing, IP QoS, BGP, and MPLS.

CCNP

CCIE R&S

CCIE certification in Routing and Switching indicates expert level knowledge of networking across various LAN and WAN interfaces, and a variety of routers and switches. Experts in R&S solve complex connectivity problems and apply technology solutions to increase bandwidth, improve response times, maximize performance, improve security, and support global applications. Candidates should be able to install, configure, and maintain LAN, WAN, and dial access services.

Becoming a CCIE requires passing a set of exams

There are no formal prerequisites for CCIE certification. Other professional certifications and/or specific training courses are not required. Instead, candidates are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the subtleties, intricacies and challenges of end-to-end networking. You are strongly encouraged to have 3-5 years of job experience before attempting certification. To obtain your CCIE, you must first pass a written qualification exam and then a corresponding hands-on lab exam.

CCIE Security

CCIE certification in Security indicates expert level knowledge of IP and IP routing as well as specific security protocols and components.

Becoming a CCIE requires passing a set of exams
There are no formal prerequisites for CCIE certification. Other professional certifications and/or specific training courses are not required. Instead, candidates are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the subtleties, intricacies and challenges of end-to-end networking. You are strongly encouraged to have 3-5 years of job experience before attempting certification. To obtain your CCIE, you must first pass a written qualification exam and then a corresponding hands-on lab exam.

pass4side 000-062 pass4side 000-425 pass4side 000-842 pass4side 117-101

CCIE VoIP (350-030)

CCIE certification in Voice indicates expert level knowledge of VoIP solutions in the enterprise. Candidates should be able to install, configure and maintain Voice solutions over IP networks. The CCIE Voice track, however, does not certify an understanding of the infrastructure over which VoIP solutions are implemented. This contrasts with the CCIE Service Provider-IP Telephony track which certifies an individual as a core IP expert with a high degree of VoIP literacy.

CCIE Storage

CCIE certification in Storage Networking indicates expert level knowledge of intelligent storage solutions over extended network infrastructure using multiple transport options such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, FCIP and FICON. Storage Networking extensions allow companies to improve disaster recovery, optimize performance and take advantage of network services such as volume management, data replication, and enhanced integration with blade servers and storage appliances.

General Certifications: Three Levels of Certification

Associate. The first step in Cisco networking begins at the Associate level. Think of this as the apprentice or foundation level of networking certification.

Professional. This is the advanced or journeyman level of certification.

Expert. This is CCIE, the highest level of achievement for network professionals, certifying an individual as an expert or master.

General Certifications: Four Different Paths

Network Installation and Support. This path is for professionals who install and support Cisco technology-based networks in which LAN and WAN routers and switches reside.

Network Engineering and Design. This path is for professionals who design Cisco technology-based networks in which LAN and WAN routers and switches reside.

Service Provider. This path is aimed at professionals working with infrastructure or access solutions in a Cisco end-to-end environment primarily within the telecommunications arena.

Network Security. This path is directed toward network professionals who design and implement Cisco Secure networks.

pass4side 1Y0-731 pass4side 220-602 pass4side 250-924 pass4side 640-863

Cisco Cert Exams need to be revamped

Posted on July 7th, 2008 in CCNA, CCNP, CCVP, Cisco by

Cisco Cert Exams need to be revamped
?
After a week of reading, taking notes, lab work, I wrote the cisco academy exams and hands-on skills, followed by the CCNP ISCW cert exam. I’ve been doing these certifications and exams for quite a long time now and thought while sitting here at the Calgary airport I may as well jot down a few observations and thoughts I’ve been mulling around as a result.

I just took a look at a? mock testing exam someone sent my way from pass4side. Having just written the ISCW I was able to note that almost every question on this mock test was identical to what was on the certification. I was amazed! Someone, I think from China judging by the language on parts of the screenshots, had actually screen captured all the exam questions including parts of the testlets. I went through the exam to see how their answers matched to mine, and noticed a couple of the testlets were way off, but for the most part, the answers were fairly accurate. So, what does this mean? Well for starters, it definitely lowers the credibility of the cisco exams at the CCNA & CCNP level. The CCIE still holds its value due to the lab exam, but the written only parts for the rest of the cert exams have now been relegated to nothing more than a formality.

Although the cheat exams are not a new concern, I really haven’t spent a any time thinking or caring about it until recently. As an instructor at a cisco academy, I think certificates and diplomas from accredited cisco academies are now almost a must have for students without previous networking experience. I believe this provides an employer with some substantiation as to the credibility of the certification designation for a potential employee. Obviously, if you have 5+ years of experience in the networking field, that will speak for itself, but for younger up and coming network engineers, the lab work and hands-on skill testing at an academy is invaluable. I discussed this point with a colleague who mentioned that in his CCNP classes, it is often painfully obvious the difference between students that obtained their CCNA after going through an academy program and those that followed a quick and easy do-it-yourself approach. Now this by no means means that you can’t do it at home if you are a motivated individual with a good study plan and access to the hardware, but at the intro level this doesn’t seem to be the norm.

So, lets focus on this for a moment. Most academies that I have talked weight their hands on skills much more heavily than the chapter and final assessments that are part of the cisco academy. As instructors, we are all aware that these assessments are readily available on the Internet if you know where to search, so we have to find ways of assessing the true knowledge of our students. Hence why we turn to hands-on practical scenarios that test concepts as opposed to the silly process of memorizing the default options or menu items in the cisco graphical configuration manager.? I found the ISCW exam to be riddled with very questionable pedagogical value. If cisco do not improve this, then their certifications will, and some would argue already have, relegate their intro and intermediate certifications to a laughing stock.

Now please don’t confuse what I think about the cert exam questions with the material and skills you are expected to learn and master as part of the requirement for a cert such as the CCNP/CCVP. My issue and opinion is that the cert exams do not fairly assess proficiency. I have studied much of the CCNP curriculum backwards and forwards from having to teach it, but when I come out of the cert exams I almost feel ripped off in how little opportunity I had to demonstrate my grasp of the material.

I’m sure cisco have recognized these issues and are working on solutions, but here is my 2c. DYNAMIPS!? Building on the fact that the testlets appeared to be where the pass4side exam was weakest, more simulation certainly appears to be attractive. I must also confess that I enjoyed the testlets. Granted they were fairly simple for the most part, but they were the questions I felt assessed my skills more fairly. The config type questions were probably the next best, but I think simulations could achieve the same assessment objective. So why not shorten the written section to about 20 or 30 GOOD individual questions or ones based on testlets/scenarios, and then tack on a 2/3 hour practical simulation? I realize the marking now becomes an issue, but I’m sure an assessment tool, similar to an improved version of what is available in packet tracer, could be developed. I suppose some would argue that this would increase the cost, but then and again my daughter’s Royal Conservatory Grade 1 Music theory exam cost about $125 and that is manually marked! However, more importantly, I believe this would dramatically improve the credibility of the cert exams. Look at the respect the CCIE still garners! Although it is partly due to the shear quantity of knowledge and understanding one has to attain, I believe the prestige still comes from the fact that you have had to demonstrate your skills in a complex and challenging proctored hands-on skills assessment.

Well the plane is about to board so I’ll end it there. Certainly some food for thought.

642-642 QOS Quality of pass4side Service Exam

Posted on July 5th, 2008 in CCIP, CCVP, Cisco by

642-642 QOS Quality of Service Exam
www.pass4side.com

The CCVP certification recognizes the increased importance placed on IT professionals of today who are responsible for integrating voice technology into underlying network architectures. Individuals who earn a CCVP certification can help create a telephony solution that is transparent, scalable, and manageable. Earning a CCVP certification validates a robust set of skills in implementing, operating, configuring, and troubleshooting a converged IP network. The certification content focuses on Cisco Unified Communications Manager (formerly Unified CallManager), quality of service (QoS), gateways, gatekeepers, IP phones, voice applications, and utilities on Cisco routers and Cisco Catalyst switches.

Exam 642-642: Quality of Service Exam .

Related Certifications: CCIP, CCVP, IP Telephony Specialists Certifications.

Exam Description

The QOS exam is one of the qualifying exams for the Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional, the Cisco Certified Voice Professional and the Cisco IP Telephony Design Specialist certifications. The QOS 642-642 exam will test materials covered under the Implementing Cisco Quality of Service QOS v2.1 course. The exam will certify that the successful candidate has knowledge and skills necessary to configure and troubleshoot Cisco IOS routers running Quality of Service protocols in Service Provider and Enterprise environments. The exam covers topics on IP QOS, classification and marking Mechanisms, queuing mechanisms, traffic shaping and policing mechanisms, congestion avoidance mechanisms, link efficiency mechanisms, modular QOS command line interface, and QOS Best Practices.

Exam Topics Include:

IP QoS Fundamentals and Best Practices
IP QoS Components
Modular QoS CLI and Auto-QoS
Classification and Marking
Congestion Management and Avoidance Methods
Traffic Policing and Shaping
Link Efficiency Mechanisms
The QOS exam is one of the qualifying exams for the Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional, Cisco Certified Voice Professional, Cisco IP Telephony Design Specialist, Cisco IP Telephony Express Specialist, Cisco IP Telephony Operations Specialist, and Cisco IP Telephony Support Specialist certifications. The exam will certify that the successful candidate has knowledge and skills necessary to configure and troubleshoot Cisco IOS routers running Quality of Service protocols in Service Provider and Enterprise environments. The importance of this exam is evident in the fact that it applies to so many different certifications.

Certay offers free demo for 642-642 exam (CCVP - Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks). You can check out the interface, question quality and usability of our practice exams before you decide to buy it. They are the only one site can offer demo for almost all products.

Certay is the online Certification Expert, which provide pass4side the real questions and correct answers since 2001.

Guideline for Exam 642-642

Posted on July 4th, 2008 in CCIP, CCVP, Cisco by

Guideline for Exam 642-642

Exam Number
642-642

Associated Certifications
CCIP, CCVP

Duration
90 minutes (45-55 questions)

Available Languages
English

Exam Topics
IP QoS Fundamentals
? Given a description of a converged network, identify problems that could lead to poor quality of service and explain how the problems might be resolved
? Define the term Quality of Service (QoS) and identify and explain the key steps to implementing QoS on a converged network

IP QoS Components
? List and explain the models for providing Quality of Service on a network
? Explain the purpose and function of the DiffServ model
? Describe the basic format of and explain the purpose of the DSCP field in the IP header
? Define and explain the different per hop behaviors used in DSCP
? Explain the interoperability between DSCP-based and IP-precedence-based devices in a network
? Given a list of QoS actions, correctly match the QoS actions to mechanisms for implementing QoS and identify where in a network the different QoS mechanisms are commonly used

Modular QoS CLI and Auto-QoS
? Given a network requiring QoS, explain how to implement a QoS policy using MQC
? Explain how AutoQoS is used to implement QoS policy

Classification and Marking
? Explain how link layer and network layer markings are used to define service classes and the different applications represented by each of these service classes
? Given a network and a description of QoS issues, use MQC CLI commands to classify packets
? Given a network and a description of QoS issues, use class-based marking to assign packets to a specific service class
? Describe the function of Network Based Application Recognition
? Describe the purpose of pre-classification to support QoS in various VPN (IPSEC, GRE, L2TP) configurations
? Describe QoS trust boundaries and their significance in LAN based classification and marking
? Identify the different classification and marking options available on Cisco L2 and L3 switching platforms

Congestion Management Methods
? List and explain the different queuing algorithms
? Explain the components of hardware and software queuing systems on Cisco routers and how they are effected by tuning and congestion
? Describe the benefits and drawbacks of using WFQ to implement QoS
? Explain the purpose and features of Class-Based WFQ (CBWFQ)
? Explain the purpose and features of Low Latency Queuing (LLQ)
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor LLQ on a Cisco router
? Describe and explain the different queuing capabilities available on the Cisco Catalyst 2950 Switch

Congestion Avoidance Methods
? Describe the drawbacks tail drop as a congestion control mechanism
? Describe the elements of a RED traffic profile
? Describe Weighted Random Early Detection and how it can be used to prevent congestion
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor DSCP-based CB-WRED
? Explain how ECN interacts with WRED in Cisco IOS

Traffic Policing and Shaping
? Describe the purpose of traffic conditioning using traffic policing and traffic shaping and differentiate between the features of each
? Explain how network devices measure traffic rates using single rate or dual rate, single or dual token bucket mathematical models
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor single rate and dual rate CB-Policing
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor percentage based CB-Policing
? Explain how the two rate limits, average rate and peak rate, can be used to rate limit traffic
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor CB-Shaping
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor Frame Relay adaptive CB-Shaping on Frame Relay interfaces

Link Efficiency Mechanisms
? Explain the various link efficiency mechanisms and their function
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor CB header compression
? Given a list of link speeds and a specific delay requirement, determine the proper fragment size to use at each link speed and identify the typical delay requirement for VoIP packets
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor Multilink PPP with Interleaving
? Identify the Cisco IOS commands required to configure and monitor FRF.12

QoS Best Practices
? Explain the QoS requirements of the different application types
? List typical enterprise traffic classes then identify the delay, jitter, packet loss and bandwidth requirements of each traffic class
? Explain the best practice QoS implementations and configurations within the campus LAN
? Explain the best practice QoS implementations and configurations on the WAN customer edge (CE) and provider edge (PE) routers

About the CCVP Certification

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 in CCVP, Cisco by

About the CCVP Certification

The CCVP certification recognizes the increased importance placed on IT professionals of today who are responsible for integrating voice technology into underlying network architectures. Individuals who earn a CCVP certification can help create a telephony solution that is transparent, scalable, and manageable. Earning a CCVP certification validates a robust set of skills in implementing, operating, configuring, and troubleshooting a converged IP network. The certification content focuses on Cisco Systems CallManager, quality of service (QoS), gateways, gatekeepers, IP phones, voice applications, and utilities on Cisco routers and Cisco Catalyst switches.

The Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP) is a series of five exams measuring advanced knowledge of voice technology. The exams certify that the successful candidate has important knowledge and skills to implement, operate, and troubleshoot converged networks. In addition to holding a valid CCNA certification, a candidate must pass the following exams:

642-432 IP Communications Cisco Voice Over IP
642-444 IP Communications IP Telephony Exam (CIPT)
642-642 IP Communications Quality of Service (QoS)
?642-873 Designing Cisco network Service Architectures (ARCH)?

?642-552 Securing Cisco Network Devices Exam?

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