Day 2 - Looong overdue

Ok so welcome to Day 2 - only a year and a bit late! Wow - time flies.

So after a long time away from this stuff, I am determined to buckle down and get through it all.

Last time I was here, I was exploring the wonders of Binary and Hexidecimal number conversion. Then came exploring the basics of the OSI model (which has 7 layers in case you're curious).
Application (7)
Presentation (6)
Session (5)
Transport (4)
Network (3)
Datalink (2)
Physical (1)

After this I finally got to turn on a router!  To create this connection, you need a serial port, but if you're like me, your laptop / desktop system doesn't have any serial ports on it, so you need to get yourself a USB to Serial adapter.  If you need to buy one, here's a link.

You'll also need the Serial to RJ45 cable to be able to plug into the Console port on your routers. Luckily one came with my kit from Ciscokits.com but here's a link to one if you need it.

Finally, you will need a program to connect to your router / switch equipment.  Hyperterminal is a great option if you are on an older version of Windows - it's built in to Windows 95 - XP. However with Vista - 8, it is no longer included. You can try and copy it over from XP, but it's probably easier to just install Putty.

The settings for Putty to use on your COM port (the new serial port you created with your USB adapter) are: 9600, 8, None, 1 and No Flow Control.


Now that you have all your adapters, cables and software, you're finally ready to connect. So fire up Hyperterminal (or Putty or whatever your choice of Terminal program is) and lets see what we've gotten ourselves into.

Day 1

So I have all the stuff I need - hardware, software, books, tutorials... now all I need to do is start learning it. Well here goes. Day 1.

First thing on the Palaestra CD is an overview of the CCNA certification itself...What it is, why it's useful and what the test is going to be like.

Alright, moving along, the first lesson is Binary and Hexadecimal Number conversion. Apparently this is important and necessary as a base for all the rest of the stuff I'm about to learn. Never was too fond of math but this stuff doesn't seem too difficult.

Internet Privacy - is it possible?

In this day and age where it seems like more and more organizations are trying to track every move you make online, it's nice to know there are still some options out there that can help minimize the impact on you. One such helpful company provides a good VPN option to encrypt and anonymize your internet activity. Another benefit of using a VPN service like this is that you can now access country specific services like HULU or the BBC and enjoy everything they have to offer.

The VPN provider I am talking about is HideMyAss.com - a funny name, but a great service. I know there are many VPN providers out there, but I like HMA for a few reasons.

• They allow 2 simultaneous connections to their service (every other one I've seen only allow one) so you can have your desktop & laptop on at the same time.
• They have a large number of servers all over the world so getting reliable access and fast speed is not a problem
• They're relatively inexpensive :-)
• Plus - if you have a router that is compatible with the DD-WRT firmware, you can load a version of DD-WRT that includes OpenVPN and then you can connect directly to the HMA VPN service with your router - meaning that all of your internet traffic (computers, XBox, tablets etc...) is automatically funneled through their secure service :-)

Where to start

Ok - so deciding to get my CCNA certification is the first in a long line of decisions. Now what do I do? After researching a bunch of stuff on the net (forums, reviews, certification websites) the consensus seems to be that it's better to use actual hardware instead of one of the many virtual router simulators. Fine. But where can I get some Cisco hardware that isn't going to cost me a bundle, and what hardware should I get?

Thankfully I found a great website called Certification Kits (used to be called Cisco Kits) http://certificationkits.com/ and they have pretty much everything you could possibly need / want in order to get certified. They offer individual pieces and helpful bundles designed specifically to help you pass your tests. So I picked out a CCNA bundle that I thought would be helpful - confirmed by the site owner who was very helpful - and ordered it.

So now I have a nice package specially tuned to help with the questions on the CCNA exam:

• 3 Cisco Catalyst 2900 24 port switches
• 1 Cisco 2610XM router
• 1 Cisco 2611 router
• 1 Cisco 2505 router

The package also came with a pile of cables and connectors and a couple of handy learning tools:

• a CCNA Self-Study Lab Workbook
• a Cisco CCNA certification training CD full of step by step lessons from Palaestra Training

I also decided to pick up this nifty all-in-one resource - CCNA Certification for Dummies (7 books in one)

CCNA Certification All-In-One For Dummies All Certification Topics : CCNA Certification All-In-One For Dummies

Looks like I'm all set to go, so now the next step is to actually crack this open and start learning. Certification - here I come! :-)

Welcome

Welcome to what I hope will be my journey to Cisco Certification. As an I.T. professional, it is getting harder and harder to advance in the corporate world without some kind of specialization and certifications in that area of specialization can be a helpful addition on the old resume to catch the eye of whatever recruiter happens to be glancing at it. But with sooo many certs out there in the world, how do you know what ones are worth having and what are just a waste of time?

Well, throughout the years, it seems like Cisco has been pretty consistent in remaining one of the top certifications to have, with their equipment being the defacto standard for pretty much any enterprise level setup, so I figured I might as well go for it.

However, it's been quite a while since I was in school, and the idea of sitting down and studying again is not exactly appealing. Getting the motivation to actually go through the whole process of learning all this stuff and then completing the exam(s) has been an uphill battle for me. There always seems to be something else I'd rather be doing. So I figured that maybe if I wrote a blog about my experience, detailing the path I take to get from start to finish, it might help keep me on track, and who knows, might even be helpful for someone else out there.

So this blog is my attempt at getting my Cisco certifications (CCNA to start and then see where it all leads).

I will detail the items I use (hardware, software, learning tools...) and my experience with it all and hopefully some day soon, I will pass my exam and reach that next level of technical expertise that will give me not only a sense of accomplishment but also a fat paycheque :-)