Introduction


This book is an excellent step in your Cisco certification. If you are reading this, you are most likely a CCNA, and perhaps even a CCNP. This book is designed to introduce you to the world of network design and prepare you to pass the DESGN exam and achieve certification as a Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA).

Warning

If you have not yet achieved your CCNA certification and do not have at least equivalent experience, you should start with the CCNA before going on to CCDA.

Cisco—A Brief History

A lot of readers may already be familiar with Cisco and what they do. But those of you new to the field, or maybe even those of you with 10 or more years in the field wishing to brush up on the new technology, may appreciate a little background on Cisco.

In the early 1980s, a married couple who worked in different computer departments at Stanford University started up cisco Systems (notice the small c). Their names are Len and Sandy Bosack. They were having trouble getting their individual systems to communicate (like many married people), so in their living room they created a gateway server to make it easier for their disparate computers in two different departments to communicate using the IP protocol.

In 1984, cisco Systems was founded with a small commercial gateway server product that changed networking forever. Some people think the name was intended to be San Francisco Systems, but the paper got ripped on the way to the incorporation lawyers—who knows—but in 1992, the company name was changed to Cisco Systems, Inc.

The first product they marketed was called the Advanced Gateway Server (AGS). Then came the Mid-Range Gateway Server (MGS), the Compact Gateway Server (CGS), the Integrated Gateway Server (IGS), and the AGS+. Cisco calls these “the old alphabet soup products.”

Then, in 1993, Cisco came out with the amazing 4000 router, and then the even more amazing 7000, 2000, and 3000 series routers. These are still around and evolving (almost daily it seems!).

Cisco Systems has since become an unrivaled worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Its networking solutions can easily connect users working from diverse devices on disparate networks. Cisco products make it simple for people to access and transfer information without regard to differences in time, place, or platform.

The Cisco Systems big picture is that it provides end-to-end networking solutions that customers can use to build an efficient, unified information infrastructure of their own or to connect to someone else’s—an important piece in the Internet/networking-industry puzzle, because a common architecture that delivers consistent network services to all users is now a functional imperative. And because Cisco Systems offers such a broad range of networking and Internet services and capabilities, users needing regular access to their local network or to the Internet can do so unhindered, making Cisco’s wares indispensable.

Cisco answers this need with a wide range of hardware products used to form information networks using the Cisco Internetworking Operating System (IOS) software. This software provides network services, paving the way for networked technical support and professional services for maintaining and optimizing all network operations.

Along with the Cisco IOS, one of the services Cisco has created to help support the vast amount of hardware they have engineered is the Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) program, designed specifically to equip people to effectively manage the vast quantity of installed Cisco networks. Their business plan is simple: If you want to sell more Cisco equipment and have more Cisco networks installed, make sure the networks you’ve installed run properly. But having a fabulous product line isn’t all it takes to guarantee the huge success that Cisco enjoys—lots of companies with great products are now defunct. If you have complicated products designed to solve complicated problems, you need knowledgeable people who are fully capable of installing, managing, and troubleshooting them. That part isn’t easy, so Cisco began the CCIE program to equip people in supporting these complicated networks. This program, known colloquially as the Doctorate of Networking, has also been very successful, primarily due to its extreme difficulty. And Cisco continuously monitors the program, changing it as they see fit to make sure it remains pertinent and accurately reflects the demands of today’s internetworking business environments.

Building upon the highly successful CCIE program, Cisco career certifications permit you to become certified at various levels of technical proficiency, spanning the disciplines of network design and support. So whether you’re beginning a career, changing careers, securing your present position, or seeking to refine and promote it, this is the book for you!

Cisco’s Network Support Certifications

Cisco has created certifications that will help you get the coveted CCIE as well as aid prospective employers in measuring skill levels. Before these certifications, you took only one test and were then faced with the lab—making it difficult to succeed. With these certifications adding a better approach to preparing for that almighty lab, Cisco has opened doors few were allowed through before. So what are these certifications, and how do they help you get your CCIE?

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

The CCNA certification is the first certification in the line of Cisco certifications, and a precursor to all current Cisco certifications. With the certification programs, Cisco has created a type of stepping-stone approach to CCIE certification. Now you can become a Cisco Certified Network Associate by paying only $125 for the test. And you don’t have to stop there—you can choose to continue with your studies and achieve a higher certification called the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). Someone with a CCNP has all the skills and knowledge they need to attempt the CCIE lab. However, since no textbook can take the place of practical experience, we’ll discuss what else you need to be ready for the CCIE lab shortly.

Why Become a CCNA?

Cisco has created a certification process, not unlike Microsoft’s and Novell’s, that gives employers a way to measure the skills of prospective employees. Becoming a CCNA can be the initial step of a successful journey toward a new, highly rewarding, and sustainable career.

The CCNA program was not only created to provide a solid introduction to the Cisco Internetworking Operating System (IOS) and to Cisco hardware but to internetworking in general, making it helpful to you in areas not exclusively Cisco’s. At this point in the certification process, it’s not unrealistic to imagine that future network managers—even those without Cisco equipment—could easily require Cisco certifications of their job applicants.

If you make it through the CCNA still interested in Cisco and internetworking, you’re headed down a path to certain success.

To meet the CCNA certification skill level, you must be able to understand or do the following:

  • Install, configure, and operate simple-routed LAN, routed WAN, and switched LAN and LANE networks

  • Understand and be able to configure IP, IGRP, IPX, serial, AppleTalk, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLANs, IPX RIP, Ethernet, and access lists

  • Install and/or configure a network

  • Optimize WAN through Internet access solutions that reduce bandwidth and reduce WAN costs using features such as filtering with access lists, bandwidth on demand (BOD), and dial-on-demand routing (DDR)

  • Provide remote access by integrating dial-up connectivity with traditional, remote LAN-to-LAN access as well as supporting the higher levels of performance required for new applications such as Internet commerce, multimedia, etc.

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

These Cisco certifications have opened up many opportunities for the individual wishing to become Cisco certified but lacking the training, expertise, or bucks to pass the notorious and often failed one-day Cisco torture lab. The Cisco certifications will truly provide exciting new opportunities for the CNE and MCSE who just didn’t know how to advance to a higher level.

So you’re thinking, “Great, what do I do after I pass the CCNA exam?” Well, if you want to become a CCIE in Routing and Switching (the most popular certification), understand that there’s more than one path to that much-coveted CCIE certification. The first way is to continue studying and become a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). That means four more tests after the CCNA certification.

The CCNP program will prepare you to understand and comprehensively tackle the internetworking issues of today and beyond—not limited to things Cisco. You will undergo an immense metamorphosis, vastly increasing your knowledge and skills through the process of obtaining these certifications!

Remember, you don’t need to be a CCNP or even a CCNA to take the CCIE lab—but to accomplish that, it’s extremely helpful if you already have these certifications.

What Are the CCNP Certification Skills?

Cisco demands a certain level of proficiency for their CCNP certification. In addition to those required for the CCNA, these skills include the following:

  • Installing, configuring, operating, and troubleshooting complex routed LAN, routed WAN, and switched LAN networks, and dial access services

  • Understanding complex networks, such as IP, IGRP, IPX, async routing, AppleTalk, extended access lists, IP RIP, route redistribution, IPX RIP, route summarization, OSPF, VLSM, BGP, IS-IS, serial, IGRP, Frame Relay, ISDN, ISL, X.25, DDR, PSTN, PPP, VLANs, Ethernet, ATM LAN emulation, access lists, 802.10, FDDI, and transparent and translational bridging

To meet the Cisco Certified Network Professional requirements, you must be able to perform the following:

  • Install and/or configure a network to increase bandwidth, quicken network response times, and improve reliability and quality of service

  • Maximize performance through campus LANs, routed WANs, and remote access

  • Improve network security

  • Create a global intranet

  • Provide access security to campus switches and routers

  • Provide increased switching and routing bandwidth and end-to-end resiliency services

  • Provide custom queuing and routed priority services

How Do You Become a CCNP?

After becoming a CCNA, the four exams you must take to get your CCNP are as follows:

Exam 643-801: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) The BSCI exam builds on the fundamentals learned in the ICRC course. It focuses on large multiprotocol internetworks and how to manage them with access lists, queuing, tunneling, route distribution, route summarization, and dial-on-demand.

Exam 643-811: Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCSN) The BCSN exam tests your understanding of configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting Cisco switching products.

Exam 643-821: Building Cisco Remote Access Networks (BCRAN) The BCRAN exam tests your knowledge of installing, configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting Cisco ISDN and dial-up access products.

Exam 643-831: Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting Support (CIT) The CIT exam tests you on the troubleshooting information you learned in the other Cisco courses.

Note

xxiv

Note

If you hate tests, you can take fewer of them by signing up for the CCNA exam, the CIT exam, and then just one more long exam called the Foundations exam (640-841). Doing this will also give you your CCNP—but beware, it’s a really long test that fuses all the material listed above into one exam. Good luck! However, by taking this exam, you get three tests for the price of two, which saves you $125 (if you pass). Some people think it’s easier to take the Foundations exam because you can leverage the areas in which you would score higher against the areas in which you wouldn't.

Note

At the time of this printing, Cisco is revising their four CCNP exams, and the exam numbers listed here are subject to change. Please see www.cisco.com/ en/US/learning/ for the latest on all of Cisco’s certifications.

Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE)

Cool! You’ve become a CCNP, and now your sights are fixed on getting your Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). What do you do next? Cisco recommends a minimum of two years on-the-job experience before taking the CCIE lab. After jumping those hurdles, you then have to pass the written CCIE Qualification Exam before taking the actual lab.

There are actually four CCIE certifications, and you must pass a written exam for each one of them before attempting the hands-on lab:

CCIE Communications and Services

The CCIE Communications and Services written exams cover IP and IP routing, optical, DSL, dial, cable, wireless, WAN switching, content networking, and voice.

CCIE Routing and Switching The CCIE Routing and Switching exam covers IP and IP routing, non-IP desktop protocols such as IPX, and bridge- and switch-related technologies.

CCIE Security The CCIE Security exam covers IP and IP routing as well as specific security components.

CCIE Voice The CCIE Voice exam covers those technologies and applications that comprise a Cisco enterprise VoIP solution.

How Do You Become a CCIE?

To become a CCIE, Cisco recommends you do the following:

  1. Attend the GlobalNet Training CCIE hands-on lab program described at www.globalnettraining.com.

  2. Pass the Drake/Prometric exam. (This costs $300 per exam, so hopefully you’ll pass it the first time.)

  3. Pass the one-day, hands-on lab at Cisco. This costs $1,250 (yikes!) per lab, and many people fail it two or more times. Some people never make it through—it’s very difficult. Cisco has both added and deleted sites lately for the CCIE lab, so it’s best to check the Cisco website for the most current information. Take into consideration that you might just need to add travel costs to that $1,250.

Cisco’s Network Design Certifications

In addition to the Network Support certifications, Cisco has created another certification track for network designers. The two certifications within this track are the Cisco Certified Design Associate and Cisco Certified Design Professional certifications. If you’re reaching for the CCIE stars, we highly recommend the CCDA and CCDP certifications before attempting the lab (or attempting to advance your career).

These certifications will give you the knowledge to design routed LAN, routed WAN, and switched LAN and VoIP networks.

Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA)

To become a CCDA, you must pass the DESGN exam 640-861. Cisco used to require candidates for CCDA certification to complete CCNA certification first. They have dropped this requirement, and you can now take the DESGN exam and achieve CCDA certification without first completing CCNA status. However, just because you no longer are required to complete the CCNA before attempting the CCDA does not mean that it would not be a great idea to do so. If you do not have technical knowledge at the level of at least a CCNA, you will have a difficult time with the CCDA. Remember the CCIE? Cisco does not require the CCNP to gain CCIE status, but you had better know the material before the exam! The same concept applies here—you will want to have the technical skills of the CCNA (whether you have the certification or not) before attempting the CCDA.

For a comprehensive list of the skills required to achieve CCDA status, look at the table of contents of this book! Topics include the following:

  • xxvi

  • Designing simple routed LAN, routed WAN, and switched LAN and ATM LANE networks

  • Network-layer addressing

  • Specifying routing protocols

  • Filtering with access lists, and other IOS features

  • Topology design issues such as security and hierarchical design

  • Network management strategies

  • Non-technical steps, such as analysis of the customer’s existing network and responding to an RFP

  • VoIP design solutions and SAFE architecture design

Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)

If you’re already a CCNP and want to get your CCDP, you can simply take the CID 640-025 test. But if you’re not yet a CCNP, you must take the BSCI, BCMSN, BCRAN, and CIT exams. You will also need to complete your CCNA before you can become a CCDP.

CCDP certification skills include

  • Designing complex routed LAN, routed WAN, and switched LAN and ATM LANE networks, building upon the base level of the CCDA technical knowledge

CCDPs must also demonstrate proficiency in

  • Network-layer addressing in a hierarchical environment

  • Traffic management with access lists

  • Hierarchical network design

  • VLAN use and propagation

  • Performance considerations: required hardware and software; switching engine; and memory, cost, and minimization

What Does This Book Cover?

This book covers everything you need to become a Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA). You will review the basics of internetworking, then go on to discover all of the steps of network design. You will begin by taking a thorough inventory of your customer’s current network and expectations. From this, you will design topology changes and specify hardware for LAN and WAN connectivity, addressing schemes, routing protocols, security features, IOS features, network management issues, and other technical details. You will learn how to present this information to your customer, both in written format and with actual demonstrations, and you will learn about Cisco’s VoIP solutions and SAFE architecture design.

Warning

This book assumes that you are already CCNA certified, or have equivalent knowledge.

Where to Take the Exams

You may take the exams at any one of the more than 3,500 Prometric Authorized Testing Centers around the world. For the location of a testing center near you, call (800) 204-3926 or visit their website for online registration at www.2test.com. Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local Prometric Registration Center. You may also take the exams at any one of the more than 3,300 VUE authorized testing centers around the world. For the location of a testing center near you, call (800) 204-3926 or visit their website for online registration at www.VUE.com.

To register for the Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESGN) exam:

  1. Determine the number of the exam you want to take. (The DESGN exam number is 640-861.)

  2. Register with the Prometric or VUE Registration Center nearest to you. At this point, you will be asked to pay in advance for the exam. At this writing, the exams are $125 each and must be taken within one year of payment. You can schedule exams up to six weeks in advance or as late as the same day you wish to take it. If something comes up and you need to cancel or reschedule your exam appointment, contact Prometric or VUE at least 24 hours in advance. If you fail a Cisco exam, you must wait 72 hours before you will be allowed to retake the exam.

  3. When you schedule the exam, you’ll be provided with instructions regarding all appointment and cancellation procedures, the ID requirements, and information about the testing center location.

Tips for Taking Your CCDA Exam

The DESGN test contains about 75 questions to be completed in about 90 minutes. (This can vary from exam to exam.) You must get a score of about 75 percent to pass this exam, but again, each exam can be different. You must schedule for a test at least 24 hours in advance (unlike the Novell or Microsoft exams), and you aren’t allowed to take more than one Cisco exam per day.

Many questions on the exam will have answer choices that at first glance look identical. Remember, read through the choices carefully because close won’t cut it. If you get commands in the wrong order or forget one measly character, you’ll get the question wrong. So to practice, do the hands-on exercises at the end of the chapters over and over again until they feel natural to you. Unlike Microsoft or Novell tests, the exam has answer choices that are really similar—some will be dead wrong, but more than likely, it will just be very subtly wrong. Some other choices may be right, but they’re shown in the wrong order. Cisco does split hairs, and they’re not at all above giving you classic trick questions.

Also, never forget that the right answer is the Cisco answer. In many cases, they’ll present more than one correct answer, but the correct answer is the one Cisco recommends. A good example of this would be a question about which routing protocol is correct for a small business. The correct answer according to Cisco is RIP, even though we would personally be the last people to implement RIP in any small business!

The CCDA 640-861 exam includes the following test formats:

  • Multiple-choice

  • Multiple-choice, multiple-answer

  • Drag-and-drop

  • Fill-in-the-blank

  • Mini case studies

There are no router simulator questions present in the CCDA exam at the time of this writing, and the exam does not allow for marking or moving backward.

Here are some general tips for exam success:

  • Arrive early at the exam center so you can relax and review your study materials.

  • Read the questions carefully. Don’t just jump to conclusions. Make sure you’re clear on exactly what the question is asking.

  • Don’t leave any unanswered questions. They count these against you.

  • When answering multiple-choice questions you’re not sure about, use the process of elimination to get rid of the obviously incorrect answers first. Doing this will greatly improve your odds should you need to make an “educated guess.”

Once you have completed an exam, you’ll be given immediate, online notification of your pass or fail status, a printed Examination Score Report indicating your pass or fail status, and your exam results by section. (The test administrator will give you the printed score report.) Test scores are automatically forwarded to Cisco within five working days after you take the test, so you don’t need to send your score to them. If you pass the exam, you’ll receive confirmation from Cisco, typically within two to four weeks.

How to Use This Book

This book can provide a solid foundation for the serious effort of preparing for the Cisco Certified Design Associate exam. To best benefit from this book, you might want to use the following study method:

  1. Study each chapter carefully, making sure you fully understand the information.

  2. Complete all of the Case Studies listed at the end of most chapters.

  3. Answer the exercise questions related to that chapter.

  4. Note which questions confuse you, and study those sections of the book again.

  5. Before taking the exam, try your hand at the practice exams included on the CD that comes with this book. They’ll give you a complete overview of what you can expect to see on the real thing.

To learn all the material covered in this book, you’re going to have to apply yourself regularly and with discipline. Try to set aside the same time every day to study, and select a comfortable and quiet place to do so. If you work hard, you will be surprised at how quickly you learn this material. All the best!

What’s on the CD?

We’ve worked hard to provide some really great tools to help you with your certification process. All of these should be loaded on your workstation when you’re studying for the test.

The Sybex Test Engine

Sybex’s test engine prepares you for successfully passing the CCDA exam. In this test engine, you will find all the questions from the book, plus two additional bonus exams that appear exclusively on the CD. You can take the Assessment Test, test yourself by chapter, or just jump right into the bonus exams.

Electronic Flashcards for PC, Pocket PC, and Palm Devices

After you read the CCDA Study Guide, 2nd Edition, work through the review questions at the end of each chapter and study the bonus exams on the CD. But wait, there’s more! Test yourself with flashcards included on the CD. If you can get through these difficult questions and understand the answers, you’ll know you’re ready for the CCDA exam.

The flashcards include 150 questions specifically written to hit you hard and make sure you are ready for the exam. Between the review questions, bonus exams, and flashcards, you’ll be more than prepared for the exam!

CCDA Study Guide, 2nd Edition

Sybex offers the CCDA Study Guide, 2nd Edition in its entirely in Adobe Acrobat format on the accompanying CD so you can read the book on your PC or laptop. Acrobat Reader 5.1 with Search is included on the CD as well. This can be extremely helpful to readers who fly or commute on a bus or train and don’t want to carry a book. And some of us are more comfortable reading from our computers!

How to Contact the Author

Todd Lammle can be reached at his Cisco Training forum found at www.globalnettraining.com/forum.




CCDA. Cisco Certified Design Associate Study Guide
CCDA: Cisco Certified Design Associate Study Guide, 2nd Edition (640-861)
ISBN: 0782142001
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 201

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net