When studying for your Cisco CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE exam, you've got a powerful online weapon at your disposal. It's Cisco Connection Documentation, found at www.cisco.com/univercd. This site contains product, code, and protocol documentation for all Cisco products.
Many exam candidates really don't start using this powerful tool until they're studying for their more advanced exams. However, it's important for CCNAs, CCNPs, and candidates for these certifications to learn their way around this site. It comes in handy for finding default values that Cisco really enjoys asking about on exams, and the protocol documentation found there can help you study as well.
The site can be a little overwhelming for newcomers, but it's actually easy to navigate. On the site's homepage, you're presented with a list of products and several drop-down menus. To get started, I suggest you choose Cisco IOS Software? in the top-right drop-down menu, and select a code version. 12.2 is a good one to start with. From there, select the IOS Release 12.2 Configuration Guide and Command References.
You're then presented with a list of technologies, and each has a Configuration Guide and a Command Reference. If you're studying Interior Gateway Protocols at this point (such as OSPF, RIP, and EIGRP), select -IP Configuration Guide and then -IP Routing Protocols-?.
You then have the official Cisco documentation on how to configure RIP, IGRP, OSPF, EIGRP, ISIS, and BGP. Reading this documentation is invaluable. Many study guides skip the details to give you an overview of the protocol. This documentation doesn't skip anything. The documentation shows how and when to use any command for that protocol. There are also real-world examples and notes on when to use each command. I've always learned something new when reading the online Cisco documentation.
You can then back out and go through the same steps for the Command Reference. For those studying for Cisco exams, this section will quickly answer any question you have about a command's syntax or default values. Instead of trying to remember which book you saw a value in, just zoom out to this site and you'll have your answer in seconds. Real-world examples of command usage are prevalent as well.
As with anything, the more you use the online Cisco documentation, the better you get at it. The Configuration Guide for the various Cisco switches give you a great picture of how switches work. I highly recommend reading at least one of their switches' config guides.
Beyond any exam value the online Cisco documentation gives you, it serves another valuable purpose. The more you use it now, and the more comfortable you get with it, the better you'll be with it when the day comes that you need it on the job. And trust me - that day will come!
Chris Bryant, CCIE (TM) #12933, has been active in the Cisco certification community for years. He has written several books that have helped CCNA candidates around the world achieve the coveted CCNA certification, including several concentrating on binary math conversions and subnetting questions that the average CCNA candidate will need to answer on their CCNA exams.
He is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com) where he teaches affordable world-class CCNA courses via the Internet, and sells his popular Cisco certification books. He???s proud to have helped CCNA candidates around the world achieve their career goals. Mr. Bryant???s books and courses are sold on his site, on eBay, and on several other major Cisco certification sites.
Barrington South Lincoln Stretch rentals .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWe have just entered the time of year that most... Read More
With a little tweaking and with proper tools, you can... Read More
Maintaining your computer is extremely important ? especially if you... Read More
Understanding digital camera prices makes finding the best camera value... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
So you've got some spyware, ad-ware, or viruses on your... Read More
GOT VIRUS? Your Data is NOT lost forever!In the wake... Read More
Using SQL Server 2000 and above versions you can retrieve... Read More
Stop Getting LostOne of the greatest uses for a pocket... Read More
Want to save money while promoting your web-based business? Of... Read More
World War II - Germany decided to attack Poland. Poland... Read More
Tech support tells me to type 'regedt32' as opposed to... Read More
Sometimes your PC will start acting strange for no apparent... Read More
How familiar does the following sound? Your computer was working... Read More
Has This Ever Happened To You? OK.. it's Friday night,... Read More
I recently got an e-mail asking about virtual memory. The... Read More
We all enjoy our favorite screensavers but in the same... Read More
Your Bible At Your FingertipsIt is fairly easy to find... Read More
ComputersBusinesses and individuals alike have all grown to rely on... Read More
The United States Of America citizen feels that games is... Read More
Cookies, not the kind that Mom makes, but the computer... Read More
Webmasters usually sit at their computers much longer in a... Read More
Those small USB drives have so many names, pocket drives,... Read More
Just The Facts, Ma'mPalm pilots are all the rage now.... Read More
With the new technology used to transfer information to from... Read More
Downers Grove limo Chicago ..Not sure what Windows registry is or how it works?... Read More
We all enjoy our favorite screensavers but in the same... Read More
The registry is where the computer stores information about the... Read More
Using SQL Server 2000 and above versions you can retrieve... Read More
Perhaps not yet, but the handwriting might be on the... Read More
What led them to this choice, as all four studios... Read More
That desk in front of you and everything else around... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Save money. Save 10-15% on utility bills per month. Work... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way to popularize it's... Read More
If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More
Computer related terminology could sometimes be daunting to newcomers. These... Read More
In the first part of this home lab tutorial, CCNA... Read More
MP3 players are everywhere! It seems that the number of... Read More
If you utilize a computer at home or work it... Read More
Cisco Certification: Taking Your First Certification ExamYou've studied hard; you've... Read More
You use Ctrl+Alt+Del to see what's running on your PC,... Read More
Below you will find some useful information and comments about... Read More
As the owner of a Country Mall and Top Site... Read More
"Automated Testing" is automating the manual testing process currently in... Read More
Since the DOS days, batch files have been one of... Read More
Projectors have come a long way in the past few... Read More
If you're a computer expert, you'll probably already know about... Read More
1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. To do this, make... Read More
This is not your typical lost data story. I was... Read More
Personal Technology |