Core Knowledge Questions Added to Remaining CCIE Lab Exams

 An email came out from the Cisco Learning Network regarding Core Knowledge Questions and the remaining CCIE tracks that do not already have them.


Core Knowledge Questions Now on All CCIE Labs

Effective January 4, 2010, the CCIE. Service Provider, Storage, and Wireless Lab Exams will add a new type of question format in a section called Core Knowledge. In this new section, candidates will be asked a series of four open-ended questions which require a short written response be entered into the computer--typically several words. The questions will be randomly drawn from a pool of questions on topics eligible for testing. Candidates can review the topics by visiting the CCIE track information on Cisco.com or Cisco Learning Network. No new topics are being added as a result of this change. Candidates will have up to 30 minutes to complete the Core Knowledge section and may not return to it once they have moved on. A passing score on the Core Knowledge section is required to achieve certification. Core Knowledge questions were implemented on Routing and Switching labs in February 2009, Security labs in June 2009, and Voice labs in July 2009, and allow Cisco to maintain strong exam security and ensure only qualified candidates are awarded CCIE certification. Candidates with exam dates January 4, 2010 or later should expect to see the new question format on their lab exam.

CCIE Statistics Month over Month Changes

An updated CCIE number list has been published. The recent trend is a real slowdown in CCIE numbers, specifically in Security and Routing and Switching after the recent changes in the tracks.

Click the picture for the full size image.

CCIE R & S Lab v4 Beta Review

Another review on the R&S Lab version 4. This time from Wendell Odom at NetworkWorld.


http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/46561

A Sneak Peek at the CCIE R/S Lab

Wendell's Fun Time Beta Testing the New CCIE R/S Lab

By wendell on Wed, 10/21/09 - 10:58am.

CCIE R&S Version 4 Beta Review

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/thread/8262

A review covering a Beta experience of the CCIE R&S updates over at the Cisco Learning Network by

Denise Donohue

"For those who don’t know me, I’ve been a CCIE since mid-2002 and am the co-author of several CiscoPress books, including “CCIE Route/Switch Exam Certification Guide 4^th edition”, “Cisco Voice Gateways and Gatekeepers”, and “CCNP Quick Reference Sheets”.  I recently took the beta of the new version 4.0 CCIE R/S lab exam to offer feedback to Cisco.  With their approval, I'd like to offer my impressions to those preparing for, or considering, the CCIE R/S lab exam.  A big caveat – my job does not routinely involve configuration anymore, and I didn’t get a chance to study until on the flight there, so a prepared candidate’s experience will definitely vary from mine! 

Overall, I was favorably impressed.  It has some cool and interesting new features.  The most visible difference is the computer interface.  All documentation is web-based now, including the lab instructions.  No more binder on the desk.  The main web page has the overall diagram and links to instructions and documentation.  You click on a router to open a SecureCRT console session with it. There is also a link to manage the devices (reboot one, for example.) You can access CCO documentation from a link on the main page also.  You can’t search CCO, though, unfortunately.

I didn’t know what to expect from the core questions since they weren’t on the lab when I took it seven years ago, but I thought they would be trivial.  They weren’t.  But they also were well within what one would expect someone sitting the exam to know easily. 

The two-hour troubleshooting section is new for the one-day exam and follows the core questions.  There are multiple trouble tickets, all relating to the same network so you don’t have to learn a new network for each one.  You can do them in any order. I felt that the questions were fairly representative of things you might run across in a production environment.  If you’ve set up your own lab and done all the experimenting you should while studying, you’ve probably already made most possible mistakes anyway!  Probably the best way to ace the troubleshooting section is to have a very in-depth knowledge of all the technologies covered in the lab.  One thing you should know is that the computer closes the exam exactly at the end of two hours.  You don’t have any wiggle room to finish things up, so keep an eye on the time.  If you finish early, you can end that portion and start the configuration portion of the lab.

The configuration portion is the last 5 ½ hours.  I found it easy to get used to the web interface and having the instructions on the screen rather than on paper.  The monitor screens are big enough that you can have multiple windows open at once. However, it was annoying to move the windows to see the lab diagram.  If the actual lab doesn’t offer a paper version of the diagram, I recommend that you draw your own. The equipment was sometimes a little slow in responding to commands, because the actual routers and switches are in San Jose and I took the exam in RTP.  It was nothing to worry about, just something to be aware of.  I think the equipment has been remote for a while now, so if you’ve taken the lab recently then it’s familiar to you.  The equipment sat beside us when I took my lab.  There are some new technologies in the blueprint, and the configuration part is two hours shorter, so one would expect that portion to be scaled back somewhat. 

Studying for version 4.0 should be no different than studying for the CCIE lab has always been - know the core routing, switching, and WAN technologies cold. Practice them until you can do them in your sleep.  Then tackle all the other things on the blueprint, paying attention to the odd and unusual things you can do with them.  As always, having a strong understanding of as many technologies, techniques, and IOS features as possible gives you time to research the tasks you’ve never heard of. 

Good luck with your exam!  I'm interested to hear about your experiences with it!

CCIE R&S Updates from Cisco and CCBOOTCAMP

Link to recorded version for version 4.0 (may be a little while before being posted)

https://ciscosales.webex.com/ciscosales/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=40520377&rKey=4a695ccb75726703

Some of the items that were discussed:

Lora O'Haver
- New economic conditions
- Intense competition for the BEST Human Capital
- Employers need to identify and develop talent
- Individuals need to adapt and enhance their value
- 15 years of performance based testing
- Avergae salary in US of 120,330 up 8% from 2007
- CCIE salary premium is 20% higher worldwide than network engineers without certification
- Numbers from Certification Magazine and PayScale.com
- Revision is key to program to align job tasks, deliver services, and encourage skill building and career development
- Network Engineering is often a path to specialist roles, or network architecture, and management

Maurilio Gorito
- New Skills - planning and evaluating network changes, performance routing, optimized edge routing, EIGRPv6, IPv6 Multicast, MPLS and Layer 3 VPN as non core items
- Equipment upgrade to ISR running 12.4(T) and 3560 Catalyst IOS 12.2 Advanced IP Services
- Scenario based questions added to Written Exam
- Troubleshooting added to Lab Exam, to be done on virtual environment like dynamips but better
- Less emphasis on professional level tasks
- Lab exam to remain 8 hours, short answer - 30 min, troubleshooting- 2 hours, configuration- 5.5 hours
- Troubleshooting includes multiple scenarios described through "trouble tickets" to diagnose and resolve faults on preconfigured topology, network must be operational to receive credit
- CCIE v4.0 blueprint publsihed May 5, 2009 and exames will be released on October 18, 2009
- Troubleshooting scenario coverage

Rick Smith
- Cisco 360 Learning Program and 4.0 changes
- Enhanced preassessment lab, performance assessments, and revised instructor-led workshops
- 5 additional lab added to workbook, 2 new self-paced lessons, and new content to reference library
- Cisco 360 LabSafe Program to cover a failed lab attempt, for those who complete all 4 performance labs and score 80% on 1 of them, and have instructor recommendation.
- Cisco 360 program coming to Security track in 2010, and announcements to come in ~November
- Cisco 360 LabSafe program will expire July 31st 2010
- Cisco 360 LabSafe program is not available to Cisco Employees

Brad Ellis
- Why did CCBOOTCAMP join the Cisco 360 Program
- High quality contentn alignedd with the exam, dedicated development team of CCIEs, and auto graded assessment lab
- Expecting CCIE Lab to change more frequently
- 11 years of CCIE training experience, largest authorized provide in the world, instructors are also field engineers, $7M in Cisco lab hardware, and a dedicated student coordinator
- Offer written Exam preparation and boot camp
- Discussed lab approach and methodology

Dawn Tesar
- Discussed CCBOOTCAMP training options
- 3 learning options, self-paced, self-paced with instructor led training, and instructor training only.
- 3 learning packes, premium, preferred, and essentials

General Statements and Questions
- CCIE Number Growth - cisco's opinion is that world does not have enough CCIE's to handle the growing world and all technology interaction and it intertwines where it did not use to in the past.
- There is documentation access during troubleshooting just like for the configuration section.
- Between 9 to 12 "trouble tickets" for the troubleshooting section.
- Need to pass all 3 sections individually to pass the lab, but still will not find out until after all is completed
- OEQ 4 questions, need 3 of 4 to pass, get direct to the point, i.e dont write a book
- Troubleshooting, 20-25 points, does not include switches in virtual environment, expect 30 routers, but that number to isolate trouble tickets so fixing one ticket will not effect another ticket
- Configuration, 70-75 points, items slightly lessened to account for less time allocated for this section
- MPLS is non-core topic and will simply need base configurations, as well as other new topics
- Configuration portion will be looked at to move to virtualized environment like the troubleshooting section, but no plans at this time

360 Lab Safe Promotion:

http://www.ccbootcamp.com/360/cisco-lab-safe.html

MPLS Video on Demand for V4 Blueprint:

http://www.ccbootcamp.com/news/mpls.html

For any additional questions/concerns/comments on the webinar, please post them here:

http://www.routerie.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=101;t=000001

Article on Cisco IOS 15.0 by Michael Morris at Network World

Article from Michael Morris at Network World on Cisco IOS 15.0
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/45883

A copy of the text.:


Cisco today released IOS 15.0. This is the next major release after 12.4. It's been over 4 years since Cisco has delivered a major release of IOS code. 12.4 was released in May of 2005. Apparently Cisco was not interested in using the 12.5 name; or 13.0 or 14.0 names. I can't really say why this is. Perhaps internal code work in Cisco had a few other main line releases in the last 4-years that never materialized into real products.
15.0 includes a few new supported hardware devices and a large set of new software features.
Cisco removed only two software features in 15.0 - AppleTalk Phase I & II and Service Selection Gateway (SSG). I doubt anyone will be missing those. If you are still running AppleTalk forever live in shame after reading this blog. ;-)
There are a few notable hardware lines that are not supported in 15.0. The 2600XM, 3600, and 3700-series routers are now officially gone. A complete list of memory requirements and supported hardware in each router line is provided also.
Oh, and yes, there are those bugs...or as Cisco likes to call them in a new IOS release, "caveats". Here are a few scary ones (with my pithy comments of course):

CSCso97304
Symptoms: Configuring and unconfiguring hierarchical QoS may cause memory leak on a Cisco router.
Conditions: This symptom occurs on a Cisco router that is running Cisco IOS Release 12.4(15)T4.
Workaround: There is no workaround.
Hope you like your current QoS policy.

CSCsu66197
Symptoms: Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) errors increment on Cisco 2800 router.
Conditions: Occurs during normal operation.
Workaround: There is no workaround.
That's sort of the catch-all bug.

CSCsz38342
Symptoms: FTP traffic is not policy routed.
Conditions: Above symptom is seen on Cisco routers configured for local PBR with set IP next-hop clause.
Workaround: Add a static route to the next-hop network
ADD A STATIC ROUTE??? That's like my idea to fix anything with a tunnel!

CSCsz97091
Symptoms: Packet drop occurs when show version, show run, and write memory commands are issued.
Conditions: Packet drop will be observed as input errors accounted as overruns. The rate of packets being dropped will be proportional to the rate of traffic.
Workaround: There is no workaround.
New policy - no CLI use on the routers anymore. HTTP for everyone!!!

---

Ok, back to seriousness. One of the biggest changes in 15.0 IOS is the release model. There is a new release model that provides maintenance releases (labeled "M" releases) along with the traditional T-train code. Regular mainteance releases on a (somewhat) stricter schedule are also included. The defined life of 15.0 (and the birth of 15.1 and so on) is part of the release model. This should prevent another 4-year gap between main line IOS releases.
Cisco previewed the release model in graphical form to my team a few weeks under NDA. Alas, it is still not simple, as I have demanded in the past. Thus, a picture will help explain it better. Once Cisco releases that (or I find it on Cisco.com) I will blog about it.

---

Finally, we are jumping on the 15.0 code. We have been using 12.4 mainline as our standard IOS code for over 3-years and we are in need of an update. One of my engineers will be downloading the code tomorrow to begin lab testing. He will also be reviewing the bugs...err...caveats and checking feature support. As soon as we can identify an acceptable main line mainteance release, we will begin pilot testing and then deployment.

Jeff Doyle Article on Large Scale NAT

A good article on Larg Scale NAT by Jeff Doyle over at NetworkWorld.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/45776

CCIE Lab Exam Inside Look Video

This is a video from CCIE Program Manager, Kathe Saccenti, with an inside look into the CCIE Lab and a brief overview. It is useful for those who have never been to a lab exam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-WXl68EJl4

Month over Month Active CCIE Changes

I crated an update to the graph showing month over month active CCIE number changes.

It shows the normalized Month over Month changes in Active CCIE Numbers per certification track as well as total.

Click on it for full size.

INE’s CCNP Bootcamp Class-on-Demand Now Available!

INE’s CCNP Bootcamp Class-on-Demand Now Available!

INE is proud to announce that our CCNP Bootcamp Class-on-Demand is now completed and available for viewing! Developed from ground-up by INE's elite team of CCIE instructors and taught by Triple CCIE, Brian McGahan – CCIE #8593, the class includes more than 45 hours of videos covering the latest BSCI, BCMSN, ISCW, and ONT exams for the CCNP. Whether you are preparing for the CCNP, or brushing up for the new Core Technologies section of the CCIE R&S Lab Exam, this series will exceed all your expectations. Using our tried and true hands-on learning approach, by using this series you will not only learn how these networking technologies work in real-world design scenarios, but you will also see live IOS command line and SDM GUI examples of how to configure, verify, and troubleshoot them.

In addition, we will be releasing in the near future our CCNP Lab Workbook to complement the CCNP Class-on-Demand and solidify your understanding. This workbook will be included FREE for all purchasers of the CCNP Class-on-Demand. Further details about the workbook will be posted on our CCIE Blog next week.

Purchase the CCNP Bootcamp Class-on-Demand now at the introductory price of just $495 ($500 off the regular price of $995!).

Limited Time Offer (Expires September 30th, 2009):

Receive a $50 store credit for each friend or colleague referred by you who purchases the CCNP Bootcamp Class-on-Demand.

Also right now you can stack the coupon code Sep09 on top of this Intro price to further reduce the cost.

If this message helps you and you do decide to order this product, please let them know that you were reffered by Craig Tompkins, and I will get credit for the referral credit.

CCIE Lab Safe Program Announcement

Cisco Lab Safe Promotion: Protect Your Training Investment
Learning@Cisco is pleased to introduce the Cisco Lab Safe promotion. The Cisco Lab Safe promotion allows qualifying Cisco. 360 Learning Program for CCIE. Routing & Switching students who don't pass their first CCIE lab exam attempt, to retake the CCIE lab exam (a $1,400 US Value) at no additional cost.

The Cisco 360 Learning Program for R&S guides engineers who have three to five years of networking experience through an effective, job-relevant, and proven program to build expert-level skills and to prepare for the rigorous Cisco CCIE R&S certification exams. Together, the Cisco 360 Learning
Program for CCIE R&S and the Cisco Lab Safe promotion provide added assurance in the quality and value of your training investment.

How the Cisco Lab Safe Promotion Works:
Students must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for the Cisco Lab Safe promotion:
A recommendation from their instructor
Completed the Cisco 360 Learning Program for CCIE R&S Essentials Package or a CIERS instructor-led workshop
Scored 80% or better on one of the CIERS 1-4 performance assessments
Only select Authorized Cisco Learning Partners offer the Cisco 360 Learning Program curriculum and Cisco Lab Safe promotion.
Find out more about Cisco Lab Safe promotion and the official terms and conditions on the Cisco Learning Network.

Links:
FAQ - https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-5894
Brochure - https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-5912
Terms - https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-5913

Cisco Announces 4 New Certifications (Including Cisco Certified Architect)

Cisco Introduces Four New Career Certifications
CCNP Wireless, Cisco Certified Architect, and two New Data Center Unified Computing Specialist Certifications Announced at this Week's Cisco Live!

In response to the growing demand for IT professionals who can design, manage, and maintain converged technologies across global network infrastructures, Cisco announced the release of four new certifications at the Cisco Live! show, held this week in San Francisco, CA.

Cisco Certified Architect, CCNP Wireless, and two new Cisco Datacenter Unified Computing Specialists reinforce Cisco’s commitment developing state of the art, technology driven, role based certifications that meet the demands of today’s network professional.

• Cisco Certified Architect (Available January, 2010) Cisco Certified Architect is the pinnacle for individuals wishing to establish formal validation of both design and IT skills in Cisco technologies and infrastructure.
• CCNP Wireless (Available July 24th, 2009) CCNP Wireless recognizes the expertise and technical acumen of wireless professionals who support and manage Cisco wireless LANs and networks.
• DC Unified Computing Design Specialist, DC Unified Computing Support Specialist (Available Late, 2009) The Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Design Specialist and the Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Support Specialist validate a data center computing professional's knowledge, expertise, and ability to run mission-critical computer operations.

Further information will be made available on the Cisco Learning Network in the coming weeks in support of these exciting new Cisco Career Certifications.

Quote of the Week 06/29/09

I found this on the Martin Luthor King Waterfall Monument outside the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The picture may be hard to make out.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.

Giant Video Screen CCIE Support

A picture of the giant video screen showing CCIEs in attendance. If you look close you can find my name.

Giant Cisco Live Lettering

I thought I would send in a picture of the giant lettering.

Quote of the Week - 06/19/09

"Some things in life can never be fully appreciated nor understood unless experienced firsthand. Some things in networking can never be fully understood by someone who neither builds commercial networking equipment nor runs an operational network."
- Ross Callon in RFC 1925

CCIE Voice Exam Updates

A couple of updates to the CCIE Voice Lab Exam

LAB EXAM REFRESH: Effective July 16th, 2009, important content changes will be implemented in the CCIE Voice Lab Exam. Candidates for lab exams scheduled July 16th, 2009 or later should prepare using the v3.0 Lab Equipment and Software Versions. Candidates scheduled on or before July 15th, 2009 should continue using the v2.0 Lab Equipment and Software Versions.

CCIE Voice Lab Exam Adding Short Answer Questions:

Also effective July 16, 2009, the Cisco CCIE Voice Lab Exam will feature a new type of question format in a section called Core Knowledge. In this new section, candidates will be asked a series of four open-ended questions that require a short, typewritten response (typically several words). The questions will be randomly drawn from a pool of questions on topics currently eligible for testing on the CCIE Voice Lab Exam. No new topics are being added. Candidates will have up to 30 minutes to complete the Core Knowledge section of the exam, and may not return to the questions later. First introduced to the CCIE Routing and Switching lab exam in February 2009, Core Knowledge questions will eventually be added to all CCIE tracks. The changes allow Cisco to maintain strong exam security, and they help ensure that only qualified candidates are awarded CCIE certification.

NetQOS Subnet Calculator

Here is a link to a good tools section including this subnet calculator from NetQOS. You can get to all the different tools from NetQOS via the link as well by clicking on the links at the top. It is nicely done and is valuable to beginners and experienced engineers alike.


Link to Calculator
http://www.netqos.com/resourceroom/calculator_subnet/index.html

Internetwork Expert Product Updates

For those of you that are interested, INE has posted about some product updates.
http://blog.internetworkexpert.com/2009/06/10/cumulative-product-updates/

Cisco Certification Online Support

A link to Cisco's Online Certification Support page

http://ciscocert.custhelp.com/app/

Cisco Unveils Rackmount Servers

Cisco unveiled a series of rack mount servers to go with the UCS blade servers previously announced.

A link is below.

Link

Toronto, CA CCIE R&S Mobile Lab Rescheduled

Mobile CCIE Lab for Routing and Switching Exam in Toronto, Canada Rescheduled for July 2010

The August 24-28, 2009 Mobile CCIE Lab for CCIE Routing and Switching to be held in Toronto, Canada has been rescheduled forJuly 12th-16th, 2010. Registration for the rescheduled Toronto, Canada Mobile CCIE Lab for CCIE Routing and Switching will begin on December 12, 2009.

The Mobile Lab will address the urgent need for certified IT professionals in emerging markets, and to offer more convenient testing. Cisco has developed the Mobile CCIE Lab for qualified candidates who are ready to take their CCIE Routing and Switching exam.The CCIE Mobile Testing lab will allow qualified candidates to more easily and quickly take the exam, reducing the waiting time, effort, and costs accrued by having to travel to take the exam.

Cisco Router Performance Quick Reference

A link to the Quick Reference Router performance PDF at Cisco.

Link

Month over Month Active CCIE Changes

I created the following picture out of an excel spreadsheet. it shows the normalized Month over Month changes in Active CCIE Numbers per certification track as well as total.

Click on it for full size.

Cisco Added to Dow Jones Industrial Average

Cisco was added to the DJIA today, replacing GM, which filed for Chapter 11.

Network World Link
Cisco Blog Statement
Interesting Take on the Moves

Mobile CCIE Lab in San Jose

Mobile CCIE Lab Now Available for CCIE Routing and Switching Exam in San Jose, Californina, USA

To address the urgent need for certified IT professionals, and to offer more convenient testing, Cisco has developed the Mobile CCIE Lab for qualified candidates who are ready to take their CCIE Routing and Switching exam.

Since you have passed the written exam already, we encourage you to take advantage of the Mobile Lab scheduled in San Jose, California from June 27th-28th, 2009. The CCIE Mobile Testing lab will allow qualified candidates to more easily and quickly take the exam, reducing the waiting time, effort, and costs accrued by having to travel to take the exam. The eight-hour lab exam tests your ability to configure actual equipment and get the network running in a timed test situation.

The Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching certification is the highest level of achievement for network professionals. Less than 3 percent of all Cisco certified professionals earn their CCIE certification.

Click here to register for the CCIE Routing and Switching lab exam in San Jose, California. Space is limited to 20 students.

This mobile lab is running in conjunction with Cisco Live! June 27 - July 2, 2009 at Moscone Center San Francisco California. Attending Cisco Live? Take your CCIE lab at the same time!
Register today!

For information on registering for a Mobile CCIE Lab event or for additional information about the CCIE Mobile Lab program, visit the Cisco Learning Network.

Internetwork Expert CCIE Voice Updates

Internetwork Expert has posted about their Voice Updates that will be coming this year.

You can read the post directly at this Link.


Script of the Post below.

CCIE Voice Products Updates!

By Petr Lapukhov, CCIE #16379

Hi everyone!

We are excited to announce our newest release of IEWB-VO VOL1 labs covering the new CCIE Voice blueprint, which becomes effective as of July this year. The first of the CCIE Voice v3.0 labs are now out in beta format, in addition to new Voice Racks available to rent covering the new topology! All current customers who have purchased IEWB-VO VOL1 will automatically receive the new updates in their members account at no additional cost. Each section of the new VOL1 includes technology-focused labs with explanations, verifications, further reading links, and dedicated troubleshooting sections.

The initial release covers Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CUCME, formally known as Call Manager Express or CME). We will continue releasing new voice content covering all new blueprint topics, with a new section being released each week. The next release will include more CUCME labs, as well as Unity Express tasks, followed by the first of the new Unified Communications Manager Labs! The initial VOL1 release covers the following topics:

CUCME Basic Configuration
Phone Registration & Number Assignment (SCCP Phones)
SIP Phones
ISDN PRI
IOS Call Routing
Voice Translation Rules
Shared Line
Night Service
After-Hours Setup
Single Number Reach
Softkey Customization - SCCP
Softkey Customization - SIP
Octo-Line
Conference Resources
Transcoding Resources
B-ACD
Voice Hunt Groups
Ephone Hunt groups
Dynamic Hunt groups

The new voice racks are fully compliant with the CCIE Voice hardware specification posted at Cisco’s website: CCIE Voice Hardware Specification. To many folks out there, the new hardware lists is a huge relief, as the many old and expensive devices including the 6500 switch and the VG248 are now gone. Plus, the addition of SIP phones allows for more flexible choice of softphone software, not limited to the small set of SCCP-compatible products available on the market.

As for the people preparing using the old blueprint, our rack rentals support the old CCIE Voice hardware specification as well. Nothing will change until the lasts days the old blueprint remains valid.

Thank you, and be sure to check back often for more updates!

Cisco Live 2009

I am signed up for Cisco Live 2009 in San Francisco. I am currently working on my schedule but this is what I have so far.

Sunday June 28th
1:00 PM GENCCBU-5610 - Contact Center and Collaboration Communities General Session
2:30 PM GENCCBU-5611 - Contact Center and Collaboration Community User Groups Welcome Reception

Monday June 30th
1:00 PM BRKNMS-2658 - Securely Managing Your Networks and SNMPv3
3:00 PM ITMATO-1015 - The Network: Enabling Next-Generation Enterprise Architecture

Tuesday June 31st
7:30 AM BRKRST-2102 - Deploying IP/MPLS VPNs
10:00 AM GENKEY-5501 - Opening Keynote and Welcome Address with John Chambers
12:00 PM BRKDCT-2951 - Deploying Nexus 7000 in Data Center Networks
4:00 PM BRKAPP-2005 - Deploying Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS)

Wednesday July 1st
8:00 AM BRKSEC-2000 - Secure Enterprise Design
10:30 AM GENKEY-5564 - Cisco Technology Keynote with Padmasree Warrior
12:00 PM BRKAPP-3006 - Troubleshooting Cisco Wide Area Application Services
2:30 PM GENSSN-4464 - Super Session: Data Center Virtualization Architectures
4:00 PM BRKRST-2041 - Enterprise WAN Architectures and Design Principles
7:30 PM Customer Event - Customer Appreciation Event

Thursday July 2nd
8:00 AM BRKRST-2042 - Highly Available Wide Area Network Design
10:30 AM GENKEY-5565 - Closing Guest Keynote: Guy Kawasaki
12:00 PM BRKSEC-2008 - PCI Compliance
2:30 PM BRKRST-2503 - Cisco TelePresence Network Infrastructure Design for Enterprise

Cisco Unifying its In-House Data Centers

Cisco Unifying its In-House Data Centers

Cisco Systems (CSCO) will shift all of its in-house data centers to the company’s new Unified Computing System in the next two years, the company said this week. The migration will take place as part of a rolling hardware refresh that will see all of Cisco’s data centers gradually converted to the company’s new infrastructure platform.

Link

CCIE Security Written Blueprint v2.0

CCIE Security Written Exam Blueprint Version 2.0

Information taken from:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/security/wr_exam_blueprint_v2.html

The Security written exam (350-018) has 100 multiple-choice questions and is two hours in duration. The topic areas listed are general guidelines for the type of content that is likely to appear on the exam. Please note, however, that other relevant or related topic areas may also appear.

1. General Networking
   1. Networking Basics
   2. OSI Layers
   3. TCP/IP Protocols
   4. Switching (VTP, VLANs, Spanning Tree, Trunking, etc.)
   5. Routing Protocols (RIP, EIGRP, OSPF, and BGP)
   6. IP Multicast
   
   
2. Security Protocols, Ciphers and Hash Algorithms
   1. RADIUS
   2. TACACS+
   3. Ciphers RSA, DSS, RC4
   4. Message Digest 5 (MD5)
   5. Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA)
   6. EAP PEAP TKIP TLS
   7. Data Encryption Standard (DES)
   8. Triple DES (3DES)
   9. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
   10. IP Security (IPSec)
   11. Authentication Header (AH)
   12. Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)
   13. Internet Key Exchange (IKE)
   14. Certificate Enrollment Protocol (CEP)
   15. Transport Layer Security (TLS)
   16. Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
   17. Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
   18. Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
   19. Generic Route Encapsulation (GRE)
   20. Secure Shell (SSH)
   21. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
   
   
3. Application Protocols
   1. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
   2. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
   3. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
   4. Domain Name System (DNS)
   5. Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)
   6. Network Time Protocol (NTP)
   7. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
   8. Syslog
   
   
4. Security Technologies
   1. Packet Filtering
   2. Content Filtering
   3. URL Filtering
   4. Authentication Technologies
   5. Authorization technologies
   6. Proxy Authentication
   7. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
   8. IPSec VPN
   9. SSL VPN
   10. Network Intrusion Prevention Systems
   11. Host Intrusion Prevention Systems
   12. Event Correlation
   13. Adaptive Threat Defense (ATD)
   14. Network Admission Control (NAC)
   15. 802.1x
   16. Endpoint Security
   17. Network Address Translation
   
   
5. Cisco Security Appliances and Applications
   1. Cisco Secure PIX Firewall
   2. Cisco Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
   3. Cisco VPN 3000 Series Concentrators
   4. Cisco EzVPN Software and Hardware Clients
   5. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Firewall
   6. Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (MARS)
   7. Cisco IOS Firewall
   8. Cisco IOS Intrusion Prevention System
   9. Cisco IOS IPSec VPN
   10. Cisco IOS Trust and Identity
   11. Cisco Secure ACS for Windows
   12. Cisco Secure ACS Solution Engine
   13. Cisco Traffic Anomaly Detectors
   14. Cisco Guard DDoS Mitigation Appliance
   15. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Security Modules (FWSM, IDSM, VPNSM, WebVPN, SSL modules)
   16. Cisco Traffic Anomaly Detector Module & Cisco Guard Service Module
   
   
6. Cisco Security Management
   1. Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM)
   2. Cisco Router & Security Device Manager (SDM)
   3. Cisco Security Manager (CSM)
   
   
7. Cisco Security General
   1. IOS Specifics
   2. Routing and Switching Security Features: IP & MAC Spoofing, MAC Address Controls, Port Security, DHCP Snoop, DNS Spoof.
   3. NetFlow
   4. Layer 2 Security Features
   5. Layer 3 Security Features
   6. Wireless Security
   7. IPv6 Security
   
   
8. Security Solutions
   1. Network Attack Mitigation
   2. Virus and Worms Outbreaks
   3. Theft of Information
   4. DoS/DDoS Attacks
   5. Web Server & Web Application Security
   
   
9. Security General
   1. Policies - Security Policy Best Practices
   2. Information Security Standards (ISO 17799, ISO 27001, BS7799)
   3. Standards Bodies
   4. Common RFCs (e.g. RFC1918, RFC2827, RFC2401)
   5. BCP 38
   6. Attacks, Vulnerabilities and Common Exploits - recon, scan, priv escalation, penetration, cleanup, backdoor
   7. Security Audit & Validation
   8. Risk Assessment
   9. Change Management Process
   10. Incident Response Framework
   11. Computer Security Forensics

CCIE Security Lab Blueprint v3.0

CCIE Security Lab Exam Blueprint Version 3.0

Information taken from:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/security/lab_exam_blueprint_v3.html


Please review the Lab Exam Overview for general information about the CCIE Security lab exam. This lab exam blueprint v3.0 is a detailed outline of the topics likely to appear on the lab exam effective mid-April 2009. Knowledge of troubleshooting is an important skill and candidates are expected to diagnose and solve issues as part of the CCIE lab exam. The topics listed are guidelines and other relevant or related topics may also appear. Candidates for lab exams scheduled in mid April'09 or later should prepare using the v3.0 blueprints below. In general, new product features become eligible for testing on CCIE lab exams six months after general release.

1. Implement secure networks using Cisco ASA Firewalls
   1. Perform basic firewall Initialization
   2. Configure device management
   3. Configure address translation (nat, global, static)
   4. Configure ACLs
   5. Configure IP routing
   6. Configure object groups
   7. Configure VLANs
   8. Configure filtering
   9. Configure failover
   10. Configure Layer 2 Transparent Firewall
   11. Configure security contexts (virtual firewall)
   12. Configure Modular Policy Framework
   13. Configure Application-Aware Inspection
   14. Configure high availability solutions
   15. Configure QoS policies
   
   
2. Implement secure networks using Cisco IOS Firewalls
   1. Configure CBAC
   2. Configure Zone-Based Firewall
   3. Configure Audit
   4. Configure Auth Proxy
   5. Configure PAM
   6. Configure access control
   7. Configure performance tuning
   8. Configure advanced IOS Firewall features
   
   
3. Implement secure networks using Cisco VPN solutions
   1. Configure IPsec LAN-to-LAN (IOS/ASA)
   2. Configure SSL VPN (IOS/ASA)
   3. Configure Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN)
   4. Configure Group Encrypted Transport (GET) VPN
   5. Configure Easy VPN (IOS/ASA)
   6. Configure CA (PKI)
   7. Configure Remote Access VPN
   8. Configure Cisco Unity Client
   9. Configure Clientless WebVPN
   10. Configure AnyConnect VPN
   11. Configure XAuth, Split-Tunnel, RRI, NAT-T
   12. Configure High Availability
   13. Configure QoS for VPN
   14. Configure GRE, mGRE
   15. Configure L2TP
   16. Configure advanced Cisco VPN features
   
   
4. Configure Cisco IPS to mitigate network threats
   1. Configure IPS 4200 Series Sensor Appliance
   2. Initialize the Sensor Appliance
   3. Configure Sensor Appliance management
   4. Configure virtual Sensors on the Sensor Appliance
   5. Configure security policies
   6. Configure promiscuous and inline monitoring on the Sensor Appliance
   7. Configure and tune signatures on the Sensor Appliance
   8. Configure custom signatures on the Sensor Appliance
   9. Configure blocking on the Sensor Appliance
   10. Configure TCP resets on the Sensor Appliance
   11. Configure rate limiting on the Sensor Appliance
   12. Configure signature engines on the Sensor Appliance
   13. Use IDM to configure the Sensor Appliance
   14. Configure event action on the Sensor Appliance
   15. Configure event monitoring on the Sensor Appliance
   16. Configure advanced features on the Sensor Appliance
   17. Configure and tune Cisco IOS IPS
   18. Configure SPAN & RSPAN on Cisco switches
   
   
5. Implement Identity Management
   1. Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ security protocols
   2. Configure LDAP
   3. Configure Cisco Secure ACS
   4. Configure certificate-based authentication
   5. Configure proxy authentication
   6. Configure 802.1x
   7. Configure advanced identity management features
   8. Configure Cisco NAC Framework
   
   
6. Implement Control Plane and Management Plane Security
   1. Implement routing plane security features (protocol authentication, route filtering)
   2. Configure Control Plane Policing
   3. Configure CP protection and management protection
   4. Configure broadcast control and switchport security
   5. Configure additional CPU protection mechanisms (options drop, logging interval)
   6. Disable unnecessary services
   7. Control device access (Telnet, HTTP, SSH, Privilege levels)
   8. Configure SNMP, Syslog, AAA, NTP
   9. Configure service authentication (FTP, Telnet, HTTP, other)
   10. Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ security protocols
   11. Configure device management and security
   
   
7. Configure Advanced Security
   1. Configure mitigation techniques to respond to network attacks
   2. Configure packet marking techniques
   3. Implement security RFCs (RFC1918/3330, RFC2827/3704)
   4. Configure Black Hole and Sink Hole solutions
   5. Configure RTBH filtering (Remote Triggered Black Hole)
   6. Configure Traffic Filtering using Access-Lists
   7. Configure IOS NAT
   8. Configure TCP Intercept
   9. Configure uRPF
   10. Configure CAR
   11. Configure NBAR
   12. Configure NetFlow
   13. Configure Anti-Spoofing solutions
   14. Configure Policing
   15. Capture and utilize packet captures
   16. Configure Transit Traffic Control and Congestion Management
   17. Configure Cisco Catalyst advanced security features
   
   
8. Identify and Mitigate Network Attacks
   1. Identify and protect against fragmentation attacks
   2. Identify and protect against malicious IP option usage
   3. Identify and protect against network reconnaissance attacks
   4. Identify and protect against IP spoofing attacks
   5. Identify and protect against MAC spoofing attacks
   6. Identify and protect against ARP spoofing attacks
   7. Identify and protect against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
   8. Identify and protect against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
   9. Identify and protect against Man-in-the-Middle (MiM) attacks
   10. Identify and protect against port redirection attacks
   11. Identify and protect against DHCP attacks
   12. Identify and protect against DNS attacks
   13. Identify and protect against Smurf attacks
   14. Identify and protect against SYN attacks
   15. Identify and protect against MAC Flooding attacks
   16. Identify and protect against VLAN hopping attacks
   17. Identify and protect against various Layer2 and Layer3 attacks

CCIE Routing & Switching Lab Blueprint v4.0

The CCIE Routing & Switching Lab Exam Blueprints Verion 4.0.

Information taken from:
https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-4375

CCIE Routing and Switching Lab Exam Topics (Blueprint) v4.0

The following topics are general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the lab exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam. In order to better reflect the contents of the exam and for clarity purposes, the guidelines below may change at any time without notice. Login to access this content

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Exam Sections and Sub-task Objectives

1.00	Implement Layer 2 Technologies	√
1.10	Implement Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
	(a) 802.1d
	(b) 802.1w
	(c) 801.1s
	(d) Loop guard
	(e) Root guard
	(f) Bridge protocol data unit (BPDU) guard
	(g) Storm control
	(h) Unicast flooding
	(i) Port roles, failure propagation, and loop guard operation
1.20	Implement VLAN and VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP)
1.30	Implement trunk and trunk protocols, EtherChannel, and load-balance
1.40	Implement Ethernet technologies
	(a) Speed and duplex
	(b) Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet
	(c) PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE)
1.50	Implement Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN), Remote Switched Port Analyzer (RSPAN), and flow control
1.60	Implement Frame Relay
	(a) Local Management Interface (LMI)
	(b) Traffic shaping
	(c) Full mesh
	(d) Hub and spoke
	(e) Discard eligible (DE)
1.70	Implement High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) and PPP
2.00	Implement IPv4
2.10	Implement IP version 4 (IPv4) addressing, subnetting, and variable-length subnet masking (VLSM)
2.20	Implement IPv4 tunneling and Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)
2.30	Implement IPv4 RIP version 2 (RIPv2)
2.40	Implement IPv4 Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
	(a) Standard OSPF areas
	(b) Stub area
	(c) Totally stubby area
	(d) Not-so-stubby-area (NSSA)
	(e) Totally NSSA
	(f) Link-state advertisement (LSA) types
	(g) Adjacency on a point-to-point and on a multi-access network
	(h) OSPF graceful restart
2.50	Implement IPv4 Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP)
	(a) Best path
	(b) Loop-free paths
	(c) EIGRP operations when alternate loop-free paths are available, and when they are not available
	(d) EIGRP queries
	(e) Manual summarization and autosummarization
	(f) EIGRP stubs
2.60	Implement IPv4 Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
	(a) Next hop
	(b) Peering
	(c) Internal Border Gateway Protocol (IBGP) and External Border Gateway Protocol (EBGP)
2.70	Implement policy routing
2.80	Implement Performance Routing (PfR) and Cisco Optimized Edge Routing (OER)
2.90	Implement filtering, route redistribution, summarization, synchronization, attributes, and other advanced features
3.00	Implement IPv6
3.10	Implement IP version 6 (IPv6) addressing and different addressing types
3.20	Implement IPv6 neighbor discovery
3.30	Implement basic IPv6 functionality protocols
3.40	Implement tunneling techniques
3.50	Implement OSPF version 3 (OSPFv3)
3.60	Implement EIGRP version 6 (EIGRPv6)
3.70	Implement filtering and route redistribution
4.00	Implement MPLS Layer 3 VPNs
4.10	Implement Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
4.20	Implement Layer 3 virtual private networks (VPNs) on provider edge (PE), provider (P), and customer edge (CE) routers
4.30	Implement virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) and Multi-VRF Customer Edge (VRF-Lite)
5.00	Implement IP Multicast
5.10	Implement Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) sparse mode
5.20	Implement Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP)
5.30	Implement interdomain multicast routing
5.40	Implement PIM Auto-Rendezvous Point (Auto-RP), unicast rendezvous point (RP), and bootstrap router (BSR)
5.50	Implement multicast tools, features, and source-specific multicast
5.60	Implement IPv6 multicast, PIM, and related multicast protocols, such as Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD)
6.00	Implement Network Security
6.01	Implement access lists
6.02	Implement Zone Based Firewall
6.03	Implement Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding (uRPF)
6.04	Implement IP Source Guard
6.05	Implement authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) (configuring the AAA server is not required, only the client-side (IOS) is configured)
6.06	Implement Control Plane Policing (CoPP)
6.07	Implement Cisco IOS Firewall
6.08	Implement Cisco IOS Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
6.09	Implement Secure Shell (SSH)
6.10	Implement 802.1x
6.11	Implement NAT
6.12	Implement routing protocol authentication
6.13	Implement device access control
6.14	Implement security features
7.00	Implement Network Services
7.10	Implement Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP)
7.20	Implement Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP)
7.30	Implement Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)
7.40	Implement Network Time Protocol (NTP)
7.50	Implement DHCP
7.60	Implement Web Cache Communication Protocol (WCCP)
8.00	Implement Quality of Service (QoS)
8.10	Implement Modular QoS CLI (MQC)
	(a) Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR)
	(b) Class-based weighted fair queuing (CBWFQ), modified deficit round robin (MDRR), and low latency queuing (LLQ)
	(c) Classification
	(d) Policing
	(e) Shaping
	(f) Marking
	(g) Weighted random early detection (WRED) and random early detection (RED)
	(h) Compression
8.20	Implement Layer 2 QoS: weighted round robin (WRR), shaped round robin (SRR), and policies
8.30	Implement link fragmentation and interleaving (LFI) for Frame Relay
8.40	Implement generic traffic shaping
8.50	Implement Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP)
8.60	Implement Cisco AutoQoS
9.00	Troubleshoot a Network
9.10	Troubleshoot complex Layer 2 network issues
9.20	Troubleshoot complex Layer 3 network issues
9.30	Troubleshoot a network in response to application problems
9.40	Troubleshoot network services
9.50	Troubleshoot network security
10.00	Optimize the Network
10.01	Implement syslog and local logging
10.02	Implement IP Service Level Agreement SLA
10.03	Implement NetFlow
10.04	Implement SPAN, RSPAN, and router IP traffic export (RITE)
10.05	Implement Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
10.06	Implement Cisco IOS Embedded Event Manager (EEM)
10.07	Implement Remote Monitoring (RMON)
10.08	Implement FTP
10.09	Implement TFTP
10.10	Implement TFTP server on router
10.11	Implement Switch-module Configuration Protocol (SCP)
10.12	Implement HTTP and HTTPS
10.13	Implement Telnet