CCIE attempt #2–Brussels

Back in April, I had a second attempt at the CCIE voice lab. It had been nearly a year, so I had to take it otherwise I’d have to re-sit the written as well. I had a very accelerated period of practice leading up to the exam. Not enough, obviously! I know where I went wrong. A single typographical error played a big part in my downfall as it caused me to waste a lot of time very early on things that I can do in my sleep. (Type the correct IP address and things work much better!)

So what can I say within the bounds of NDA. Again it was a fair test, everything I came up against was something I would expect to know. Brussels lab is much nicer than Sydney. The lunch is much better value 1500USD + VAT for up to three courses, with steak and chips as an option, is much better than a sandwich. I had no need to ask the proctor for clarification this time, but he was friendly and looked after us. There were a few first-time R&S guys doing the exam along with one other voice person. I was one of the last to leave, so I don’t know how anyone else felt they went.

Would I have passed if I’d had more time? I think if I had another hour I would have been very close. Do I think I’ll do it next time ? Well you never know, the average is around the 3 attempt mark, so its quite possible.

I stayed at the Van Der Valk Brussels Airport Hotel. It is a very good hotel, at a reasonable rate and its no more than 5-10 minutes walk for CCIE Central. The shuttle bus was at the airport when I arrived, and took me back after the exam (I walked back to the hotel and jumped on). The restaurant food was excellent, and breakfast was also a good buffet. The in-room free Wi-Fi was good enough for me to have a Skype video call with my wife (it is rate-limited at 256kbps up/downstream). If you want faster, you can pay, but for what I wanted to do (Skype & BBC radio via my home VPN) it worked fine.

So when’s the next attempt (as you can tell it’s now June). Well as a self-funded independent consultant, I have been having a little market-forced rest & relaxation, which seems now to be over (hopefully!). So I’ll be looking at how my schedule will be going with clients, and then it’s back to Brussels.

Until then….

CCIE Update–It’s A Winter Sport

NOTE: This post was originally written Aug 2011

It’s been a while since I updated this blog, so I thought I’d post a quick update on my CCIE lack of progress. The weather at the weekends has been really very good since May on the whole, and I’ve been unable to remove myself from having a good time riding my bicycle at the weekend. I’m not the fittest of people, but combined with riding “Boris Bikes” in the week and “long” 20-30km rides at the weekend, I think I’m getting there. This combined with the usual summer social life means I haven't had the spare time to focus on what I need to do for the lab. So I’ve decided to call it a winter sport and will pick up again and crate time when they days are shorter and the nights longer. My study location is nice and warm in winter, but just a bit too warm at the moment for long periods in there! I’m not throwing in the towel completely, I’ll continue to read and keep my knowledge up with VoDs and the like on my daily commute. So until the winter then….

Now What ?

So it’s been nearly 30 days since my first CCIE voice lab attempt and I’m soon able to take a re-sit. So where am I and what have I been doing ?

Well contrary to popular wisdom of throwing back into the books and finding where I went wrong, over analysing my mistakes and generally fretting about a re-sit, I had a holiday! And thus we go slightly off-topic. I played golf (well hit a golf ball around most of a golf course) for the first time in 20 years, thanks to my two best friends in the world – nothing better for dismissing a score report, which turned up as I was entering the first tee (as I knew what it said – I wasn’t going to let it spoil my day – although three days later when I had a look it did read better than I had expected!), than creaming a little white ball 200 yards down the middle of the fairway (I like to think that’s what I did – the reality was more 50 yards and very left or right!). I (with family of course) went to Port Douglas in Far North Queensland where I swam with turtles here.

We also got to see some really live and wild crocodiles too! He’s 3 metres in length and eating a mud crab claw!

The rest of the holiday was a celebration for my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary and my Dad’s 60th birthday – so much merriment occurred.

I also did do some study – it' just eats at you when you know there were things in the exam that you should have known and didn’t, so I now understand how to configure some of the things I didn’t expect to see (see I broke rule number 1 – expect everything to be there!), and I already feel that I have filled in some of those tiny cracks that will better prepare me for next time.

I have been struggling with flu-like symptoms since I’ve returned so I haven’t touch a router or phone in anger since the exam. I’m now looking at dates in June for Brussels – there seem to be plenty towards the back half of the month. I will have that booked shortly and we’ll go again, after all very few people pass first time do they!

T-1 day and counting. Now it feels real!

This time tomorrow I’ll be head down, tail up, feeling either very happy or very distressed. It’s 1:20pm and I’m on a Virgin Blue flight to Sydney. I’ve said goodbye to the family, see you tomorrow night (about midnight). This CCIE exam thing now feels very real.

How’s my preparation been ? Well the five day self-managed boot camp peaked on day two and was a right off by three hours into day five. If the exam I get is like the lab I did on day two (Sunday), I’m in with a good chance (it was a three CUCM site lab with MGCP gateways). Then there was the enforced break – flying to Australia takes it time and its toll. I managed to skip jetlag in similar fashion to San Jose, by staying awake all day on the first day (hard given we landed at 6:55am, and I hadn’t slept since somewhere over the India many hours earlier). I did do three hours on the racks yesterday, just to strip off the rust induced by boat trips and family gatherings (many more to come after the exam!). My tee time is 12:40 on Friday, I may be a CCIE by then who knows!

So for the rest of the day, it’s land, then up to the hotel in St Leonards just around the corner from Cisco. Think I’ll pop in and say hi, just to make sure I’m at the right place. Then off to do some tourist stuff, and dinner. Read over my notes from Vik’s boot camp, then bed, early of course (But not too early as I don’t want to wake up at 4am!). Up tomorrow at 6am, breakfast at 6:30, walk down to be at Cisco for 7:45 – 8am is crunch time. There’s only one voice seat in Sydney and it has my name on it – lets hope that by 5:30 it has my number on it too!

More vRack Thoughts–INE v IPExpert

So for the last three (well more like 2 and a bit) days I’ve had to use alternate labs to the usual IPExpert labs that I have been using up to now (scheduling problems and my exam being now only a week away forced the change). So I thought I’d compare and contrast the two vRacks (and as a bonus, provide a quick how-to on setting up the INE PSTN router as the IPExpert one).

Lucky for me INE had a promotion on this weekend for Buy-one-get-one-free on rack time this weekend. So I signed up for three day’s worth (and thus now have some to spare – hopefully!). First there are a couple of obvious differences:

• INE are cheaper on a per hour basis,
• INE are more flexible in the slots you can have, shorter slots (5.5hrs vs. 7.5hrs) or longer slots (combine two 5.5hrs to get 11.5hrs!)

Then from a technology point of view:

• INE has more connectivity options, including both SSL VPN and Cisco VPN, and even a VPN-less option (although this means no audio).
• INE has the Variphy remote control application which allows the use of in rack phones – 7961s not 7960s! And it just works after a simple association to the correct user(for CUCM phones)
• IPExpert did run a promotion with UnifiedFX for a free copy of their remote control software, which I took advantage of (post coming) and it worked after a little bit of fiddling, and also controlled Skinny CME phones too!
• INE has a utility PC with RTMT, CUPC and other bits, kind of like the utility side of UCCX server for IPExpert

So how does the challenge of having one set of workbooks play out on the competitor’s racks?

Well it takes a bit of setting up, but not too much – just change the PSTN router to match – and remember that any referenced IP addresses will need to be changed (there’s a table below for what is needed). The troubleshooting pieces of the IPExpert labs obviously can’t be done – but I had no trouble doing any of the Volume 2 Workbook labs (well none that I wouldn’t have had on the IPExpert labs!).

The one thing I have found though, is that the extra time you have on the INE rack, removes one of the things that I like about the IPExpert racks – and that is time pressure – you don’t have 11 hours in the “Real” Lab – you have about 8, just like on IPExpert, so you can work in real time and the extra pressure that brings. Of the five days back to back that I’ve done – my best was the 2nd day on IPExpert. It could have been the lab I chose, but I think it was also the focus that was required. As odd as it sounds, I found having too much time available allowed me to wander away more easily (and we all know how hard it is to study in the first place).

So would I recommend the INE racks ? Well, yes. But I’d also recommend the IPExpert labs – but I have IPExpert lab material – if I had INE material, I’d stay on INE!

Here’s a table for converting the PSTN router configuration from set of racks to the other. I hope you find this useful.

IPExpert	Interface	INE
T1 0/3/0	HQ Voice	T1 0/0
T1 0/3/1	BR1 Voice	T1 0/4
E1 0/2/0	BR2 Voice	E1 0/2
10.10.100.2 (F0/0)	HQ Ethernet	177.1.19.1(f0/1)
10.10.200.3	HQ RTR Voice	177.1.11.1
10.10.110.1	HQ RTR Loopback	177.1.254.254

T-1 month and counting.

So this time next month I should know if I am a CCIE. April 14th is rapidly approaching, so how am I going ? Well, I have booked my activities for the day after the exam – golf with 2 of my best mates in the world at Royal Pines resort followed by dinner with our other halves. So no matter what happens in Sydney, I’ll be actively engaged in a pleasant activity the next day.

And the study ? Well I seem to have had a bit of a boot camp hangover (plus there have been other distractions – six nations rugby, family events, work etc.) I got back on the horse this weekend and had a bash at IPExpert volume 2 lab 6 – but only for 4 hours (more distractions). I had the expected issues: setup ntp then fix replication, MLP QoS reload router no more connectivity bug and a few other things I can’t remember, but dealt with appropriately. The difference this time compared to earlier in my study was that I knew how to deal with each issue and was ready for the expected problems. I feel I have a much better handle on WAN QoS now. I still don’t know how you can deal with the reload bug in the lab if the proctor reloads your router though – maybe just leave a note in the pod ! (or maybe its a slight variation in the version of IOS used by IPExpert vs. the real lab!).

So what is the plan for the last month ? Well, more family events over the next two weekends mean I will only be doing full labs Sunday this weekend and Saturday next weekend. I start my holiday from work on the 2nd April, so I will be having my own 5 day lab boot camp from then until we fly to Oz. I intend to spend 10 to 12 hours a day each of these days as it will be the last serious lab time I get before hitting Sydney and the exam.

My chances of passing ? I’ll tell you in a month!

What day is it ?

I’m back from San Jose now after my IPExpert boot camp. I woke at 3 this morning (after going to bed at 8pm), it is of course the first day back (I think it’s Monday!) It took my until Tuesday evening last week to work out what day it was (Tuesday was a good day – everything I did that day worked) after arriving in San Jose on Saturday. So I should be back to normal by Wednesday I think!

So how was it ? Well, in a nutshell, it was the most enjoyable, most intense, most eye-opening training course of any type I have been on, and now I feel much more comfortable about what I need to achieve in the next 6 weeks before my exam. So let’s break down what was so good about it.

First, the class – my fellow CCIE wanabees (including some CCIE alreadys) – the stamina, enthusiasm, knowledge and experience in that room would have made quite an exceptional Cisco-partner organisation! Normally in a class you expect people to be quite 9-5 about it. Not here! Everyone was in (except Monday) around 8am and didn't leave (except Friday due to flights etc.) until at least 7:30pm if not later – and this was every day!  This didn't just apply to those who’d funded the trip themselves. This was one committed (or is that committable) bunch, and a great bunch too.

The content – well the website states that there are 4 days of lecture/lab and one day of full lab. Forget that! Vik stated up front that most of us would not get to go through that one day lab at the end, as there was just so much content to cover, that it was a better use of time to do this than the 1 day lab (we received the lab and solution guide so no great loss). The real world – forget that too. This course is about passing the CCIE lab, and that is not the real world. Many times throughout the week you would think – I’d never do this in the real world – and then you remembered where you were. Partition <None> anyone ? Would I recommend this course to someone not attempting the lab ? No! It is too detailed, and otherworldly. The number of gotchas that came up throughout the week, I lost count (but made copious notes!). “What protocol provides the voice vlan to a phone ?” – think about that carefully before you answer – and be pedantic!

The man – Vik is a Liverpool Fan – that’s the last bad thing I’ll say about him (I’m an Everton Fan!). His ability to engage a class is as good as I’ve seen. He explains topics in such detail and with such authority that it is easy to digest and learn from him. We were quite a clever bunch, but we struggled to find anything that could knock him out of his stride – if we had a question he had the answer. He had a knack of knowing when we were all starting to flag and had hit our knowledge absorption limit – at which point we take a “5” minute break (I think he needs a new watch!)  His explanation of 3750 QoS breaks it down in such a way as you go – ahhh!

So was it worth it (it being the not inconsiderable monetary sum I shelled out for flights/accommodation/food/unpaid work time!) ? Well, as I sit here on the train into the office I feel it was. I’m definitely better prepared now – in that I know where I am at, and where I need to get, but also how to go about getting there. The proof will be in the final result in April – although passing first time is not the be-all, it would be nice! As I’ve said before, I don’t want to go to Brussels!

San Jose Here I Come!

This weekend I’m off to San Jose (not for a holiday!) for the IPExpert 5 Day Lab Preparation Instructor Led Boot Camp with Vik Malhi. I thought I’d note what I’m looking to get out of the course, and then I can check back afterwards with what I thought (and whether it was worth it!).

I get a lot of comments when I say I’m off to San Jose (the obvious one + others) for a training course – “That sounds like fun!”, “Couldn’t you go any further for the course ?”, "”Don’t they do that course in the UK ?” etc. Mostly when people think of IT-related courses they think of the 5-day low impact CCNx or Microsoft courses, so when I suggest that most of my time will not be spent in the pub, but in a classroom for 10-14 hours a day people are shocked and ask more about this mythical CCIE certification. They are then shocked again when I tell them how much the exam costs, what’s involved and that I’m doing mine in Sydney in April (“Can’t you do that in the UK ?” ) Come on Cisco, if I have to do a re-take, Brussels in not my first choice for a destination, and one of the reasons it’s taken me so long to get motivated since passing the written (in Barcelona – why do exams in dour places!) They also think that I should pass it “easy”, at which I nod politely and say “hopefully!”. If only they truly understood!

So what am I expecting ? Well – having done most of the volume 1 labs, I’m looking for filling in the gaps. There are many times, especially in the call routing sections where I’ll do it one way and the proctor guide describes another way – both get the same end result (as far as I can tell), so if Cisco awards points in a results oriented fashion, I’ll be fine! It is always advantageous to know multiple ways to do things however, in case Cisco says you can’t do it the way you know.

I hope to get some good tips on strategy, as I need to work on mine and refine it until it is second nature. I’m spending too much time thinking, and not enough time doing at the moment. It needs to flow better.
It will also be good to surround myself with a group of like-minded individuals who are all pulling in the same direction to achieve the same goal. Hopefully I’ll meet some new people I’ll come to call friends and we can go for a beer when we have our numbers (personally I quite fancy CCIE#30000 – which, looking at the latest digits being handed out, could be right about when I take my exam – any number will be fine by me though!)

It is also helping me to focus. Doing this with a 9-5 job (more like 6:30-7:30 if you include commute), it is hard to make the time to have long focused time – i.e. just the weekends – you wouldn’t run a marathon if you could only practice at a quarter to one-third distance! This is the point where the hard push towards the finishing line begins. My study program has another big push just before I fly out to Australia (where I’ll have no access to lab gear for the final 7 days leading into the lab), where I hope to get myself peaking at just the right time. We’ll see!

Right time to pack my bags!

Weekend wake-up call

This weekend I attempted my first lab double-header, two sessions on the proctorlabs.com racks in two days. My aim – to finish off the IPExpert volume 1 workbook, and to attempt a full length lab. Well, let’s say if I had any doubts as to how much work is still be done to get myself up to the required standard to pass the lab, I don’t now!

My Saturday labbing was to fill in the gaps where my previous lab sessions had left. This meant starting with lab 6 and working through to lab 13, skipping those I had already done and picking off other bits where time allowed. This is to be the last day I study with other things going on in the background – you know the usual slight distractions, music or amazing premiership football games with up to 8 goals! It’s very hard to get the nuances of IPMA  as yet another goal goes in (anybody who listened or watched Soccer Saturday this weekend will attest to that!)

The various application sections opened my eyes to functionality that is bound to be on the final lab, as it is the stuff that I don’t touch every day (or even any day) – IPMA – I’m looking at you here. I guess someone must use it! It was interesting to see and is now on my read more about list, e.g. how to tell if the question wants shared-line mode vs proxy mode. At least with the application sections there seems to be less variation in how to configure the final solution (or do I need to learn more about them so I can see more alternatives – I’m not sure yet).

Sunday, how am I going to go with a full lab – volume 2 lab 1 – I guess this must be a nice easy starter lab (and in fairness I’m probably right here!). I do wish there was a difficulty level attached to each of the volume 2 labs, as it would help gauge where I’m at (I’m sure if I google it, someone has stated the difficulty level compared to the actual lab!) As I’ve stated before, the time zone issue means that my labbing is 1pm to 8:45pm – which coincides with two major meal times – and Sunday lunch is the most important meal of the week! So I knew from the start that I was not going to go straight through and would probably not have enough time to finish everything.

For anyone attempting the full labs in one session, I have a suggestion (which I thought of beforehand, but didn’t do this time), read the lab in the hour before the rack time starts and make any notes, set up any points tracking, and any test plans you feel you will need (and you will need all of that) . That way you won’t waste any of the rack time (I will take my own advice next time).

I actually have many suggestions and things I’ll do differently next time, here’s a few.

• Don’t get stuck!
  If something is causing problems, move on and come back, especially if it is not core to getting the basics working (which may have already been done in the real lab). It is really easy to burn time, and a fresh look will often find the problem (this happened to me twice!)
• Save your configurations regularly
  It’s easy to forget this one, given that a lot of work is in the CUCM GUI, but those gateways don’t auto-save their configuration and when you enter that one configuration command which causes your 2811 to reload (not done that to an IOS device in years) – it was something to do with DSPs in telephony-service if my memory holds – then that’s the last hour or so that needs to be re-done (not such an issue when you have the proctor guide, but come lab-day!)
• Details, Details, Details
  Just because it looks like a T1 configuration doesn’t mean its a working t1 configuration. There will be tiny details – often taken for granted – that will trip you up and burn time, watch for them, be aware of them and don’t let them get you! Oh yes and if you don’t see significant digits on the mgcp endpoint screen – it’s because you didn’t select Digital T1 PRI !

So how did I go – hmm lets just say it needs more work. That’s my speed needs more work (too many typos), my time-management needs more work (spending too long on a problem – I now understand why you use VIA zones, although I still not sure I can see much of a use for them in the real world), my overall knowledge needs more work (see VIA zones comment). It’s an over-used cliché, but it is a journey of discovery and I’ve discovered a lot over that one weekend. 2 months (should I be counting in days yet?) to lab day, too late to cancel. Off to San Jose for some IPExpert  boot camp magic, lets see what I think after that.

CCIE Voice–Bootcamp and Labs booked!

It seems such a long time since my last post – which stated that I had passed the CCIE Voice written exam. Well I have finally got around to booking my lab exam –which I am scheduled to do in Sydney in April. Am I ready ? Short answer – probably not yet! So to help rectify that I have booked myself on the IP Expert 5 day bootcamp in San Jose in February. (Let me know if you are going to be there as they only had 3 places left when I booked – so I don’t think I’ll be lonely!)

In the mean time I’ll continue to use my home lab (2811 + 3524PWR + 7961GE/7961G/7960 + IP Communicator + dynamips + VMware) and supplement this with the vRack sessions I purchased from IP Expert. I’m also using my new Kindle-3G to read through all my Cisco Press library which is much easier to carry. I recommend using calibre for converting and managing your ebook library – its great for downloading and syncing news feeds to kindle format too.

I’m going to start updating this blog again with my thoughts and progress as I work through the IP Expert workbooks I’ve had sitting around gathering dust.