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!