Ccna Pdf Ebook Free Download 2015

CCNA certification "I would like to pass my CCNA, but I read on your website that there are several ways I can go about it. What is my best choice? And which courses and exams do I need?" It's a question that is recurrently asked by IT professionals or their managers.

CCNA, officially called CCNA Routing & Switching, is the basis certification of Cisco and thus it is popular. And indeed: there are several possibilities for obtaining a CCNA certification. So it's understandable that this is not always clear. Therefore an overview in this blog post.

What does a CCNA certification actually contain?

Pim Leemans, Cisco instructor, gives the following definition:

"CCNA is the basis certification of Cisco. The certification is well reputed and thus in popular demand. CCNA has become a milestone in the networking world.

What you can do with a CCNA certification? A lot! It proves that you have knowledge of several network techniques. Like Ethernet, IP networking and subnetting, Network Address Translation, WAN technologies and dynamic routing with Enterprise Grade Routing protocols as OSPF and EIGRP for instance. But also frequently used techniques like VLAN's and spanning tree. Many of those techniques can be configured on Cisco routers and switches. You are also skilled in several troubleshooting scenario's and the scaling of networks.

Passing the CCNA certification is sufficient for many network professionals to perform their daily network and management activities well. Network techniques that return in CCNA are furthermore convenient in the management of operating systems. When you possess the knowledge of CCNA it is for example also a lot easier to interpret, configure and troubleshoot Windows or Linux routing tables."

How long is the CCNA certification valid?

The CCNA certification is valid for 3 years. To stay certified you can retake the CCNA exam or, if you want to certify yourself further, take an exam that is 'higher' than CCNA. Passing a CCNP exam will therefore also extend your CCNA certification.

Passing CCNA, option 1: 2 classroom-based courses + 2 exams

If you have little or no experience in (Cisco) networking and have never operated the prompt of a Cisco IOS switch or router choosing this option is the wisest choice. You will attend 2 five-day courses, both with a corresponding exam.

~~Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices Part 1 (ICND1) | 100-101 ICND1~~
~~Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices Part 2 (ICND2) | 200-101 ICND2~~

17th May 2016 – UPDATE: the ICND1 and ICND2 exams have been revised. (further information)

Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices Part 1 (ICND1) | 100-105 ICND1
Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices Part 2 (ICND2) | 200-105 ICND2

The 2 courses are well matched: the second course offers both the broadening and deepening of the first course.

After the passing of the second exam you have obtained the CCNA certification and are allowed to call yourself CCNA Routing & Switching certified.

Pim adds:

"The amount of material being taught is quite large, so I've noticed that a lot of trainees chose to take the exams separately. In practice it is shown that even experienced Cisco users have difficulties with an exam. Taking a Cisco exam is a skill on its own. So it may be convenient to use the ICND1 exam as a training with Cisco exams in general."

Passing CCNA , option 2: 1 classroom-based course + 1 exam

If you have more proficiency in (Cisco) networking, and are in the possession of general network knowledge like IP networking and subnetting, and have expertise in general tools like SSH and Telnet, you won't need a 10 day course. In that case you can choose option 2. You will partake in a classroom-based course of 7 consecutive days (don't panic: you still will be free in the weekend :-)) and will take 1 exam.

~~CCNA Bootcamp (CCNABC) | 200-120 CCNA~~

17th May 2016 – UPDATE: the CCNA exam has been revised. (further information)

CCNA Bootcamp (CCNABC) | 200-125 CCNA

After the passing of the exam you have obtained the CCNA certification and are allowed to call yourself CCNA Routing & Switching certified.

Do you find it difficult to assess whether you have enough experience to partake in a CCNA Bootcamp? Try consulting with an instructor. I will be happy to connect you to Pim or one of our other Cisco instructors.

Passing CCNA , option 3: classroom-based training + self-study + 1 exam

If you have, like mentioned in the previous option, already some proficiency with (Cisco) networking, but no time to partake in a classical course of 7 consecutive days, your best option may be this. You attend a FastTrack: a learning program that combines both classroom-based training and self-study. The FastTrack covers approximately 2 months. In those 2 months you partake 6 days in total in a classroom-based course. The classroom-based course is alternated with self-study. A FastTrack always starts with an online kick-off that will clarify what will be expected of you. After the FastTrack you take 1 exam.

~~CCNA FastTrack (CCNAFT) | 200-120 CCNA~~

17th May 2016 – UPDATE: the CCNA exam has been revised. (further information)

CCNA FastTrack (CCNAFT) | 200-125 CCNA

After the passing of the exam you have obtained the CCNA certification and are allowed to call yourself CCNA Routing & Switching certified.

Passing CCNA , option 4: self-study + 1 or 2 exams

When you prefer not to take any classroom-based courses there is the possibility to prepare for an exam by self-study. During self-study you will use the official e-learning by Cisco. The e-learning contains the learning material, several tests and labs.

There is e-learning for ICND1 and e-learning for ICND2.

After following the e-learning you take the separate ICND1 and ICND2 exams ór the CCNA exam. After the passing of the exam(s) you have obtained the CCNA certification and are allowed to call yourself CCNA Routing & Switching certified.