CCIE Study Notes

This section should be very simple and easy. On the 4.0 version of the test, this was the section that I knocked out of the park. I have decades of experience implementing "Cisco Best Practices." On top of that, I have taken the ITIL course and certified. This information also comes up on the CISSP and C|EH study material. On top of that, you may find that most engineers don't like to write. So I end up "stuck" with the writing and updating of policies and procedures. I like that - in fact, I enjoy it. I was also fortunate enough to go through the DITSCAP (military accreditation package) course and write more than one package for network assessment and accreditation. [I believe this is now called DIACAP.]

For people who like to put things together and get them to work, this material seems dry. But this is the structure that you are building upon for all your technologies. This is the foundation and the beams of the house you are building. It's important.

The changes from 4.0 to 4.1 have shortened the number of questions for this section. It is now only about 8 questions instead of about 10. Most of the RFCs for each technology have been included in the technology section. I know they are not fun reading, but you should at least scan through them as you go along in your studies. They really help give you a strong foundation for your knowledge. Most of them describe the problem they are trying to solve with the technology, along with the design choices made during its development. You really have to know where you've been in order to know where you're going.

I know a lot of people put more emphasis (sometimes exclusively) on experience and hands-on learning. But before you put your hands on stuff, learn its structure and functionality. Experience can only help you to fix what you've seen before. Knowing the theory (book knowledge) will help you figure out issues that you haven't seen before. You need both. [And therefore there is a Written and Lab component to the CCIE tracks.]