To earn your Cisco CCNA certification and pass the BSCI CCNP exam, you have to know your protocol basics like the back of your hand! To help you review these important concepts, here’s a quick look at the basics of RIPv1, RIPv2, IGRP, and EIGRP.

RIPv1: Broadcasts updates every 30 seconds to the address 255.255.255.255. RIPv1 is a classful protocol, and it does not recognize VLSM, nor does it carry subnet masking information in its routing updates. Update contains entire RIP routing table. Uses Bellman-Ford algorithm. Allows equal-cost load-balancing by default. Max hop count is 15. Does not support clear-text or MD5 authentication of routing updates. Updates carry 25 routes maximum.

RIPv2: Multicasts updates every 30 seconds to the address 224.0.0.9. RIPv2 is a classless protocol, allowing the use of subnet masks. Update contains entire RIP routing table. Uses Bellman-Ford algorithm. Allows equal-cost load-balancing by default. Max hop count is 15. Supports clear-text and MD5 authentication of routing updates. Updates carry 25 routes maximum.

IGRP: Broadcasts updates every 90 seconds to the address 255.255.255.255. IGRP is a Cisco-proprietary protocol, and is also a classful protocol and does not recognize subnet masking. Update contains entire routing table. Uses Bellman-Ford algorithm. Equal-cost load-balancing on by default; unequal-cost load-sharing can be used with the variance command. Max hop count is 100.

EIGRP: Multicasts full routing table only when an adjacency is first formed. Multicasts updates only when there is a change in the network topology, and then only advertises the change. Multicasts to 224.0.0.10 and allows the use of subnet masks. Uses DUAL routing algorithm. Unequal-cost load-sharing available with the variance command.

By mastering the basics of these protocols, you’re laying the foundation for success in the exam room and when working on production networks. Pay attention to the details and the payoff is “CCNA” and “CCNP” behind your name!

As a CCNA or CCNP, one thing you’ve got to get used to is that change is constant. Cisco regularly issues new IOS versions, not to mention the many different kinds of hardware they produce! While it’s always nice to have “the latest and the greatest” when it comes to routers, switches, firewalls, etc., we have to be prepared for the fact that not all our clients are going to have that latest and greatest!

For instance, there are still quite a few Catalyst 5000 switches out there humming away, and if you’re used to working on IOS-driven switches like the 2950, the same command can have dramatically different results.

Let’s say you’re going to examine the spanning tree protocol (STP) setup of a new client. You’re used to working with newer 2950 switches, and you’ve always run show span on those switches to display spanning-tree information. Then, you run show span on a Catalyst 5000 – and something like this shows:

switch (enable) show span

Destination : Port 6/1

Admin Source : Port 6/2

Oper Source : Port 6/2

Direction : transmit/receive

Incoming Packets: disabled

Learning : enabled

Multicast : enabled

Filter : -

Status : active

Total local span sessions: 1

What’s going on here?

The command show span on a 5000 will not show spanning tree stats – instead, what you’re going to see are statistics relating to Switched Port ANalyzer (SPAN). Surprise!

Consider an example where you’re used to running show span on 5000 switches to see SPAN information. When you run that on a 2950, you know now what you’re going to get – spanning tree information! On a 2950, you’ll need to run show monitor session, followed by the SPAN session number.

SW1#show monitor session 1

Session 1

———

Type : Local Session

Source Ports :

Both : Fa0/1

Destination Ports : Fa0/2

Encapsulation : Native

Ingress: Disabled

As a CCNA and CCNP, this is one of those things you just have to get used to. Commands are going to be different, sometimes radically so, between models. That’s why you need to be adept with both IOS Help and Cisco’s online documentation site. IOS Help is easy, but the online doc site take a little getting used to. Once you learn how to navigate that site, a world of Cisco knowledge is at your fingertips.

Besides, when you sit for the CCIE lab exam, that will be the only friend you have! And a valuable friend it can be – you’re just going to have to trust me on that one.

When you’re studying for the CCNA and CCNP exams, you’ve got a lot of different choices when it comes to training. One popular choice is choosing one of the many “boot camps” and five-day in-person courses that are out there. I’ve taught quite a few of these, and while many of them are good, they do have drawbacks.

Of course, one is cost. Many employers are putting the brakes on paying for CCNA and CCNP boot camps, and most candidates can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars for such a class. Then you’ve got travel costs, meals, and having to possibly burn your own vacation time to take the class. Add in time away from your family and boot camps become impractical for many CCNA / CCNP candidates.

Another issue is fatigue. I enjoy teaching week-long classes, but let’s face facts – whether you’re training for the CCNA or CCNP exams, you’re going to get a lot of information thrown at you in just a few days. You’re going to be mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the week, and that’s when some boot camps actually have you take the exam! You’ve got to be refreshed and rested when you take the exam to have your best chance of success.

How can you get the benefit of an experienced instructor without paying thousands of dollars? By taking a Video Boot Camp! There are some high-quality computer-based training (CBT) courses out there, and these courses offer quite a few advantages for the CCNA and CCNP candidate. These courses run hundreds instead of thousands of dollars, and you can train on your own schedule. It is important for you to make and keep that schedule, but instead of spending thousands of dollars and having to travel, you can get world-class CCNA and CCNP training in the comfort of your own home.

By combining a high-quality CCNA or CCNP CBT or video boot camp with a strong work ethic, you’re on your way to passing the exam and accelerating your career. Now get to work!