Cisco360 Labs

[wintermute000]

Has anyone used them and then passed the real thing? How do they stack up?


I've done 3 of the config labs so far and am curious as to how closely they'll reflect whats in the real lab exam.

[that1guy15]

1 -20 are just the v4 labs with FR replaced with DMVPN. They did help for practice as a whole but they are no where close to the real test. They still require you to do all the L2 bullshit and mix-match VLANS all over the place. That is all but gone from the v5 test.

Check out labs 21-25 which line up more with the v5 test.

In all honesty the INE Foundation Labs line up the most with the v5 test just instead of 10 devices there are about 20-25 all with different levels of pre-config. The v5 config topology and task are very real-world and straight forward. Its a network you could walk into during any consult as a CCIE.

TS is large and complex but still real world. INEs TS labs are easily harder than the test.

[srg]

Honestly I thought INEs RSv5 foundation labs where a little meh.. there are some errors and typos in the solutions as well. I was actually hoping the 365 materials where more in line...

[that1guy15]

Honestly I thought INEs RSv5 foundation labs where a little meh.. there are some errors and typos in the solutions as well. I was actually hoping the 365 materials where more in line...

I used them as speed drills for attempt #1 alot the same as the v4 volume 3 stuff of INE. This is why I brought them up.

[wintermute000]

1 -20 are just the v4 labs with FR replaced with DMVPN. They did help for practice as a whole but they are no where close to the real test. They still require you to do all the L2 bullshit and mix-match VLANS all over the place. That is all but gone from the v5 test.

Check out labs 21-25 which line up more with the v5 test.

In all honesty the INE Foundation Labs line up the most with the v5 test just instead of 10 devices there are about 20-25 all with different levels of pre-config. The v5 config topology and task are very real-world and straight forward. Its a network you could walk into during any consult as a CCIE.

TS is large and complex but still real world. INEs TS labs are easily harder than the test.

Hey mate

Thanks for the feedback

So aside from the L2, the tasks/solutions in labs 1-20 are not close to the kind of tasks you'll be asked in the real thing?
Damn, as I was thinking I was not far from ready based on the fact I had no real problems with them, aside from vagueness of questions / parameters and the few oddball scenarios where either you know knob X or you don't.

[that1guy15]

1 -20 are just the v4 labs with FR replaced with DMVPN. They did help for practice as a whole but they are no where close to the real test. They still require you to do all the L2 bullshit and mix-match VLANS all over the place. That is all but gone from the v5 test.

Check out labs 21-25 which line up more with the v5 test.

In all honesty the INE Foundation Labs line up the most with the v5 test just instead of 10 devices there are about 20-25 all with different levels of pre-config. The v5 config topology and task are very real-world and straight forward. Its a network you could walk into during any consult as a CCIE.

TS is large and complex but still real world. INEs TS labs are easily harder than the test.

Hey mate

Thanks for the feedback

So aside from the L2, the tasks/solutions in labs 1-20 are not close to the kind of tasks you'll be asked in the real thing?
Damn, as I was thinking I was not far from ready based on the fact I had no real problems with them, aside from vagueness of questions / parameters and the few oddball scenarios where either you know knob X or you don't.

The config section is honestly pretty straight forward. Like you said do you know this nerd nob or not. COnfig is all about speed and having your IGP/BGP down pat. For me in attempt 2 I was typing all config out in notepad as I was reading the sections.

Now how the sections in 360 layout is almost identical to the test but 360 throws a few more quirks in per section than the test.

Honestly its hard to prep for that first test as you really dont know what to expect. Final prep for my first test was a bitch, but after that test I knew exactly what to focus on and it simplified studies for test number two. Same with 2 to 3. I know what I did right and what I did wrong in my preparation adjustments so I need to fine tune those areas.

Knowing this if I could go back I would have taken attempt 1 about 1-2 months sooner.

[wintermute000]

well thats good to know, I've bought a 4 pack and will pick labs 22-25.

speed is not an issue, I notepad extensively though what I actually do is config live in IOS once (to take advantage of tab + make sure I don't get any syntax wording wrong - stupid dashes, ip or no ip in front of the word etc.) then copy out the show run section and template after that. But I type faster than most secretaries anyway lol

my IGP and BGP are solid, its the services and the WORDING that throws me - should I be redistributing this loopback or network statementing it or not at all, does it matter if I peer via interface or via loopbacks, etc. I also run into interpretative trouble during redistribution - esp. as a lot of the labs I've done so far there is no explicit instruction to eliminate sub optimal routing so should I do it? etc. also bugs me that a lot of the solutions so far use static filtering instead of tags.

Thanks for the feedback, and good luck on your next run, I reckon I'm 3 months away judging from what you say.

I plan on polishing off Cisco360 labs 1-20, INE foundation 1-3 and TS1-3, INE full 1-3, Cisco360 config 22-25, then assess my readiness. Reckon if I'm not ready by then I will never be....

[that1guy15]

Good luck dude!

Dont underestimate the speed needed for config. You must have a good strategy going into it. recycling code from notepad for each section helps a ton. ALso find little things like generalizing your EIGRP or BGP config per area and copy/paste the same in all devices compared to configuring each device.