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Wet Biscuit McGlee
Jul 13, 2006

girls hate me
I think I remember seeing that in the pre-exam tutorial, but since I've been through that so many times by now I just kind of skimmed through it. I had those pre-exam jitters and just wanted to start with the real thing.

Not that any feedback matters to them now that the exam changes in a month, but I could see how some of the questions could hurt someone on the verge of passing or failing, especially if English isn't their first language.

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ErIog
Jul 11, 2001

:nsacloud:

Wet Biscuit McGlee posted:

Not that any feedback matters to them now that the exam changes in a month, but I could see how some of the questions could hurt someone on the verge of passing or failing, especially if English isn't their first language.

Yeah, it very much feels like they're not very careful about their own wordings of things, but still expect you to be able to have 100% reading comprehension of everything. So it's like, "oh, well you should have known this answer because this one word in the problem changed everything," and then their stance on "this answer is technically wrong both from a Cisco perspective and a reality perspective" is "oh, well, sorry, but we assumed somebody taking <level of test> wouldn't know that much information to realize that so it's still the correct answer for this level of test."

There's a definite double standard. They expect you to have perfect reading competency while not holding themselves to that same level of writing competency. It's annoying after coming from the world of language certifications where the test makers seem very careful about the wording of everything.

Pantology
Jan 16, 2006

Dinosaur Gum

Wet Biscuit McGlee posted:

When you are taking a Cisco test, is the comments button just for you personal use or is it to give Cisco feedback? I took ICND2 today and had a couple ambiguous questions and wrote a few notes in it.

I've had to take the UCS Implementation Specialist test three times now to renew partner crap. I don't think they care about the feedback, it's just there to give you an outlet to complain about their bullshit and out-of-date questions.

Bigass Moth
Mar 6, 2004

I joined the #RXT REVOLUTION.
:boom:
he knows...
There has been drama on the ccie tests about diagrams and tables with information necessary to pass the questions being totally unreadable.

Yeast Confection
Oct 7, 2005
Not surprising. The diagram graphics are poo poo.
Was it just my test centre, or does the Cisco test environment only run in like... 1024x768 resolution? It looks like it hasn't been updated since 1999.

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

Heartache is powerful, but democracy is *subtle*.
Is the new TSHOOT easy? I need to recert my NP by next March and would rather not rely on the IE written for it.

Bigass Moth
Mar 6, 2004

I joined the #RXT REVOLUTION.
:boom:
he knows...

Ashley Madison posted:

Not surprising. The diagram graphics are poo poo.
Was it just my test centre, or does the Cisco test environment only run in like... 1024x768 resolution? It looks like it hasn't been updated since 1999.

I haven't taken a test since last year but anything graphical looked like it was saved as a low quality gif, printed, scanned back in and then saved as an mspaint file.

Wet Biscuit McGlee
Jul 13, 2006

girls hate me

Ashley Madison posted:

Not surprising. The diagram graphics are poo poo.
Was it just my test centre, or does the Cisco test environment only run in like... 1024x768 resolution? It looks like it hasn't been updated since 1999.

Not just you. The test application is a hideous aqua mess with Comic Sans font and any diagrams look like they were made with Paint.

SubjectVerbObject
Jul 27, 2009
So work is giving us VMWare training with the object of having all of us get certified. Woohoo!

But it is cobbled together training from websites and tutorials developed in house, all in order to help us get our VCA.

MJP
Jun 17, 2007

Are you looking at me Senpai?

Grimey Drawer

SubjectVerbObject posted:

So work is giving us VMWare training with the object of having all of us get certified. Woohoo!

But it is cobbled together training from websites and tutorials developed in house, all in order to help us get our VCA.

They could save a ton of money and just ask a VMware rep for the VCA marketing materials.

That cert is easier to get than Sec+. As in "study for two hours, don't answer like a moron" easy.

Did you mean VCP? THAT is an actual certification that requires real actual study, practice, and labbing.

SubjectVerbObject
Jul 27, 2009

MJP posted:

They could save a ton of money and just ask a VMware rep for the VCA marketing materials.

That cert is easier to get than Sec+. As in "study for two hours, don't answer like a moron" easy.

Did you mean VCP? THAT is an actual certification that requires real actual study, practice, and labbing.

Nope, definitely the VCA. The telecom stuff we support is going to be VMWare based and virtualized, but will have a standard setup, so we will just need to know our way around. I think the point is to be able to tell customers they have certified people without spending too much money. They do have an allegedly full lab for us though, so who knows.

Daylen Drazzi
Mar 10, 2007

Why do I root for Notre Dame? Because I like pain, and disappointment, and anguish. Notre Dame Football has destroyed more dreams than the Irish Potato Famine, and that is the kind of suffering I can get behind.
I've commonly referred to the VCA as a salesman's cert - it most certainly won't teach you how to get around in vSphere or vCenter. At best it discusses the underlying principles of virtualization and how the technology is supposed to function. There is nothing concrete in it, and the training material is so broad that reading one of VMware's brochures is far more likely to give you a better level of understanding (and I'm saying this as someone who has both the VCA and the VCP).

You'd be better served by going on to Youtube and watching a few of the virtualization videos put out by VMware going over how to install and use vSphere and vCenter.

SubjectVerbObject
Jul 27, 2009
Thanks for the advice. I think I am on top of stuff. I spent part of vacation reading one of the OP's recommended VMWare books. I am messing around with Player until I get some more memory, at which point I am going to get the ESXI evaluation copy, put it on Player and try to break it as much as I can. I am fooling around with FreeNAS, and pretty much everything I can think of that I might want to try to virtualize. I was doing this because my job is changing and getting less secure, and it is time to upskill, and I was planning on doing stuff all by myself. I think it is funny though that they announce VMWare training for engineers and it ends up being VCA prep.

Zarikov
Jun 20, 2004

Metal Gear? Metal Gear? Metal Gear!
Dinosaur Gum
Hey so I stumbled into an IT job and I want to get my A+ certification soon since they'll pay for it, but since the exam refreshed to 901 and 902 there aren't a lot of good reviews for books/practice test. Does anyone here have a recommendation? I'm leaning more towards a practice test, then a book later on if I really need it...

Yeast Confection
Oct 7, 2005
Has anyone checked out study material for the new 100-105 CCENT?

ErIog
Jul 11, 2001

:nsacloud:

Ashley Madison posted:

Has anyone checked out study material for the new 100-105 CCENT?

Yeah, I have both the Lammle and Odom books and took it a few weeks back. I would say that Lammle's book is more "readable," but that Odom's book is a better value that you will eventually want to study from anyway. So depending on how diligent you are about your study habits I would recommend Odom's book since it has everything you need while Lammle's book is a little too light on details.

Chickenwalker
Apr 21, 2011

by FactsAreUseless

ErIog posted:

Yeah, I have both the Lammle and Odom books and took it a few weeks back. I would say that Lammle's book is more "readable," but that Odom's book is a better value that you will eventually want to study from anyway. So depending on how diligent you are about your study habits I would recommend Odom's book since it has everything you need while Lammle's book is a little too light on details.

They just changed it again this month, I think he means the new book Odom literally just released. I don't know that Lammle has a new one out yet.

ErIog
Jul 11, 2001

:nsacloud:

Chickenwalker posted:

They just changed it again this month, I think he means the new book Odom literally just released. I don't know that Lammle has a new one out yet.

Unless they changed the test in the week or so since I took it and the 4-5 weeks since I started studying then those are the books which I used that I am talking about.

The newest Odom 100-105 book came out in May. The 200-105 book came out last month. The new Lammle 100-105 came out last month as well.

edit: the new Lammle 200-105 book doesn't come out until September

ErIog fucked around with this message at 07:17 on Aug 8, 2016

Yeast Confection
Oct 7, 2005
Odom is dry, but I still kinda prefer his books over Lammle. Did you feel that both books were enough to prep for the exam?

Renegret
May 26, 2007

THANK YOU FOR CALLING HELP DOG, INC.

YOUR POSITION IN THE QUEUE IS *pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt*


Cat Army Sworn Enemy
I can't stand the Odom books. He uses several paragraphs to explain a concept that could be done in just a few sentences. I feel like I'm reading the same thing over and over again, until my eyes start to glaze over and I realize I didn't retain anything I just read.

Luckily I get a free subscription to CBT Nuggets through work, so I mainly use that with the Odom book to supplement where needed. I can see how some people like that book because it's very detailed, but personally it's just not my thing. All the details in the world don't mean poo poo if I'm just going to glaze over it and fall asleep.

BaseballPCHiker
Jan 16, 2006

When I got my CCNA I had both the Lammle and Odom books. I prefer Lammle's book as it's not quite the slog to get through like Odoms can be. That said you definitely need to supplement Lammle with lab work and videos because he wont quite cover each and every detail. Odom is definitely more thorough but I found harder to study off of. With all the details that get crammed in it's hard to tell whats critical to know and whats just a secondary nice to know detail.

ErIog
Jul 11, 2001

:nsacloud:

BaseballPCHiker posted:

Odom is definitely more thorough but I found harder to study off of. With all the details that get crammed in it's hard to tell whats critical to know and whats just a secondary nice to know detail.

With the kind of detail that's in some of the test questions sometimes, though, it's hard to fault Odom for putting in the detail he does. One person's "nice to know detail," could be another person's, "oh god this came up on the test and I'm so glad it was in the book." It's definitely a maximalist approach.

Passing CCENT with such a slim margin and not knowing some of the stuff that I felt I should have known kind of put the fear of god into me about that stuff. So I felt kind of let down by the Lammle, and am very much enjoying that Odom covers everything. I'm finding it.. um.. soothing, but yeah I can see how that might put people to sleep.

That said, I mean it's kind of moot. Going through the Lammle book in a really really detailed way got me a passing score. So I probably shouldn't complain so much. I just like to have a better handle on things when going in for certs, and it bugs me when I don't do how I think I'm gonna do.

Renegret
May 26, 2007

THANK YOU FOR CALLING HELP DOG, INC.

YOUR POSITION IN THE QUEUE IS *pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt*


Cat Army Sworn Enemy
So I'm learning Frame Relay right now for my CCNA and I have more of a real world question.

If nobody really uses Frame Relay anymore, what do people normally use these days? Certainly Leased Lines aren't the norm because they're so expensive? It seems packet switching would be better in a real world scenario but Frame Relay is the only thing that's covered.

Yes I know they're getting rid of it on the new revision, but I'm taking the old test at the end of the month.

ErIog
Jul 11, 2001

:nsacloud:

Renegret posted:

So I'm learning Frame Relay right now for my CCNA and I have more of a real world question.

If nobody really uses Frame Relay anymore, what do people normally use these days? Certainly Leased Lines aren't the norm because they're so expensive? It seems packet switching would be better in a real world scenario but Frame Relay is the only thing that's covered.

Yes I know they're getting rid of it on the new revision, but I'm taking the old test at the end of the month.

They don't cover PPP or HDLC in that version of the test?

Also, can someone explain to me what people find hard about Frame Relay? I studied it years ago, and I looked into it again due to so many people bitching about it. I feel like if you understand the OSI model then it's pretty simple, but is there something complicated I'm missing? Troubleshooting STP, OSPF, and EIGRP seems harder...

ErIog fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Aug 12, 2016

Renegret
May 26, 2007

THANK YOU FOR CALLING HELP DOG, INC.

YOUR POSITION IN THE QUEUE IS *pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt*


Cat Army Sworn Enemy

ErIog posted:

They don't cover PPP or HDLC in that version of the test?

Also, can someone explain to me what people find hard about Frame Relay? I studied it years ago, and I looked into it again due to so many people bitching about it. I feel like if you understand the OSI model then it's pretty simple, but is there something complicated I'm missing? Troubleshooting STP, OSPF, and EIGRP seems harder...

They do, but PPP and HDLC are for leased lines. Unless you can packet switch with them too and my idiot newness is showing.

I don't even know what the big deal with frame relay is either. The hardest part was figuring out how to make it work in Packet Tracer, the config was pretty easy. STP still gave me more trouble by far. Probably just understanding the concept that there's no MAC addresses, and that DLCI numbers work backwards.

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

Heartache is powerful, but democracy is *subtle*.

Renegret posted:

So I'm learning Frame Relay right now for my CCNA and I have more of a real world question.

If nobody really uses Frame Relay anymore, what do people normally use these days? Certainly Leased Lines aren't the norm because they're so expensive? It seems packet switching would be better in a real world scenario but Frame Relay is the only thing that's covered.

Yes I know they're getting rid of it on the new revision, but I'm taking the old test at the end of the month.

DMVPN is become a much cheaper and reliable way of achieving something similar. I'm sure there's plenty of people here on these forums working with legacy networks in finance or retail that still use Frame Relay, though.

fordan
Mar 9, 2009

Clue: Zero

Renegret posted:

So I'm learning Frame Relay right now for my CCNA and I have more of a real world question.

If nobody really uses Frame Relay anymore, what do people normally use these days? Certainly Leased Lines aren't the norm because they're so expensive? It seems packet switching would be better in a real world scenario but Frame Relay is the only thing that's covered.

Yes I know they're getting rid of it on the new revision, but I'm taking the old test at the end of the month.

Metro Ethernet covers a lot of the same territory. Or just straight Internet connectivity with VPNs running over it.

Irritated Goat
Mar 12, 2005

This post is pathetic.
I've decided dealing with Servers is easier on my brain than doing network junk but I'm just not sure where to go.

I've got the Server 2012 certs done. I just have no clue where to go from here. I considered SCCM but I've always got this want to do more CLI based stuff at the same time so should I just go for something RHEL related or maybe look at Chef more? :confused:

vyst
Aug 25, 2009



Irritated Goat posted:

I've decided dealing with Servers is easier on my brain than doing network junk but I'm just not sure where to go.

I've got the Server 2012 certs done. I just have no clue where to go from here. I considered SCCM but I've always got this want to do more CLI based stuff at the same time so should I just go for something RHEL related or maybe look at Chef more? :confused:

Go to VMware/AWS poo poo. it's essentially servers but at a macro level and you get paid drastically more

iajanus
Aug 17, 2004

NUMBER 1 QUEENSLAND SUPPORTER
MAROONS 2023 STATE OF ORIGIN CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE



woot passed CCENT I feel so smart :D

rafikki
Mar 8, 2008

I see what you did there. (It's pretty easy, since ducks have a field of vision spanning 340 degrees.)

~SMcD


iajanus posted:

woot passed CCENT I feel so smart :D

:hfive:

Yeast Confection
Oct 7, 2005

iajanus posted:

woot passed CCENT I feel so smart :D

Hell yeah :buddy:

Bigass Moth
Mar 6, 2004

I joined the #RXT REVOLUTION.
:boom:
he knows...
Nice work, it only gets tougher from there.

iajanus
Aug 17, 2004

NUMBER 1 QUEENSLAND SUPPORTER
MAROONS 2023 STATE OF ORIGIN CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE



Bigass Moth posted:

Nice work, it only gets tougher from there.

I know .... :'( Looking forward to the challenge; I need to get out of my current work as the company is terrible and being run into the ground and the only way is up with certs. Was a great start to the day, though!

ChubbyThePhat
Dec 22, 2006

Who nico nico needs anyone else

psydude posted:

DMVPN is become a much cheaper and reliable way of achieving something similar. I'm sure there's plenty of people here on these forums working with legacy networks in finance or retail that still use Frame Relay, though.

Basically this. If you can get DMVPN setup you're golden; however there are still a large number of legacy networks that rely on frame relay.

vyst
Aug 25, 2009



I just want to go on record and say gently caress the Professional Scrum Master 1 certification. Goddamn 84% and you need an 85%.

iajanus
Aug 17, 2004

NUMBER 1 QUEENSLAND SUPPORTER
MAROONS 2023 STATE OF ORIGIN CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE



vyst posted:

I just want to go on record and say gently caress the Professional Scrum Master 1 certification. Goddamn 84% and you need an 85%.

I read this while watching your av and it was glorious.

Sorry about the near miss, though :ohdear:

skooma512
Feb 8, 2012

You couldn't grok my race car, but you dug the roadside blur.

iajanus posted:

I read this while watching your av and it was glorious.

Sorry about the near miss, though :ohdear:

It really is tempting fate

vyst
Aug 25, 2009



skooma512 posted:

It really is tempting fate

SUCK MY BALLS SCRUM.ORG



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Bigass Moth
Mar 6, 2004

I joined the #RXT REVOLUTION.
:boom:
he knows...
Scoring the lowest on the teamwork section, classic goon. Nice work!

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