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rock2much
Feb 6, 2004

Grimey Drawer

Parlett316 posted:

Any tips on studying for Security+? I'm about to dive into the David Prowse AUTHORIZED CERT GUIDE.

The Darryl Gibson book and test book were what I used as my only sources and I did really well.
http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Secur...y+darryl+gibson

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Parlett316
Dec 6, 2002

Jon Snow is viciously stabbed by his friends in the night's watch for wanting to rescue Mance Rayder from Ramsay Bolton

rock2much posted:

The Darryl Gibson book and test book were what I used as my only sources and I did really well.
http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Secur...y+darryl+gibson

Thank you

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!

rock2much posted:

The Darryl Gibson book and test book were what I used as my only sources and I did really well.
http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Secur...y+darryl+gibson

Hell yeah Darryl Gibson. Can't wait to get this 70-680 out of the way so I can hurry up and get that Sec+. I purchased the 2 month package that's got audio files, flash cards, test questions, etc. from his site here http://gcgapremium.com/security/pass-the-security-exam-the-first-time-you-take-it/

inignot
Sep 1, 2003

WWBCD?
I passed the GIAC GCIA. It was annoying.

The Collector
Aug 9, 2011

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Rats raining down in the night during the Stanley Cup finals.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Pillbug
is there any point in getting the Microsoft database certifications? Seems that the oracle carts are more in demand

Dilbert As FUCK
Sep 8, 2007

by Cowcaster
Pillbug
There is a large pull for MSSQL people. Nearly all the places I know/talked to if they use oracle need a DB guy, not so much with MSSQL.

Does vExpert mean anything worth putting on a resume?

Dilbert As FUCK fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Apr 6, 2014

ZergFluid
Feb 20, 2014

by XyloJW
Wendell Odom's CCENT book has six chapters...six...on IPv6.

:negative:

dr cum patrol esq
Sep 3, 2003

A C A B

:350:

ZergFluid posted:

Wendell Odom's CCENT book has six chapters...six...on IPv6.

:negative:

Odom's book has six loving chapters on everyfuckingthing. He may be a brilliant routing/switching engineer but he's a horrible loving writer.

The accompanying powerpoints are even worse.

DrAlexanderTobacco
Jun 11, 2012

Help me find my true dharma
Passed my 98-366 third time lucky :unsmith:

MrKatharsis
Nov 29, 2003

feel the bern

The Collector posted:

is there any point in getting the Microsoft database certifications? Seems that the oracle carts are more in demand

I imagine this varies city by city. Here in Seattle there are about ten SQL Server DBA job postings for every one Oracle DBA posting.

three
Aug 9, 2007

i fantasize about ndamukong suh licking my doodoo hole

Dilbert As gently caress posted:

Does vExpert mean anything worth putting on a resume?

Never include accomplishments or awards. Companies hate that.

Sometimes I just submit a blank piece of paper for my resume.

:)

ZergFluid
Feb 20, 2014

by XyloJW

front wing flexing posted:

Odom's book has six loving chapters on everyfuckingthing. He may be a brilliant routing/switching engineer but he's a horrible loving writer.

The accompanying powerpoints are even worse.

Haha, I wouldn't go that far. I actually appreciate his thoroughness most times and I find that he clearly explains the topics. Yes he is dry and formal but I think these official cisco books have no room to be anything else.

keseph
Oct 21, 2010

beep bawk boop bawk

The Collector posted:

is there any point in getting the Microsoft database certifications? Seems that the oracle carts are more in demand

As dev, BI, or DBA?
It wouldn't hurt as a dev but I doubt it's much more than a small bonus unless you're aiming to be the TSQL specialist for a group.
BI, similarly, you're probably expected to be fairly cross-platform so any data certs or experience are fairly interchangeable unless you're trying to be a real specialist.
DBA-wise, A LOT of MSSQL DBAs end up there by accident rather than design, so specific experience is going to be weighted more heavily by a lot of employers, and certs are correspondingly less mandatory. I've seen a lot of employers say you must be capable of getting cert X in 3/6/9 months of hire, so at least look into the material enough to know roughly where you stand if they ask.
Comparable Oracle environments can easily cost 10x as much in licensing, so a prospective employer is putting a lot more CapEx in your hands to break, and wants the neutral verifier that much more badly.

I keep hearing from people I trust that DBA unemployment rates are well below even frictional unemployment, so the jobs are there for the taking, whether you have a cert for it or not.

beepsandboops
Jan 28, 2014
I'm doing support now at a small ISP, but I'd like to transition into more of a systems/network admin role. I'm thinking about getting a CCENT (or Network+) to kind of get my foot in the door, then some sort of more systems admin one later down the road (Linux+?), but does anybody have any advice on certs?

Dr. Arbitrary
Mar 15, 2006

Bleak Gremlin
I'm totally ignorant when it comes to *nix, but I think I'll need to get the RHCSA at some point to keep my career moving.

Can anyone recommend one or two books that will take me from zero to RHCSA?

Docjowles
Apr 9, 2009

beepsandboops posted:

I'm doing support now at a small ISP, but I'd like to transition into more of a systems/network admin role. I'm thinking about getting a CCENT (or Network+) to kind of get my foot in the door, then some sort of more systems admin one later down the road (Linux+?), but does anybody have any advice on certs?

First of all, if you can, develop a relationship with your sysadmin and/or network engineer. Depending on your definition of "small" they might be the same person :). But anyway, having been that small ISP sysadmin myself, that person is DEFINITELY overworked and would kill for someone to shield them from the lamest support tickets and grunt work so they can stop fighting fires and get project work done. Don't be the guy who takes a call, does the bare minimum and then escalates the ticket based on a bunch of nonsense ("asked customer to ping their subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. got an error, escalating." yes that was a real ticket.). Ask if there's anything you can take off their plate or if you could become a second tier of support buffering them from lame issues that shouldn't make it past the front line, but do.

To more directly answer your question, the CCENT is a great cert. It's roughly comparable to Network+ but has the advantage of also being half of the CCNA so if you decide to go further in networking, you're well on your way. On the systems side, the RHCSA/RHCE (see below) for Linux or MCSA Windows Server are good goals. But I'll add that certs aren't the only path. Some quality work experience doing level 2 support and/or junior admin tasks will look as good or better on your resume, too.

Happy to talk more about Linux stuff if you want, since I feel like this forum is Windows/VMware/Cisco heavy :)

Dr. Arbitrary posted:

I'm totally ignorant when it comes to *nix, but I think I'll need to get the RHCSA at some point to keep my career moving.

Can anyone recommend one or two books that will take me from zero to RHCSA?

Michael Jang writes good Red Hat cert books.

Docjowles fucked around with this message at 08:05 on Apr 7, 2014

Feels Villeneuve
Oct 7, 2007

Setter is Better.
This is just personal experience, but though I'm happy with the knowledge I've picked up via the CCENT, the de-facto entry-level cert for networking positions is still CCNA, and I haven't had much success in finding positions asking for CCENT as a requirement.

That being said, very valuable knowledge if you want to do network admin, but you'll probably want to move to CCNA after that.

MrBigglesworth
Mar 26, 2005

Lover of Fuzzy Meatloaf

ZergFluid posted:

Haha, I wouldn't go that far. I actually appreciate his thoroughness most times and I find that he clearly explains the topics. Yes he is dry and formal but I think these official cisco books have no room to be anything else.

I'm on that first set of the Odom book I linked. 220 pages in over the weekend. It's more of a review since doing my college classes so the way he is explaining things provides me with a different perspective and it seems that he is getting the details a lot more clearly than the Netacad class I took in school. So far the only real hang up I am having is the practice test questions that ask what the pin outs on the loving cables are when going from pc to switch, to router, ect. Pick the 3 correct answers that show which pin hits what. Does the CCNA test get that drat deep on loving CABLE PIN OUTS?

Zaii
Nov 6, 2005

Check it out, I downloaded a little dance!
I've been tasked with raising the general skill of Microsoft Office in my workplace. I'm thinking of teaching along the MOS syllabus, with a few custom 'how to's' that are relevant to our userbase. For anyone who's taken the MOS certs, is this about the right path to go? Or would I be better suited to start completely from scratch?

I'm totally going to ask my end users to complete a General Office Aptitude Test though. ;)

dr cum patrol esq
Sep 3, 2003

A C A B

:350:

Fag Boy Jim posted:

This is just personal experience, but though I'm happy with the knowledge I've picked up via the CCENT, the de-facto entry-level cert for networking positions is still CCNA, and I haven't had much success in finding positions asking for CCENT as a requirement.

That being said, very valuable knowledge if you want to do network admin, but you'll probably want to move to CCNA after that.

Yeah it's weird. The CCENT is harder than Net+ but to HR people looking at resumes they're looking for Net+ and/or CCNA.

Feels Villeneuve
Oct 7, 2007

Setter is Better.

MrBigglesworth posted:

So far the only real hang up I am having is the practice test questions that ask what the pin outs on the loving cables are when going from pc to switch, to router, ect. Pick the 3 correct answers that show which pin hits what. Does the CCNA test get that drat deep on loving CABLE PIN OUTS?

6/2 1/3 is a crossover cable. That's basically all you need to know. (Well, you might need to know the general idea of what a rollover cable is too, but that isn't really difficult).

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!
Passed the 70-680!

Now onto the more daunting Security+.

MrBigglesworth
Mar 26, 2005

Lover of Fuzzy Meatloaf
What did you study for the 70-680? I have an extra voucher, dont know if I want to do 70-680 or not at all.

OhDearGodNo
Jan 3, 2014

Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:

Passed the 70-680!

Now onto the more daunting Security+.

Get Gibson's book and you'll find it hardly daunting.

He brings about the concepts amazingly well, especially when dealing with asymmetric encryption (public / private key)

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!

MrBigglesworth posted:

What did you study for the 70-680? I have an extra voucher, dont know if I want to do 70-680 or not at all.

I used Microsoft's self paced training kit (didn't do most of the exercises) and Professor Messers youtube course (made mp3s of them and listened to them in my car). I would take any practice exam I could find and would focus on the areas I did the worst in.

OhDearGodNo posted:

Get Gibson's book and you'll find it hardly daunting.

He brings about the concepts amazingly well, especially when dealing with asymmetric encryption (public / private key)

That's great news because I have his book and I got the 2 month package of flash cards, audio files, and practice questions from his website!

MC Fruit Stripe
Nov 26, 2002

around and around we go
If I ever meet James Conrad I am going to smack the poo poo out of him.

incoherent
Apr 24, 2004

01010100011010000111001
00110100101101100011011
000110010101110010

MC Fruit Stripe posted:

If I ever meet James Conrad I am going to smack the poo poo out of him.

Play his videos at 2x speed.

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

Heartache is powerful, but democracy is *subtle*.
So fair warning to any of you pursuing your CCNP right now: take the time to learn MPLS, because basically every CCNP-level job that involves doing L3 work is going to require knowledge of MPLS, VRF, and MP-BGP. And that's like the only thing that the interviewers are going to focus on for some reason.

I really think that Cisco should revise the curriculum to include it.

psydude fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Apr 9, 2014

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!
I'm hitting it hardcore on Sec+ now.

I've got Gibson's book and also 2 months of full access to his website (the $39.99 package here. I'm listening to mp3's during my 45 minute commute every day, studying the practice test questions any moment of free time I have at work, reading through the book for clarification, and also I made a csv for all port numbers and abbreviations that I'm working on memorizing on a flash card app on my phone, and also watching the CBT nuggest when I get a chance...

Since right now I'm taking it all in with no filter, I guess what I want to ask is how should I prioritize? What would you say is the most important aspect of studying for Sec+? I'm already eating, drinking, and breathing everything Darril Gibson, I'm just wondering how I should focus it in. I've heard memorizing the port numbers is imperitive, so I'm just wondering what other pointers you guys can give.

For context: When I studied for MCTS, I went chapter by chapter and waited until I felt I had completely mastered each chapter before I moved onto the next. This method worked (passed first try) but I feel like there should be a more effective way of studying for these things...

ZergFluid
Feb 20, 2014

by XyloJW
Todd Lammle says that the new CCENT is harder than the old CCNA. Is he exaggerating?

GOOCHY
Sep 17, 2003

In an interstellar burst I'm back to save the universe!
The Microsoft interviewers hit you pretty hard on those topics, psydude?

Zeratanis
Jun 16, 2009

That's kind of a weird thought isn't it?

ZergFluid posted:

Todd Lammle says that the new CCENT is harder than the old CCNA. Is he exaggerating?

It's...beefier I wanna say? I mean it has ACLs and IPv6(along with OSPFv3), VLSM and NAT, but you also won't find RIP on it IIRC. There's no STP, EGIRP, or WAN stuff on it since that's more CCNA territory, so it's probably easier for that fact alone. I'd say he's exaggerating a little bit, since it's really just needing to know more compared to the old CCENT.

But who knows, maybe I'm wrong? I'm still on the ACL chapter myself on CCENT and nothing has come off as extremely difficult.

OhDearGodNo
Jan 3, 2014

Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:

I'm hitting it hardcore on Sec+ now.

I've got Gibson's book and also 2 months of full access to his website (the $39.99 package here. I'm listening to mp3's during my 45 minute commute every day, studying the practice test questions any moment of free time I have at work, reading through the book for clarification, and also I made a csv for all port numbers and abbreviations that I'm working on memorizing on a flash card app on my phone, and also watching the CBT nuggest when I get a chance...

Since right now I'm taking it all in with no filter, I guess what I want to ask is how should I prioritize? What would you say is the most important aspect of studying for Sec+? I'm already eating, drinking, and breathing everything Darril Gibson, I'm just wondering how I should focus it in. I've heard memorizing the port numbers is imperitive, so I'm just wondering what other pointers you guys can give.

For context: When I studied for MCTS, I went chapter by chapter and waited until I felt I had completely mastered each chapter before I moved onto the next. This method worked (passed first try) but I feel like there should be a more effective way of studying for these things...

Down and dirty, all aspects and how they relate to CIA, RAS and a lot about encryption. Make sure you understand asymmetric encryption... Gibson's box analogy works perfectly. Familiarize yourself with how hashing works, and lastly BIA and testing such as black/white box, penetration, etc

Remember that IPSec and NAT don't get along. Understand tunneling and stuff.

Pretty much everything. The main thing I can tell you is to just simply understand the concepts and what needs to be done over focusing on specifics (except maybe bit sizes of specific hashes)

The rest is simple stuff like virus types, malware classifications, and to be honest common sense stuff.

OhDearGodNo
Jan 3, 2014

ZergFluid posted:

Todd Lammle says that the new CCENT is harder than the old CCNA. Is he exaggerating?

Halfway through studying with the combined R&S book I realized it would be easier to do the split test.

Having taken the CCNA back in 2006 I can already say it's much more comprehensive.

Thankfully it seems to have finally gotten rid of AppleTalk, netBEUI, vampire taps, and other old stuff... I hope.

psydude
Apr 1, 2008

Heartache is powerful, but democracy is *subtle*.

GOOCHY posted:

The Microsoft interviewers hit you pretty hard on those topics, psydude?

I haven't had the Microsoft interview yet, but I had another one yesterday that hit on it quite a bit as well. Fortunately I'd been studying and labbing my rear end off for the MS interview so I was able to put together a solid reply to the questions.

beepsandboops
Jan 28, 2014

Docjowles posted:

First of all, if you can, develop a relationship with your sysadmin and/or network engineer. Depending on your definition of "small" they might be the same person :). But anyway, having been that small ISP sysadmin myself, that person is DEFINITELY overworked and would kill for someone to shield them from the lamest support tickets and grunt work so they can stop fighting fires and get project work done. Don't be the guy who takes a call, does the bare minimum and then escalates the ticket based on a bunch of nonsense ("asked customer to ping their subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. got an error, escalating." yes that was a real ticket.). Ask if there's anything you can take off their plate or if you could become a second tier of support buffering them from lame issues that shouldn't make it past the front line, but do.

To more directly answer your question, the CCENT is a great cert. It's roughly comparable to Network+ but has the advantage of also being half of the CCNA so if you decide to go further in networking, you're well on your way. On the systems side, the RHCSA/RHCE (see below) for Linux or MCSA Windows Server are good goals. But I'll add that certs aren't the only path. Some quality work experience doing level 2 support and/or junior admin tasks will look as good or better on your resume, too.

Happy to talk more about Linux stuff if you want, since I feel like this forum is Windows/VMware/Cisco heavy :)

Our sysadmin doesn't always seem like the best resource (we store user passwords in plaintext :downs:), but I've definitely been trying to bend his ear and pick up projects where I can.

Thanks a lot for the advice! Glad to know that I'm on the right track with CCENT, and I'll check out some of the Red Hat certs and see if they make sense for my career path.

H.R. Paperstacks
May 1, 2006

This is America
My president is black
and my Lambo is blue

psydude posted:

So fair warning to any of you pursuing your CCNP right now: take the time to learn MPLS, because basically every CCNP-level job that involves doing L3 work is going to require knowledge of MPLS, VRF, and MP-BGP. And that's like the only thing that the interviewers are going to focus on for some reason.

I really think that Cisco should revise the curriculum to include it.

They have it in the CCNP-SP track now since MPLS is more a provider level technology than your standard Enterprise level.

Jelmylicious
Dec 6, 2007
Buy Dr. Quack's miracle juice! Now with patented H-twenty!

H.R. Paperstacks posted:

They have it in the CCNP-SP track now since MPLS is more a provider level technology than your standard Enterprise level.

I have my CCNP and am going for CCNP:SP. This means I can skip the SPROUTE exam, which is the only exam to actually have any ISIS on it. So, it is possible to get CCNP:SP without diving into ISIS.

e: Whoops, had a different discussion in my head about learning ISIS, not MPLS. You definately need to know MPLS for CCNP:SP.

Kase
Jun 24, 2003
Due to a voucher program at my school, I recently registered for the vSphere Professional exam for only $70 and no training requirement. To be frank, while I have been a systems engineer for years, I have no Certs other then MCSE. How would you guys suggest I learn all the storage and lan fundamentals discussed in the main post in the quickest way possible. I have yet to schedule the exam but I want to take it around early/mid summer.

If you go to a college that participates in VMWare Dreamspark/OnTheHub, they offer the voucher: %70 of the vSphere Pro 5.0 or 5.5 exam with no training required and %30 off all training materials if you want em.

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Dilbert As FUCK
Sep 8, 2007

by Cowcaster
Pillbug

Kase posted:

Due to a voucher program at my school, I recently registered for the vSphere Professional exam for only $70 and no training requirement. To be frank, while I have been a systems engineer for years, I have no Certs other then MCSE. How would you guys suggest I learn all the storage and lan fundamentals discussed in the main post in the quickest way possible. I have yet to schedule the exam but I want to take it around early/mid summer.

If you go to a college that participates in VMWare Dreamspark/OnTheHub, they offer the voucher: %70 of the vSphere Pro 5.0 or 5.5 exam with no training required and %30 off all training materials if you want em.

You can take the vSphere VCP test but VMware will not recognize the cert until the course is completed.

You also get Fusion, workstation, vSphere Enterprise and vCenter standard 1 yr licensing free through the academic alliance.

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