Cisco certifications: Difference between revisions
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The certification is valid for three years; at that time a CCNA holder must either re-take the certification exam or take an exam for one of the Professional or Specialist level certifications, such as [[CCNP]]. At one point, the CCNA re-certification exam was different from the CCNA exam, but this no longer seems to be the case. |
The certification is valid for three years; at that time a CCNA holder must either re-take the certification exam or take an exam for one of the Professional or Specialist level certifications, such as [[CCNP]]. At one point, the CCNA re-certification exam was different from the CCNA exam, but this no longer seems to be the case. |
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*[http://www.ciscopress.com/bookstore/ |
*[http://www.ciscopress.com/bookstore/browse.asp?st=42104 '''Cisco Press''' - CCNA self-study materials] |
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==Professional-level certifications== |
==Professional-level certifications== |
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Revision as of 20:42, 3 February 2006
Cisco Career Certifications are IT professional certifications for Cisco products.
The tests are administered by Prometric. Many community colleges offer Cisco courses. For example, the Hudson Valley Community College offers Cisco courses for US$367 per course.
There are three levels of certification: Associate, Professional, and Expert.
Associate-level certifications
The first level is called "Associate" and is comprised of CCDA and CCNA.
The CCDA covers topics such as VoIP, Routing, IPv6, and IPv4, as well as campus network design methodoligies and concepts. The duration is 75 minutes and covers between 55 and 65 questions.
Cisco Certified Network Associate
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is the most commonly-held Cisco certification and indicates apprentice knowledge of networking. CCNA certifies users to install, configure, and operate Cisco products.
A CCNA candidate must prove familiarity and expertise with, among other subjects, Cisco's IOS, TCP/IP, LAN and WAN technologies and management, switching and routing protocols, the OSI model, LAN troubleshooting, and be familiar with a variety of network protocols, some Cisco-specific and some not.
The test is a Computer-adaptive test that presents 60 questions within a 90 minute period; the test will quickly ascertain which areas an examinee is weak on and focus on those. The test includes multiple choice questions (including many multiple-answer questions, e.g. 'which three of these five options'), matching questions, and simulated 'lab' questions that provide a virtual network consisting of several routers and switches to test troubleshooting skills. A grade of approximately 85% is required to pass.
There is also a two-test option using the INTRO and ICND tests. This allows the candidate to focus on certain subjects.
The certification is valid for three years; at that time a CCNA holder must either re-take the certification exam or take an exam for one of the Professional or Specialist level certifications, such as CCNP. At one point, the CCNA re-certification exam was different from the CCNA exam, but this no longer seems to be the case.
Professional-level certifications
Cisco Certified Network Professional
The Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) is the middle ground of Cisco technical certifications. The CCNP is considered proof of having the ability to work with medium-sized networks (between 100 and 500 end devices) and with technology such as QoS, broadband, VPNs, and security-minded features. To acquire a CCNP, one must pass four tests, and either re-certify (or upgrade to a CCIE) every three years. (The CCNA is a prerequisite.)
In order to re-certify a CCNP certification, one must pass the BSCI and BCMSN exams, pass the composite exam (a combination of the BSCI and the BCMSN) or pass any of the CCIE written exams.
Cisco Certified Design Professional
Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP) is an advanced network design certification provided by Cisco Systems, Inc. Candidates for the certification are tested for advanced knowledge of Cisco devices and the way to interconnect them. This certification is considered a professional level certificate by Cisco Systems.
Cisco Certified Security Professional
Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) is an advanced network security certification. Candidates for the certification are tested for advanced knowledge of various Cisco security products.
To attain this certification several tests must be passed in the areas of VPN, IDS, PIX firewall, Secure IOS, the Cisco SAFE, as well as having a CCNA or equivent (CCNP or CCIE).
Expert-level certifications: Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
The expert-level certification is the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). It is the highest level of professional certification that Cisco provides. There are 5 CCIE tracks, as below. There are 12,000 CCIE certification holders worldwide.
The CCIE is comprised of a written exam and a "lab" exam (each in the specific area of the chosen track). The written exam is a prerequisite to the lab exam. The lab exam is an 8-hour hands-on exam designed to demonstrate that the candidate not only knows the theory but is also able to practice it. Many prospective CCIEs need multiple attempts to pass the lab exam.
There are no formal prerequisites for the CCIE exam, but Cisco recommends to have at least 3 - 5 years solid experience in networking before attempting to become a CCIE. It is not necessary to hold CCNA or CCNP certifications.
CCIE Routing & Switching
Routing and Switching is by far the most popular track, and covers a wide range of subjects, such as: LAN, WAN, dial access technologies, Ethernet, TCP/IP, OSPF and BGP and many more.
CCIE Security
The Security track concentrates on network security and covers subjects such as Cisco PIX firewall, IOS security, Wireless LAN, security and many others.
CCIE Service Provider
The Service Provider track focuses on networking in the service provider industry. Subjects include Optical networks, DSL, WAN switching, Voice over IP, Content Networking and Metro Ethernet.
CCIE Voice
The Voice track concentrates on voice solutions for the enterprise and includes subjects such as QoS, MGCP, Call Manager (Cisco's VoIP PABX) and Unity, Cisco's Unified Messaging platform.
CCIE Storage Networking
The latest addition to the CCIE certification tracks is the CCIE Storage Networking track. As the name suggests, the Storage Networking track concentrates on storage networking topics, such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, FCIP and FICON.