By Kevin Harris on 3/31/2010 1:32 PM

Real equipment and/or network simulator

Self-studying for the CCNA certification can be a daunting task. The amount of information a CCNA candidate is required to know and the skills that candidate is required to possess are quite extensive. Where to start?

Step number one is to determine which resources you will use. You will want to get a book to provide a good understanding of the concepts required for the CCNA and to give yourself a good source of reference. Major publishers, such as McGraw-Hill, Sybex, and Cisco Press, all have quality books covering the CCNA. Head to the bookstore and see which you like best. The next step is the big one. How do you get the practical, hands-on knowledge of routing and switching to build on the theoretical knowledge you got from your book? In the self-study arena, there are two primary options: acquire real equipment or purchase a network simulator. (NOTE: Many people will also argue that router emulators are a third option. While many choose that option, it is a violation of Cisco’s license agreement to run their IOS on anything other than the hardware it is licensed for. Accordingly, I don’t recommend or discuss this option since it requires a copyright violation and is illegal. Just because you or I don’t agree with Cisco’s licensing model doesn’t make it OK to steal from them.) Let’s compare the advantages and disadvantages of each......

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