MISSION: Incomplete

I AM A FAILURE!!!!!

No wait, that is a different blog...

I did not take the Security+ exam like I wanted to. I studied and studied all the way up to the end of the year. I wanted get the cert before the beginning of the year when the expiration policy changed.

Guess what?!

I waited too late. I tried to schedule the exam and there were no seats. Go figure! I waited too late. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea I had. I decided to throw away all of that time spent studying and move on to something else.

CCENT here I come. (Yea, I have not taken that yet either.)

I did spend six months taking an online course on Health IT and EHRs. I passed that course "with flying colors" according to one of the instructors.

So, I am going to start reading and practicing to sit for the CCENT. I am not setting a tentative date yet for sitting for the exam. I want to make sure I am ready for it when I sit for it. My goal is one cert this year. Two would be great but I am not going to push it since Cisco can be tough.

Anywho, that's all!

I didn't drop a packet, I threw it!

Not Quite There

I did not make the October 29th goal. I still have not sat for the Security+ exam. Comptia's policy on certification expiration changes January 1 for this certification as well as the A+ and Network+. I am running out of time if I want to keep it lifetime.

I am reading and taking practice tests but I just can't seem to break the 75% mark. This is not a passing score.

Some friends say for me to just go take it but it costs too much to just throw away. I am still gonna try to do it before the end of the year. I just hope that there is a seat available when I get ready to take it.

Security!

I chose to pursue the Security+ certification. I have been reading and reading and reading trying to prepare for the exam. I am shooting for October 29th to sit for the exam. I am half way through the book and videos and am currently scoring about 70 on the practice tests. Yes, I know, not a passing score but I am working on it. I will hopefully be ready when the time comes.

After that exam I am not sure what I will do next. I wouldn't mind having one more CompTIA cert before the end of the year and begin again on Cisco after the first of the year. I don't know yet. Still too soon to tell. Anyway, just a quick update.

Thanks for reading!

Don't drop a packet...

The Blue Pill or the Red Pill?

Okay, these two pills represent something different from the matrix but I must choose one....


I having been doing some thinking and no I did not hurt myself.

I am currently studying for the Cisco CCENT. I can tell it is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. My original goal was to sit for the exam next month. I don't really see that happening because I do not feel like I will be prepared for it. So, my thinking shifted me toward taking it later in the year or the first of next year.

I do want to get at least one more certification this year. I also know that CompTIA will change their certification's to a 3 year expiration. I am considering switching modes from the CCENT and work toward the Security+. This will give me a third cert from CompTIA. I can not help but feel like I will be wasting all the time spent studying over the past month for the CCENT.

I don't know what to do.

Oh well... I will figure something out.

Either way I go I must remember, don't drop a packet.

IT Dangers: Carnivorous Cabinet

I want to touch briefly on the dangers of working in the field of IT.


I am not talking about electricity or anything like that. I am talking about hidden dangers that can lurk anywhere.

I want to focus on one particular danger...

Cabinet doors!

Seriously, these can be deadly. Maybe not to most people but they can definitely ruin your day. Think about it for a second. They stick out, have sharp corners, and most are relatively heavy. Starting to make sense now is it not?

For instance, this morning I was connecting a new host to a data port when I noticed that there was no link light on the NIC card. So, I did what any good technician would do. I start at the physical level in my troubleshooting process. This led me to check my connection at the switch. The particular switch in question was in a cabinet down the hall from where I was installing the device.

After walking into the room I reached to open the cabinet door where a few switches were located. Suddenly, the door itself came loose and proceeded to do what gravity tells it to, that is fall.

Don't worry a bit about the cabinet door...

My head caught it!

It was a great, and definitely painful, way to start my day.


So, beware of the hidden dangers of this wonderful job in which we do.

Oh, when that door hit me in the head...

I almost dropped my packet!

CBT = Can't Be Thorough

CBT actually stands for "computer based training".

I am speaking of primarily IT based training though. Please, do not get me wrong, I have used it and think it is a great method. My only problem is that it is not very thorough. To me it could be up there with bootcamps. I just don't see how you get all you need for the exam.

I have used it while studying for the CompTIA A+ and Network+ exams. I believe that the videos helped a lot to prepare me for those exams. I just have trouble believing that it can fully prepare you to take an exam. Maybe I am misunderstanding something and it is not meant to do so but to be used as an extra method of learning. I do not know but I do know you can not solely rely on it for preparation.

I did sit through all 31 videos for the CCENT and for the most part they were educational. I took plenty of notes and definitely will need further study. I have the an ebook that is 685 pages long and am trying to muster up the will to read such a large book. Oh well, it will get done in due time and that is not even counting the labs I have to work through.

So, boys and girls, do not completely rely on videos for full training for IT certification exams. Be sure to supplement with plenty of other resources such as books, discussion boards, and other professionals.

And remember, don't drop a packet!

IPeed

No, I did not pee on myself... not that you know of anyway.

The IP addressing scheme is one of utter importance in the networking world. Without it the connection of all the routers, switches (I know these are layer 2 devices), and hosts could not communicate. The IP address is basically the home address of where a device lives, sort of. Maybe not the perfect analogy but it will work for now. If you do not like my analogy then please, by all means, kiss my port.

Some say static IP addressing is the way to go because you assign each device a hand picked, in a loving and thoughtful way, the numbers you want to represent a specific device. All of this is well and good but what if there are too many devices to keep up with? Here is where our superhero comes in!

DHCP!

I will not spell out what the acronym means because you probably do not care.

This beautiful protocol with automatically assign any host that is setup for DHCP an IP address and default gateway (that could be another blog). This will drastically cut down on configuration time. All it is missing is a cape with a big "D" on the front.

I know that was dorky.

Anyway, back to my babbling...

During my wonderful studies for the CCENT I am slowly trying to learn commands. Enter DHCP (again). I am using a great little network simulator but in looking for help using the "?" after the command I felt like something was missing. Where was the commands for the LAN addressing? Where was the pool command? I couldn't find them anywhere! Maybe the simulator did not list the full help list or maybe it did not contain it at all, I do not know. I do know one thing, Google is my best friend. That wonderful search engine helped me find my missing commands. Well, it led me to a page that showed me what I was missing. Now my little practice network, although simulated, is handing out IP addresses.

DHCP, I think you need to share you cape with Google.

The valuable lesson for today, DHCP works great when you know the commands to configure it.

Remember kids, don't drop a packet!