This topic is to discuss the following lesson:
Nice reading =)
Hello Rene,
Very Nice reading. What about ccie v5? I took a look at your book list, no books for the 5th version. Do you have somme information about it? New books maybe?
Thann you.
Great stor and also inspiring! I passed my CCENT and currently studying for my CCNA. Your frame relay section has helped me out alot! Thank you so much.
Hi rene,
Nice blog and very inspiring for a person who wants to pursue their dreams of becoming CCIE.
Just want to us in doing the LAB you did it with the real hardware or with the GNS3.
Congratulations Brother .Job well done .You had created a lot of good videos in Gns3vault.com.You really deserve it .May be,With GOD Blessings I am also going to attend CCIE lab in future .I will keep your suggestions in my mind . 
Thanks Nsali!
I started with GNS3 and 2x 3560 + 2x 3550 and some Quad NICs but later I switched to a full real hardware lab with 1841 and 2811 routers. The main reason was that multicast in GNS3 is/was buggy and I couldn’t test some QoS features the way I wanted to.
Rene
Thanks Victor, I’m glad my frame-relay tutorials have been helpful
Hi Ali,
This reading list will be 99% the same for V5. The V4 book for the written exam will be replaced by the V5 version (available in August/September this year) but the other books are still relevant.
Rene
Congrats mate! Very useful post with some good points. Thanks!
Rene,
Thanks, thanks and thanks again!! I discovered your blog like 5 days ago and the things I have learnt so far are immense. This account of your experience with the CCIE lab is reassuring that ITS POSSIBLE!!! and i am determined to nail it.
Thanks thanks Thanks
Thanks Samuel!
It is possible, it just takes a lot of time to do it so make a plan, create a schedule and study like you never studied before
Rene
Congratulations Rene’
unfortunately the ones of us who pass the CCIE Lab are very few,possibly about 20% of all.
That implies that there is a large number of CCIE written passers that never pass the lab wasting quite a bit of money doing that for an exam that is pretty useless otherwise.
Imagine about 80% paying for an exam that has little use on his own.This is the reason that I will take
the written only when I feel ready to take the lab since preparation can be carried on together and money can be spared specially if there is a change of mind,many delays or an honest assessment
that it is too much for some of us.Certainly it should not be the first step of this long journey
Just my approach.
Again thanks for your effort to help others to achieve this very difficult goal.
Hi Gio,
Thanks for your comment. I think the passing rate for the first exam is about 20% so it is very low…
If you are 100% sure that you are going to do the lab then I really recommend to do the written exam and get it out of the way so you can book a lab seat right away.
The first time I did the written exam I passed it but I didn’t book the lab, as a result I did some studying on and off for 2 years but never really made it to the lab since there was always something in between.
The second time I did the written, I passed it and booked the lab right away…I couldn’t make any excuses anymore to do other things since I had a lab date getting closer every day.
If you are unsure if you really want to do the CCIE lab then just study as much as you can and wait with the exams.
Also keep in mind that once you pass the written, it’s possible that the first available lab seat is 2 months away…
Good luck!
Rene
Hi Rene,
Congratulations, with all the work you have been making until today to the community, you really deserve it.
Anyhow, if you have some times, kindly show us (with video or tutorial) how you do your notepad configuration, just take an example so we can understand
Many thank,
Bye
great read, so inspired…
The Good thing for me is that i work shifts, and most of the time i can study because i work in a NOC environment…
just saw the book list (00), time to get cracking
Hi Lukhanyo,
Glad that you like it. Time is the most important thing so if you can study at the job, go for it
Rene
Hi Saya,
Thanks for your kind words It sounds like a good idea so I’ll create a video for this. I’ll make one where I use CDP to draw a quick network diagram and configure L2 / L3 using notepad on a topology with 4 switches and 8-9 routers. Only takes a couple of minutes.
Rene
Hello Rene,
Congrats mate and thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Frankly I have a dubt to take this adventure so painful.
Is it becoming CCIE certified can boost your career ?
Thanks again Rene for your commitment.
Thanks Jamal,
CCIE will help your career for sure, if you ask me it’s worth it. It takes a lot of time and effort but it’s worth the investment.
Rene