From: Kevin Baumgartner (kbaumgar@xxxxxxxxx)
Date: Wed Feb 21 2001 - 15:20:50 GMT-3
So I think a lot of people really get stressed out with troubleshooting.
For me it's something that I am really strong in and really never practiced
much
at all other than doing some password recovery and upgrading router images.
There are somethings that can make the troubleshooting easier.
1. On the diagram you make on the first day and a half document the
ports that serial, ethernet, tokenring, isdn on each router. Also the
ports
that the cables plug into on the frameswitch, and C5000 and 3920 switch.
This will come in very useful when it troubleshooting. And make life much
easier. I know there has been mentioned marking the cables, but I don't
know
that the proctors would appreciate this being done.
2. I look for the state of each router first. Then resolve what is wrong on
each router.
3. Then look at physical connectivity. Check the serial and framerelay
connectivity.
Also ethernet and tokenring ports.
4. Then only after resolving the steps 2 and 3 do I even looking at routing.
If you look at Caslow's book it goes through the same steps.
- Kevin
At 05:19 PM 2/21/01 +0000, David Ankers wrote:
>Group,
>
>I'd like to give a little something back that might help someone else's lab
>attempt where mine failed. It all started Monday morning with my first
>attempt at the lab in Brussels, arrived early feeling relaxed as I only was
>interested in having a look what the lab was about as apparently nobody
>really passes first time anyway. Day 1 started a little slowly, read the
>whole exam and although it was demanding I've spent a lot of time studying
>and I felt I could at least configure everything, this was the first time I
>though "hey, might make it to see what day two is about". From their on in it
>just got better, as I configured each section in turn and tested it, I knew
>it was the best could do and I didn't spot any issues. I finished the whole
>of day with one and a half hours to spare, checked everything and left at the
>end of the day. I missed only 2 points from day one due to a not really
>understanding the question.
>
>So, I got to see day two, I had a feeling what was on it as I knew what main
>topics where missing from day 1, they are not my strongest but at least I get
>to see the day 2 lab. I opened the folder and read the exam and it wasn't too
>bad, there were a couple of things I didn't know 100% but I just got my head
>down. I finished the first run of day two and looked at the clock, only 45
>mins, I checked a few things with the CD, got a coffee and went back and did
>the lab again. I did everything I knew and even if I had a week longer I
>would not have spotted the issues I lost points on. On day two I lost a total
>of 4 points.
>
>Having lost only 6 points I was going to make it to troubleshooting. I
>thought, great I get to see what troubleshooting is like not bad for a first
>go and it'll really make the second attempt easier. Then I thought, hey I
>only need less than half the points and I've passed, there might not even be
>a second attempt Once I realized this, I got nervous, badly. In the time
>between lunch and troubleshooting I went completely to bits and
>troubleshooting was a disaster, a total of 8 points. Its indicated on the
>Cisco web page and in Cisco press books that a passing score is 80 points so
>I its within the NDA to say I only needed 11 points on TS. It wasn't only
>going to bits on the TS, even if I would have stayed calm I don't think I
>would have passed, my troubleshooting was awful. I didn't know where to start
>what router to start on etc. In fact the first 2 mins went very well as I
>checked if I had access via the console port to enable mode to all routers
>and fixed the problems in 2 mins. It's when I had full access that things
>went wrong.
>
>Now I need your help like I've never needed it before :-) How is the best way
>to handle troubleshooting? I know the idea is to get layer 1 up then layer 2,
>no problem I did that but all the layer 3 addressing etc was just plain
>messed up, the amount of errors was massive. Just didn't know where to start
>and with the nerves I wasn't thinking straight either. Lesson here stay calm.
>
>Two things, help with the methology, first do I keep the messed up addresses
>and try and fix them or do I re-type my ones on my map? What do I work on
>first, getting connections between just two routers for all protocols and
>move on from there or do I get all of ip running on all routers then do the
>routing + other protocols?
>
>What I'm thinking is if I had a network like this:
>
>R1-R2-R3-R4-R5
>
>Lets say layer 2 is sorted. I should get R1 to talk IP with R2 and then R2 to
>talk ip with R3 and then R3 to talk with R4 etc... Then check the routing
>protocols are running on the correct interfaces and see if this routing
>protocol works between all routers i.e. I can see R5's routes from R1 and
>vice versa?
>
>My biggest mistake was not thinking about TS before at all, the first time
>I've really had a clear head to think about what I should have done is now. I
>never expected to get anywhere near it and when I did I froze because I had
>no plan at all. Hopefully another bit of advise, if your reading this and
>think you do troubleshooting everyday so it should be OK, the lab is not
>everyday TS, it a lot of problems in a very short space of time, without a
>real plan of attack it's very difficult.
>
>Any ideas on how you either did this or think is a good idea? Also if I make
>a lab on my home rack would any of you guys be willing to either A let me
>send you the configs you mess them up and I'll tftp them to start up and
>realod or B log into my rack and mess them up badly. Won't be straight away
>because I want some time off now.
>
>Well, I'm not yet a CCIE but seeing the lab helped a lot and also confirmed
>that I have actually learnt something over the years. 12 people started the
>lab and 4 gained thier CCIEs, one of these had 57 points going in to TS. The
>ones that failed on day 1 never expected it to be that hard and there was
>some really wacky stuff that really tested your knowledge in some serious
>depth. From the experience I'm happy at the standard of the questions and the
>way the exam is run, I failed fairly as it was a really weak point that
>brought me down and nothing more.
>
>Regards,
>
>David.
>
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