Excerpts

CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition Introduction Congratulations! If you're reading far enough to look at the introduction to this book, you've probably already decided to go for your Cisco certification. If you want to succeed as a technical person in the networking industry, you need to know Cisco. Cisco has a ridiculously high market share in the router and switch marketplace, with more than 80 percent market share in some markets. In many geographies and markets around the world, networking equals Cisco. If you want to be taken seriously as a network engineer, Cisco certification makes perfect sense. Historically speaking, the first entry-level Cisco certification has been the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, first offered in 1998. The first three versions of the CCNA certification (1998, 2000, and 2002) required that you pass a single exam to become certified. However, over time, the exam kept growing, both in the amount of material covered and in the difficulty level of the questions. So, for the fourth major revision of the exams, announced in 2003, Cisco continued with a single certification (CCNA), but offered two options for the exams to get certified: a single-exam option and a two-exam option. The two-exam option allowed people to study roughly half of the material, and take and pass one exam, before moving on to the next. Cisco announced changes to the CCNA certification and exams in June 2007. This announcement includes many changes, most notably: The exams collectively cover a broader range of topics. The exams increase the focus on proving the test taker's skills (as compared with just testing knowledge). Cisco created a new entry-level certification: the Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) certification. For the current certifications, announced in June 2007, Cisco created the ICND1 (640-822) and ICND2 (640-816) exams, along with the CCNA (640-802) exam. To become CCNA certified, you can pass both the ICND1 and ICND2 exams, or just pass the CCNA exam. The CCNA exam simply covers all the topics on the ICND1 and ICND2 exams, giving you two options for gaining your CCNA certification. The two-exam path gives those people with less experience a chance to study for a smaller set of topics at a time, whereas the one-exam option provides a more cost-effective certification path for those who want to prepare for all the topics at once. Although the two-exam option will be useful for some certification candidates, Cisco designed the ICND1 exam with a much more important goal in mind. The CCNA certification has grown to the point that it tested knowledge and skills beyond what an entry-level network technician would need to have. Cisco needed a certification that was more reflective of the skills required for entry-level networking jobs. So, Cisco designed its Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices 1 (ICND1) course, and the corresponding ICND1 640-822 exam, to include the knowledge and skills most needed by an entry-level technician in a small enterprise network. And to show that you have the skills required for those entry-level jobs, Cisco created a new certification, CCENT, which is attained by passing the ICND1 exam. Figure I-1 shows the basic organization of the certifications and the exams used for getting your CCENT and CCNA certifications. (Note that no separate certification exists for passing the ICND2 exam.) Figure I-1 Cisco Entry-Level Certifications and Exams As you can see from the figure, while the CCENT certification is available by taking the ICND1 exam, you do not have to first be CCENT certified before getting your CCNA certification--you can choose to just take the CCNA exam and bypass the CCENT certification. The ICND1 and ICND2 exams cover different sets of topics, with a minor amount of overlap. For example, ICND1 covers IP addressing and subnetting, while ICND2 covers a more complicated use of subnetting called variable-length subnet masking (VLSM), so ICND2 must then cover subnetting to some degree. The CCNA exam covers all the topics covered on both the ICND1 and ICND2 exams. While the popularity of the CCENT certification cannot be seen until a few years have passed, certainly the Cisco CCNA certification enjoys a position as the most popular entry-level networking certification program. A CCNA certification proves that you have a firm foundation in the most important components of the Cisco product line--namely, routers and switches. It also proves that you have a broad knowledge of protocols and networking technologies. Format of the CCNA Exams The ICND1, ICND2, and CCNA exams all follow the same general format. When you get to the testing center and check in, the proctor will give you some general instructions and then take you into a quiet room with a PC. When you're at the PC, you have a few things to do before the timer starts on your exam. For example, you can take a sample quiz, just to get accustomed to the PC and to the testing engine. Anyone who has user-level skills in getting around a PC should have no problems with the testing environment. Additionally, Chapter 18, "Final Preparation," points to a Cisco website at which you can see a demo of the Cisco test engine. When you start the exam, you are asked a series of questions. You answer a question and then move on to the next question. The exam engine does not let you go back and change your answer. Yes, that's true--when you move on to the next question, that's it for the earlier question. The exam questions can be in one of the following formats: Multiple-choice (MC) Testlet Drag-and-drop (DND) Simulated lab (Sim) Simlet The first three types of questions are relatively common in many testing environments. The multiple-choice format simply requires that you point and click a circle beside the correct answer(s). Cisco traditionally tells you how many answers you need to choose, and the testing software prevents you from choosing too many answers. Testlets are questions with one general scenario, with multiple MC questions about the overall scenario. Drag-and-drop questions require you to click and hold the mouse button, move a button or icon to another area, and release the mouse button to place the object somewhere else--typically into a list. So, for some questions, to get the question correct, you might need to put a list of five things into the proper order. The last two types both use a network simulator to ask questions. Interestingly, the two types allow Cisco to assess two very different skills. First, Sim questions generally describe a problem, and your task is to configure one or more routers and switches to fix the problem. The exam then grades the question based on the configuration you changed or added. Interestingly, Sim questions are the only questions that Cisco (to date) has openly confirmed that partial credit is given. The Simlet questions might well be the most difficult style of question on the exams. Simlet questions also use a network simulator, but instead of answering the question by changing the configuration, the question includes one or more MC questions. The questions require that you use the simulator to examine the current behavior of a network, interpreting the output of any show commands that you can remember to answer the question. While Sim questions require you to troubleshoot problems related to a configuration, Simlets require you to both analyze working networks and networks with problems, correlating show command output with your knowledge of networking theory and configuration commands. What's on the CCNA Exam(s)? Ever since I was in grade school, whenever the teacher announced that we were having a test soon, someone would always ask, "What's on the test?" Even in college, people would try to get more information about what would be on the exams. At heart, the goal is to know what to study hard, what to study a little, and what not to study. Cisco does want the public to know both the variety of topics, and an idea about the kinds of knowledge and skills required for each topic, for every Cisco certification exam. To that end, Cisco publishes a set of exam objectives for each exam. The objectives list the specific topics, like IP addressing, RIP, and VLANs. The objectives also imply the kinds of skills required for that topic. For example, one objective might start with "Describe..." and another might begin with "Describe, configure, and troubleshoot...." The second objective clearly states that you need a thorough and deep understanding of that topic. By listing the topics and skill level, Cisco helps us all prepare for its exams. While the exam objectives are helpful, keep in mind that Cisco adds a disclaimer that the posted exam topics for all its certification exams are guidelines . Cisco makes the effort to keep the exam questions within the confines of the stated exam objectives, and I know from talking to those involved that every question is analyzed for whether it fits within the stated exam topics. ICND1 Exam Topics Table I-1 lists the exam topics for the ICND1 exam, with the ICND2 exam topics following in Table I-2. Although the posted exam topics are not numbered at Cisco.com, Cisco Press does number the exam topics for easier reference. The table also notes the book parts in which each exam topic is covered. Because the exam topics might change over time, double-check the exam topics as listed on Cisco.com (specifically, http://www.cisco.com/go/ccna ). If Cisco does happen to add exam topics at a later date, note that Appendix C of this book describes how to go to http://www.ciscopress.com and download additional information about those newly added topics. NOTE - The table includes gray highlights that will be explained in the upcoming section "CCNA Exam Topics." Table I-1 ICND1 Exam Topics Reference Number ICND1 Book Part(s) Where Topic Is Covered Exam Topic Describe the operation of data networks 1 I Describe the purpose and functions of various network devices 2 I Select the components required to meet a given network specification 3 I, II, III Use the OSI and TCP/IP models and their associated protocols to explain how data flows in a network 4 I Describe common networking applications including web applications 5 I Describe the purpose and basic operation of the protocols in the OSI and TCP models 6 I Describe the impact of applications (Voice Over IP and Video Over IP) on a network 7 I--IV Interpret network diagrams 8 I--IV Determine the path between two hosts across a network 9 I, III, IV Describe the components required for network and Internet communications 10 I--IV Identify and correct common network problems at layers 1, 2, 3 and 7 using a layered model approach 11 II, III Differentiate between LAN/WAN operation and features Implement a small switched network 12 II Select the appropriate media, cables, ports, and connectors to connect switches to other network devices and hosts 13 II Explain the technology and media access control method for Ethernet technologies 14 II Explain network segmentation and basic traffic management concepts 15 II Explain the operation of Cisco switches and basic switching concepts 16 II Perform, save and verify initial switch configuration tasks including remote access management 17 II Verify network status and switch operation using basic utilities (including: ping, traceroute, telnet, SSH, arp, ipconfig), SHOW & DEBUG commands 18 II Implement and verify basic security for a switch (port security, deactivate ports) 19 II Identify, prescribe, and resolve common switched network media issues, configuration issues, autonegotiation, and switch hardware failures Implement an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet network requirements for a small branch office 20 I, III Describe the need and role of addressing in a network 21 I, III Create and apply an addressing scheme to a network 22 III Assign and verify valid IP addresses to hosts, servers, and networking devices in a LAN environment 23 IV Explain the basic uses and operation of NAT in a small network connecting to one ISP 24 I, III Describe and verify DNS operation 25 III, IV Describe the operation and benefits of using private and public IP addressing 26 III, IV Enable NAT for a small network with a single ISP and connection using SDM and verify operation using CLI and ping 27 III Configure, verify and troubleshoot DHCP and DNS operation on a router. (including: CLI/SDM) 28 III Implement static and dynamic addressing services for hosts in a LAN environment 29 III Identify and correct IP addressing issues Implement a small routed network 30 I, III Describe basic routing concepts (including: packet forwarding, router lookup process) 31 III Describe the operation of Cisco routers (including: router bootup process, POST, router components) 32 I, III Select the appropriate media, cables, ports, and connectors to connect routers to other network devices and hosts 33 III Configure, verify, and troubleshoot RIPv2 34 III Access and utilize the router CLI to set basic parameters 35 III Connect, configure, and verify operation status of a device interface 36 III Verify device configuration and network connectivity using ping, traceroute, telnet, SSH or other utilities 37 III Perform and verify routing configuration tasks for a static or default route given specific routing requirements 38 III Manage IOS configuration files (including: save, edit, upgrade, restore) 39 III Manage Cisco IOS 40 III Implement password and physical security 41 III Verify network status and router operation using basic utilities (including: ping, traceroute, telnet, SSH, arp, ipconfig), SHOW & DEBUG commands Explain and select the appropriate administrative tasks required for a WLAN 42 II Describe standards associated with wireless media (including: IEEE, WI-FI Alliance, ITU/FCC) 43 II Identify and describe the purpose of the components in a small wireless network. (including: SSID, BSS, ESS) 44 II Identify the basic parameters to configure on a wireless network to ensure that devices connect to the correct access point 45 II Compare and contrast wireless security features and capabilities of WPA security (including: open, WEP, WPA-1/2) 46 II Identify common issues with implementing wireless networks Identify security threats to a network and describe general methods to mitigate those threats 47 I Explain today's increasing network security threats and the need to implement a comprehensive security policy to mitigate the threats 48 I Explain general methods to mitigate common security threats to network devices, hosts, and applications 49 I Describe the functions of common security appliances and applications 50 I, II, III Describe security recommended practices including initial steps to secure network devices Implement and verify WAN links 51 IV Describe different methods for connecting to a WAN 52 IV Configure and verify a basic WAN serial connection ICND2 Exam Topics Table I-2 lists the exam topics for the ICND2 (640-816) exam, along with the book parts in CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide in which each topic is covered. Table I-2 ICND2 Exam Topics Reference Number ICND2 Book Part(s) Where Topic Is Covered Exam Topic Configure, verify and troubleshoot a switch with VLANs and interswitch communications 101 I Describe enhanced switching technologies (including: VTP, RSTP, VLAN, PVSTP, 802.1q) 102 I Describe how VLANs create logically separate networks and the need for routing between them 103 I Configure, verify, and troubleshoot VLANs 104 I Configure, verify, and troubleshoot trunking on Cisco switches 105 II Configure, verify, and troubleshoot interVLAN routing 106 I Configure, verify, and troubleshoot VTP 107 I Configure, verify, and troubleshoot RSTP operation 108 I Interpret the output of various show and debug commands to verify the operational status of a Cisco switched network 109 I Implement basic switch security (including: port security, unassigned ports, trunk access, etc.) Implement an IP addressing scheme and IP Services to meet network requirements in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network 110 II Calculate and apply a VLSM IP addressing design to a network 111 II Determine the appropriate classless addressing scheme using VLSM and summarization to satisfy addressing requirements in a LAN/WAN environment 112 V Describe the technological requirements for running IPv6 (including: protocols, dual stack, tunneling, etc) 113 V Describe IPv6 addresses 114 II, III Identify and correct common problems associated with IP addressing and host configurations Configure and troubleshoot basic operation and routing on Cisco devices 115 III Compare and contrast methods of routing and routing protocols 116 III Configure, verify and troubleshoot OSPF 117 III Configure, verify and troubleshoot EIGRP 118 II, III Verify configuration and connectivity using ping, traceroute, and telnet or SSH 119 II, III Troubleshoot routing implementation issues 120 II, III, IV Verify router hardware and software operation using SHOW & DEBUG commands 121 II Implement basic router security Implement, verify, and troubleshoot NAT and ACLs in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network. 122 II Describe the purpose and types of access control lists 123 II Configure and apply access control lists based on network filtering requirements 124 II Configure and apply an access control list to limit telnet and SSH access to the router 125 II Verify and monitor ACLs in a network environment 126 II Troubleshoot ACL implementation issues 127 V Explain the basic operation of NAT 128 V Configure Network Address Translation for given network requirements using CLI 129 V Troubleshoot NAT implementation issues Implement and verify WAN links 130 IV Configure and verify Frame Relay on Cisco routers 131 IV Troubleshoot WAN implementation issues 132 IV Describe VPN technology (including: importance, benefits, role, impact, components) 133 IV Configure and verify PPP connection between Cisco routers CCNA Exam Topics In the previous version of the exams, the CCNA exam covered a lot of what was in the ICND (640-811) exam, plus some coverage of topics in the INTRO (640-821) exam. The new CCNA exam (640-802) covers all the topics on both the ICND1 (640-822) and ICND2 (640-816) exams. One of the reasons for a more balanced coverage in the exams is that some of the topics that used to be in the second exam have been moved to the first exam. The new CCNA (640-802) exam covers all topics in both the ICND1 and ICND2 exams. The official CCNA 640-802 exam topics, posted at http://www.cisco.com , include all the topics listed in Table I-2 for the ICND2 exam, plus most of the exam topics for the ICND1 exam listed in Table I-1. The only exam topics from these two tables that are not listed as CCNA exam topics are the topics highlighted in gray in Table I-1. However, note that the gray topics are still covered on the CCNA 640-802 exam. Those topics are just not listed in the CCNA exam topics because one of the ICND2 exam topics refers to the same concepts. ICND1 and ICND2 Course Outlines Another way to get some direction about the topics on the exams is to look at the course outlines for the related courses. Cisco offers two authorized CCNA-related courses: Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices 1 (ICND1) and Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices 2 (ICND2). Cisco authorizes Certified Learning Solutions Providers (CLSP) and Certified Learning Partners (CLP) to deliver these classes. These authorized companies can also create unique custom course books using this material, in some cases to teach classes geared toward passing the CCNA exam. About the CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide and CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide As mentioned earlier, Cisco has separated the content covered by the CCNA exam into two parts: topics typically used by engineers who work in a small enterprise network (ICND1), with the additional topics commonly used by engineers in medium-sized enterprises being covered by the ICND2 exam. Likewise, the Cisco Press CCNA Exam Certification Guide series includes two books for CCNA-- CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide and CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide . These two books cover the breadth of topics on each exam, typically to a little more depth than is required for the exams, just to ensure that the books prepare you for the more difficult exam questions. The following sections list the variety of features in both this book and CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide . Both books have the same basic features, so if you are reading both this book and the ICND1 book, you don't need to read the introduction to both books. Also, for those of you who are using both books to prepare for the CCNA 640-802 exam (rather than taking the two-exam option), the end of this introduction lists a suggested reading plan. Objectives and Methods The most important and somewhat obvious objective of this book is to help you pass the ICND2 exam or the CCNA exam. In fact, if the primary objective of this book were different, the book's title would be misleading! However, the methods used in this book to help you pass the exams are also designed to make you much more knowledgeable about how to do your job. This book uses several key methodologies to help you discover the exam topics on which you need more review, to help you fully understand and remember those details, and to help you prove to yourself that you have retained your knowledge of those topics. So, this book does not try to help you pass the exams only by memorization, but by truly learning and understanding the topics. The CCNA certification is the foundation for many of the Cisco professional certifications, and it would be a disservice to you if this book did not help you truly learn the material. Therefore, this book helps you pass the CCNA exam by using the following methods: Helping you discover which exam topics you have not mastered Providing explanations and information to fill in your knowledge gaps Supplying exercises that enhance your ability to recall and deduce the answers to test questions Providing practice exercises on the topics and the testing process through test questions on the CD Book Features To help you customize your study time using these books, the core chapters have several features that help you make the best use of your time: "Do I Know This Already?" Quizzes: Each chapter begins with a quiz that helps you determine the amount of time you need to spend studying that chapter. Foundation Topics: These are the core sections of each chapter. They explain the protocols, concepts, and configuration for the topics in that chapter. Exam Preparation Tasks: At the end of the Foundation Topics section of each chapter, the Exam Preparation Tasks section lists a series of study activities that should be done at the end of the chapter. Each chapter includes the activities that make the most sense for studying the topics in that chapter. The activities include the following: -- Key Topics Review: The Key Topics icon is shown next to the most important items in the Foundation Topics section of the chapter. The Key Topics Review activity lists the key topics from the chapter, and the page number. While the contents of the entire chapter could be on the exam, you should definitely know the information listed in each key topic, so these should be reviewed. -- Complete Tables and Lists from Memory: To help you exercise your memory and memorize some lists of facts, many of the more important lists and tables from the chapter are included in Appendix J on the CD. This document lists only partial information, allowing you to complete the table or list. Appendix K lists the same tables and lists, completed, for easy comparison. -- Definition of Key Terms: While the exams are unlikely to ask a question like "Define this term," the CCNA exams do require that you learn and know a lot of networking terminology. This section lists the most important terms from the chapter, asking you to write a short definition and compare your answer to the glossary at the end of the book. -- Command Reference Tables: Some book chapters cover a large amount of configuration and EXEC commands. These tables list the commands introduced in the chapter, along with an explanation. For exam preparation, use them for reference, but also read the tables once when performing the Exam Preparation Tasks to make sure that you remember what all the commands do. CD-based Practice Exam: The companion CD contains an exam engine (from Boson software, http://www.boson.com ) that includes a large number of exam-realistic practice questions. You can take simulated ICND2 exams, as well as simulated CCNA exams, with the CD in this book. (You can take simulated ICND1 and CCNA exams with the CD in CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide .) Subnetting Videos: The companion DVD contains a series of videos that show how to calculate various facts about IP addressing and subnetting, in particular using the shortcuts described in this book. Subnetting Practice: CD Appendix D contains a large set of subnetting practice problems, with the answers and with explanations of how the answers were found. This is a great resource to get ready to do subnetting well and fast. CD-based Practice Scenarios: CD Appendix F contains several networking scenarios for additional study. These scenarios describe various networks and requirements, taking you through conceptual design, configuration, and verification. These scenarios are useful for building your hands-on skills, even if you do not have lab gear. Companion Website: The website http://www.ciscopress.com/title/1587201828 posts up-to-the-minute materials that further clarify complex exam topics. Check this site regularly for new and updated postings written by the author that provide further insight into the more troublesome topics on the exam. How This Book Is Organized This book contains 18 core chapters--Chapters 1 through 18, with Chapter 18 including some summary materials and suggestions for how to approach the exams. Each core chapter covers a subset of the topics on the ICND2 exam. The core chapters are organized into sections and cover the following topics: Part I: LAN Switching -- Chapter 1, "Virtual LANs" : This chapter explains the concepts and configuration surrounding virtual LANs, including VLAN trunking and VLAN Trunking Protocol. -- Chapter 2, "Spanning Tree Protocol" : This chapter dives deeply into the concepts behind the original Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), as well as the newer Rapid STP (RSTP), including concepts, configuration, and troubleshooting. -- Chapter 3, "Troubleshooting LAN Switching" : This chapter explains some general ideas about how to troubleshoot networking problems, with most of the chapter focusing on the forwarding process used by LAN switches. Part II: IP Routing -- Chapter 4, "IP Routing: Static and Connected Routes" : This chapter examines how routers add both static routes and connected routes to the routing table, while also reviewing the concepts behind how routers route, or forward, packets. -- Chapter 5, "VLSM and Route Summarization" : This chapter explains how IP routing and routing protocols can support the use of different subnet masks in a single classful network (VLSM), as well as the math concepts behind how routers can summarize multiple routes into one routing table entry. -- Chapter 6, "IP Access Control Lists" : This chapter examines how ACLs can filter packets so that a router will not forward the packet. The chapter examines the concepts and configuration for standard and extended ACLs, including named and numbered ACLs. -- Chapter 7, "Troubleshooting IP Routing" : This chapter shows a structured plan for how to isolate problems related to two hosts that should be able to send packets to each other, but cannot. The chapter also includes a variety of tips and tools for helping attack routing problems. Part III: Routing Protocols Configuration and Troubleshooting -- Chapter 8, "Routing Protocol Theory" : This chapter explains the theory behind distance vector and link-state protocols. -- Chapter 9, "OSPF" : This chapter examines OSPF, including more detail about link-state theory as implemented by OSPF, and OSPF configuration. -- Chapter 10, "EIGRP" : This chapter examines EIGRP, including a description of the theory behind EIGRP, as well as EIGRP configuration and verification. -- Chapter 11, "Troubleshooting Routing Protocols" : This chapter explains some of the typical reasons why routing protocols fail to exchange routing information, showing specific examples of common problems with both OSPF and EIGRP. Part IV: Wide-Area Networks -- Chapter 12, "Point-to-Point WANs" : This short chapter reviews the basics of WANs and examines PPP, including CHAP, in more detail. -- Chapter 13, "Frame Relay Concepts" : This chapter focuses on the terminology and theory behind the Frame Relay protocol, including the IP addressing options when using Frame Relay. -- Chapter 14, "Frame Relay Configuration and Troubleshooting" : This chapter shows a variety of configuration options for Frame Relay, including both point-to-point and multipoint subinterfaces. It also explains how to best use show commands to isolate the root cause of common Frame Relay problems. -- Chapter 15, "Virtual Private Networks" : This chapter examines the concepts and protocols used to create secure VPNs over the Internet. This chapter includes the basics of IPsec. Part V: Scaling the IP Address Space -- Chapter 16, "Network Address Translation" : This chapter closely examines the concepts behind the depletion of the IPv4 address space, and how NAT, in particular the Port Address Translation (PAT) option, helps solve the problem. The chapter also shows how to configure NAT on routers using the IOS CLI. -- Chapter 17, "IP Version 6" : This chapter introduces the basics of IPv6, including the 128-bit address format, OSPF and EIGRP support for IPv6, and basic native IPv6 configuration. It also introduces the concept of IPv6 tunneling and migration strategies. Part VI: Final Preparation -- Chapter 18, "Final Preparation" : This chapter suggests a plan for final preparation after you have finished the core parts of the book, in particular explaining the many study options available in the book. Part VII: Appendixes (in Print) -- Appendix A, "Answers to the 'Do I Know This Already?' Quizzes" : Includes the answers to all the questions from Chapters 1 through 17. -- Appendix B, "Decimal-to-Binary Conversion Table" : Lists decimal values 0 through 255, along with the binary equivalents. -- Appendix C, "ICND2 Exam Updates: Version 1.0" : This appendix covers a variety of short topics that either clarify or expand upon topics covered earlier in the book. This appendix is updated from time to time and posted at http://www.ciscopress.com/ccna , with the most recent version available at the time of printing included here as Appendix C. (The first page of the appendix includes instructions on how to check whether a later version of Appendix C is available online.) -- Glossary : The glossary contains definitions for all the terms listed in the "Definitions of Key Terms" section at the conclusion of Chapters 1--17. Part VII: Appendixes (on CD) The following appendixes are available in PDF format on the CD that accompanies this book: -- Appendix D, "Subnetting Practice" : Although not covered in any of the chapters printed in this book, subnetting is easily the most important prerequisite assumed skill for the ICND2 exam. This appendix, as well as Appendixes E, H, and I, include materials from CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide for those of you that bought this book, but not the ICND1 book. In particular, this appendix includes a large number of subnetting practice problems, with the answers listed. The answers use both binary and decimal-shortcut processes described in the ICND1 book's Chapter 12; Appendix H of this book is a duplicate of ICND1's Chapter 12. -- Appendix E, "Subnetting Reference Pages" : This appendix summarizes the process to find the answer to several key subnetting questions, with the details on a single page. The goal is to give you a handy reference page to refer to when practicing subnetting. -- Appendix F, "Additional Scenarios" : One method to improve your troubleshooting and network analysis skills is to examine as many unique network scenarios as is possible, think about them, and then get some feedback as to whether you came to the right conclusions. This appendix provides several such scenarios. -- Appendix G, "Video Scenario Reference" : The DVD includes several subnetting videos that show how to use the processes covered in Appendix H (copied from ICND1's Chapter 12). This appendix contains copies of the key elements from those videos, which can be useful when watching the videos (so that you do not have to keep moving back and forth in the video). -- Appendix H, "ICND1 Chapter 12: IP Addressing and Subnetting" : This appendix is a duplicate of Chapter 12 from CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide . This chapter explains IP addressing and subnetting, which is considered prerequisite knowledge for the ICND2 exam. Appendix H is included with this book for those of you who do not have a copy of CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide , but you need to review and learn more about subnetting. -- Appendix I, "ICND1 Chapter 17: WAN Configuration" : This appendix is a duplicate of Chapter 17 from CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide . Chapter 12 of this book (ICND2), "Point-to-Point WANs," makes a suggestion to review a few prerequisite points as listed in this chapter. This chapter is included in this book for those of you who do not have a copy of CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide . -- Appendix J, "Memory Tables" : This appendix holds the key tables and lists from each chapter, with some of the content removed. You can print this appendix and, as a memory exercise, complete the tables and lists. The goal is to help you memorize facts that can be useful on the exams. -- Appendix K, "Memory Tables Answer Key" : This appendix contains the answer key for the exercises in Appendix J. -- Appendix L, "ICND2 Open-Ended Questions" : This appendix is a holdover from previous editions of this book. The older edition had some open-ended questions for the purpose of helping you study for the exam, but the newer features make these questions unnecessary. For convenience, the old questions are included here, unedited since the last edition. How to Use This Book to Prepare for the ICND2 (640-816) Exam This book was designed with two primary goals in mind: to help you study for the ICND2 exam and to help you study for the CCNA exam by using both this book and the CCENT / CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide . Using this book to prepare for the ICND2 exam is straightforward--read each chapter in succession, and follow the study suggestions in Chapter 18, "Final Preparation." For the core chapters of this book (Chapters 1--17), you do have some choices as to how much of the chapter you read. In some cases, you might already know most of or all the information covered in a given chapter. To help you decide how much time to spend on each chapter, the chapters begin with a "Do I Know This Already?" quiz. If you get all the quiz questions correct, or just miss one question, you might want to skip to the end of the chapter and the "Exam Preparation Tasks" section, and do those activities. Figure I-2 shows the overall plan. Figure I-2 How to Approach Each Chapter of This Book When you have completed Chapters 1--17, you can then use the guidance listed in Chapter 18 to detail the rest of the exam preparation tasks. That chapter includes the following suggestions: Check http://www.ciscopress.com for the latest copy of Appendix C, which can include additional topics for study. Practice subnetting using the tools available in the CD appendixes. Repeat the tasks in all chapters' "Exam Preparation Tasks" chapter-ending sections. Review the scenarios in CD Appendix F. Review all the "Do I Know This Already?" questions. Practice the exam using the exam engine. How to Use These Books to Prepare for the CCNA 640-802 Exam If you plan to get your CCNA certification using the one-exam option of taking the CCNA 640-802 exam, you can use this book along with CCENT / CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide . If you've not yet bought either book, you can generally get the pair cheaper by buying both books as a two-book set, called the CCNA Certification Library . These two books were designed to be used together when studying for the CCNA exam. You have two options for the order in which to read the two books. The first and most obvious option is to read the ICND1 book, and then move on to this (ICND2) book. The other option is to read all of ICND1's coverage of one topic area, then read ICND2's coverage of the same topics, and then go back to ICND1 again. Figure I-3 outlines my suggested option for reading the two books. Figure I-3 Reading Plan When Studying for CCNA Exam Both reading-plan options have some benefits. Moving back and forth between books can help you to focus on one general topic at a time. However, note that some overlap exists between the two exams, so you find some overlap between the two books as well. From reader comments about the previous edition of these books, those readers who were new to networking tended to do better by completing all of the first book and then moving on to the second, while readers that had more experience and knowledge before starting the books tended to prefer to follow a reading plan like the one shown in Figure I-3. Note that for final preparation, you can use the final chapter (Chapter 18) of this book, rather than the final preparation chapter (Chapter 18) of the ICND1 book. In addition to the flow shown in Figure I-3, when studying for the CCNA exam (rather than for the ICND1 and ICND2 exams), you must master IP subnetting before moving on to the IP routing and routing protocol parts (Parts II and III) of this book. This book does not review subnetting or the underlying math in the printed text, assuming that you know how to find the answers. Those ICND2 chapters, particularly Chapter 5 ("VLSM and Route Summarization"), will be much easier to understand if you can easily do the related subnetting math. For More Information If you have any comments about the book, you can submit those through Ciscopress.com. Just go to the website, click the Contact Us link, and type in your message. Cisco might make changes that affect the CCNA certification from time to time. You should always check http://www.cisco.com/go/ccna for the latest details. The CCNA certification is arguably the most important Cisco certification, with the new CCENT certification possibly surpassing CCNA in the future. CCNA certainly is the most popular Cisco certification, is required for several other certifications, and is the first step in distinguishing yourself as someone who has proven knowledge of Cisco. CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide is designed to help you attain CCNA certification. This is the CCNA ICND2 certification book from the only Cisco-authorized publisher. We at Cisco Press believe that this book certainly can help you achieve CCNA certification--but the real work is up to you! I trust that your time will be well spent. (c) Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Excerpted from CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide by Wendell Odom All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.