Late 2023: New Blog Features!
We’ve updated the blog site! Driven by a need to change to a new WordPress theme, I invested more time updating some of the styling, content, and features to make the site more usable for [...]
CCNA Success!
Once you’ve completed your initial reading of the Official Cert Guide, your journey to CCNA success has only begun. With over 400 labs, exercises, and sample questions this blog has been designed to add purpose to your study and practice. Wendell personally moderates comments and manages every line of content to bring you the most helpful tools, hints, and information possible. Complete your CCNA journey with Wendell by your side!
Many people struggle with the middle step in your CCNA journey (step 2 above.) How do you study, review, practice, and remember all the content? This blog helps you with various forms of practice that help you exercise your knowledge, uncover misconceptions, and strengthen your memory and application.
All are welcome here, whether you use my books or not. I’m always happy to engage when you comment as well. Hope you enjoy the site!
Wendell Odom, CCIE 1624, author of the Cisco Press CCNA Official Certification Guides
Labs
The blog has two types of lab, summarized here in a few short words. Click the links below for more info or a list of each type’s labs!
Config Labs: Designed as straightforward configuration exercises, listing an initial state and topology with a small set of configuration requirements. The labs do not tell you the steps to take but rather the goals from which to create.
Free Play Labs: Start with most examples from the Official Cert Guides, and explore from there using Cisco Packet Tracer. The blog posts help you re-create book examples to get you started quickly. From there, explore on your own.
Exercises and Q&A
The Q&A menu bar item lists a large variety of practice exercises. By volume, there are more multichoice Question and Answer posts than any other type. The different types exist because the need arose over the years. Many of those relate to the math required for IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, for IP ACLs, or for topics like Spanning Tree that just need more practice than other topics.
I have two suggestions for how to learn more. First, click the Q&A menu item and click around to see the various types. Alternately, click the “CCNA Vol 1” and “CCNA Vol 2” menu items and select a book part or chapter. Those menu items will show you all posts related to that part or chapter of the book, and you may see different types of posts to explore.
How to Find the Content!
By Book Flow
Studying with my CCNA Official Cert Guide books? The two leftmost items in the top menu on each blog page give you a way to navigate to all posts based on the book part (a set of chapters) or chapter. Click away!
By Post Type
Looking for Config Labs, Q&A, or IPv4 subnetting practice? Look for the top menu on every page, and look at the options under Lab and Q&A.
By Searching
Use the upper-right search icon (magnifying glass) for term-based searches. Or, after clicking the search icon, select “Advanced Search” for a powerful way to sift blog content.
