CCNA : Cisco certified network associate

Hello again !
Have you ever heard of CCNA before?  I assume many of you are familiar with it. 
But , anyways , CCNA is a certification from Cisco which tests the fundamental knowledge of networking , routing and switching ... etc
BASICALLY it encompasses everything FUNDAMENTAL of the networking world.
Only after passing CCNA , you'll be able to attempt the higher level exams of Cisco. There is one very cool thing about getting certified by Cisco. That is , Cisco gives a discount for the employees hiring Cisco Certified people , which means the employees are looking for the Cisco certified professionals. So , If you get the Cisco certificate , you'll always be in demand. Cool , huh!


Let's start talking about the actual exam.
You have two ways to pass CCNA:


1.  Take 2 exams namely the ICND1 #640-822 and ICND2 #640-816. The combined result of these 2 exams will decide whether you get CCNA or not. ICND1 alone will give you           CCENT ( Cisco certified entry networking technician). All Cisco certificates are valid for 3 years. Renewing the higher level certificates automatically renews the lower level certificates. For example :  When you renew your CCNA , your CCENT will be automatically renewed. This path is suggested for the people who are new to the networking. 


2. Take a single Cisco exam #640-802. This path is recommended for the people who has a prior knowledge of networking. Mostly , people already having CCNA and want to renew it , choose to take the single exam. Obviously, it is hard to pass with the single attempt and single exam. In short, This is designed for advanced level people. 
But , of course , if you study hard and you are certain that you can pass , it is better to take 1 exam rather
 than two , right ?


Last time i heard the CCNA exam(only taking an exam) costs $250 , quite an amount ! 


But , how about the preparation ? If you are completely new to the networking , you better start looking for the training center which offers CCNA training. They do have some advantages like providing somewhat (sufficient for exam prep) equipped labs for practicing on the switches and routers , giving a study reference material , studying in a group  etc ... Of course nothing is free , they'll ask at least $250 for their service. One friend of mine paid 1300$ for training in india including the accomodation and training fee, excluding the EXAM FEE. Sounds mind blowing for just a single certificate , right ? :P 


Another way is to choose online training. They are much much more cheaper than the previous one. The only thing is that you have to do the practice on your own. You have to buy all the stuffs and build your own network. sounds EXCITING  , huh? This is a best approach i would recommend. You know , some online training videos are far better than the classroom training. For example : CBT NUGGETS --- Awesome!  I really like the way they explain the concepts. They will hit your mind with a single shot. I just loved their vidoes !!! :D


You can find out more about the CCNA and all other Cisco certificates from here. Actually Cisco put useful stuffs such as prep materials , question of the day and exam pattern right on their website. So , you can check out https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/  for more information. 




I hope , It's been informative for you. Every comments , likes and dislikes will be appreciated !

Have you ever confused about these ?

Hello everyone! This is my first ever blog post. I was just thinking how shall i start... While sitting in front of my laptop and looking at my bookshelf-full  books , something stricken me. And now i'm writing :D

1. Do you know the difference between UNIX and LINUX ? Do you actually know what they are? 

If you are feeling blank , let me tell you the difference. 

• First of all , Unix is in true sense COMPLETE OPERATING SYSTEM which is developed at BELL LABS in 1969 . In contrast , Linux is just a KERNEL(an interface between hardware and software) developed by college undergraduate student Linus Torvalds in 1991.

• Linux is Unix like operating system. Actual Unix based operating systems are Apple Mac Os ,Android , IBM AIX etc.... The operating systems we are more familiar with, such as Ubuntu and Fedora are just a special purpose versions of LINUX. There are many more Linux like and Unix like operating systems. Just search for it. You'll be amazed about how awfully many of them are there. 
• Linux is completely free. In case , you want to use Unix you might have to pay for some feature , meaning Unix is not totally free. 
• Linux and Unix both are said to be open source. But compared to Unix , Linux is more open and you'll find a support easily on any topic.

2. Do you know the difference between laptop and notebook ? 

• LAPTOP is a  portable computer having all built in features like PC , usually bigger than notebook. As the name suggest , this is a computer which you can put it on your lap and operate on it as you need. 
• NOTEBOOK is simply , smaller laptop. This is a computer which is slightly bigger than the normal binder notebook. It doesn't have built in CD/DVD drive which makes it light and thin. And display size when measured diagonally is often quite smaller than that of laptops.

That's it. Though too short , I hope it's been informative for you :D