642-415 updates
Posted on July 4th, 2008 by lotus
Cisco 642-414 is recently updated, and is succeeded by the new exam 642-415. Candidates can choose either 642-414 or 642-415. The expiry date of 642-414 is: 06/24/08
For further information, please refer to pass4sure.com. The related page is:
http://www.pass4sure.com/642-415.html
Unified Communications Architecture and Design Exam
Exam Number: 642-415
Associated Certifications: Cisco IP Telephony Design Specialist
Duration: 90 minutes (35 -45 questions)
Available Languages: English
Click Here to Register: Pearson VUE
Exam Policies: Read current policies and requirements
Exam Tutorial: Review type of exam questions
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/wwtraining/certprog/training/cert_exam_tutorial.html
Exam Description
The 642-415 UCAD Unified Communications Architecture and Design exam is the exam associated with the Cisco IP Telephony Design Specialist certification. This exam tests a candidate’s knowledge of technical issues surrounding the design of Voice over Data network and explains a methodology that brings order to approaching the problems faced by planners and designers, including assessment of the current network, Cisco methodology for implementing Voice over Data networks, and how to design sustainable and appropriate implementations. Candidates can prepare for this exam by taking the UCAD Cisco Unified Communications Architecture and Design course.
Exam Topics
The following topics are general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the Remote Access exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam. In order to better reflect the contents of the exam and for clarity purposes, the guidelines below may change at any time without notice.
Determine the relevant critical business and technical needs in order to develop a Cisco Unified Communications design framework
- Determine which business considerations are relevant to a Call Control design
- Determine which technical considerations are relevant to a Call Control design
Determine the appropriate deployment model to meet Cisco Unified Communications design requirements
- Recognize the characteristics and limitations of a single-site Call Control deployment
- Recognize the characteristics and limitations of a multi-site centralized processing Call Control deployment
- Recognize the characteristics and limitations of a multi-site distributed / hybrid processing Call Control deployment
- Recognize the characteristics and limitations of distributed cluster Call Control deployment
Design a Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster
- Determine Cisco Communications Manager redundancy model to meet design requirements
- Determine cluster services necessary to meet requirements for a given Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster, including TFTP, MoH, CTI Manager, and Voice Media streaming application
- Determine hardware requirements for a given Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster
- Determine when an LDAP integration is required
Design the dial plan to support Cisco Unified Communications requirements
- Explain the benefits of hierarchical and scalable numbering plans
- Explain the issues surrounding Directory Number (DN) design
- Explain the different path selection mechanisms available
- Explain the different digit manipulations available
- Explain the mechanisms used to enable calling privileges
- Explain the mechanisms used to provide call coverage
- Given a set of design requirements, design a dial plan
- Identify the requirements for provisioning emergency services in an IP telephony environment
Design a LAN topology to support voice and data on a converged Cisco Unified Communications network
- Design a highly available LAN infrastructure, capable of supporting voice and basic data requirements
- Identify PoE considerations that impact hardware selection
- Describe how DHCP, DNS, and NTP services impact LAN topology design
- Select appropriate hardware to meet LAN design requirements
Design a WAN topology to support voice on a converged Cisco Unified Communications network
- Determine voice bandwidth requirements for a given Busy Hour Call Attempts
- Identify hardware and software requirements for remote survivability in a centralized deployment
- Select appropriate hardware to meet WAN design requirements
- Describe the interrelationship between WAN topology and voice services
Design connectivity for off cluster destinations
- Determine how offnet connectivity issues influence gateway hardware and protocol selection
- Select appropriate hardware to meet offnet design requirements
- Determine circuit size based on a given set of calling patterns
- Determine type of circuit to meet business and technical requirements
- Given a set of business and technical requirements, design PSTN connectivity
- Given a set of business and technical requirements, design integration to Legacy Infrastructure components
- Given a set of business and technical requirements, determine the type of VoIP trunks needed
Design VoIP network to incorporate gatekeeper services
- Identify capabilities and services provided by a gatekeeper
- Given a set of business and technical requirements, design a VoIP network to incorporate a gatekeeper for CAC
- Given a set of business and technical requirements, design a VoIP network to incorporate a gatekeeper for dial plan resolution
- Identify the design requirements that impact the hardware selection for a gatekeeper
Design a QoS policy for a converged network
- Describe the purpose of a QoS policy
- Given business and technical requirements, develop a QoS policy
- Given business and technical requirements, select the appropriate CAC mechanisms
- Given business and technical requirements, define the parameters required to support a given CAC mechanism
Design media resources needed to support VoIP design requirements
- Given business and technical requirements, design conferencing support
- Given business and technical requirements, design transcoding support
- Given business and technical requirements, design MTP support
- Given business and technical requirements, determine the number of DSPs required
- Given business and technical requirements, determine MoH support
- Given business and technical requirements, determine media resource allocation
Determine environmental requirements of a Cisco Unified Communications design
- Determine physical space requirements for specified hardware
- Determine power requirements for specified design
- Determine HVAC requirements for specified design
Identify the security concerns relevant to a Cisco Unified Communications design
- Determine if an existing customer security plan will influence Cisco Unified Communications design
- Identify the potential threats to an IP telephony network
- Describe voice security features and their impact
- Given business policies and technical considerations, design a security policy for a Cisco Unified Communications solution
640-802
Posted on July 4th, 2008 by lotus
Refer to the exhibit. Which two statements about the configuration of the switch interface are correct? (Choose two)
A. The switchport belongs only to VLAN 2
B. By default, all switch ports are members of VLAN 1005
C. Interface fa0/0 will be in both VLAN 1 (by default) and VLAN 2
D. The exhibit shows interface fa0/0 to be dynamically mapped to VLAN 2
E. A network host can be connected to this interface.
This is a multiple-choice question. Read carefully its conditions:
SwitchA(config)#interface fa0/0
SwitchA(config-if)#switchport access vlan 2
After applying the command, fa0/0 will be member of VLAN 2. However, before defining the membership of fa0/0, the interface is a membership of VLAN1.
Answer: A and C.
pass4sure 640-802
70-536 prep session
Posted on July 4th, 2008 by lotus
Does 536 cover .NET 2.0 content or 3.5 content?
70-536 is focused on measuring your skills and knowledge of the fundamentals of .NET development. The aspects of .NET development that we’re covering in the exam are the same whether you’re using .NET 2.0 or 3.5 - the questions are not tied to a specific version. Customers who are experienced using either 2.0 or 3.5, and are comfortable with the objectives of the exam listed on the prep guide, should be able to pass the exam. If you are a 2.0 developer you do not need to ‘learn’ 3.5 to pass 70-536; a 3.5 developer does not need to review 2.0 to pass the exam.
If you missed the session or want to review:
CompTIA Certification Training CompTIA Exam Bootcamp
Posted on July 2nd, 2008 by admin
If you are looking into CompTIA certifications for the first time, then there are a few questions that you probably have and want answered about CompTIA training and the whole CompTIA certification process.
You may be asking yourself: “Why CompTIA certification?” or for that matter “Why should I get certified?” This is a common question asked by just about every candidate at least once in his or her career. To keep the answer simple, look at CompTIA certification exam bootcamp this way: By becoming CompTIA certified you are displaying a core level of skills that essentially rate you as a CompTIA professional. Employers can look at a potential new hire, or employee seeking a promotion, recognize the CompTIA training and know that this individual has passed standardized CompTIA tests.
Achieving a certification after passing the CompTIA exam certification bootcamp also announces to your peers and employer that you are abreast of current technology trends and familiar with the latest CompTIA software and networking protocols.
Whereas there is no substitute for experience, you will find that achieving your CompTIA certification will simultaneously grease the corporate wheels and prepare you for difficult tasks that will demonstrate your knowledge and ability - that can only be confirmed through CompTIA exams.
Pass4sure website is a premier developer and supplier of quality CompTIA training materials, including CompTIA Questions and Answers and CompTIA Study Guides. For the last five years, we have made it our business to be the best online provider of complete CompTIA certification resources to help you pass your CompTIA exam. In fact Pass4sure website GUARANTEES that you will pass your next CompTIA exam after using our reliable training program.
Free Symantec Certification Training Exam Braindumps
Posted on June 30th, 2008 by admin
Symantec Certifications training are regarded as very popular and most demanding certifications in the IT Industry.
Every Certification candidate knows how costly it can be to obtain relevant and reliable training materials for Symantec Exams. Pass4sure Certifications help you find and obtain relevant and reliable training materials online by providing you with a list of sources. The list includes reliable sources which can provide you with Symantec Certification Training material in very cheap rates with high first attempt success ratio and you can purchase with confidence.
Symantec Certification Training material is actually available on many sources online but Test King Certification Training Exams is the best source. Symantec Certification Training exams are regularly updated, more relevant and accurate. Pass4sure is an industry symbol and standard for providing the best Symantec Certification Training Exams. Each Symantec resource available from pass4sure has been designed by team of practicing Symantec IT Professionals.
Pass4sure Certifications is certain that pass4sure provided Symantec Practice Exams, Labs, and Symantec Study Guides are of highest quality, and customized to make the pass4sure Learning experience the best choice you can make in preparing for your Symantec Certification.
Symantec Certification training resources include Study Guides, Study Engines, Question and answers, exams, audio exams and PDF exams.
Pass4sure is a symbol in IT Certification Industry for providing cost-effective Symantec Certifications Helping products with pass4sure Money back guarantee.
Preparation Guide for Exam 70-290
Posted on June 26th, 2008 by admin
The Microsoft 2003 Server Exam, 70-290, is one of the core exams of the MCSE, MCSA, and even the MCDBA (Database Administration) certification tracks. The exam is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of managing a Windows Server 2003 environment. It also tests the candidate’ ability to configure Windows Server 2003 to work with key Windows features and operate efficiently over a Windows network.
We know,this exam costs $125 each attempt.So, you should do your best to pass the MCDBA 70-290 exam.
Certay 70-290 is written to coincide with the real test by the experienced IT experts and specialists. With the complete collection of Questions and Answers, Certay 70-290 is high enough to help the candidates to pass this exam easily without any other study materials and no need to attend the expensive training class.
To match the current real test, the technical team from Certay will update the Questions and Answers for any changes in time, and also we are always accepting the feedbacks about this exam from our users, in specialty, we will mend the exam pool with the suggestions from those users who got full scores in this exam, so to perfect Certay 70-290 to make it always have the best quality!
Certay offers free demo for 70-290 exam (MCDBA - Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks). You can check out the interface, question quality and usability of our practice exams before you decide to buy it. We are the only one site can offer demo for almost all products.
From
http://exam-test-blog.org/preparation-guide-for-exam-70-290/
Cisco Strengthens its IT Certifications
Posted on June 25th, 2008 by lotus
Cisco has unveiled the Cisco Learning Network. Designed for both the seasoned professional as well as individuals considering a career in IT, the Cisco Learning Network is a collaborative Web 2.0 site that enables the creation of a global networking professional community that shares, discusses, and exchanges ideas in a dedicated online environment.
Cisco is also planning augmentation to its popular associate-level career certification with the introduction of - CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, and CCNA Wireless. By expanding on the competencies and skills in the CCNA curriculum, these highly specialized concentrations offer individuals a career stepping-stone into the converged technologies that make up today’s sophisticated networks.
“As networks continue to drive economic growth, collaboration and human interaction, the need for networking talent will grow in importance. To address the growing global demand for networking talent, we estimate that we will need to double or even triple our certified individuals over approximately the next 5 years,” said Milind Gurjar, director of Learning@Cisco. “With the expansion of the CCNA portfolio and the launch of the Cisco Learning Network, we have added 2 more critical components to our company-wide initiative to address the global IT talent shortage, accelerate the development of the information economy, and improve the productivity of this vital technical community.”
Designed to incorporate social networking features such as blogs, wikis, and forums, the Cisco Learning Network enables individuals to discuss top-of-mind issues and interact with thought leaders in network design, implementation, and operations. The community will also directly contribute to the continued development and co-creation of Cisco’s education strategies by providing real-world feedback from the community that can be used in training development and assessment.
With an embedded document-sharing tool built into the site, the community will have a single source to seek out product documentation, configuration and troubleshooting advice and expert opinions on networking challenges. As the community develops, it will become an important resource that can be taken advantage of by IT professionals to increase productivity and address critical issues in the networks they administer.
According to a Cisco commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, there is a pervasive need for specialized networking skills. In fact, 36 % of the global companies surveyed reported that they currently have dedicated wireless specialists in their IT organizations, which will almost double in the next five years. Dedicated network security specialists were found in 46 % of the companies surveyed, and that role is expected to increase to 80 % in 5 years. Additionally, 69 % of the companies surveyed expect to have a dedicated voice specialist in their organization within 5 years; up from 40 % currently. They also cited the importance of certifications in their own professional development. In their own career history, the IT decision-makers surveyed indicated that professional and technical certifications were second only to a 4-year college degree to qualify for their position.
Authorized Cisco training is available from a global network of Cisco Learning Solutions Partners and the Partner Education Connection.
Related Links:
Cisco’s Business Mobility Solutions
Cisco Certified Virtual Meeting Solution Launched
Why And How To Take CCNA
Posted on June 25th, 2008 by lotus
CCNA is the junior technician certificate authorized by
Cisco, which is the world’s largest networking equipment company. CCNA is the basic of Cisco certification system. Everybody can take CCNA. No condition is limited. Of course, if you have some interest in the network,and know some about it, it is better.
If you take CCNA, what can you get from it?
You can get a job in network management and implementation ,or in optimize network performance. So you can become a network administrator or a systems integration engineer,and you can become a sales, too
If you decide to take CCNA, how can you do it?
There are two ways that you can go.
One is 640-802. It contains Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1
Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2.（640-802 Exam: Cisco Certified Network Associate）
The other is 640-821 INTRO and 640-816 ICND2. 640-821 INTRO is Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1. And 640-816 ICND2 is Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2.
Now , you have known what you need to do. I think maybe you need some help at this time. You can visit www.pass4sure.com, and get some help from the live support.
You can first download the free demo.
This article provides helpful information for you to prepare for Cisco exam 350-001, the CCIE Written exam. The CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) certification has historically been the most valued in the area of networking. There are two steps to achieve this valued certification:
A 100 question written test, which this Cramsession will help to prepare you for
And an intense lab exam, which will test the limits of your technical knowledge
I’ve compiled a list of study suggestions for 350-001 that you might find useful:
Print out a copy of the exam 350-001 blueprint from the Cisco website. Use this as the basis of your notes, and don’t consider yourself ready for the exam until you are completely comfortable with ALL the topics on the list. The blueprint changes occasionally, but the current version can be found at: Written Exam Blueprint v3.0
Buy a few books. This seems simple enough, but I’ve found there are two types of books lists for the CCIE - those for the lab and those for the written. They’re not the same. For our purposes here, there are two things we want to accomplish with our reading: to quickly get the written out of the way to start the long road to the lab; and to try as much as possible to conserve money and time by finding and reading materials that are applicable to both.
Download sample exams. There are several available, but regardless of which vendor’s questions you choose, take advantage of a significant pool of questions, and select products by different authors. The subject matter for this exam is broad, and you want a good selection of material to study from.
Certay is the online Certification Expert, which provide testking and pass4sure the real questions and correct answers since 2001.
From
http://exam-test-blog.org/helpful-information-for-cisco-exam-350-001/
Cisco Newbie - Start on the CCNA
Posted on June 23rd, 2008 by admin
Want to start getting into routers etc so looking at doing some cisco stuff?
Think you need to start on the CCNA? but dont really know where or know of any real books that can teach you this from scratch? Here is a guideline for the Cisco newbies to start on the CCNA.
Q: Looking at doing some cisco stuff?
A: Cisco’s Career Certifications & Paths information can be found here.
Cisco also has a CCNA Prep Center — it might impress you, or it might scare you away — but worth a look to get an idea of what Cisco makes available.
http://www.cisco.com/go/prepcenter Only one comment on the prepCenter.
When watching the flash, dont take their word when they say that linux is an operating system.
One who says that linux is an OS, states that his knowledge of operating systems converging to zero (especially linux based).
Q: Don’t really know where or know of any real books that can teach you this from scratch.
A: The books you’ll hear the most about around here are:
Sybex - Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide — by Todd Lammle. Should be on the 5th edition. Great for learning subnetting. Missing some info, but there are one or two new update chapters available for download.
Cisco Press - The CCNA 640-802 books by Wendell Odom. Probably the CCNA Official Exam Certification Library.
You can check out all the Cisco Press Books (and the link to the simulator) at the Cisco Press Web site.
Hands-on practice is important…. but you can get by with the simulator for the CCNA.
Q: Are the exams expensive?
A: The CCNA 640-802 exam is $125.
There is also the 2 exam option (INTRO and ICND). There should be link at the CCNP Prep Center that explains it. I think those are $100 each.
That should be enough links to keep you busy for the rest of the night.
From
http://exam-test-blog.org/cisco-newbie-start-on-the-ccna/
What should be your first exam for your MCSE?
Posted on June 20th, 2008 by lotus
This is not as straight forward a question as it might seem at first glance. How to answer this would depend on the IT Pro in question and what experiences he/she might have in the IT field. If the individual is new to the IT field and has minimal to no experience than you are looking at a different exam than if they do have some hands-on experience. There are simply too many concepts, confusing nomenclature, subnetting, pieces and parts to try and learn the IT field in a short of period and pass some of the more difficult tests. There is also the first-test nervousness that must be overcome as well.
It is too bad that the old NT4 70-058 (Networking Essentials) is long gone. This would have been the perfect “starter” exam for a person new to the IT field. It covered the basics of networking, equipment and concepts and then some. Now what should the first test be that a person new to the IT field should take? If you are pursuing a MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) certification, then you can use the CompTIA A+ exam and either the CompTIA Network+ exam or the CompTIA Server+ exam. Alternatively you could use the CompTIA Security+ exam. The A+ and Network+ exams are the perfect ones for a new person in the IT field as they test the base knowledge required. But these exams are not offered by Microsoft (but do count for the MCSA as the elective requirement) and the 70-058 exam is no longer available – so what exam does one take now?
We have our new entry to the IT Pro field. The new person should (at least hopefully) have some experience – or at least an understanding of the basic concepts, otherwise, the learning curve might prove to be too steep for many entrants. But what exam should the new person be encouraged to study for and take? If this is the first IT certification exam then there is the added pressure of not knowing what to expect. So what are we left with for exam options? The design exams are obviously out – they demand a great deal of background knowledge to even attempt which the newcomer doesn’t have - yet. The higher level networking and infrastructure exams can also be scratched off for the same reason as the design exams – too much background knowledge is required. So, this leaves us with the 70-290 (Managing and Marinating a Windows Server 2003 Environment) and 70-291 (Implementing, Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure). If I had to recommend one of these two, I would suggest the 70-290 as the first of the 2003 track exams.
Number of MCPs Worldwide
Posted on June 19th, 2008 by lotus
Do you know the number of MCPs in the world? Well, Microsoft Learning publishes a very interesting web page that displays this (https://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certified.mspx).
Fortunately, Trika revealed all in her post: http://blogs.msdn.com/trika/archive/2008/05/30/what-the-hell.aspx. Turns out to be a bit of rather unprofessional bit of sophomoric humour. I guess it must be nice to have the time to play with web sites, but if MSL folks have spare time, perhaps focusing on quality might be a better approach.
Impt Topics For CCNA 640-802 Examination
Posted on June 16th, 2008 by admin
Adnan: I will appearing for my CCNA 640-802 exam in about a month. I was enrolled in the Cisco networking academy and completed all my courses with honors. I will be appearing for my voucher exam and then my CCNA paper. What are the topics that I should be concentrating on. This is an urgent matter and any help will be greatly appreciated. I have about a month.
Rainofkayos: For the ccna u should know ip addressing very good, u should be able to break them down no calculator no internet, subnetting, u should know routing protocols interior for the most part, u should know the cisco cli,, solving common issues using commands, access control lists and there syntax, and u should be able to maneuver in a lab environment where u are put in situations, should know ur layer 2 stuff switching and what have u,, should know about (just about not verbose just be aware of) various protocols and their usages, ATM, PPP, Frame Relay, DSL, Cable Modem, Dial up Modem, should know ofcourse the routers internals nvram, flash, rom, registers, basic router configs etc, =) good luck!
From
http://exam-test-blog.org/impt-topics-for-ccna-640-802-examination/
Info on Server 2008 Certification Starting to Trickle Out
Posted on June 12th, 2008 by lotus
We’re finally starting to hear some of the news about how the MCSE exams will be structured once Server 2008 arrives. First of all, if you’re an MCSE and want to become an MCSE on Server 2008, you’re going to be sorry. With the current news, the MCSE credential officially ends its life with Windows Server 2003.
For Server 2008, there will be only MCTS and MCITP credentials. However, your existing MCSE on 2000 or 2003 will not expire.
Some interesting tidbits I picked up…
WS2008 certs were developed in new generation model of cert–with careful attention to current Server-related job roles, shorter, more specific exam pathsThere are three MCTS certs, 1 exam each: Active Directory, Infrastructure, and Application Platform (virtualization, etc)
There are two MCITP certs: Server Administrator and Enterprise Administrator–these are stand alone certs, each… and will be highest level certifications on WS2008
There is a transition path from MCSA and MCSE 2003 to the Windows Server 2008 certifications–that will be available in September-ish. No upgrade/transition from WS2000.
There is no MCSA or MCSE on Windows Server 2008; but your MCSA and MCSE on Windows Server 2000 or 2003 are not retiring, expiring, or in any way de-prioritized. Keep working on them–they aren’t going anywhere
Exam release timeline is tied to Windows Server 2008 Release to Manufacturing (RTM)… the MCTS exams will be available one month after RTM and the MCITP exams will be available two months after RTM. So, keep an eye out for the RTM date MIcrosoft announces for WS2008 and then you’ll know when to expect the exams to be available at your local test center
The Review That Never Happened: Microsoft Office 2008
Posted on June 5th, 2008 by lotus
If only I’d had an extra week in January.
Back then, I had been looking forward to reviewing Microsoft’s then-new Office 2008 for Mac, the long-awaited successor to its Office 2004. (Long-awaited largely because it was the last must-have Mac program to be rewritten to run properly on the Intel processors inside Apple’s Macs.)
But the week Office 2008–$150 for the non-business “Home and Student” edition, $240 as an upgrade, or $400 new–shipped, I was busy covering Apple’s Macworld Expo. And by the time I was back in D.C. and had enough quality time to start digging into the new software, other stories — for instance, Microsoft’s surprising announcement of its plan to buy Yahoo — had seized my attention. Weeks turned into months, and then I realized I’d pretty much missed my timing to review this software.
I also realized that very few readers seemed to have noticed that omission.
It appears that, for the first time in years, Office does not seem to be a mandatory upgrade. Office 2004 still works well, Google’s Google Docs and Apple’s own iWork can each do Office’s job at a considerably lower cost — free in Google’s case — while providing some valuable features absent from Office.
So here I am, months after Office 2008’s release and a few weeks after its first major update (the inelegantly named “Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 1 (12.1.0)“). I don’t know if anybody is still interested in my thoughts about this release, but if you are read on after the jump.
—
Office 2008 suffers from having two of its most important features — compatibility with Apple’s Intel processors and Microsoft’s new Office 2007 file formats — be things that users can’t directly or immediately see.
Before trying out Office 2008, I had thought that an Intel-native Office would be so astoundingly fast as to make the old version instantly distasteful. Not so. While you may see unmistakable speed improvements with Office 2008 when performing complex tasks on large files, I didn’t notice any visible differences at everyday Office tasks, such as running find-and-replace commands in reasonably large Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. And I found that the new version is either no faster or actually slower at the operation everybody must sit through — the initial startup of each Office program.
For example, Word 2004 took 13 seconds to launch, while Word 2008 needed 22. (These times are based on me sitting with a stopwatch and watching things happen on the screen, so they’re not completely scientific.) The 2004 and 2008 versions of Excel and PowerPoint all needed about 5 seconds to start, while the 2004 and 2008 editions of Entourage each required some 8 seconds to get in gear. But, I had Office 2004 running on a 2006-vintage iMac with a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, while Office 2008 was installed on a 2007-vintage iMac with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip. (Both machines had 2 gigabytes of memory installed.) I saw the same pattern when I tested first Office 2004, then Office 2008 on the same MacBook Air.
As for Office 2007 file-format compatibility, the relative unpopularity of Office 2007 compared to earlier versions and the fact that Office 2007 can easily be set to use the older document format combine to reduce your odds of seeing one of these newer files. Microsoft also offers free converter add-ons for older versions of Office for Mac.
Office 2008’s most visible change is a new interface, somewhat reminiscent of Office 2007’s “ribbon,” that simplifies its characteristic toolbars to move many other commands to an “Elements Gallery,” a series of palettes that gracefully flip open when you click on headings like “Sheets,” “Charts,” “SmartArt Graphics,” and “WordArt” (in Excel’s case). But while I thought Office 2007’s ribbon was a smart, creative rethinking of an overgrown interface that needed a gut rehab, I don’t think Office 2004 needed the same kind of renovation — it’s pretty easy to use in its own right.
There are some valuable additions here beyond looks. Word’s “Publishing Layout” mode lets you do the kind of free-form arrangement of graphics and text at which older Word releases balked. Excel’s Formula Builder can make the job of plugging the right equations into a spreadsheet a little less intimidating. Entourage’s My Day applet provides a simple at-a-glance read on what you’re up to (although it seems like it would have made more sense as a Dashboard widget). PowerPoint lets you click through a presentation with Apple’s standard remote control, not just a mouse or the keyboard.
Like earlier releases, however, Office 2008 often buries useful features behind layers of menu options. Witness the convoluted procedures required to turn on a nifty typographical option called “ligatures” or add a command to paste text without formatting.
Office 2008 also feels distinctly behind the times in some respects. For instance, Excel’s graphing tools seem woefully clumsy compared to those in Apple’s Numbers, and Entourage can’t subscribe to Web-based calendars.
A look at Microsoft’s “What’s new in Office” help-file page, with its frequent mentions of such minor additions as extra templates and themes, suggests that the effort of rewriting Office for Intel processors and redesigning its interface may have simply worn out its developers.
So maybe you’d be better off waiting for Microsoft’s next Office version, whenever that may come. Office 2008 seems a perfectly fine product, and if I needed to buy a new copy of Office for a Mac, I’d have zero qualms about getting Office 2008. But I just can’t think of any great reason for Office 2004 users (some of whom would first need to upgrade their operating system) to rush to trade up.
Hot Career Opportunities in IT
Posted on June 5th, 2008 by lotus
Want to know what IT has in store for your future and avenues that specific technologies such as Java and .NET have come up with? Here’s a career guide to make you conversant of the upcoming opportunities
Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Telecom or Pharma–speak of any industry and you’ll get to hear of their stupendous growth. IT is the backbone behind all sectors and plays a pivotal role in the growth of the business. All these sectors require the services of skilled IT people. Starting this month, we’ll feature a regular story on hot career opportunities in IT.
Today, there’s a growing requirement for IT professionals in areas such as programming, engineering, database, information warehousing, Internet and E-Commerce, enterprise application deployment and management, SOA, and networking. Each area requires professionals at all levels right from the architects who’ll define these solutions to managers who will implement and manage them.
We’ll start off with the developer segment, because that’s one segment which spans all others. For instance, although you need professionals with business and implementation knowledge for deploying enterprise applications like ERP and CRM, you’ll still need somebody who can customize the code of these applications. The same thing holds true for other areas as well, such as SOA, Internet and e-Commerce, etc. Let’s start with a broad overview of the career opportunities in these areas.
Basically, there are two main platforms that most developer population works upon, Java and .NET. SOA is another buzzword-virtually every enterprise is trying to get on this bandwagon, and hence this field also has a high potential for IT professionals. Similarly, another area where a lot of activity is happening is embedded technologies and mobility and yes, not to forget the ERP domain which have had always been a top priority for any enterprise. It is not just IT companies, there are a plethora of new ways coming up for the IT professionals to build their career in. One way is to gain expertise in one specific domain such as SOA and ERP and then climb the career ladder. And the interesting thing is that these domains are not restricted for hard core IT guys even non-IT knowledge holders can enter this arena. In this article, we’ll not only discuss all the hidden opportunities that are there for IT as well as non IT professionals, but we’ll also guide them about how they can choose their perfect career path.
Opportunities for Java Developers
Java is a key platform being used by software houses the world over for developing applications. There’s a lot of action happening in this domain, and today, there’s great demand for Java professionals. There are two possible career paths that a Java professional can follow. One is Web development and the other toward building enterprise class applications. For a developer who is freshly venturing into the Web development field will have to learn JSP, Java Servlets, and other Web 2.0 technologies besides having good knowledge of core Java programming. For Web applications that are mainly built on Java server side technologies, the scripting languages like JavaScript, JRuby etc. become a natural bundle to learn for the client side programming for developers. Same ways if the developer ventures into the enterprise class solution and application development he would have to update his knowledge toward J2EE technologies like EJBs and other variants like Spring framework, RMI and other distributed computing components knowhow.
With Java being open sourced, there have been many technologies and frameworks that have spawned in recent times to bolster the avenues to career prospects. With the advent of Web 2.0 standards and RIA-based applications taking on the enterprise world, technologies like JavaFX, AJAX, Google Web Toolkit, and other frameworks have made it easier for a developer to develop and even design intuitive interfaces for the applications. A developer with a good in-depth knowledge of core Java can easily learn and become comfortable with these new Java frameworks and technologies. A good developer is one who knows how to get things worked, rather than just using a tool or technology. Sai Satish, Staff Engineer at sun Microsystems also says that ?No amount of documentation reading or knowledge of a given framework or technology can be utilized by a developer for a project, until he’s well practiced with the coding part involved to it to realize where and how to implement the things.?
Certifications are also beneficial along with the required academic qualifications for a certain job requirement. Certification not only adds weight and authenticity to a job seeker’s profile but also cements his knowhow in that area. According to a study, it was revealed that the professionals having certifications were found to be more productive than non-certified professionals in 85% of the cases. That’s why even HR managers during recruitments give additional advantage to professionals having certifications in specific area of Java technologies. Having a certification, even with lesser experience, bends favor toward the certified professional. Also the experienced Java professionals can benefit by having specialized certifications to endorse their knowledge and technology knowhow of specialized domains like Sun Mobile Application Developer or IBM’s certification for WebSphere specialists. For Java and components related to that there are certification exams available from Sun Microsystems, while the likes of IBM and Oracle have certifications available for professionals using and working on their application servers and portal technologies.
For specific vertical or domain, there is a dire need of Java professionals who are experts in that domain like healthcare, telecom, etc. This demand for domain expert Java professional is because these professionals would be recognising the needs of their domain area and can put Java technologies to the best use in their domain. They can also contribute with their experti se on that domain toward the building of Java technology related solutions that can cater to their industry domain.
According to Sai Satish, Staff Engineer at Sun Microsystems, developers can look forward to new technologies like SOA, Web 2.0, RIAs and learn their framework and supporting languages to make a steady career growth. He says that the primary driver for Java enabled phones is the content–games, in mobile devices, PDAs and even set-top boxes, have a huge demand in India.
Even the operators are demanding Java based applications and games that can be used by subscribers. Thus developers with Java ME skills are in demand for creating such applications.
Secondly there is a huge scope for Java developers with experience in mobile operating platforms like Symbian and Windows as they can integrate the core OS features like graphics engine or audio services into their Java applications
Opportunities for .NET developers
The Microsoft .NET Framework is the other widely used development platform across the globe and in India also, there is a mammoth developer base working on this platform.
With the .NET framework, Microsoft has tried to unify the diversified functions of development and support life cycle of software development. Jimmy P. Shaw, MD at ShawMan Software Pvt. Ltd. says how this framework has helped developers to choose career path as ?With .NET, a budding developer does not have to make a decision early on in his career to choose his area of expertise which he earlier was forced to do. A fresher can now spend time understanding and mastering a single unified framework from where he can gradually move into one of the more critical roles of managing systems architecture, DB design and administration, security, etc.?
For a developer who has knowledge of his own programming environment like VB.NET, ASP.NET or C# etc., there is an abundance of oppurtunites for them. Since there is a lot hapenning in the Web 2.0, a developer can also build skills on technologies that enable the next generation web such as Silverlight, AJAX, Expression as well as those which enable rich user experiences such as WPF. Also with mobile and embedded technology being one of the emerging trends in the Indian software arena, the .NET developers have a good prospect here as many of these area are based on .NET framework and developers having core .NET skills can switch easily to mobile domain. These technologies are seeing large-scale adoption in small as well as large IT companies in India and .NET developers are uniquely positioned to leverage this opportunity without having to go through a completely new learning curve.
Certifications are the best way to demonstrate one’s skills and expertise on Microsoft technologies and are a catalyst to recognition and growth in a software career. There are several .NET certifications available depending on career interests a developer can choose his certification course starting from technology specialist stage to the software architects stage. Technology Specialist certifications are now available for .NET 3.5 technologies such as Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation and Windows Workflow Foundation. Being certified in these technologies is an endorsement and validation of one’s skills in these technologies. All the top software companies are adopting these technologies and building software applications and products based on these technologies. These specialized skills also offer better career opportunities currently and .NET developers should consider upgrading their skills to leverage this opportunity. These technologies are being adopted at a fast pace, which opens a lot of career opportunities for software developers.
Tarun Gulati, GM Marketing at Microsoft India says that aspiring and beginner developers, should first build strong programming and computing fundamentals, which remain applicable no matter which version of technology is introduced. Once they are conversant with the fundamentals of .NET framework, they can start building a breadth of skills around desktop development, web and RIA development, mobile and embedded development as well as gaming development.
As they progress in their career, they should build their skills around software design, architecture and project management. Microsoft offers learning resources for each of these areas.
Making a career in SOA
Organizations are now vying to achieve seamless business environment, and SOA is an answer to that. This field requires developers who can develop standards based applications that can now or in future be compliant to the services based architecture. Also the SOA architects and analysts who plan the SOA path for an organization are the job prospect that is seeing an increased requirement. Now for an IT professional, there are various roles available in the SOA domain depending on the area of work. Some of these roles like Process Analyst and Enterprise Architect is for those who have the business knowledge of the organization. While the professionals who do not interact with the business can opt for roles of Configuration management, Information architect etc.
While the developers at junior base can concentrate on assembling the business rules and services, and making them available to the different interfaces. They would be building the enterprise components and services for the processes of the organization that will be interacting.
The professionals who want to be SOA experts, have to learn a lot about the enabling technologies like XML, SOAP, UDDI, etc. and the framework analogies like ESB, etc. along with the whole business understanding for enterprise functions. It is known that SOA has the potential to change the way systems are built today and how they can be made to function seamlessly in the future. Therefore, learning effort in this area won’t go waste and will just open new avenues for professionals.
Mobile and Embedded Technology
Mobile and embedded software has become main-stream in India in recent times with the advent of increasing usage of mobiles. This is not only attributed to mobile devices but also devices like set-top boxes, DVD players and others where there’s an embedded chip to program the device to function intelligently. This domain is wide open for developers of both platforms, namely Java and .NET. The other stream is for the Operating System architects for the mobile phones. The OSes for mobile devices are majorly on Symbian, Linux and Windows. Now Java based operating system called Java FX Mobile too have been launched for mobile devices. Developers of java can tone up their skill for mobile devices by learning JavaFX and Java ME for development of applications. Similarly.NET developers can opt for Windows Embedded CE technology for embedded programming. There are vast scopes of opportunities for embedded programmers with devices being programmed and also for the mobile environment.
Opportunities for Enterprise Applications Professionals
ERP, CRM and other business process based enterprise solutions have always been in demand, now the organizations are trying to gain the maximum from these for their businesses. Now with most organization implementing SOA or moving towards Enterprise Implementation, these ERP professional who have domain expertise in areas like HR, sales and distribution, supply chain management, etc. have become highly sought after professionals. This is because they are the ones who will be having core business knowledge of a domain and they can help, define and identify the processes that need to be incorporated for the service orchestration. Above that, since organizations are looking towards solutions that provides them to extend their business opportunities and collaborate in real time between different deparments and offices. People having domain expertise are being involved in building such solutions for the enterprise, as they have the proper knowledge of the functioning of different processes and can identify and specify the changes that will be needed for achieving the enterprises goals.
Thus, even a non-IT professional who has sufficient knowledge and experience in specific area of organisational work can become ERP consultants and enterprise application analysts by undergoing certification courses targeting their domains like HR, SD, SCM, etc.
Opportunities in Networking
With telecom, Internet and media communication among other areas where various network technologies like IP telephony and wireless are used; has opened many paths for a networking professional to follow and pursue his career in that. The networking professional can vie for systems analyst, network manager, infrastructure manager and network consultants as career objectives. With basic certifications like A+, CCNA for base networking knowledge to certifications that are highly specific and are meant for specialization in a particular network skill like network security are ones that a networking professional should posses to demonstrate his skill and expertise in that area. There are several certification courses available from Cisco, Microsoft, etc., but it’s highly advisable for a budding professional to check for the credentials of the institutes that would be providing the training and certificate examination for these courses.
User Experience Experts
Gone are the days when applications or websites just had to be content rich, now along with content the focus has shifted towards providing rich experience to the user. For this not only designers but also developers are being sought who can create such applications using new RIA tools and technologies like AJAX, Flex, AIR, Silverlight, Expression, etc. This user experience is not just limited to websites or end-user based enterprise or desktop applications, but also to the platforms like mobiles, hand-held devices etc. Thus, a professional with creative ideas is needed who can design and make nice apps for the users.
FROM: PCQUEST.COM
How to pass your CCNA exam
Posted on June 5th, 2008 by lotus
Certification still carries weight when you are looking for a networking career move, according to ‘CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (CCNA Exam 640-802), 3rd Edition’ author, Wendell Odom.
Odom recently spoke about how to study for and pass the CCNA exam. Odom also offered advice on how much time you should take to prepare for the tests, the support groups that are available, and how a certification might help in your job-seeking endeavors.
Everyone works and studies differently, but how much time should someone devote to studying for the CCNA exam?
Wendell Odom: Well, there are lots of variables in that question. First, there’s the question of how much (if any) related skill or knowledge the candidate has when starting study. Next, there’s the question of compression: How many days/weeks/months does it take you to put in the study time? The longer the elapsed time, the more time required to review earlier studies.
To give a couple of “for instances,” if someone came to the game with no knowledge or skills and could do 10 hours a week of preparation, I’d say it would take three months (65 hours actual study) for the two-exam path, and maybe three-and-a-half months for the one-exam path. That’s essentially to read 400 to 500 pages, do some labs on a simulator, review, and take some practice tests.
Another example — someone who knows some of the technology and can spend 15 hours a day, maybe does it in six weeks (45 hours per exam) with the two-exam path, maybe a little longer for the one-exam path.
How can you best prepare for the CCNA exam? Would you recommend a practice or specific task to people who would like to be CCNA certified?
Odom:
The first and possibly most important task is to create a study plan. By the time you’re getting into Cisco certifications, most people know how they like to study. The plan should include the tools you’ll have: always an Exam Cert Guide (like my two-book CCNA library!); possibly extra practice exams; probably either borrowed gear, used gear or a simulator; and maybe some videos. But planning beyond just gathering your tools is important, so that when you get 30 minutes, or two hours, or whatever time, you can sit down and learn, and remove the time wasted trying to figure out what to do next.
I personally like the idea of reading several chapters in the book, then reviewing, then doing a few labs, and maybe even answering questions covering those topics from the exam CD that comes with most Exam Cert Guide books. For example, with some of my products, here’s a sample study plan for say IP routing in ICND1:
- Read the related chapters in the book (12-15).
- Review those chapters.
- Do some IP addressing and RIP labs.
- Use the CD test engine: Filter to see just the questions from chapters 12-15, and answer all those questions.
Are there any support groups to help you become CCNA certified?
Odom: I’ve seen many over the years, but a great place to look is the Cisco CCNA Prepcenter. That’s a Cisco site, and it has lots of preparation resources. But a Google search can uncover lots more places to gather for discussions.
Is it necessary (or easier) to become CCENT certified before you get your CCNA? What are the benefits — if any — of certifying for this beforehand?
Odom: It’s not necessary to become a CCENT (by passing the ICND1 exam) before becoming a CCNA. However, I’d say it’s easier for someone who knows little about the topics to separate the study effort into two parts by first passing ICND1 and then passing ICND2.
For perspective, almost every other Cisco Associate- or Professional-level certification exam covers topics that are also covered in a four- or five-day course. The CCNA exam covers topics that require two different five-day courses. So the two-exam path to CCNA can be a little more manageable. If you know some things coming into the process, however, going for CCNA as a single exam is useful. Also, there’s no real downside to just passing the single exam — you don’t get the CCENT cert, but you do get CCNA, which is better.
What types of jobs and salaries should people expect once they have become CCNA certified (with or without experience)?
Odom: I really don’t have much I can offer on salary; that’s outside my area of expertise. But the IT world appears to be favoring the generalist who also has business skills. A CCNA cert plus other non-Cisco certs, along with business skills, make a good combination. For network engineer jobs — jobs with most work related to the network infrastructure — employers will want candidates to have, at a minimum, the skills associated with CCNA. The most tangible way to prove that you know those topics is to pass the certification.
Where might someone who is CCNA certified sit in an IT organization? What job title would be expected to go along with this certification?
Odom: CCNA, and other Cisco certs, don’t define job roles or job titles. It’s a technical certification, so it shouldn’t be leading people toward management roles directly. Instead, it leads toward what HR folks call “individual contributor” — which is a fancy HR term for someone at the bottom of the org chart. But I can’t imagine any Cisco cert affecting someone’s job title.
What is the best next step after you CCNA certify? Would you recommend another certification after this one?
Odom: If your goal is a network-centric job, then certainly one of Cisco’s Professional level certifications — CCNP, CCIP, CCSP, CCVP — would be best. However, if you’re looking to be more general, then [I recommend] Microsoft, Linux, Storage, ITIL, CISSP, or SNIA storage certs.
Foote Partners recently published a study which revealed that people who are not certified are getting paid more than those who are. Why might that be?
Odom: I actually spent some time looking at the data. It makes for great headlines, doesn’t it? I think the No. 1 takeaway I got when looking into that survey was that it showed companies rewarding the same technical skills included in the survey. For instance, someone with a CCNP might be rewarded (for example, with money) less than someone who demonstrated skill with OSPF and BGP, two topics in the CCNP survey. The survey also showed pay for people who were still working at the same company year-to-year — all interesting information, to be sure.
I concluded that it shows that once an engineer is in the job, managers can (and should, in my opinion) reward employees for skill/performance. However, for getting the next job and proving yourself to new potential managers (be they in the same company or another company), the hiring manager has only the interview and resume to go on — so the certs still carry weight when you are looking to move.
FROM: SearchNetworking.com.au
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)
Posted on May 29th, 2008 by lotus
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) is the highest level of professional certification that Cisco provides. There are 5 active CCIE tracks, as shown below. As of April 6, 2008 there are 16,335 people with active CCIE certifications in the world.
Cisco began its CCIE program in 1993 originally with a two day lab, later changing it to the one day format used today. Fewer than 3% of Cisco certified individuals attain CCIE certification, and on average will spend thousands of dollars and 18 months studying before passing.Many candidates build mock-labs at home using old Cisco equipment, selling it again to other candidates after passing. Alternatively candidates may rent “rack time” online and practice lab scenarios on Cisco equipment hosted on the Internet for that purpose.
Cisco refers to the CCIE as the “most respected IT certification”,and from 2002 to 2005 it was voted as such in CertCities magazine. It has also been voted the most technically advanced IT certification by CertMag, and is generally reported as the highest salaried certification in IT salary surveys.
The CCIE is comprised of a written exam and a “lab” exam (each in the specific area of the chosen track). The written exam is required to take the lab exam, and has a cost of $315 USD per attempt. Upon passing the written exam, the candidate is qualified to have a first attempt the lab exam for 18 months. If the first attempt is unsuccessful the candidate has 3 years from the date the written exam was passed to successfully complete the lab. If a candidate does not pass the CCIE lab in that time, they must pass the CCIE written exam again before making additional attempts at the CCIE lab exam. As many attempts can be made to pass the lab exam for up to 3 years after passing the written, so long as the first attempt is within 18 months. There is a minimum waiting time between attempts of one month.
The CCIE Lab is currently $1,400 USD per attempt and are offered only at ten Cisco lab exam locations worldwide. The locations are Bangalore; Beijing; Brussels; Dubai; Hong Kong; Research Triangle Park, NC; San Jose, CA; S?o Paulo; Sydney; and Tokyo. Some CCIE tracks do not have lab exams available at all locations. For example, the Storage Networking lab is available only at the Research Triangle Park, NC and Brussels locations. In addition, according to a survey by Cisco the average cost to prepare for CCIE certification is $9,050 as of April 2006, spent mostly on practice equipment and self study material. This is partially offset by the increased salary the certification commands, which a March 2007 Network World article estimates at 10% - 15% over similarly experienced engineers who do not have a CCIE.
The lab is an 8-hour hands-on exam designed to demonstrate that the candidate not only knows the theory, but is also able to practice it. Many prospective CCIEs need multiple attempts to pass the lab exam.
There are no formal prerequisites for the CCIE exam, but Cisco recommends one has at least 3 - 5 years experience in networking before attempting to become a CCIE. CCIE was the first Cisco Certified qualification, and as such there were no other certifications that could be taken prior. The development of the associate and professional certifications was due to recognition of the fact that a CCIE is overkill for many networking personnel, and also for the vast majority of businesses who employ such people, and that certifications needed to be offered at lower levels. Despite the development of the lower certifications, Cisco has chosen not to make them formal requirements for the CCIE certification.
It is possible to hold multiple CCIE certifications. This is done by passing both the written and the lab exam in a particular track. As of November 14th, 2007 there are 1,344 individuals who hold multiple CCIE certifications. Of those, 210 hold three or more CCIE certifications.
MCSE Certification FAQ
Posted on May 28th, 2008 by lotus
Q1. What is MCSE?
MCSE is the premier Microsoft certification program and is one of the most widely recognized, pursued, and obtained technical certifications in the IT industry. The MCSE certification proves your skills in managing backoffice computer systems and networks that run on Microsoft Windows 2000, XP and other Microsoft software.
Q2. What is happening to old (pre Windows 2000) MCSEs?
All MCSE certifications based on the Windows NT operating system will be designated as “MCSE on Windows NT” indefinitely, reversing an earlier decision to expire one’s MCSE credential if not updated before Dec. 31, 2001. Microsoft will designate Windows .NET Server, Windows XP, and Windows 2000-based MCSEs as “MCSEs on Microsoft Windows 2000.”
Q3. Who is MCSE targeted for?
The MCSE certification is targeted at the following job functions that use Microsoft Windows and backoffice applications:
Network administrators
Network engineers
Systems engineers
Security analysts
Email administrators
Windows system administrators
Microsoft website administrators/webmasters
Q4. Will I find a job/make more money if I earn my MCSE?
MCSE certified professionals are still in relatively high demand. The MCSE certification continues to be the most popular and sought after technical certification in the market today. There are over 400,000 MCSEs nationwide. MCSEs with three to nine years of experience have an average annual salary of $52,700.
Q5. Are there any pre-requisites before starting MCSE training?
Microsoft recommends that candidates have at least one year experience implementing and maintaining a network operating system in a typical medium to large organization, one year experience implementing and maintaining desktop operating systems, and one year experience designing network architectures. Microsoft Certified Professionals Magazine’s 2000 Salary Survey found that the average MCSE candidate had 5.9 years for experience while the average MCSE + Internet candidate had 7 years of experience.
However, there are a number of courses available designed to help less advanced students get up to speed on Microsoft technologies and prepare for MCSE certification faster.
Q6. Are there different tracks? What’s happening to the MCSE+I Certification.
Microsoft has indicated that the MCSE+I (Internet) certification is being phased out and it was not offered with the MCSE 2000 certification.
Q7. How long does it take to prepare for MCSE certification?
According to Microsoft Certified Professionals Magazine, the average candidate in 1999 spent 361 hours preparing for the MCSE exams and 364 preparing for the MCSE + Internet exams.
Q8. How much does MCSE training cost?
It depends on how you prepare for the exams and how much experience you already have. According to Microsoft Certified Professionals Magazine, the average candidate in 1999 spent $6,714 preparing for their MCSE exams and $5,945 preparing for the MCSE + Internet exams.
Q9. Do I have to take computer training to earn my MCSE certification?
No, all you have to do is pass the exams. However, the exams are necessarily very difficult and most candidates, even those with extensive experience, find it helpful to attend classes to help prepare for the exams.
Q10. What benefits does Microsoft offer for MCSEs?
Microsoft offers a number of benefits to MCSEs, including use of the MCSE logo, discounts on software and training, and free access to additional online documentation and information. Please check with Microsoft for a list of current benefits.
Q11. Can I upgrade/update my previous MCSE certification?
Microsoft offers an accelerated path that allows a candidate to become certified by passing four exams rather then the 7 normally required.
Compare Parts of CCNA INTRO
Posted on May 26th, 2008 by lotus
As Spy1954 did for both A+ and Network+, here is a quick run down of comparisons of terms/concepts involved in the CCNA INTRO exam. Feel free to add your own!
Ethernet (DIX) uses a 2-byte Type field
Ethernet (802.3) uses a 1-byte Destination Service Access Point (DSAP) field
Ethernet (802.3 w/ SNAP) sets the DSAP/SSAP fields to AA, and uses a 5-byte SNAP field
Half-duplex NICs use loopback circuitry to detect collisions
Full-duplex NICs don’t, since collisions don’t occur
Broadcast address = FFFF.FFFF.FFFF
Multicast address = 0100.5exx.xxxx
Fast Ethernet = 802.3u
Gigabit Ethernet (optical) = 802.3z
Gigabit Ethernet (electrical) = 802.3ab
IP addresses in same group must not be separated by a router
IP addresses separated by router must be in separate group
RARP broadcasts IP, obtains MAC only
Bootp broadcasts IP, obtains MAC, subnet mask, default gateway, other server IPs, and name of file to be downloaded
Different Sizes of fields in TCP Header:
Source Port = 16 buts
Destination port = 16 bits
Sequence = 32 bits
Acknowledgement = 32 bits
Window = 16 bits
Checksum = 16 bits
Connection-establishment is 3-way, uses SYN flag
Connection-termination is 4-way, uses FIN flag
Console Password = line console 0
Aux password = line aux 0
Telnet password = line vty 0 4
Crossover cabling is used between routers/switches
Straight-through cabling is used between switches/host machines
RIP uses hop count as a metric
IGRP uses bandwidth and delay
