Yet another new topic on the new CCNA R/S v3 exam is BPDUGuard, which is an enhancement to Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) available on our Cisco Catalyst switches. Specifically, BPDUGuard can help prevent a Layer 2 topological loop by placing a port configured for PortFast into an Error-Disabled state if that port receives a Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU).

This video demonstrates the operation of BPDUGuard, and then trains you on how to configure this simple yet powerful feature.

Kevin Wallace, CCIEx2 (R/S and Collaboration) #7945

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One of the new topics on the new CCNA R/S v3 exam is Quality of Service (QoS). Having taught QoS for many years, I’ve noticed that one of the topics students find most challenging is QoS Traffic Markings.

This topic is all about how the binary math works behind the scenes to mark our traffic with specific levels of priority. So, to help demystify this topic, I created a new video (which is part of my upcoming CCNA R/S v3 Complete Video Course), and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

Kevin Wallace, CCIEx2 (R/S and Collaboration) #7945

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You’ve earned your certifications. Maybe you have a college degree, and hopefully some technical experience. Now, it’s time to sell yourself to a prospective employer. We all know first impressions matter, and when it comes to the job seeker, that first impression is often in the form of a resume.

Personally, I’ve poured through tons of resumes while hiring Network Engineers when I was a Network Manager at a university. Of course, I’ve been on the other side of the table too, and have updated and fine-tuned my resume dozens of times.

Resumes need to quickly let a hiring manager get a sense for how you can help their company meet their objectives. Towards that end, let’s check out five quick tips for honing your technical resume.

Tip #1: Be Brief

A mistake I’ve made in my resumes, is being way too verbose. What I failed to realize is more is not necessarily better when it comes to resumes. A hiring manager is wading through a pile of resumes....

When you’re reviewing the list of topics on the new CCNA R/S version 3 exam, one topic that’s sure to stand out is the APIC-EM Path Trace ACL Analysis Tool. That’s a very long name for a very new feature, and this video demonstrates it for you. Specifically, you’ll see how we can have the APIC-EM discover a network topology and then synthetically predict how traffic will flow (or be blocked) as it travels through a network.

Kevin Wallace, CCIEx2 (R/S and Collaboration) #7945

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The recently announced CCNA R/S version 3 includes a collection of topics falling under the category of Network Programmability. The underlying technology here is Software Defined Network (SDN), which allows network device configurations to be orchestrated through software applications. Basically, instead of accessing a router or switch command line to enter traditional Cisco IOS commands, we can write a program (typically written in the Python programming language) to make changes to one or more devices. So, the purpose of this blog post is for you to learn the theory and architecture behind SDN.

The Promise of SDN

Traditional networks, where we individually configure routers and switches, simply do not scale well nor do they adapt well to dynamic environments. For example, maybe you run an e-commerce business, and you’re about to announce a big sale. To handle the anticipated spike in traffic, you spin up some virtual machines (VMs) and want to route a...

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network with geographically separate locations, and these locations can be interconnected in a variety of topologies. This video shows you the three WAN topologies you need to know for the CCNA R/S version 3 exam.

Kevin Wallace, CCIEx2 (R/S and Collaboration) #7945, CCSI 20061

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The new CCNA R/S version 3 exam requires you to know how to configure static routing, for both IPv4 and IPv6 networks.

This video, which is a sample from my upcoming CCNA R/S v3 Complete Video Course, shows you how to configure four types of IPv4 static routes:

• Static Network Route
• Static Host Route
• Static Default Route
• Floating Static Route

Kevin Wallace, CCIEx2 (R/S and Collaboration) #7945, CCSI 20061

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There are lots of things that I intend to get around to, sooner or later. One day, I’m going to clean out a bunch of old clothes from my closet. One day, I’m going to clean out my garage, and get it organized. The sobering fact, however, is I’ve had these intentions for a LONG time, and I’ve done nothing about them. If I were truly committed to getting these things done, I would put them on my calendar.

What gets scheduled, gets done. – Kevin Wallace

The unfortunate thing with all too many IT careers is we have good intentions to learn about some emerging technology, but, like my intention to clean out my closet, we never get focused on it. This reminds me of a story I a shared in my book Your Route to Cisco Career Success. The story was about a time when my director asked for my input on a decision regarding promoting a staff member. My director explained that this person had eleven years of experience. My rebuttal was they did not have eleven years...

For me, the addition of QoS to the list of topic areas for the new CCNA R&S version 3 exam was a great thing. The reason is, QoS is my absolute favorite Cisco topic. So, I couldn’t wait to start recording the QoS portion of my CCNA R&S v3 Complete Video Course.

In fact, I recently shot this video on two of the most misunderstood QoS topics, Policing and Shaping. I thought this video could help you, whether you’re studying the Routing and Switching track or the Collaboration track. 

Kevin Wallace, CCIEx2 (R/S and Collaboration) #7945, CCSI 20061

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It’s a timeless paradox… “How can I get a job without experience, and how can I get experience without a job?” If you find yourself in such a situation, this blog post is going to show you a couple of ways to add experience to your resume.

Let’s say you worked hard to earn your CCNA R/S certification. However, when you submit your resume to perspective employers, you don’t get the interview, because you don’t have any experience. That’s an all-to-common reality for many entering the IT field. So, how can you get that elusive experience without that even more elusive job? Here are a couple of strategies you might consider:

1. Volunteer

There are plenty of charitable organizations out there that would welcome your services. For example, I volunteered to setup a wireless network for my church. You could do something similar, and ask if your volunteer position could be given a job title. Now, you’ve got some experience to add to...