CLI commands issue any model

[D4niel]

Hello.

I am studying on my own to get the CCNA qualification and I really like it.

During my practice on two devices Catalyst WS C-2950-24 (very old) and Cisco 887VAW and upon trying to apply the knowledge from Mr Wendell Odom I have realized that each single day I am struggling to actually use the CLI commands on this two machines because they are not accepted or has to be a different version of the commands.

Following this issue which is slowing me down and drain my energy because I can't just practice the commands but always I had to waste time to "find" the right commands I have start to think about what will happen during the CCNA exam? I may get in troubles during the exam because I will not be able to use the right version of CLI commands.

I have tried all over the internet to find the right set of commands which I will have to use during the CCNA exam but no success. I have no solution on this issue and each day I am stocked in the same problem, my switch and my router they are not taking some of my commands which I am learning from Mr Wendell which is leading me to wasting the day to guess or search.

My plan is to buy a 3560CG or 3560CX because they allow me to practice some protocols and technologies which are more advanced comparing with 2950 and 887 and I can make some challenging lab combination with all machines together but still I don't know if I will have the right commands into CCNA exam with me.

Please help.

Daniel

[Martin L]

First of all you are sort of in wrong support forum; you should go to CLN where we provide support for "learning" technologies, study materials, exams and cert support.  this support forum is more real-world issues and device tech support. see link below

2. you should get free Packet tracer from Net academy -a software simulator but very good one. it will do the job at ccna level, not higher.  everyone uses PT to learn ccna

Start with PT and compare to what you have experienced on real gear.

If you really want to purchase gear, then look at 3750X switches with IOS 15.x. Similarly IOS 15 for routing. Exam is based on IOS 15.  What you have is probably IOS version 12.x Commands change a bit, not to mention device capabilities.  But, Cisco does not ask for "exact" command on exam as long as you get there or get results to answer question or fix issue.

Search for posts regarding study materials and how to pass exam on CLN.

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/topic/0TO3i0000008jYHGAY/ccna-certification-community

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/question/0D53i00000Kt7KKCAZ/packet-tracer-730-now-available

Regards, ML
**Please Rate All Helpful Responses **

[D4niel]

Hi, thank you for your reply Martin.

Sorry for messing up the place with my issue. Simply I am just now finding all the places which can help me so I didn't know about Learning Community.

I have already try to use Packet Tracer at the beginning and was the same issue.

So I am reading and learning the knowledge and after I am opening CLI and try to apply exactly what I have learn and finding out that some of the commands literally are not excepted at all or they are excepted but in a different version.

For example I can't fully operate with vlan trunks because I can't input the right commands.

The plan to purchase 3560CG or CX was because they are small and fan less so would be suitable for a private room in a house but you right because 3750X they do have IOS 15 so that will be more important.

I'am stocked in this commands issue.

That takes lots of time and it makes a constant draw back to always stop learning to look for commands.

[Martin L]

perhaps you need step-by-step structured labs for PT or other simulators. using real gear, you sort of may need to adopt "paper" labs to gear you have. I started learning with Boson very long time ago; before PT even existed I think. then, W. Odom came out with his own Simulator and books, which I liked and learned from them. His Sim should still be there for you with new CCNA v7 books.
If you go to CLN site and browse thru topics, you can find help on how to study and pass CCNA. Recently people have been recommending Udemy courses with labs which are made for PT. if you have books, just find udemy labs, open them in PT and practice.

On the side notes: I have been recommending Wendell's books for last 12 years!
PT came from Net Academy official classes where you get PT and lab manuals.

[D4niel]

I have started at very first beginning with udemy and other similar sites as well and always trying to not spend money because I was thinking that all the info is already on the net and its just up to me to find it out but I was slightly wrong.  

Firstly, indeed all the info is there already on the net but it is not structured and arranged in lessons which will allow you to systematically comprehend from low difficulty to gradually go more up and up, basically it is not the best option for very first beginners. Secondly, most of those writers they want money in a way or another, maybe from the beginning or maybe later on and even so the quality of the materials will be quite low and quite chaotic without a logical beginning or an end.

I was thinking there is no hope for me until I have found this gentleman Mr Wendell Odom which as well he wants some money for his materials but he actually earn those money by putting a huge effort into all his materials to bring them up to a didactic level where simply beginners, very very beginners they are able to pickup and get higher levels with their knowledge.

My only draw back are these CLI commands which are literally destroy my whole learning. As well, that means not only during the learning process or in the CCNA exam but always, all the career a network engineer will search for the right commands when facing a different model.

[Martin L]

a network engineer will search for the right commands when facing a different model.

no, it is not that bad. there are few differences between using IOS versus XE or XR or NX models but within IOSes, only very few commands differs between IOS 12.4 and 15.x  Perhaps there were big differences when comparing older models, which means you went too far down (or "old") model (IOS version). 

Most of us don't remember all of the commands.  We use context-help "?" and "tab" a lot. 

Forgot to mention videos may help you learning by watching and following video. check Keith Barker channel on youtube , he will help you out especially on Sunday study group/talk.

best of luck!

[Richard Burts]

I have several comments that I hope may be helpful:

- I agree with Martin that most discussions about preparing for certification exams are better done in the Learning Network forums. We are glad to answer questions in this community, but our focus is more on how things work and how to figure out what is going on when they do not work. We also have a focus on how to set things up, how to implement networks, when there are multiple ways to achieve an objective how to choose the better alternative.

- there are always differences in syntax for how to achieve something based on differences in platforms and based on differences in versions of code. I would suggest that when your focus is on preparing for certification exams that publications like Odum and tools like PT are better because they have a real effort to reflect the most current ways of implementing things. Devices like your router and your switch are good at training you on how things work, but I would suggest that they are not optimum in training you for certification exams because they do not operate with the more current syntax for commands.

- I would suggest that there are 2 ways of studying for knowledge in networking (and that there is great overlay between the two). One way is to study on how things in the network really work (how do addressing and subnetting really work, how do static routes really work, how do dynamic routing protocols really work, how does route filtering really work, how does filtering of traffic in the network really work, etc). The other way is to study to prepare for certification exams. Certainly the more you know about how things really work the better prepared you should be for passing certification exams. I would suggest that when you want to study for how things really work that you should focus on using real equipment. If you look through posts in this community you will find MANY instances where someone has used an emulator like PT and discovered that it does not really work for a particular scenario. But if your focus is on preparing for a certification exam like CCNA the an emulator like PT if the best way to go. It covers the basic functions and it certainly focuses on implementing the more current syntax.

[D4niel]

Thank you for your advice.

I have just ordered a C3560X which will arrive in a few days time and it is a 15.x IOS  and I will try to see if that will work better regarding the syntax.

It is extremely frustrating to get jammed each single day and waste very precious time because the machine it is keep replying in IOS     "% Invalid input detected at '>' marker"      which is not actually that I am in the wrong access level but just because the machine doesn't recognize the syntax without any clue even if I will use the "?" help.

For now I am using PuTTY and Packet Tracer in Windows 7 but I am trying as well to learn linux in Fedora-Red Hat so for example I am trying to find a way to install Packet Tracer in Fedora and then instruct Fedora that I will use a USB as a serial connection because otherwise I cant use a rollover cable between the laptop USB and the console port, Fedora its just not able to open the port.

I was learning Spanning Tree from Wendell Odom and I have found that the things start to complicate when he describe STP and then he is continue with RSTP and then he is adding on top EtherChannel and then he is topping up with PVST and then PVST+ and then PaGP and LACP so I have start to lose him so I have tried Martin advice so tried youtube with Keith Barker and he is giving the tools how to set all that on the switch all the configuration and even verify that configuration and after finally I did start to get his message I have jumped on my C2950 to apply all the syntax but it didn't work so I have swap with 887VAW but still syntax not working and then PT quit as well so I was left with no tool at all, no lab and confused about what machines are this people using.

[Martin L]

if you do not have serial port on PC/laptop, you will need a serial-to-USB convertor/adapter cable; those are cheap on Amazon. Or usb console cable (so u do not need adapter).

when you see "% Invalid input detected at '>' marker" or command not accepted, you might be in wrong configuration mode Or not even in privilege (enable) mode;

any configuration examples you can find , they are assuming that your are in enabled mode or/and even in global configuration mode. you can grab configs from a text file and paste into device. Those examples may be missing enable and config t commands.
grab new c2960 in Packet tracer, type enable , then config t , then hostname SW2960
did host-name of a switch change?

[D4niel]

I do have already a few rollover cables but no serial port on my laptops, one laptop on Windows 7 and the other one on Fedora. The rollover cable it is the link between the console port and the laptop USB. The Windows one has accepted easily the transition because the cable maker has provided a driver but the Fedora one it is not opening the rollover port even if I do all the settings in PuTTY so I have to learn how to instruct Fedora that that particular USB port has become serial now and this instructions has come from superuser level. Still learning on that.

Yes, the changing hostname command it is working in PT and on my gear too but the commands which they are not working for example are actually the ones to change the configuration in SpanningTree or EtherChannel. I have tried to use exactly the same like Keith Barker as he is showing his monitor while doing the setup and surprise, on my gear exactly the same commands are not accepted.

To explain better I will give a very very basic/simple example. Keith its getting into interface range mode in his video to get prepared for setting up EtherChannel by using:
"(config)# int range gig 0/0, gig 1/2"

Now I have started to play hide and seek with my gear so I have started to guess and try different version of same syntax so here we go,

My PT ver 7.3 after 20 or 30 attempts (C2960) he accept a different version of range syntax:
"(config)# int range fa0/1 - fa0/3"

My 887VAW after another 20 or 30 attempts he accept this version for same range syntax:
"(config)# int range fa0-3"

My C2950 after another 20 or 30 attempts he accept this one:
"(config)# int range fa0/3"

Please bare in mind that each single dot or space or no space or dash or anything like that, each single smallest detail will make the IOS to not accept the syntax unless I am typing exactly like I have shown above.

[Martin L]

oh, yes, range command is the most inconstant command per IOS and models. I do not use it at all; I use notepad and copy paste config changing port numbers.

[D4niel]

How is this notepad method?

 How exactly you do this?

[Martin L]

usually we use notepad or notepad ++ to copy, edit whatever changes you need like hostnames, descriptions, etc, and paste configs from and back to Putty window.
do sh run on any a switch, then select all and copy into a notepad blank text document. then change a hostname, open another switch CLI and paste text (into global config mode). some settings may not transfer or be accepted by new switch (i.e. 48-port to 24-port switch), CLI will show you error. same thing for routers.