Storage Lab Scheduling

[colin.mcnamara]

Good evening everyone,

I am trying to schedule my Storage Lab, however each time I log onto the scheduling tool I am told that no lab dates are available.

Is anyone else having this problem?

--Colin

[carenas123]

Try the following URL for Certification support:

http://ciscocert.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ciscocert.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/san/lab_exam.html

[colin.mcnamara]

Yeah, already went there. The staff is pretty much on vacation over the holidays. I thought I would ping here and see if any other lab candidates were having a similar problem.

--Colin

[stephen2615]

I wonder if locations other than Brussels and RTP can offer these exams even though they don't appear to do so. If not, then the cost of sitting the exam becomes outrageous especially if you have to do it again.

Both those locations involve international travel for me if Sydney can't do it.

Stephen

[colin.mcnamara]

Yup, brussels and RTP are the only options.

I guess that is more incentive to pass on the first try ;)

--Colin

[stephen2615]

Wow.. no wonder there are no CCIE's in Storage that I know of.

During a recent episode with a vendor, they said they were organising for a number of their staff to be certified. Yeah.. right. These people think that you should have one zone in one zoneset in one VSAN. When I refused to allow them to put more than one initiator in each zone, the consultants got a bit flustered but eventually agreed to my demands.

When they tried to spread a VSAN across two switches and that stopped them dead in their tracks, I had to look on in wonder. After letting them sweat on it for a couple of hours, I showed them how to do it.

The last time I went to the US, it cost the company lots as we have to fly business due to the length of the flight. All up, an exam would cost well over $10k so you have to pass. The best part about this is getting highly skilled staff internally as security is always a problem. I think it is money well spent.

Your lucky, you only have a couple of hundred miles to travel.

Stephen

[colin.mcnamara]

Yeah, last time I checked there are only 59 storage CCIE's in the world. I would bet that 50 of them work for Cisco ;).

The performance of your "partners" seems just ludicrus. I guess there is one positive though, it incourages your employer to fly you around the world ;).

I am actually on the west coast, so it is only a 6 hour flight. That is still much better then 17 hours It would take you.

[colin.mcnamara]

Looks like the tool became unclogged. I just scheduled for May 8th 2008.

[stephen2615]

It seems that if you speak up, someone listens. I may be able to do the lab in Sydney. Probably by then, it will be SAN-OS 3.0.x.

I suppose my wife wont be seeing a space shuttle launch now.

Stephen

[lilianfyj]

Colin,

Do you mind to share what material and strategy you are using to prepare the lab exam?

I finished the written in December, and is look for study resources for the lab. I have been searching the internet for months, but find not much useful information. It seems storage is not as hot as the other CCIE Cert.

Thanks

Lilian

[colin.mcnamara]

Well, to start with I did all the E-training that was available for the Support and Design Specialist certifications.

Then I read Long's storage protocols fundamentals

I have been using the resources available on Partner E-Learning Central.

Along with 8 hour labs from Labgear.net

I am also ordering the iementor storage workbook for their full labs.

I am also trying to work up my own lab scenarios in an attempt to be crueler than the proctors ;) (if any proctors are reading this.. that was a joke)

When is your lab scheduled? and what resources are you using?

[lilianfyj]

I have not scheduled the lab exam as not feeling prepared.

I got my Support and Design Specialist certifications before I went for the written.

I also use Partner E-Learning Central, but the lab there is only 2 hours, how did you get the 8 hours lab from labgear.net?

I just ordered the workbook from iementor, waiting for it to arrive. It seems that is the only workbook available. I am trying to find study group for CCIE storage(forum), do you know of any?

[colin.mcnamara]

Nothing will get your prepared faster then scheduling a date :).

I don't know if you have figured it out with PEC. But you can save your configs to a tftp server in the lab - 10.0.0.198. That way if you are working on something through the PEC interface and you time out, you can log back in and finish them.

As for the 8 hour sessions, contact your channel SE and they should be able to help you out.

There is one storage group on Yahoo that is mostly spam.

I have been privately working with a few other engineers prepping. If you want send me a ping at colin at 2cups.com .

[stephen2615]

I would be interested in knowing what to really expect with the lab. The helpful tips that are posted on the site are very similar to what my university exam preparations were but as all university's want their students to pass, they often provide hints.

Lets look at a normal environment at work with core edge topologies and SAN extension, be it native fibre or FCIP with some FICON chucked in and other miscellaneous stuff like port channels and assigning QOS for a VSAN in the channel.

Also, bearing in mind, the technical stuff has been done in the written exam.

There is mention of speed in the lab which is strange as a consultant will take their time to get it right (and obviously make more money doing so).

When I look at the lab blueprint, the only thing that would bother me is diagnostics. There is no way you should expect to be required to mull over lots of ethereal information in an exam unless you are some kind of guru savant.

Would there be some requirement to troubleshoot something that is basically a head of line blocking issue? There is nothing more frustrating that taking over some one else's work and spending lots of time trying to figure out what is wrong with it.

Bearing all that in mind, if you know what you are doing and have been doing it for some time and you have the documentation handy, is speed the only real demon for this exam?

Cheers

Stephen

[colin.mcnamara]

Well I can only speak from experience in the Routing and Switching track.

Here a some things I learned.

1. Great engineering skills alone will not get you to pass.

2. Time management is essential, you only have 8 hours, and they are packed.

3. Know the doc CD like the back of your hand.

4. The lab isn't about best practices, it is about how brutal and psychotic a config you can put together with a limited number of devices and a limited amount of time.

--Colin