Information Technology Training CCNA Certification Network Design Concepts (640-863 DESGN)

A CCNA Exam seminar allows a basic foundation of network design of Cisco integrated networks based on the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture and is intended as an additional study book for the 640-863 DESGN certification exam.

Certified professionals design routed and switched network infrastructures and services including LAN, WAN, and broadband access.

The related CCNA Exam: Designing for Cisco Internet work Solutions Exam (640-863 DESGN)

In order to get pass this exam you will need to learn to:

* Apply best practices according to Cisco's Service oriented Network Architecture model

* Design scalable and secure routed and switched enterprise LAN, WAN, broadband as well as wireless networks

* Select the appropriate Cisco devices according the pre-settings of the design

Prerequisites: CCNA-level experience is required to successfully understand the concepts presented in this workshop and prepare for the exam.

A list of some of the subjects you will learn:

Cisco Intelligent Information Network. Getting Started with Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture, Cisco As networks and applications built using its Intelligent Information Network. Prepare, plan, design, implement, manage, and optimize (PPDIOO)

The top-down system and network analysis. Ensure that the organizational and technical problems and constraints with a "top down".Tasks and guides to collect customer input and current network infrastructure. Utilities and procedures for assessing, testing and analyzing the current network

Documentation and Testing. The Design Document Cisco and 3rd party Network Management utilities and protocols

Network Hierarchy and Organization Architecture. The Three-layer Hierarchical Network System (Access, Distribution and Core). The six sections of Enterprise Architecture. Methods to set redundancy in the Network

Here is a short clip that the material in this way a course for CCNA Exam Reviews

CCNA Exam

WiMAX WiMAX and beyond

WiMAX, meaning Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology that provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes, from point-to-multipoint links to portable and fully mobile internet access. The technology provides up to 10 Mbps broadband speed without the need for cables. The technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard (also called Broadband Wireless Access) that is intended for wireless "Metropolitan area networks." stations can determine the WiMAX broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30 miles (50 km) to and from 3 to 10 miles (5 -15 km) for mobile stations. On the contrary, WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in the 100 in most cases only - 300 feet (30 - 100m).

With WiMAX, WiFi-like data transfer speeds easily supported, but the problem of interference is reduced. WiMAX operates on both licensed and unlicensed frequencies, aregulated environment and sustainable business model for mobile operators.

WiMAX, the same protocol used for wireless network in a similar way as the more common WiFi. WiMax is a protocol of the second generation of more efficient use of bandwidth avoids interference, and is intended to allow higher data transfer rates over long distances.

1.1.1 Uses

The bandwidth and reach of WiMAX make it suitable for the following applications:

· ConnectionWi-Fi hotspots to the Internet.
· Providing a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for "last mile" broadband access.
· Providing data, telecommunications and IPTV services (triple-play).
· Providing a source of Internet connectivity as part of a business continuity plan. That is, if a business has both a fixed and a wireless Internet connection, especially from unrelated providers, they are unlikely to be affected by the same service outage.
· Providing mobile connectivity.

1.1.2 subscriber units (client units)

WiMAX subscriber units are available in indoor and outdoor versions from several manufacturers. Self-install indoor units are convenient, but radio losses mean that the participant must be clearly closer to the WiMAX base station as the unit professionally installed outdoors. As such, units installed inside require significantly higher investment in infrastructure and operational costs (rent of the site, backhaul,maintenance) due to the high number of base stations required to cover a given area. Indoor units are comparable in size to a cable modem or DSL modem. Outdoor units are roughly the size of a laptop PC, and their installation is comparable to the installation of a residential satellite dish.

With the potential of mobile WiMAX, there is an increasing focus on portable units. This includes handsets (similar to cellular smartphones), PC peripherals (PC Cards or USB dongles), and embedded devices in laptops, which are now available for Wi-Fi services. In addition, there is much emphasis from operators on consumer electronics devices such as Gaming consoles, MP3 players and similar devices. It is notable that WiMAX is more similar to Wi-Fi than to 3G cellular technologies.

Current certified devices can be found at the WiMAX Forum web site. This is not a complete list of devices available as certified modules are embedded into laptops, MIDs (Mobile internet devices), and private labeled devices.

1.1.3 Backhaul/Access Network Applications

WiMAX is a possible replacement candidate for cellular phone technologies such as GSM and CDMA, or can be used as an overlay to increase capacity. It has also been considered as a wireless backhaul technology for 2G, 3G, and 4G networks in both developed and poor nations [1].

WiMAX is a broadband platform and as such has much more substantial backhaul bandwidth requirements than legacy cellular applications. Therefore traditional copper wire line backhaul solutions are not appropriate. Capacities of between 34 Mbps and 1 Gbps are routinely being deployed with latencies in the order of 1ms. In many cases, operators are aggregating sites using wireless technology and then presenting traffic on to fiber networks where convenient.

1.2 Technical Information

WiMAX refers to interoperable implementations of the IEEE 802.16 wireless-networks standard, in similarity with Wi-Fi, which refers to interoperable implementations of the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN standard.

1.2.1 Physical Layer

The original version of the standard on which WiMAX is based (IEEE 802.16) specified a physical layer operating in the 10 to 66 GHz range. 802.16a updated in 2004 to 802.16-2004, added specifications for the 2 to 11 GHz range. 802.16-2004 was updated by 802.16e-2005 in 2005 and uses scalable orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (SOFDMA) as opposed to the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) version with 256 sub-carriers (of which 200 are used) in 802.16d. More advanced versions, including 802.16e, also bring multiple antenna support through MIMO. This brings potential benefits in terms of coverage, self installation, power consumption, frequency re-use and bandwidth efficiency. 802.16e also adds a capability for full mobility support. The WiMAX certification allows vendors with 802.16d products to sell their equipment as WiMAX certified, thus ensuring a level of interoperability with other certified products, as long as they fit the same profile.

1.2.2 MAC (Data Link) Layer

In Wi-Fi the media access controller (MAC) uses contention access - all subscriber stations that wish to pass data through a wireless access point (AP) are competing for the AP's attention on a random interrupt basis. This can cause subscriber stations distant from the AP to be repeatedly interrupted by closer stations, greatly reducing their throughput.

In contrast, the 802.16 MAC uses a scheduling algorithm for which the subscriber station needs to compete only once (for initial entry into the network). After that it is allocated an access slot by the base station. The time slot can enlarge and contract, but remains assigned to the subscriber station, which means that other subscribers cannot use it. In addition to being stable under overload and over-subscription, the 802.16 scheduling algorithm can also be more bandwidth efficient. The scheduling algorithm also allows the base station to control QoS parameters by balancing the time-slot assignments among the application needs of the subscriber stations.

1.2.3 Integration with an IP-based Network

The WiMAX Forum has proposed an architecture that defines how a WiMAX network can be connected with an IP based core network, which is typically chosen by operators that serve as Internet Service Providers (ISP); Nevertheless the WiMAX BS provide seamless integration capabilities with other types of architectures as with packet switched Mobile Networks.

The WiMAX forum proposal defines a number of components, plus some of the interconnections (or reference points) between these, labeled R1 to R5 and R8:

· SS/MS: the Subscriber Station/Mobile Station
· ASN: the Access Service Network [2]
· BS: Base station, part of the ASN
· ASN-GW: the ASN Gateway, part of the ASN
· CSN: the Connectivity Service Network
· HA: Home Agent, part of the CSN NAP: a Network Access Provider
· NSP: a Network Service Provider

It is important to note that the functional architecture can be designed into various hardware configurations rather than fixed configurations. For example, the architecture is flexible enough to allow remote/mobile stations of varying scale and functionality and Base Stations of varying size - e.g. femto, pico, and mini BS as well as macros.

1.2.4 Comparison with Wi-Fi

Comparisons and confusion between WiMAX and Wi-Fi are frequent because both are related to wireless connectivity and Internet access.

· WiMAX is a long range system, covering many kilometers that uses licensed or unlicensed spectrum to deliver a point-to-point connection to the Internet.
· Different 802.16 standards provide different types of access, from portable (similar to a cordless phone) to fixed (an alternative to wired access, where the end user's wireless termination point is fixed in location.)
· Wi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum to provide access to a network.
· Wi-Fi is more popular in end user devices.
· WiMAX and Wi-Fi have quite different quality of service (QoS) mechanisms:
· WiMAX uses a QoS mechanism based on connections between the base station and the user device. Each connection is based on specific scheduling algorithms.
· Wi-Fi has a QoS mechanism similar to fixed Ethernet, where packets can receive different priorities based on their tags. For example VoIP traffic may be given priority over web browsing.
· Wi-Fi runs on the Media Access Control's CSMA/CA protocol, which is connectionless and contention based, whereas WiMAX runs a connection-oriented MAC.
· Both 802.11 and 802.16 define Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and ad hoc networks, where an end user communicates to users or servers on another Local Area Network (LAN) using its access point or base station.

1.2.5 Spectrum Allocation Issues

There is no uniform global licensed spectrum for WiMAX, although the WiMAX Forum has published three licensed spectrum profiles: 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz, in an effort to decrease cost. Economies of scale dictate that the more WiMAX embedded devices such as mobile phones and WiMAX-embedded laptops are produced, the lower the unit cost (The two highest cost components of producing a mobile phone are the silicon and the extra radio needed for each band).

WiMAX profiles define channel size, TDD/FDD and other necessary attributes in order to have inter-operating products. The current fixed profiles are defined for both TDD and FDD profiles. At this point, all of the mobile profiles are TDD only. The fixed profiles have channel sizes of 3.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 7 MHz and 10 MHz. The mobile profiles are 5 MHz, 8.75 MHz and 10 MHz. (Note: the 802.16 standard allows a far wider variety of channels, but only the above subsets are supported as WiMAX profiles).

1.2.6 Spectral Efficiency

One of the significant advantages of advanced wireless systems such as WiMAX is spectral efficiency. For example, 802.16-2004 (fixed) has a spectral efficiency of 3.7 (bit/s)/Hertz, and other 3.5-4G wireless systems offer spectral efficiencies that are similar to within a few tenths of a percent. The notable advantage of WiMAX comes from combining SOFDMA with smart antenna technologies. This multiplies the effective spectral efficiency through multiple reuse and smart network deployment topologies. The direct use of frequency domain organization simplifies designs using MIMO-AAS compared to CDMA/WCDMA methods, resulting in more effective systems.

1.2.7 Limitations

A commonly-held misconception is that WiMAX will deliver 70 Mbit/s over 50 kilometers (30 miles). In reality, WiMAX can either operate at higher bitrates or over longer distances but not both: operating at the maximum range of 50 km increases bit error rate and thus results in a much lower bitrates. Conversely, reducing the range (to less than 1 km) allows a device to operate at higher bitrates. There are no known examples of WiMAX services being delivered at bit rates over around 40 Mbit/s.

Typically, fixed WiMAX networks have a higher-gain directional antenna installed near the client (customer) which results in greatly increased range and throughput. Mobile WiMAX networks are usually made of indoor "Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) such as desktop modems, laptops with integrated Mobile WiMAX and mobile WiMAX devices. Mobile WiMAX devices typically have an omnidirectional antenna, which are lower gain than directional antennas, but more portable. In current implementations, the speed of 2 Mbit / s symmetric at 10 km with fixed WiMAX and create a high-gain antenna. It 'also important to remember that a speed of 2 Mbit / s can mean 2 Mbit / s symmetric at the same time, 1Mbit/s symmetric or some asymmetric mix (e.g. 0.5 Mbit/s downlink and 1.5 Mbit/s uplink or 1.5 Mbit/s downlink and 0.5 Mbit/s uplink), each of which required slightly different network equipment and configurations. Higher-gain directional antennas can be used with a WiMAX network with range and throughput benefits but the obvious loss of practical mobility. Like most wireless systems, available bandwidth is shared between users in a given radio sector, so performance could deteriorate in the case of many active users in a single sector. In practice, most users will have a range of 2-3 Mbit/s services and additional radio cards will be added to the base station to increase the number of users that may be served as required.

Because of these limitations, the general consensus is that WiMAX requires various granular and distributed network architectures to be incorporated within the IEEE 802.16 task groups. This includes wireless mesh, grids, network remote station repeaters which can extend networks and connect to backhaul.

Obtain CWNP Wireless LAN Certification

The CWNP certification or the Certified Wireless Network Professional is a very prestigious certification and has recently become the global industry standards for wireless LAN technology. It is probably the only one of its kind in the IT industry for providing independent training and certification for wireless networking. Having one such certification in your hands opens new and vast career opportunities to your way. Lately the trend of communication technology is heading for wireless systems and having a CWNP wireless LAN certification not only validates the fact that you are a master in this evolving field of technology but also opens the door to extremely high paying jobs which are not accessible otherwise.

The CWNP Wireless LAN Training and Certification is basically meant to combine the existing networking knowledge with wireless networking protocols. The CWNP wireless LAN certification exam consists of 90 multiple choice questions. The cut off score is 80% which clearly demonstrates that to get this CWNP certification you need to be excellent in the field of networking and wireless technology. The main areas of coverage includes Radio frequency technologies, 802.11 a/b/g RF Transmission, 802.11 WLAN and WWAN Infrastructure as per the wireless industry standards, 802.11 Wireless LAN Operation which is the most common of its type, WLAN Implementation and Management, Troubleshooting and Optimizing 802.11 Networks and the most importantly WLAN security. You have to attend the CWNP training course at LEVER Technology Group PLC training centers where study guides and practice tests are available at discounted price. The types of questions are quite diverse and complex, so proper understanding of the subject is very essential.

Usually the training course if properly followed and executed is sufficient for the exams but the more you practice, more it is better for you. You can also take the virtual online test engine from pass4sure guaranteed to get you through in the very first attempt, failing of which do 100% money refund. Though these sharpen your weak as well as strong points still the ultimate success entirely depends on the labor you put in it.

OSPF Simulation Tutorial for Beginners (Interactive, Visual)

OSPF is a complex protocol. To help beginners grasp abstract its concepts, a different approach is taken -- Visualizing OSPF simulation. This tutorial, OSPF basic, simulates the basic OSPF activities on a simple topology: H1-R1-R2-H2. R1 and R2 are routers. H1 and H2 are hosts. This simulation shows 4 stages:

1) R1 and R2 are not running OSPF. H1 ping H2. It fails.
2) Start OSPF on two routers. R1 and R2 discover each other as neighbors by flooding Hello.
3) R1 and R2 develop Full relationship and synchronize their LSA (Link State Advertisement) database by sending DD, Request, and Update. R1 and R2 refresh their routing tables. H1 and H2 become reachable.
4) H1 pings H2 again. It succeeds this time.

Q1. What is OSPF?

Answer: OSPF is a link state routing protocol. OSPF routers exchange their Link State Advertisement (OSPF LSA) to learn interface IP addresses from each other. Each router saves its LSAs in its Link State Database (LSDB.) Neighboring nodes synchronize their LSDBs. With consistent LSDBs, OSPF routers are able to calculate shortest paths to reach destinations.

Q2. What does OSPF do?

Answer: Roughly, OSPF is going through the following stages:

1) OSPF node creates a Router LSA to describe its interface IP addresses. This LSA is the most basic LSA.
2) Routers discover neighbors by flooding Hello. When a pair find each other, they are in 2-way state.
3) Neighbors synchronize their LSDBs in three steps:
i. Send DD to get LSDB catalog from each other.
ii. Send Request to ask for missing LSAs.
iii. Send Update to transmit LSAs requested.
When two neighbors have the same LSDB, they are in Full Adjacency state.
4) With the same LSDB, routers have consistent knowledge of the network topology and interface IP addresses. They can calculate routing paths independently and update their routing tables. The collection of routing tables from OSPF routers provides the shortest paths between destinations.

Q3. What is Router LSA?

Answer: Each OSPF router creates a Router LSA to describe its interfaces' IP addresses. In a very simple OSPF network, only Router LSAs are needed to calculate shortest paths.

Q4. What does Router LSA do?

Answer: In a simple OSPF network (no LAN, no area), neighboring nodes exchange their Router LSAs and learn how many links its neighbor has, and their interface IP addresses. After neighbor propagation, all OSPF nodes have the same set of Router LSAs in their LSDBs. Now they have the same knowledge of network topology.

Q5. How can a router use LSDB to calculate routing paths?

Answer: From LSDB, an OSPF node learns the complete topology of the network: the number of routers being connected; Individual router's interfaces and their IP addresses; Interface link costs (OSPF metric). With such detail information, OSPF calculates shortest paths to reach all destinations found in LSDB.
For example [a], in the OSPF simulation, R1's LSDB contains two Router LSAs:

1) R1 originated LSA contains two IP addresses: 192.168.1.0/24,192.168.3.0/30.
2) R2 originated LSA contains two IP addresses: 192.168.2.0/24,192.168.3.0/30.
After LSDB synchronization, R1 and R2 both have these two LSAs. And they know that R1 and R2 are connected by the link 192.168.3.0. Now R1 can calculate routing path to reach remote destination 192.11.68.2.2 and adds an entry (192.168.2.0/24, S1/0) to its routing table.

Note [a]: This article is the FAQ of OSPF simulation. After reading, you can play the interactive simulation listed in External Links. It visualize OSPF work flow with moving packets are changing tables.

Understanding the Parts of the Motherboard Can Make You Wiser to Build Your Computer

When you are planning to build your computer you need to understand the parts of the motherboard. This is essential for you to know the importance of each part and what makes your system slower or faster. And the good thing here is that you'll learn how to choose your own computer parts wisely.

The following explains the major parts of motherboard

1. CPU socket - is a part of motherboard that holds the processor in proper place. Sometimes called ZIF socket (zero insertion force) because it allows the processor to be inserted without any resistance or effortless and to be locked in proper place with the lever arm.

2. Chipset - It comes with two parts the Northbridge and the Southbridge chipset. The Northbridge handles the communications between the processor, RAM, ROM BIOS, PCI-E and AGP it also connects the Southbridge. The Southbridge manages the slower capabilities of motherboard such as the SATA, IDE, USB, Audio and LAN. In short, the Northbridge is a memory controller for fast capabilities and the Southbridge is an I/O controller for slower capabilities. In AMD64 processor the Northbridge was integrated to the processor.

3. Memory slot - It holds the memory module of your computer. Sometimes it is called memory banks. It has 2 types, the single channel and the dual channel. With the single channel you can install any number of memories while in dual channel you can only install the memories in pair with identical size and speed.

4. Interface connectors - It connects the drives from the motherboard. IDE or ATA (advance technology attachment) It connects the hard drives and optical drives in which you can attach 2 drives on the same cable one for the master and the other is the slave. Newer motherboard uses SATA (serial advance technology attachment) it is much faster than the ATA but it can only support one drive. And the older floppy drives connector which is almost obsolete nowadays. It can only support the floppy drive.

5. Expansion slots - There are 3 types of expansion slots that are most popular in use today. First is the AGP (accelerated graphics ports) slot, this is being used in video card. It comes with 2x, 4x and 8x speed in which the 8x is the fastest. Second is the PCI (peripheral component interconnect) slot, which is the commonly used on almost all cards like, LAN, sound, modem and other I/O controllers. And the latest PCI-Express (or simply PCI-E) slot, PCI-E 16x is mainly used for graphics card which is now the most widely used because it is much faster than the AGP. The PCI-E 1x is being used for common add-in cards such as LAN card, sound card and other peripheral add-in cards.

6. Back panel connectors - This part are connectors at the back of the casing of your CPU. They are used to connect your mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor, audio, mic and other peripherals you may want to connect.

HP Envy 17 Review - Beauty and Power

The HP Envy 17 is a sophisticated notebook introduced by HP. Do not be surprised if this notebook performs far much better than your desktop computer because it includes advanced graphics and high end Intel processors. Made out of amazing laser-etched aluminum body, it supports up to three external displays - a feature that is absent in other consumer laptops.

The new HP Envy 17 includes Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost and the option of upgrading to Core i7 with Quad Core, 4GB DDR3 system memory with option to expand to 8GB, up to 1TB dual hard drive with optional 160GB Solid State drive flash module. It runs on Genuine Windows 7Home Premium 64-bit for simplified PC activities. For best gaming performance, it also includes ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics with 1GB of ultra fast DDR5 VRAM and DirectX 11.

The HP Envy 17 comes with an integrated security solution called HP ProtectSmart, which detects if your laptop is being dropped and automatically locks hard drives to prevent potential data loss.

As for the connectivity of the notebook, the Intel draft Wireless-N Wi-Fi with optional Bluetooth ensure that you remain connected in public hotspots and the integrated Gigabit Ethernet LAN port for a high-speed connection. A new digital multimedia interface called HDMI has also been included. Through the HMDI connection, both high-definition video and multi-channel, digital audio are brought to digital display devices such as HDTV, plasma displays, LCD TVs and projectors.

The notebook also includes a 5-in-1 digital media card reader, 3 USB 2.0 ports; 1 shared with the high-speed eSATA combo port, 1 Mini-Display port for connecting a super HD display, 1 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port for data transfer up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and HP QuickWeb for connecting to the Web and e-mail.

The ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology is a cool feature that allows the user to connect up to three external displays. According to the manufacturer, HP Envy 17's 17.3 inch smooth HD screen has a color gamut of 45 percent meaning the viewing is crystal clear. An optional 1080 pixel Full HD screen with super sharp resolution and 72% color gamut is also available.

HP offers great discounts to customers with HP discount coupons. These coupons are available online. You are advised to apply for the coupons so that you save money on the HP Envy 17 and other HP products.

Learn in Detail About CCDP Certification

CCDP stands for Cisco Certified Design Profession. As the name suggests, it is related to designing networks. CCDP Certification is about professional level of network design principles and concepts. It not only requires the networking knowledge but also a relevant experience in the same field. In brief, the candidate applying for CCDP Certification should have a vast knowledge about designing switched networks including WAN (Wireless Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), and other access services. The candidate should be well aware of how to satisfy the technical and the business needs of the client by applying the modular designing.

The aspirants of this certification must be aware of the prerequisites for the CCDP certification, which is to first get through the initial certifications that is CCNA and CCDA certification. Once the candidate completes the first two certifications, he becomes eligible for appearing for the CCDP Certification. Now, to get through this certification, a candidate is required to pass three mandatory exams. There are two ways to clear these exams, the first one is one exam pattern and the other is a two exam pattern. If a candidate chooses the one by one pattern, then first he/she has to clear BSCI (Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks) of 90 minutes duration, next BCMSN (Building Cisco Multilayer Switched networks), which is also of 90 minutes and lastly ARCH {Designing Cisco Network Architectures} again of 90 minutes.

If a candidate chooses the two exam pattern, then he/she has to clear BSCI and BCMSN in a combined way and then appear for the third one that is ARCH. The questions asked in the exams are mixture of drag and drop, simulations and multiple choices. The number of questions may vary in all the exams. CCDP certification is valid for three years so it is always advisable to take the two exams pattern. And in order to recertify, candidates have to pass any CCIE or CCDE written exam before the expiry date of the certification. The relevant guides and books are easily available online and in book stores or you may take up a specialized training in it.