Product Description

This is the eBook version of the printed book. If the print book includes a CD-ROM, this content is not included within the eBook version.

CCNA Security

Official Exam Certification Guide

• Master the IINS 640-553 exam with this official study guide
• Assess your knowledge with chapter-opening quizzes
• Review key concepts with Exam Preparation Tasks
• Practice with realistic exam questions on the CD-ROM

CCNA Security Official Exam Certification Guide is a best of breed Cisco® exam study guide that focuses specifically on the objectives for the CCNA® Security IINS exam. Senior security instructors Michael Watkins and Kevin Wallace share preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics.

CCNA Security Official Exam Certification Guide presents you with an organized test preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. "Do I Know This Already?" quizzes open each chapter and allow you to decide how much time you need to spend on each section. Exam topic lists make referencing easy. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks sections help drill you on key concepts you must know thoroughly.

The companion CD-ROM contains a powerful testing engine that allows you to focus on individual topic areas or take complete, timed exams. The assessment engine also tracks your performance and provides feedback on a topic-by-topic basis, presenting question-by-question remediation to the text and laying out a complete study plan for review.

Well-regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging review questions and exercises, this official study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the exam the first time.

CCNA Security Official Exam Certification Guide is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining.

The official study guide helps you master all the topics on the IINS exam, including

• Network security threats
• Security policies
• Network perimeter defense
• AAA configuration
• Router security
• Switch security
• Endpoint security
• SAN security
• VoIP security
• IOS firewalls
• Cisco IOS® IPS
• Cryptography
• Digital signatures
• PKI and asymmetric encryption
• IPsec VPNs

This volume is part of the Exam Certification Guide Series from Cisco Press®. Books in this series provide officially developed exam preparation materials that offer assessment, review, and practice to help Cisco Career Certification candidates identify weaknesses, concentrate their study efforts, and enhance their confidence as exam day nears.

Category: Cisco Press—Cisco Certification

Covers: IINS exam 640-553

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8540 in eBooks
• Published on: 2008-08-05
• Released on: 2008-08-05
• Format: Kindle Book
• Number of items: 1

About the Author

Michael Watkins, CCNA/CCNP/CCVP/CCSP, is a full-time senior technical instructor with SkillSoft Corporation. With 13 years of network management, training, and consulting experience, he has worked with organizations such as Kraft Foods, Johnson and Johnson, Raytheon, and the U.S. Air Force to help them implement and learn about the latest network technologies. In addition to holding more than 20 industry certifications in the areas of networking and programming technologies, he holds a bachelor of arts degree from Wabash College.

Kevin Wallace, CCIE No. 7945, is a certified Cisco instructor working full time for SkillSoft, where he teaches courses in the Cisco CCSP, CCVP, and CCNP tracks. With 19 years of Cisco networking experience, he has been a network design specialist for the Walt Disney World Resort and a network manager for Eastern Kentucky University. He holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky. He is also a CCVP, CCSP, CCNP, and CCDP, with multiple Cisco security and IP communications specializations.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Congratulations on your decision to pursue a Cisco Certification! If you're reading far enough to look at the introduction to this book, you likely already have a sense of what you ultimately would like to achieve—the Cisco CCNA Security certification. Achieving Cisco CCNA Security certification requires that you pass the Cisco IINS (640-553) exam. Cisco certifications are recognized throughout the networking industry as a rigorous test of a candidate's knowledge of and ability to work with Cisco technology. Through its quality technologies, Cisco has garnered a significant market share in the router and switch marketplace, with more than 80 percent market share in some markets. For many industries and markets around the world, networking equals Cisco. Cisco certification will set you apart from the crowd and allow you to display your knowledge as a networking security professional.

Historically speaking, the first entry-level Cisco certification is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, first offered in 1998.

With the introduction of the CCNA Security certification, Cisco has for the first time provided an area of focus at the associate level. The CCNA Security certification is for networking professionals who work with Cisco security technologies and who want to demonstrate their mastery of core network security principles and technologies.

Format of the IINS Exam

The 640-553 IINS exam follows the same general format of other Cisco exams. When you get to the testing center and check in, the proctor gives you some general instructions and then takes you into a quiet room with a PC. When you're at the PC, you have a few things to do before the timer starts on your exam. For instance, you can take a sample quiz, just to get accustomed to the PC and the testing engine. If you have user-level PC skills, you should have no problems with the testing environment. Additionally, Chapter 16 points to a Cisco website where you can see a demo of the actual Cisco test engine.

When you start the exam, you are asked a series of questions. You answer the question and then move on to the next question. The exam engine does not let you go back and change your answer. When you move on to the next question, that's it for the earlier question.

The exam questions can be in one of the following formats:

• Multiple-choice (MC)

• Testlet

• Drag-and-drop (DND)

• Simulated lab (Sim)

• Simlet

The first three types of questions are relatively common in many testing environments. The multiple-choice format simply requires that you point and click a circle beside the correct answer(s). Cisco traditionally tells you how many answers you need to choose, and the testing software prevents you from choosing too many answers. Testlets are questions with one general scenario, with multiple MC questions about the overall scenario. Drag-and-drop questions require you to click and hold, move a button or icon to another area, and release the mouse button to place the object somewhere else—typically in a list. For example, to get the question correct, you might need to put a list of five things in the proper order.

The last two types both use a network simulator to ask questions. Interestingly, these two types allow Cisco to assess two very different skills. Sim questions generally describe a problem, and your task is to configure one or more routers and switches to fix the problem. The exam then grades the question based on the configuration you changed or added. Interestingly, Sim questions are the only questions that Cisco (to date) has openly confirmed that partial credit is given for.

The Simlet questions may well be the most difficult style of question on the exams. Simlet questions also use a network simulator, but instead of answering the question by changing the configuration, the question includes one or more MC questions. The questions require that you use the simulator to examine the current behavior of a network, interpreting the output of any show commands that you can remember to answer the question. Whereas Sim questions require you to troubleshoot problems related to a configuration, Simlets require you to analyze both working networks and networks with problems, correlating show command output with your knowledge of networking theory and configuration commands.

What's on the IINS Exam?

Cisco wants the public to know both the variety of topics and the kinds of knowledge and skills that are required for each topic, for every Cisco certification exam. To that end, Cisco publishes a set of exam topics for each exam. The topics list the specific subjects, such as ACLs, PKI, and AAA, that you will see on the exam. The wording of the topics also implies the kinds of skills required for that topic. For example, one topic might start with "Describe...", and another might begin with "Describe, configure, and troubleshoot...". The second objective clearly states that you need a thorough and deep understanding of that topic. By listing the topics and skill level, Cisco helps you prepare for the exam.

Although the exam topics are helpful, keep in mind that Cisco adds a disclaimer that the posted exam topics for all its certification exams are guidelines. Cisco makes an effort to keep the exam questions within the confines of the stated exam topics. I know from talking to those involved that every question is analyzed to ensure that it fits within the stated exam topics.

IINS Exam Topics

Table I-1 lists the exam topics for the 640-553 IINS exam. Although the posted exam topics are not numbered at Cisco.com, Cisco Press does number the exam topics for easier reference. Notice that the topics are divided among nine major topic areas. The table also notes the part of this book in which each exam topic is covered. Because it is possible that the exam topics may change over time, it may be worthwhile to double-check the exam topics as listed on Cisco.com (http://www.cisco.com/go/certification). If Cisco later adds exam topics, you may go to http://www.ciscopress.com and download additional information about the newly added topics.

Table I-1Å@640-553 IINS Exam Topics

Customer Reviews

ccna security ftw!
This is a must need book for any network technician or administrator. Plain and simple, you will get your money's worth out of this book! I recently obtained my CCNA and was looking to add an extra appendage to my credentials, so I chose to read this book. I havent yet attempted to take the certification yet or if I even will, but I will say that I came out knowing a ton more about hardening your Cisco devices than I did with the ccna material. In fact, theres really not that much configuring wise with security in the ccna material. So this book really gives you a "one-up" to those with just ccna credentials.

The first thing that I enjoyed in this book was learning about DHCP snooping, vlan hopping, double tagging, stp attacks, CAM table attacks, etc. This book actually explains and shows you how to prevent these layer 2 attacks.

I also enjoyed the cryptography and encryption material (which I also didn't know much about).

The CCNA security is fairly new to the cisco program (as of april 09) and is definitely emerging big time. I encourage you to get this book and jump on the bandwagon.

Great book
This was a very informative text that provides a nice entry into the security realm after obtaining your CCNA. Whether you plan to take the exam or not, I highly recommend it for the knowledge you can obtain from it.

Good guideline
You know this books are good when your are able to understand the material and pass the Cisco exams.
Can't complaint.