What is CCNA?
CCNA 200-301 is the entry-level networking certification from Cisco 🔗. The acronym stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate. It forms the basis for all other certifications offered by Cisco. The skills that are tested on the exam cover the ability to analyze and predict the operation of a network and the ability to configure Cisco devices to properly connect multiple network nodes.
Why is CCNA so popular?
The answer is simple: Cisco has an extraordinarily large market share. Cisco's switches 🔗, routers 🔗 and firewalls 🔗 are everywhere. Knowing how these devices work, the performance characteristics, and the syntax of the proprietary CLI ensures that you can confidently juggle most circumstances. In addition, the CCNA is a globally recognized certification. Many rookie professionals become certified to increase their chances of getting a great job right away.
Topics covered in the certification
After discussing the reasons for getting certified, let's review the topics you need to know to join the Cisco family.
First of all, we will learn about the foundations of networking as we use it today. We will start by studying the TCP/IP stack and the ISO/OSI model. Immediately after, we will address the concepts of LAN, MAN, and WAN. The main focus will be on local networks using wired technologies, namely Ethernet, and wireless. We will extend this concept by talking about virtual LAN and protocols for managing loops within the network. We will then move on to the core of networking, discussing addressing and routing in networks. This will involve studying the protocols that enable packet routing, with particular emphasis on OSPF. The main concepts covered for IPv4 will be revisited and elaborated for IPv6. We will then introduce the concept of Access Control Lists and see how we can filter packets and prevent them from being forwarded by a router. Finally, we will discuss some security services and conclude the study by analyzing network architectures and some aspects of automation.
How to approach the study of networking
Theory alone is never enough. This argument applies even more so in this context since, during the exam, you are called upon to demonstrate the practical knowledge you have acquired by using CLI commands. For each new topic, it is necessary to practice thoroughly, issuing commands on network devices to master the concept. For this reason, we will use Cisco Packet Tracer 🔗 to interconnect multiple network nodes in a simulated environment. This software allows you to practice on the most common Cisco network devices and access the CLI of each of them in order to configure them.
Let's waste no more time and dive into the study of networking, starting with an introduction of computer networks.
