I know that most of you are anticipating the new products I’m about to announce – so here you go…

Monday (actually, probably this weekend) - I will be updating our website to show the new CCIE Security 3.0 Video on Demand Course and new CCIE Voice 3.0 Video on Demand Course.  All information for existing customers will be on those respected pages (we will also make a post on the OSL support list, Twitter and our Facebook Group to notify you as soon as the website has been updated).

Also, this weekend 4 CCIE Security 3.0 Volume 2 Workbook Labs (4 full 8-hour mock labs) will be added to your members area.  If you do not see them Monday, contact support@ipexpert.com to request them.  *As an FYI – our new mock labs will include Open Ended Questions as well as Troubleshooting.

As many of you know – we’re staying extremely busy cranking out new CCIE Voice 3.0 products, CCIE Security 3.0 products and CCIE R&S 4.0 products – so thanks for your patience!  Also, As always – if there’s anything I can assist you with – please contact me directly at wlawson@ipexpert.com – or feel free to contact your designated Training Advisor at sales@ipexpert.com, via chat at www.ipexpert.com/chat or via telephone at +1.810.326.1444.

Thanks! – Wayne

As promised, the new Volume 1 Workbook and Proctor Guide are now available (if you’re an existing client, check your member’s area).  Our website will be updated Monday to reflect the new description and product.  If this updated content should be in your member’s area – and isn’t – please contact support@ipexpert.com w/ the request to investigate.  The Table of Contents is as follows:

Section 1A: Implementing Campus Infrastructure and Services

• Configuring VLANs
• Configuring DHCP
• Configuring NTP
• Configuring Basic CUCM Phone Registration
• Configuring Basic CUCM System Configuration
• Configuring Basic CUCME Phone Registration
• Configuring Basic CUCME System Configuration

Section 1B: Troubleshooting Campus Infrastructure and Services

• Troubleshooting VLANs
• Troubleshooting DHCP
• Troubleshooting Basic CUCM Phone Registration
• Troubleshooting Basic CUCM System Configuration
• Troubleshooting Basic CUCME Phone Registration
• Troubleshooting Basic CUCME System Configuration

Section 2A: Implementing CUCM Endpoints

• Configuring CUCM SCCP Phone Registration
• Configuring CUCM SIP Phone Registration
• Configuring Calling between SCCP and SIP Endpoints
• Configuring SIP DialPlans

Section 2B: Troubleshooting CUCM Endpoints

• Troubleshooting CUCM SCCP Phone Registration
• Troubleshooting CUCM SIP Phone Registration
• Troubleshooting Calling between SCCP and SIP Endpoints
• Troubleshooting SIP DialPlans

Section 3A: Implementing CUCME Endpoints

• Configuring CUCME SCCP Phone Registration
• Configuring CUCME SIP Phone Registration
• Configuring Calling between SCCP and SIP Endpoints
• Configuring SIP DialPlans

Section 3B: Troubleshooting CUCME Endpoints

• Troubleshooting CUCME SCCP Phone Registration
• Troubleshooting CUCME SIP Phone Registration
• Troubleshooting Calling between SCCP and SIP Endpoints
• Troubleshooting SIP DialPlans

Section 4A: Implementing Voice Gateways

• Configuring H323 Gateways in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring MGCP Gateways in CUCM and IOS
• Configuring SIP Trunks in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring H323 Gatekeepers in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Basic Call Routing in CUCM, CUCME and IOS

Section 4B: Troubleshooting Voice Gateways

• Troubleshooting H323 Gateways in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting MGCP Gateways in CUCM and IOS
• Troubleshooting SIP Trunks in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting H323 Gatekeepers in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Basic Call Routing in CUCM, CUCME and IOS

Section 5A: Implementing Call Routing Policies

• Configuring Class of Service in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Route Patterns in CUCM
• Configuring Dial Peers in CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Digit Manipulation in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Calling Party Transformations in CUCM
• Configuring Called Party Transformations in CUCM
• Configuring Translation Patterns in CUCM
• Configuring Route Selection Preference in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Route Selection Redundancy in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Local Route Groups in CUCM
• Configuring SCCP and SIP Hunt Groups in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Device Mobility in CUCM
• Configuring Unified Mobility in CUCM
• Configuring Mobile Voice Access in CUCM

Section 5B: Troubleshooting Call Routing Policies

• Troubleshooting Class of Service in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Route Patterns in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Dial Peers in CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Digit Manipulation in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Calling Party Transformations in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Called Party Transformations in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Translation Patterns in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Route Selection Preference in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Route Selection Redundancy in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Local Route Groups in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Hunt Groups in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Troubleshooting Device Mobility in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Unified Mobility in CUCM
• Troubleshooting Mobile Voice Access in CUCM

Section 5C: A New Dial Plan with Gatekeeper

• Configuring Route Patterns in CUCM
• Configuring Dial Peers in CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Digit Manipulation in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Calling Party Transformations in CUCM
• Configuring Called Party Transformations in CUCM
• Configuring Translation Patterns in CUCM
• Configuring Route Selection Preference in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Route Selection Redundancy in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Local Route Groups in CUCM
• Configuring Hunt Groups in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Device Mobility in CUCM
• Configuring Unified Mobility in CUCM
• Configuring Mobile Voice Access in CUCM

Section 6A: Implementing High Availability Features

• Configuring SCCP Fallback for SRST Mode
• Configuring SIP Fallback for SRST Mode
• Configuring MGCP Fallback for SRST Mode
• Configuring SCCP Features in SRST Mode
• Configuring SIP Features in SRST Mode
• Configuring SCCP Fallback for CME as SRST Mode
• Configuring SIP Fallback for CME as SRST Mode
• Configuring MGCP Fallback for CME as SRST Mode
• Configuring SCCP Features in CME as SRST Mode
• Configuring SIP Features in CME as SRST Mode

Section 7A: Implementing Media Resources

• Configuring CODEC Selection and Flexibility in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Conference Bridges in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Transcoders in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Annunciator in CUCM
• Configuring MTP in CUCM and IOS
• Configuring Unicast Music on Hold in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Multicast Music on Hold in CUCM, CUCME and IOS
• Configuring Media Resource Preference and Redundancy in CUCM

Section 8A: Implementing Supplementary Services

• Configuring Call Park in CUCM
• Configuring Directed Call Park in CUCM
• Configuring Busy Lamp Speed Dials for Call Park
• Configuring Call Pickup in CUCM
• Configuring Group Pickup in CUCM
• Configuring Other Pickup in CUCM
• Configuring Directed Call Pickup in CUCM
• Configuring Busy Lamp Speed Dials for Call Pickup
• Configuring Barge in CUCM and CUCME
• Configuring Conference Barge in CUCM and CUCME
• Configuring CallBack in CUCM and CUCME
• Configuring DND in CUCM and CUCME

Section 9A: Implementing Other CUCM Voice Applications

• Configuring IPMA in CUCM
• Configuring Intercom in CUCM
• Configuring Extension Mobility in CUCM and CUCME
• Configuring B-ACD in CUCME
• Configuring B-ACD Drop Through in CUCME
• Configuring Voice Hunt Groups in CUCME

Section 10A: Implementing QoS and CAC

• Configuring L2/L3 Traffic Classification and Marking in IOS
• Configuring L2/L3 Queueing Mechanisms in IOS
• Configuring L2 Link Fragmentation and Interleave Mechanisms in IOS
• Configuring RSVP Agent in CUCM and IOS
• Configuring Call Admission Control in CUCM, CUCME and Gatekeeper

Section 11A: Implementing Messaging

• Configuring Unity Connection for CUCM
• Configuring Unity Connections Subscribers
• Configuring Unity Connections Call Handlers
• Configuring Unity Connections Advanced Features
• Configuring Unity Express Subscribers Mailboxes
• Configuring Unity Express Queuing
• Configuring Unity Express Advanced Features

Section 12A: Implementing Cisco Unified Contact Center Express

• Configuring Basic Integration of UCCX into CUCM
• Configuring CSQ Setup in UCCX
• Configuring Skills Based Routing in UCCX
• Configuring Agent Based Routing in UCCX
• Configuring Advanced Scripting in UCCX

Section 13A: Implementing Cisco Unified Presence

• Configuring Basic Integration of Presence into CUCM
• Configuring SIP Trunk Setup from CUCM to CUP
• Configuring Gateways in Presence
• Configuring Routing in Presence
• Configuring Number Expansion in Presence
• Configuring Voicemail Servers in Presence
• Configuring CUPC in Presence
• Configuring Deskphone Control Settings in Presence
• Configuring IP Phone Messenger Control in Presence
• Configuring User Contacts in Presence

https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/community/certifications/ccie_voice/lab_exam

We will cover a wide range of topics and posts, but our main focus will be to get you any specific information we learn of regarding changes that are coming to 3.0 Voice and 4.0 R&S Lab Exams, and all specific information regarding changes that have already occurred to the 3.0 Security Lab Exam.

In order to deliver the information to you “live” and up-to-the-minute, while at the same time not to overwhelming our IPexpert Blog or OSL readers with a million little posts (slight exaggeration possibly), we will use the following format to update our various media outlets:

• We will post every newsworthy update live to three twitter accounts, one for each CCIE Track and Technical Seminar. This way if you want live coverage, you can watch one of those feeds for the track you are studying for, while not receiving unnecessary ancillary information about a CCIE Track you may have no interest in.
• We will then every couple of hours update both our official IPexpert Blog, and make a email post out to OnlineStudyList with a summation of what we have learned thus far.
• If you wish to discuss any of the information posted to any of these forums, please post your comments to the respective OnlineStudyList mailing list for that track, and we will respond with replies. Also, if you have any questions for the Presenter, please ask them through OnlineStudyList, and we will be sure to ask them by-proxy. (You DO need to be subscribed to the particular OnlineStudyList mailing list before posting to that email alias)

So the links to where all of the information will be posted is as follows:

CCIE Voice Track Technical Seminar:

• Live Twitter Feed
• IPexpert Blog
• OnlineStudyList Mailing List (if you aren’t already subscribed)

So fire up your Twhirl, your Twitterrific, your PocketTweet, or whatever your favorite mobile or desktop client is, and start following these tweets now so you’re ready come Sunday the 28th!

Well – we thought long and hard about it (well maybe not that long :)) and decided we hadn’t given you enough features long ago in our last ProctorLabs vRack upgrade. So we decided since it had been so long, we decided we that we just had to give you a few more. A few of these are nice if you just want to practice with these technologies and will most certainly be used in later labs of ours. One of these is a must have that honestly, I am not sure how we (or you) lived without until now.

We have always given you the ability to change your PSTN BR2 E1 from E1-PRI to E1-R2 CAS or back from E1-R2 CAS to  E1-PRI with these buttons pictured: 

But now we are giving you two new functions regarding the PSTN simulator (router): The ability to change your PSTN HQ T1 from T1-PRI to T1-CAS with FGD or back from T1-CAS to  T1-PRI with these buttons pictured: 

And also the ability to change your PSTN BR1 T1 from T1-PRI to T1-CAS with FGD-EANA or back from T1-CAS to  T1-PRI with these buttons pictured: 

And finally, saving the best for last, we are giving you the ability to throw your vRack’s BR1 site (and all of it’s devices/functions) into SRST mode. This might sound simple, and in the real lab you might simply shut down your BR1 Serial link and all would be grand. However, in our vRacks, your BR1 Serial link connects your BR1 router back to your HQ router and then back to your EzVPN (hardware or software) IP Phones, and so you can’t really just shut it down or else those phones can’t connect to the BR1 router and register in SCCP (or SIP now:)) to the Call-Manager-Fallback a.k.a. SRST. You also have the challenge that if the lab you are working on happens to have you configure the BR1 router as a MGCP gateway, or even if it has you register DSPs in the BR1 router using SCCP to the UCMs, that those devices need to “stop talking” to the UCMs in order to do any sort of fallback (such as MGCP Fallback to H323 mode thus releasing a PRI or CAS trunk). 

So what we have done is create a simple button to do all of this on your vRack web UI. Here it is:

One thing to note: All of these functions are only available for the new Voice v3 blueprint’d vRacks.

Now if you are one who has your own hardware, you of course can do all of this manually yourself in your own lab. However I do have to say to any of you considering whether to rent a vRack for your Voice studies or build your own rack, I remember back to when I was studying for my Voice exam, and had my own lab, and honestly how much time I wasted (no seriously – wasted) trying to not only get my lab setup in the first place, but then deal daily with getting servers reset, re-building PSTN files, dialplans, etc, etc, and how if I had something like the vRacks and the incredibly simple interface and between session automatic revert and extensive error checking logic that we offer at ProctorLabs, how much more time I would have had for actual studies that mattered. Oh well – I didn’t – but you do! Capitalize on it!

Also to note – on my last post regarding the vRack updates, in the comments section, one person asked about if a few new features were possible mainly regarding localizing PL rack rental timezone information based on where you are (or preferences chosen in your account settings) and also about if the “Load Lab Configs” function could give the ability to you to choose with a checkbox which devices to load or not to load on a given Initial or Final config. Well the simple answer to his question – I wanted to be a rather public one – and that is that ALL of this functionality and more is on the horizon. We haven’t even come close to showing you all of the Spades up our sleeve and ready to show the Straight Flush we have once the River card is played. (sorry couldn’t resist the Hold ‘Em reference) So be a little patient with us – we are continuing to develop in the background – I can assure you!

Cheers and Happy Labbing!

-Mark

I want to take a brief moment and describe to you the new format of both of these Tracks’ Workbooks. In fact it will be a very brief moment since little description is necessary, and common sense kicks in that this, of course, is the most logical way to do it. We re-arranged our chapters quite a bit from the old format. Basically it boils down to the fact that we now have one chapter (called labs of course) for every section that Cisco has in that track’s blueprint. So since the Security 3.0 Blueprint has 8 sections to it – so does our Security Volume 1 Workbook. Since the Voice 3.0 Blueprint has 13 sections to it – so does our Voice Volume 1 Workbook. This accomplishes a number of things. One is that you know that everything in the blueprint is covered in our workbook, merely by taking a look at the table of contents structure. Two it gives CCIE candidates a great way to go back and quickly identify, then proceed to study in remediation, any specific section that you may have, God forbid, actually gotten less than say around 80% when you sat the actual Lab Exam last. The third, and I personally think maybe the most important, is it gives us the ability to break each section out, not just by configuration techniques for every technology listed, but also by troubleshooting techniques for every technology. You see, if you happened to be fortunate enough to go to Cisco Live: Networkers last year in Orlando, then surely you heard some of the various Proctors and Content Managers talking quite a bit about troubleshooting and that while it had only been a small part of the lab previous to that time, how moving forward with the advent of the new blueprints it would become a much heavier focused on and tested topic. This makes good sense seeing that we have all heard of a few (not many, but a few) candidates out there who managed to learn the commands to configure everything and pass the lab, but didn’t have a thorough enough understanding of the technology to apply it in the real world. It also helps to cut down on the possibility of the previously mentioned candidates succeeding if they had been in fact cheating by possibly memorizing any of the actual test questions. In this fashion (as in the real world) the candidate has to really know well the technology to be able to not only configure it, but also troubleshoot problems that could have been introduced by the Proctor before the candidate sat down to take the actual lab exam (Bear in mind that I am not at all suggesting that the proctors might be causing problems during your lab exam, only that there will be existing erroneous configurations introduced before you sit down to the exam, and that you would most likely be given some general technology to expect to see them appear in). So that being said – both tracks of our new workbooks have every Lab section broken down into two sub-sections, A and B to reflect configuration and troubleshooting respectively.

So the Table of Contents for Voice looks like this:

• Section 1A: Implement Campus Infrastructure and Services
• Section 1B: Troubleshoot Campus Infrastructure and Services
• Section 2A: Implement CUCM Endpoints (SIP and SCCP)
• Section 2B: Troubleshoot CUCM Endpoints (SIP and SCCP)
• Section 3A: Implement CUCME Endpoints (SIP and SCCP)
• Section 3B: Troubleshoot CUCME Endpoints (SIP and SCCP)
• Section 4A: Implement Voice Gateways
• Section 4B: Troubleshoot Voice Gateways
• Section 5A: Implement Call Routing Policies
• Section 5B: Troubleshoot Call Routing Policies
• Section 6A: Implement High Availability Features
• Section 6B: Troubleshoot High Availability Features
• Section 7A: Implement Media Resources
• Section 7B: Troubleshoot Media Resources
• Section 8A: Implement Supplementary Services
• Section 8B: Troubleshoot Supplementary Services
• Section 9A: Implement Other CUCM Voice Applications
• Section 9B: Troubleshoot Other CUCM Voice Applications
• Section 10A: Implement QoS and CAC
• Section 10B: Troubleshoot QoS and CAC
• Section 11A: Implement Messaging
• Section 11B: Troubleshoot Messaging
• Section 12A: Implement Cisco Unified Contact Center Express
• Section 12B: Troubleshoot Cisco Unified Contact Center Express
• Section 13A: Implement Cisco Unified Presence
• Section 13B: Troubleshoot Cisco Unified Presence

And the Table of Contents for Security looks like this:

• Lab 1A: Implement secure networks using Cisco ASA Firewalls
• Lab 1B: Troubleshoot secure networks using Cisco ASA Firewalls
• Lab 2A: Implement secure networks using Cisco IOS Firewalls
• Lab 2B: Troubleshoot secure networks using Cisco IOS Firewalls
• Lab 3A: Implement secure networks using Cisco VPN solutions
• Lab 3B: Troubleshoot secure networks using Cisco VPN solutions
• Lab 4A: Configure Cisco IPS to mitigate network threats
• Lab 4B: Troubleshoot Cisco IPS to mitigate network threats
• Lab 5A: Implement Identity Management
• Lab 5B: Troubleshoot Identity Management
• Lab 6A: Implement Control Plane and Management Plane Security
• Lab 6B: Troubleshoot Control Plane and Management Plane Security
• Lab 7A: Configure Advanced Security
• Lab 7B: Troubleshoot Advanced Security
• Lab 8A: Identify and Mitigate Network Attacks
• Lab 8B: Troubleshoot Network Attacks

So now that we have talked about the workbook materials, lets move to talking about the latest changes we made to ProctorLabs vRacks for both Security and Voice new v3 blueprint. Most of the new features we have already covered in previous posts, but I will briefly recap:

• The ability to with a single button, load up all of the initial configs necessary for any given workbook volume and lab, without having to open any text files, copy or paste anything in a router or switch. Oh – did I mention that this covers ALL of your servers as well? So for Security – the ACS server DB will be restored, and for Voice – the CUCM-Pub, CUCM-Sub, CUPS, and UC DB will be restored to where we the developers wish them to be for any given tech-focused or even multi-protocol lab. This will help you a great deal with pre-existing troubleshooting configs. In fact I don’t know how we could do without it now that troubleshooting is such a big part of the exam.
• The ability to go ahead and work on your rack devices and later go back and check your DB restoration status.
• The ability to clear any terminal server line or clear all lines
• The ability to revert your entire pod back to a blank default status (great for those of you who might wish to rent back-to-back sessions for a power study weekend – but need to revert everything and load new configs for a new lab without calling tech-support.
• For Voice: The ability to input your own MAC address for your own PSTN phone (be it software or hardware – no difference).
• The ability to Start, Stop, Revert your VMWare Guest servers back to a snapshot (if you only want to clear the config on one server perhaps).
• For Voice: New clients for a total of 3 supported software clients for your SCCP and SIP devices connecting to CUCM and CUCME.
• For Voice: The ability dynamically change your PSTN simulator (router) for E1-R2 or E1-PRI
• For Voice: The ability dynamically change your PSTN’s dialplan so that before your lab, you have studied with a varied view of dialplans – and don’t just have one specific one stuck in your head. This will be dynamically loaded based on the lab you choose when doing a “Load Lab Configs”.
• And of course as always the ability to control the power to your devices

But enough of the talk of what’s new – we’d rather show you what’s new.  This is an in-depth look (and by in-depth I mean a ~40 minute runtime video – HD of course), at not only what’s new – but also how to use it. It covers both Voice and Security, and also for Voice walks you though how to correctly setup the IPBlue client so that it works for both signaling, and maybe more importantly, RTP streams going to the proper instance of the client, and is quickly deployed every future time you open it. In case you didn’t happen to catch any of those links, then CLICK HERE. ;-)

As for what’s up next? Well we have developers continuing to press forward writing new chapters for both the new Voice and Security workbooks, as well as working on the new class material for our ILT and OWLE courses. Since some of you have been asking about what that order looks like – here is the order we have been and will continue working on things in for both tracks:

• Workbook and Proctor Guide Volume 1 (Voice, Security)
• ILT Courseware (Voice, Security)
• Workbook and Proctor Guide Volume 2 (Voice, Security)
• Lab Mentoring Kit (Voice, Security)
• Video/Audio on Demand (Voice, Security)
• Newer, Bigger, Better Somethings ???

As always, the moment they are ready for press, we will upload them to your IPexpert.com Members area, and now also upload all of the new Initial and Final configs for your ProctorLabs “Load Lab Configs” section as well.

And of course – this will always be the first place you will find out about it – so I’d pull an RSS feed to your reader of choice if I were you! As well many times great questions get asked and unclear topics get cleaned up by us in the comments section – so you may want to pull an RSS feed to the comments as well. If you just want info on Voice, for example, but not necessarily on other tracks, you can get more specific on the feed by simply clicking on any category on the right of the page and adding “/feed” to the end of the URI in the address bar. For instance here is just Voice posts, and here is just Security posts.

Happy CCIE Labbing folks!

-Mark

Basically we tried (as we normally do) to over-deliver, and we decided to build some newer/bigger/better features into the ProctorLabs Voice and Security vRacks than we originally had intended to have done by today at 5, thinking that we in fact could finish it all and have it thoroughly tested. Well, in finishing off some of the new features, we ran into a few snags (here is where your shock and awe comes in “What?? A few small issues when implementing TECHNOLOGY???” ;-)).

So in short – we will be pushing back the release date of this material to Monday. This will give us ample time to finish implementing all the new shiny nerd-knobs that we know you as engineers (and us as well) love to turn. And more importantly, have them fully tested.

So sorry about the slight delay, but we can promise you, your patience will be rewarded.

*For existing customers, our new workbook updates will automatically be added into your IPexpert Members Area (login from ipexpert.com).  We understand that this new content is needed ASAP, therefore these lab scenarios will be released lab-by-lab (as they are available) – with speed / delivery being the main motivator here!

By Close of Business (5:00 PM EST) on Wednesday January 28th, 2009, existing workbook clients will have the following lab scenarios available within their IPexpert Members Area.

CCIE Voice Clients:

• Volume 1, Section 1A Workbook & Proctor Guide – ”Implement Campus Infrastructure and Services”
• Volume 1, Section 1B Workbook & Proctor Guide – ”Troubleshoot Campus Infrastructure and Services”
• Volume 1, Section 2A Workbook & Proctor Guide – ”Implement  CUCM Endpoints“
• Volume 1, Section 2B Workbook & Proctor Guide – ”Troubleshoot CUCM Endpoints”
• Volume 1, Section 3A Workbook & Proctor Guide – ”Implement CUCME Endpoints“
• Volume 1, Section 3B Workbook & Proctor Guide – ”Troubleshoot CUCME Endpoints”

CCIE Security Clients:

• Volume 1, Section 6A Workbook & Proctor Guide – “Configuring Controlled Plane & Management Plane Protection”
• Volume 1, Section 6B Workbook & Proctor Guide – “Troubleshooting Controlled Plane & Management Plane Protection”
• Volume 1, Section 7A Workbook & Proctor Guide – “Configuring Advanced Security”
• Volume 1, Section 7B – Workbook & Proctor Guide – “Troubleshooting Advanced Security”

*If you are an existing client and these lab scenarios are not available within your IPexpert locker (after the stated date / time), please contact our technical support team at support@ipexpert.com, via telephone at +1.810.326.1444 or via live chat by clicking HERE.

In addition to being the first vendor to have self-study lab scenarios available, we’re pleased to announce that no later than Wednesday 28th, 2009 at 5:00 PM EST – Proctor Labs will begin supporting BOTH blueprints for CCIE Voice and CCIE Security lab exams (Blueprints 2.0 AND 3.0).  The features and topology that will be available for clients studying for the 3.0 blueprint will be as follows:

CCIE Voice Clients:

• Students will no longer be tested on the Cat 6500, Cat 3550, VG248, ATA, FXO or FXS
• The Cat 6500 has been replaced with a Cat 3750 for the HQ site (every pod has their own 3750)
• The Cat 3550 has been replaced with a 4-port Ethernet Switch Module in the BR2 router
• IOS on all routers is 12.4.20T
• Students will be given the ability to enter their own PSTN Phone MAC Address (whether software IPBlue or hardware 7960 phone)
• PSTN Dial-Plan will change dynamically for various labs
• Students will be given the ability to pre-load IOS and CUCM configurations based on the lab they are about to configure or troubleshoot, prior to beginning any lab scenarios.

CCIE Security Clients:

• Students will not be tested on the PIX firewall or VPN 3005 concentrator.
• The IDS is replaced with an IPS version 6.1.1.
• ASA version 8.0.4
• IOS on all routers is 12.4.22T
• IOS on all switches is 12.2.46.SE
• Students will be given the ability to pre-load configurations prior to beginning the troubleshooting lab scenarios.

Lastly, we understand that it’s important to have ample time to get yourself up-to-speed for the new lab exam.  We have announced that our class (ILT) objectives will be changing in March (March for Security, April for Voice) to cover the new blueprints.  Please be sure to contact a training advisor if you’re interested in reserving a seat in these new classes as they’re filling up extremely quickly due to the fact that these new blueprints cover a TON of new technology / topics (and the fact that we’re the only proven training company on the planet that’s offering courses covering these newly updated blueprint topics).  To reach an IPexpert training advisor, please call +1.810.326.1444, email sales@ipexpert.com or chat with a training advisor by clicking HERE.

As always, if there is anything I can assist you with please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at wlawson@ipexpert.com.  Thanks and Happy Studying! – Wayne

Faced with so many submissions – far more than we expected – selecting gift recipients became quite a challenge!  We decided to create a list of varying criteria that we would like to award gifts to, then select a couple individuals that fit into each criteria.

I have decided not to disclose all of the categories we used for the selection process and I will not indicate which of the recipients fell into each category. That should prevent a chorus of others saying, “I deserved it more than that person…” which should not be the spirit of the season. :)  Some of the selection criteria categories included financial hardship of self-funded CCIE pursuit, economically challenged countries / territories (different dollar values and income levels in various countries, etc.), military service, dedication to sticking to a personal goal or dream and personal / family-related issues or hardships.  If I could, I would have awarded everyone with these freebies, however – as you can hopefully understand – that wasn’t possible.  I do want to say – that we will be continuing various offers like this on a quarterly basis.  I encourage EVERYONE to continue following our blog, our twitters and our Facebook groups for additional contests and offers!  Again, I want to thank everyone for following and participating!

With that said, let’s get to it…

Recipients of full CCIE End-to-End Programs, each valued up to $10,000 are…

• Antonio McCarver
• David McFarlane
• Jeff Dodson

Recipients of CCIE 5-Day Boot Camp courses, each valued up to $5,499 are…

• Andrew S. Lee
• Kamal Yousaf
• Mac McInvaille

Recipient of a CCIE Blended Learning Solution with eBooks and hard drive, valued up to $1,999 is…

• Tom Harbert
• Kian Wah
• Abraham Jamero

Recipient of 25 Sessions (that’s 200 HOURS) of rack time at ProctorLabs.com, valued up to $700 is…

• Ronald Cannella
• Kin Wai Hooi
• Grace Maximuangu

Recipient of CCIE Lab Prep Workbook: Volume 1 eBook, valued up to $399 is…

• Piotr Kaluzny
• Phill Day
• Don Pezet
• Ronald Cannella

Please join me in congratulating the above recipients on their good fortune during this holiday season.

Your name is not on the list? All is not lost, friends…

We have a couple special offers for you as well.  I have asked my VP, VP of Sales and Training Advisors to work vigerously to get in contact with each of you to extend 2 coupon codes (discounts on top of these extremely low prices) as well as a few small freebies (stocking stuffers?! ;-).  Please stay tuned for a personal email from one of our training advisors.  I hope this encourages everyone to continue pushing forward with your CCIE pursuit – even during the holidays and during these tough financial times.  Hopefully we can assist many, many more in achieving your personal and career dream and goals!

On behalf of the entire staff at IPexpert – I wish all of you a very happy holiday season and the best of luck in 2009!

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NOTICE: Please note that the products and courses being available for free or at a discount in this promotion are only applicable to IPexpert-delivered courses and products. Third-party, partner-delivered offerings do not apply.

Here’s to a great year in 2008 – meeting a large number of clients and CCIEs (at Networkers and via various social outlets), and here’s to your success in 2009 – I sincerely hope that IPexpert can be a part of your success!

To participate in Santa’s CCIE Handout - make sure you’re a member or a follower of the following groups, accounts or blogs!

• Follow IPexpert on Twitter
• Join the IPexpert group on Facebook

• Follow Wayne Lawson – IPexpert’s Founder & CEO on Twitter
• Connect with Wayne Lawson – IPexpert’s Founder & CEO on Facebook

• Follow Proctor Labs on Twitter
• Join the Proctor Labs group on Facebook

• Follow CCIEblog on Twitter
• Join the CCIEblog group on Facebook

P.S.  We will also be posting a few special discounts on a *FEW SELECT* blogs, so be sure to check the CCIEblog.com directory and be monitoring the top 15 blog sites! ;-)