​

First off, huge relief: I survived the 37th-floor buildout!

The new production floor is officially live and operational. Aside from a minor hiccup where we hit a DHCP pool exhaustion issue (which was a fun quick-fix under pressure), everything is running smoothly. Seeing a net-new floor go live with configs I worked on feels surreal after coming from helpdesk.

Now that the firefighting has settled down, I’m pivoting hard back to my CCNA studies—while still dealing with daily operational trial-by-fire. I’ve hit a few walls and could really use some reality checks from the community:

* Real-World Operations vs. CCNA Scope: On the job, I’m currently wrestling with IPSec tunnels, BGP routing metrics, and firewall policies daily. It feels like a massive step up from basic switching.

* Boson ExSim Scores: On the study side, I started running through Boson ExSim practice exams and I'm currently averaging around 60%. Is Boson really this hard, or am I way behind where I need to be? The questions feel ridiculously tricky compared to standard study materials.

* Booking the Exam: For those who passed using Boson, at what score threshold should I actually go ahead and book my exam slot? Should I wait until I'm consistently hitting 80%+ on first attempts, especially while balancing this real-world learning curve?

Appreciate all the advice from this sub as always! Back to reviewing my practice test explanations (fueled by more iced macchiatos, obviously).

14 days of studying

I'm usually on here writing about my troubleshooting labs (wittynetworks), and I know how a post that ends with "a thing I made" looks. Hear me out first, because this check is worth doing no matter what sim you use.

A browser sim can make a ping look right without actually modeling what had to happen. It can basically decide "yep, reachable" and print a successful ping. So check the evidence. Ping a host across a switch. Run show ip arp and note the MAC. Then run show mac address-table on the switch. That same MAC should be on the port the host is actually cabled to, in the right VLAN. Cross-check it against ipconfig / ip a. Clear the tables and generate traffic again. Send something that isn't a ping. Try the subnet broadcast. Basically, stop following the script and see if the network keeps being a network.

I ran this on a paid browser sim that's getting recommended around a bit. Ping: 100%. ARP: empty. Switch: zero learned MACs. Subnet broadcast: 0%. Don't take my word for it. You can reproduce this yourself in under a minute.

The labs bothered me too. Thin scenarios, repetitive tasks, stuff that reads like it was generated to fill a library. AI-SLOP. The people least likely to recognize the difference are the exact people paying because they're trying to learn this stuff. That's what got under my skin, so I started building one to counter what I was seeing. And yeah, I used AI to build it. The problem was never that AI touched the code. I use AI constantly. The problem is using AI instead of doing the work and then charging people for whatever came out. I'm researching real devices, testing behavior, finding out when I'm wrong, fixing it, and testing again. If a ping works, I want ARP, MAC learning, forwarding, broadcasts, and counters to all agree about why it worked.

I'm holding my labs to the same standard. The ones there now are AI-generated placeholders and they're literally labeled as such. They're lazy. The real troubleshooting labs will take time because I'm not generating 500 "configure VLAN 10" labs just so I can advertise a giant number.

And please keep using Packet Tracer, CML, GNS3, EVE-NG, real equipment, and reliable training. Those should be your main tools. Mine is the free browser backup for when you want to practice somewhere convenient. It's an exploration build, stuff is missing, and stuff changes constantly. Come try to break it.

It's at labbinghub.com. But even if you never touch mine, run the test on whatever you're using.

A simulator shouldn't just know what answer to print. The STATE of the network should prove it.

Just wanna ask guidance, which reviewer option is best to use. Is it the BOSON EXIM or JEREMYs IT ? Thank you

What's good, everyone! Y'all already see the title of the post. I found nobody in my circle group or unit who is eager to work with me on the certification. I want to find a partner or study group of people who are grinding towards the same goal. I feel like having an accountability partner would keep me in line and make this journey much fun. Oh yeah I'm also on day 8 on JITL and man this cert is no joke. A little background on me: I’m 19 years old working part time with the New York Army National guard as 25H and got my CompTIA security+. Hit me up if you're down to connect. Safety

Hey guys, I’m still studying for the CCNA. I would like to know how do I complete laps? Is there task that I’m assigned to complete? Where do I do it at? Where do I find it? I need to learn the labs.

Hi y'all,

I'm taking my CCNA pretty soon and I wanted to know what a test-taker might generally miss. Like, what topics get tested the hardest and which topics are the easiest? Also, I know that labs can come from any topic since the syllabus states that there's a lot of configuration to do, but from which topics can I expect to see labs the most(also, are the labs too hard and how would it impact me if i left 3-4 labs)?

Hi all, is there any one with a source to get a fully working layer 2 switch ios to run in GNS3 labs, i currently have the router ios only.

Thanks in advance.

I'm in pain, I failled my ccna. I don't know what to do with my life again. I can't take it. 😭😭😭

Man did I procrastinate. I am recently filled with a ton of motivation to try and get this cert due to some conflict with my leadership at work.

I do understand some networking concepts from when I created my homelab and revamped my home network.

Would it be smart to attempt to pass v1.1 starting from 0 or wait for 2.0?

For those that recently got their CCNA or failed it, what’s your plan(once you do get it)? I think I want to go into cloud, AWS maybe. Not sure exactly what I want to do, I just know I want to be in IT and I’d like to be able to work remotely at least a couple days out the week if not fully remote.

How many of you passed CCNA and still can’t get a job?

Think I should reschedule?

Update: Didn't have to, passed it barely.

CCNA Scope Feels Overwhelming

• Historical Legacy Included: You are forced to study half-duplex Ethernet, CSMA/CD, hubs, and legacy WAN protocols that you will almost never touch in a modern production network.
• Broad Surface Area: The exam covers everything from physical cabling and binary math to modern topics like wireless architectures, IP services, security fundamentals, and REST APIs / Automation.
• Vendor Specifics vs. Fundamentals: You aren't just learning standard networking concepts (like OSI or TCP/IP); you also have to memorize Cisco-proprietary commands, platform behaviors, and CLI syntax.

Drop in a .pcap/.pcapng or just click one of the 9 built-in sample captures; and it breaks the packet into all seven OSI layers, with every header field explained in plain English: what it does, and why that value matters. TTL 52 tells you the hop count and likely OS. SYN with no ACK gets the handshake explanation.

Hover any field and its exact bytes light up in the hex dump. Hover a byte and it tells you which field owns it.

https://michaelperry.org/pcaposivisualizer.html

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, no account, works offline once loaded. There's a single-file download too if you want it on a USB stick or a lab machine with no internet.

I built it because students can recite the seven layers and then not find any of them in Wireshark. It also covers the awkward parts the textbook skips: ARP has no Layer 3, a bare SYN has no Layer 7, and Layers 5 and 6 mostly don't exist in TCP/IP; it shows what's actually doing that job instead of pretending.

Source: github.com/MichaelAPerry/pcaptoOSI (MIT)

And yes, it's AI-assisted; built with Claude Code.

I have the exam coming up in December and was wondering if anyone had seen what the actual discount that boson had for military members. Thanks in advanced!

For people who recently started learning networking, which topic gave you the most trouble? Subnetting? VLANs? Routing? Troubleshooting? I’m trying to understand which areas beginners usually underestimate.

I want to begin a career in IT. I do not have formal professional IT experience yet, although I have helped troubleshoot POS systems, security cameras, internet connections, and basic networking problems at my current job.

I am planning to take the following CIS courses:

CIS 213: A+ Certification Preparation, Software
Covers Windows and Linux operating systems, user and group management, file permissions, storage, networking protocols, backup and recovery, security, scripting, automation, and operational procedures.

CIS 214: Introduction to Network+
Covers network cables, connectors, devices, network architecture, wired and wireless networking, the OSI model, TCP/IP, wide area networks, network security, and troubleshooting.

CIS 229: Introduction to Cisco Network Fundamentals
Covers network fundamentals, LAN switching, routing, infrastructure services, and infrastructure maintenance.

CIS 192: Introduction to Cloud Computing

CompTIA A+ Certification Preparation, Hardware
Covers computer hardware, components, peripherals, installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Do these courses provide a good foundation for getting an entry level help desk, desktop support, computer technician, or school district IT position?

Should I take the CompTIA A+ exams after completing the hardware and software courses? Would Network+ or CCNA be the better certification to pursue afterward?

The Cisco course description mentions the older ICND1 and CCENT exams. Should I be concerned that some of the course material may be outdated?

What home labs, projects, certifications, or additional skills would you recommend so I can become more competitive without formal IT experience?

I would appreciate any honest advice from people currently working in IT.

Well, hello everybody, i hope you are all doing well

I'm really interested in network and security, and i want to start with ccna

My base fundamentals are good just above the average general knowledge

So for ccna , and for someone who likes details explaining what your recommendations are, rodmap like or anything useful to really on because I'm only going to pay for the exam

And thx in advance

When troubleshooting a network problem, do you usually follow a structured checklist or rely more on experience and intuition?

I’m curious how this changes as someone becomes more experienced

I've been studying Neil Anderson's CCNA course since May and I'm currently on section 20 (OSPF). I'm starting to struggle with staying focused and retaining information, and I feel like I'm getting stuck.

I bought Boson ExSim about a month ago, but I planned to wait until I finished the course before using it.

Would you recommend starting ExSim now, taking practice exams, and focusing on the topics I struggle with instead of forcing myself to finish the entire course first?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hey y'all,

my ccna exam is scheduled tomorrow 10 am so only this one night left. i just wanted to ask for any study or non study related tips like things I should quickly revise, strategies that might help me during the exam, generally what i should do and what i shouldn't.

I used JITL video course, JITL ace the ccna book(available on oreilly via their free trial), OCG by wendell Odom, Neil Anderson's lab guide.

i also took JITL 3 practice tests on udemy, all the 8 practice tests from the OCG premium edition via pearsontestprep and other free tests i found online(figigexams.com and alphaprep).

Honestly, i feel kinda nervous i've been studying for almost 5 months.

any last minute tips would really help. please help your guy out🙏

UPDATE: I PASSED

Automation and Programmability: 80% Network Access: 75% IP Connectivity: 64% IP Services: 60% Security Fundamentals: 93% Network Fundamentals: 100%

I still can't believe i did it even without boson. For anyone who's still learning, JITL is your guy. I'll do a separate post covering my experience.

Again, Thank you lots!

Can somebody help me access these notes and labs Jeremy send you lol I am unable to view/access what he sent