sufficient prerequisite knowledge for CISCO training?

[ghostheadx2]

So I've been using this book for my TCP/IP class. We're basically going through the whole book:

http://www.wataboo.com/tcp-ip-protocol- ... dition-pdf

So if that's the case, will I be ready after I finish that book to do CISCO networking? Its something I really want to do and I want to make sure I have the prerequisites to do it. Does this book provide enough of the basics for me to do CISCO in your opinion? Should I also do network+ before CISCO just to be safe?

I also would like to know if the class will give me a good understanding of wifi and how it works.

Thanks so much.

Best,

ghostheadx2

[Jbraithwaite]

If you are going in at CCENT level then it will provide you with the basics. There's another lower level called IT Essentials. An online training platform I did in college when I did my HNC in computing. I'd stay away from the Cisco official books as they as dull as anything. I got the CCNA in 60 days book, but beware that anything you do Cisco related requires you to have a lab environment. You can pick up a couple of 2600 switches on EvilBay for buttons now and you'll need at least a 1700 router too.

You can get so far with the emulated labs but for dirty Cisco stuff you need actual kit to work on.

To be honest though, I'm not CCNA, and I can get by with a little friend called Google. Never needed to be Cisco training to work all the Cisco stuff we have.

[ghostheadx2]

Would CISCO training not be beneficial in your view?

[Jbraithwaite]

Official class based Cisco training is some of the best you can get. However, if learning from the official Cisco books, it's going to be very droll and boring. There's a lot you can do to learn before you take the Cisco route though. Just remember that networking isn't just about Cisco. The OSI model is a standard across all vendors. Cisco certification just seems to be the most popular. You have the COMPTIA Network+ certification to that would give you enough to get on with it. Being a CCNA isn't a strict requirement for a hacker. Knowing what happens at each OSI layer is important. For instance, a few things I've come across so far that I've had to learn.

3 way handshake
HTTP protocol
TCP protocol
The difference between TCP and UDP
What are ICMP packets?
How does a firewall read data?

Learn the basics of this sort of stuff and it'll make using software like Nmap a lot easier.