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Introduction
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Exam 640-504: Switching This exam tests your knowledge of the 1900
and 5000 series of Catalyst switches. The Sybex CCNP: Switching Study
Guide
covers all the objectives you need to understand for passing the Switch-
ing exam.
Exam 640-506: Support This tests you on the troubleshooting informa-
tion you will learn about in this book. You must be able to troubleshoot
Ethernet and Token Ring LANS, IP, IPX, and AppleTalk networks, as
well as ISDN, PPP, and Frame Relay networks.
Exam 640-505: Remote Access This exam tests your knowledge of install-
ing, configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting Cisco ISDN and dial-up
access products. You must understand PPP, ISDN, Frame Relay, and authen-
tication. The Sybex CCNP: Remote Access Study Guide covers all the exam
objectives.
If you hate tests, you can take fewer of them by signing up for the CCNA exam
and the Support exam, and then take just one more long exam called the
Foundation R/S exam (640-509). Doing this also gives you your CCNP--but
beware, it's a really long test that fuses all the material listed previously into
one exam. Good luck! However, by taking this exam, you get three tests for
the price of two, which saves you $100 (if you pass). Some people think it's
easier to take the Foundation R/S exam because you can leverage the areas
that you would score higher in against the areas in which you wouldn't.
Remember that test objectives and tests can change at any time without
notice. Always check the Cisco Web site for the most up-to-date information
(www.cisco.com).
Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE)
You've become a CCNP, and now you fix your sights on getting your CCIE
in Routing and Switching--what do you do next? Cisco recommends that
before you take the lab, you take test 640-025: Cisco Internetwork Design
(CID) and the Cisco authorized course called Installing and Maintaining
Cisco Routers (IMCR). By the way, no Prometric test for IMCR exists at the
time of this writing, and Cisco recommends a minimum of two years of on-
the-job experience before taking the CCIE lab. After jumping those hurdles,
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