Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP, CCNA Discovery Learning Guide

Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP

CCNA Discovery Learning Guide

Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP, CCNA Discovery Learning Guide is the official supplemental textbook for the Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP course in the Cisco® Networking Academy® CCNA® Discovery curriculum version 4.1. The course, the second of four in the new curriculum, teaches networking concepts by applying them to a type of network you might encounter on the job in a small-to-medium business or ISP. After successfully completing the first two courses in the CCNA Discovery curriculum, you can choose to complete the CCENT® (Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician) certification exam, which would certify that you have developed the practical skills required for entry-level networking support positions and have an aptitude and competence for working with Cisco routers, switches, and Cisco IOS® Software.

The Learning Guide, written and edited by instructors, is designed as a portable desk reference to use anytime, anywhere to reinforce the material from the course and organize your time. In addition, the book includes expanded coverage of CCENT/CCNA exam topics.

The book’s features help you focus on important concepts to succeed in this course:

• Chapter Objectives―Review core concepts by answering the focus questions listed at the beginning of each chapter.
• Key Terms―Refer to the lists of networking vocabulary introduced and highlighted in context in each chapter. The Glossary defines each key term.
• Summary of Activities and Labs―Maximize your study time with this complete list of all associated exercises at the end of each chapter.
• Check Your Understanding―Evaluate your readiness with the end-of-chapter questions that match the style of questions you see in the online course quizzes. The answer key explains each answer.
• Challenge Questions and Activities―Apply a deeper understanding of the concepts with these challenging end-of-chapter questions and activities. The answer key explains each answer.
• Hands-on Labs―Master the practical, hands-on skills of the course by performing all the tasks in the course labs and additional challenge labs included in Part II of the Learning Guide.

Allan Reid is the curriculum lead for CCNA and a CCNA and CCNP® instructor at the Centennial College CATC in Toronto, Canada.

Jim Lorenz is an instructor and curriculum developer for the Cisco Networking Academy.

How To―Look for this icon to study the steps you need to learn to perform certain tasks.

Interactive Activities―Reinforce your understanding of topics with more than 30 different exercises from the online course identified through-out the book with this icon. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM.

Packet Tracer Activities― Explore and visualize networking concepts using Packet Tracer exercises interspersed throughout most chapters. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM. Packet Tracer v4.1 software developed by Cisco is available separately.

Hands-on Labs―Master the practical, hands-on skills of the course by working through all 42 course labs and 3 additional labs included in this book. The labs are an integral part of the CCNA Discovery curriculum; review the core text and the lab material to prepare for all your exams.

Companion CD-ROM

The CD-ROM includes

• Interactive Activities
• Packet Tracer Activity Files
• CCENT Study Guides
• IT Career Information
• Taking Notes
• Lifelong Learning

Allan Reid is the curriculum lead and a CCNA/CCNP instructor at the Centennial College CATC in Toronto, Canada. He is a professor in the Information and Communications Engineering Technology department and is an instructor and program supervisor for the School of Continuing Education at Centennial College. He has developed and taught networking courses for both private and public organizations and has been instrumental in developing and implementing numerous certificate, diploma, and degree programs in networking. Allan also is a curriculum developer for the Cisco Networking Academy. Outside his academic responsibilities, he has been active in the computer and networking fields for more than 25 years. Currently he is a principal in a company specializing in the design, management, and security of network solutions for small and medium-sized companies. Allan authored the first edition of WAN Technologies CCNA 4 Companion Guide(Cisco Press, ISBN 1-58713-172-2) and Using a Networker’s Journal, which is a supplement to A Networker’s Journal(Cisco Press, ISBN 1-58713-158-7). Most recently, he coauthored the CCNA Discoveryonline academy courses Networking for Home and Small Businessesand Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprisewith Jim Lorenz.

Jim Lorenz is an instructor and curriculum developer for the Cisco Networking Academy. He has coauthored several Cisco Press titles, including Fundamentals of UNIX Companion Guide, Second Edition (ISBN 1-58713-140-4), Fundamentals of UNIX Lab Companion, Second Edition (ISBN 1-58713-139-0), and the third editions of the CCNA Lab Companions. He has more than 20 years of experience in information systems, ranging from programming and database administration to network design and project management. Jim has developed and taught computer and networking courses for numerous public and private institutions. As the Cisco academy manager at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona, he was instrumental in starting the Information Technology Institute (ITI) and developed a number of certificates and degree programs. Most recently, Jim coauthored the CCNA Discoveryonline academy courses Networking for Home and Small Businessesand Introducing Routing and Switching in the Enterprisewith Allan Reid.