As far as the TSHOOT exam, I found it to be almost fun and not nearly as intimidating as the SWITCH and ROUTE exams. However, I did run into a very frustrating item.
Lack of available commands.
I was thinking that all of the typical Cisco IOS commands would be available, but I was blindsided and had to regroup on the first two tickets.
All of the following commands are NOT available:
show interface status
show ip interface brief
show run interface ***show run | section (eigrp | ospf | bgp)
traceroute (or 'tracert' from the clients)
Therefore, the only way to see a section of the running configuration is to do a 'show run'. That's it. You are forced to scroll up and down as needed. On a few of the trouble tickets, I found it best to write a shorthand version of a section of the running config (like access list entries) on the laminated sheet and then scroll up to see how the access list entries are applied. Not having the 'show run interface ***' command was the most frustrating.
Here was my strategy for studying for the CCNP TSHOOT exam:
1) Build the topology on a home lab. Cisco provides the entire topology and can be downloaded from Cisco's site:
https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/servlet/JiveServlet/previewBody/6741-102-1-23100/TSHOOT%20Exam%20Topology.pdf
I was one router short from my CCNP ROUTE lab, so I acquired a fourth 1721 to finish it off. Then, I went through the .pdf and set up the topology exactly. There are a few items that are not given on the map: the loopbacks and the OSPF router-ids on the routers. In fact, there is a second loopback on R4 (and it does tie into one of the tickets). I built and rebuilt the topology three times.
2) Print out a copy of each running config and spend some time memorizing it. It won't be identical to what you will see on the exam, but it will help you to spot differences.
3) Break a section of the topology and hook up a computer to the ASW1 and start troubleshooting from the computer first. For example, break the trunk configuration between ASW1 and DSW1. Then perform an 'ipconfig /release' and 'ipconfig /renew' and observe how the computer responds (no IP address since the DHCP server is located at R4). Break one of the links between R3 and R4, break OSPF somewhere, break EIGRP, etc. and then repair the problem.
4) Read the following books:
CCNP TSHOOT Official Certification Guide (I went through this great book three times and took extensive notes)
CCNP TSHOOT Foundation Learning Guide
CCNP TSHOOT Quick Reference
Since this exam covers topics from the SWITCH and ROUTE exams, I refreshed my memory with the notes I took for those exams.
5) Practice what you want to write down on the laminated card. I used this strategy after not passing my first attempt at the CCNA. Having a plan on what you want to have notes on before the exam is crucial.
I found the following strategy to work really well for the exam itself:
1) Set up your notes on the laminated card during the tutorial time. Here is what I wrote on the card and then followed them in order on each ticket:
Client 1
ipconfig
ping
Switches
show interface status (not available on the exam! Use 'show ip interface ***' instead.)
show interface trunk
show vlan ('show vlan brief' is not available)
show spanning-tree (by the way, 'show spanning-tree summary' is not available)
Routers (including DSW1 and DSW2)
show ip interface ***
show ip protocols
show ip eigrp interfaces (only applicable on DSW1, DSW2 and R4)
show ip eigrp neighbors (only applicable on DSW1, DSW2 and R4)
show ip eigrp topology (only applicable on DSW1, DSW2 and R4)
show ip ospf interfaces (only applicable on R1, R2, R3, and R4)
show ip ospf neighbors (only applicable on R1, R2, R3, and R4)
show ip ospf database (only applicable on R1, R2, R3, and R4)
show ip bgp neighbors (only applicable on R1)
show ip bgp (only applicable on R1)
show ip route
show run ('show run | section' and 'show run interface ***' are not available)
With those commands you will have a great place to start troubleshooting. Be sure to follow the commands in that order. If EIGRP or OSPF are not running on the interface, then there is no way a neighborship can form. If the neighborship has not formed, then the routes cannot be added to the topology or database. If the routes are not in the topology or database, then they cannot be added to the routing table ('show ip route').
2) Start each ticket from Client 1 and issue the 'ipconfig' command. If you have a 169.x.x.x address, start looking at the ASW1 configuration, then to DSW1 and further. If it has a 10.2.1.3 address, start pinging each IP address in order. I also wrote these IP addresses on the laminated card so I didn't have to jump back and forth to the maps.
10.2.1.254 (default gateway per by HSRP configuration)
10.2.1.1 (DSW1)
10.2.1.2 (DSW2; probably not necessary to ping, but I did)
10.1.4.6 (DSW1)
10.1.4.5 (R4)
10.1.1.10 (R4)
10.1.1.9 (R3)
10.1.1.6 (R3)
10.1.1.5 (R2)
10.1.1.2 (R2)
10.1.1.1 (R1)
209.65.200.225 (R1)
209.65.200.224 (ISP router)
209.65.200.241 ('web server' on most of the tickets)
All of these addresses are on the Layer 2/3 map given on the above .pdf. Since 'traceroute' is not available, 'ping' is your best friend on this exam. Where the ping stops responding is the best place to start.
I also brought up both devices on the same link to compare configurations. For example, if the ping stopped at R3, I brought up the console window for R3 and R4. I then ran through my 'routers' script ('show ip interface ***', 'show ip protocols', and so on) on both devices until I found the problem.
With all the reading, all the preparation on the SWITCH and ROUTE exams, being very familiar with the topology and my lab configurations, and having my 'scripts', I was able to not only pass the exam, I scored a perfect 1000!
If you have any questions or comments, please submit them below.
Thank you for reading!
On to the CCIE next!
