Robert Metcalfe, an engineer and former ARPANET contractor, is credited for the development of Ethernet. Ethernet is the most widely used local area network technology (LAN) and it made the packet switching and Internet Protocols, which were developed for ARPANET, available to cabled networks.

Another important part of the history of networking is the modem. The earliest modems were used by the United States Air Force in the 1950’s and the first commercial modems appeared a decade later. In the beginning modems could only achieve a speed of 75bps (bits per second) – which is roughly 1/750th of the average speed of modern day modems. This then increased to 300bps, 1200bps and by the year 1989 the world had modems capable of 2400bps. This demonstrates a relatively rapid advancement in networking technologies. 1994 brought us domestic modems with speeds of 28kps (kilobytes per second) which was thought to be the upper limit that phone line transmissions would be able to achieve. However, it turned out that technology would not be held back and a 56kps modem came along to set the new standard.

In the modern era, many organisations and homes have moved on to wireless networks and broadband systems which allow for much higher speeds, however, modems were the first essential link between computers and phone lines and that was the birth of the age of internetworking.

CCNA Explained

Despite its popularity, there are still many people who ask “What is Cisco CCNA?”

CCNA stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate and it is an IT certification which is awarded by Cisco. Cisco is a technology company based in America which designs, develops, manufactures, markets and sells networking solutions. It is generally agreed that Cisco is the leading supplier of networking products and related certifications.

Given that Cisco products are found in most IT environments, gaining a Cisco qualification is highly beneficial to the career of any IT professional. The ideal Cisco certification to begin with is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) qualification.

Cisco qualifications focus specifically on Cisco products and the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification deals with Routing and Switching. The CCNA certification is aimed at IT Professionals who are just beginning their career in the IT field; however, it is also a valuable qualification for those experienced professionals who are looking to validate their experience with a leading IT qualification.

CCNA Training Description

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) training will ensure that you are able to understand, operate, configure, maintain and troubleshoot small to medium sized switched and routed networks. It also validates the ability to verify and implement connections via remote sites using Wireless Area Networks (WAN), as well as enables you to work with security and wireless concepts and networking fundamentals.

The CCNA training course covers all the information that you will be required to know for the two Cisco CCNA certification exams. There are no entry requirements for studying the Cisco CCNA training course which makes it perfect for those who are new to networking and have no previous experience in the subject.

During the Cisco CCNA training course, the following are just some of the topics that will be covered:

• Networking 101

• Implement Networks

• Manage Access Control

• Address space management

• IOS Basics

• Intro to Cisco Routers

• Cisco IOS

• Securing Remote Access

• Advanced Switching

• WAN Technology

• WAN Connections

• Network Management

• Cisco Dynamic Routing

It is important to choose a high quality CCNA training course to be certain that all the required study material is covered in order to adequately prepare for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification exams.

CCNA Exam Description

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) qualification consists of two certification exams which must be passed in order to earn the Cisco CCNA certification. These are as follows:

1. Cisco CCNA 100-101 ICND1 (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1)

2. Cisco CCNA 200-101 ICND2 (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2)

Both exams can be taken in one sitting, however, they cannot be taken online. The Cisco CCNA exams must be taken at an authorised testing center (such as Pearson VUE) in a proctored environment.

Cisco is very secretive about their exam information in an effort to remain certain that information is not leaked that could lead to a loss of integrity in their certifications and the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam is no different in this regard. However, there are some guidelines available with regards of what to expect during the Cisco CCNA certification exams. The precise format is unknown prior to taking the CCNA exams but Cisco does offer a list of exam question formats that they are likely to use. Each CCNA exam may contain these question formats but there is no guarantee as to which you may encounter:

• Router Simulations

• Simlet

• Testlet

• Drag and Drop

• Fill in the Blank

• Multiple Choice (with multiple answers)

• Multiple Choice (with a single answer)

Generally the Cisco CCNA ICND1 exam comprises of 45-55 questions and is 90 minutes in duration; whilst the Cisco CCNA ICND2 exam consists of 50-60 questions with time limit of 75 minutes.

Once you have passed both exams you will have achieved your Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification as awarded by Cisco. This qualification is well respected in the IT sector and remains highly sought after by organisations who hire IT Professionals.