Todd Lammle | William Tedder
The CCNA Virtual Lab e-trainer puts you in charge of a simulated network with three Cisco routers (two attached to token rings), two host computers, a Catalyst 1900 switch, and a couple of WAN links. It's not a perfect simulation, but at only $99.99 retail, it's thousands of dollars cheaper than buying the actual equipment for a test lab--and what's presented here is
more than enough to get you the experience you need to pass the CCNA.
The Cisco simulations are well done and appear to be thoroughly customizable. A large number of commands are supported, with the appropriate options enabled--it's not enough to quite get you through the next level of CCDP exams, but all of the major commands you need to know for the CCNA are feigned properly. A couple of hours spent tinkering around in the Virtual Laboratory is worth weeks of book memorizing; the commands come to mind a lot more quickly when you've "seen" them in action, and the responses are generally what you'd expect from a real router. However, be warned that all the commands aren't supported in every iteration--particularly when using unabbreviated commands, you should expect to run into occasional misfires. Type in "interface serial 0" and that will work fine, for example, but typing "interface tokenring 0" will get you an "Invalid input" error. This isn't really a problem for test takers, though, and it won't keep you from getting a passing grade.
When you start up the program, you'll need to configure the routers from scratch. (Warning: On our test machines, the installation had a slight glitch; although a shortcut was placed on the desktop, nothing was put in the start menu.) You can choose your own IP addresses and set the routers as you choose. Generally, changing things works pretty much as it would in real life, with valid configurations resulting in a happily chugging network, and invalid configurations causing an Addams Family-style train wreck. However, it's not perfect--when I inputted some different IP addresses and static routes and then tried to ping legitimate servers, I encountered some difficulties in connecting when it should have gone off without a hitch. (It's probably best to stick to the suggested IP addresses, anyway.) But if there's a genuine problem and you're confused as to why your tweaks have caused failure, Sybex has provided a "network visualizer" to show you your network, and also adds a "net detective" that ferrets out simple problems like shut interfaces and absent protocols.
If you find setting up a network intimidating, you can also use the labs--tutorials that will walk you through setting your system up. While these are thorough and will do the job, some minor but extremely irritating glitches keep them from being top quality. For one thing, the labs are short on explanation; it's explained that they're supposed to be a companion to Sybex's bestselling (and well-written) CCNA Study Guide, but many times they consist of extensive lists full of arcane commands that you type in blindly, without any further explanation. You can work through this study guide manually, but if this is your only resource you'll be in for some work. A well-designed popup glossary helps ease the pain a bit.
Another problem is that the lab interface is a bit off. When you go into lab mode, the screen splits into two sections; a step-by-step tutorial on the bottom and the router simulator up top (or in a popup box). The problem is that a) the tutorial does not keep track of what you typed, so you have to stop typing and use the mouse to scroll down to see the next screen after every third command, and b) when you do scroll down, you then have to go back up and click in the router screen again before you can type. Add that to the fact that the tutorial scrolling is hyperfast--you'll often accidentally scroll to the end and then have to hunt backward to find your place again--and again, you're probably better off using a book tutorial in addition to the labs. You can print the labs out, however, and they also come preprinted in the instruction manual.
The labs aren't really the heart of this product, though; the virtual Cisco routers and switches are what people will buy it for, and rightfully so. While it's not for the advanced user, the beginner who doesn't have access to expensive hardware will applaud this relatively inexpensive teaching tool. Get this, and a book to back you up, and you'll have that CCNA certificate emblazoned on your résumé in no time. --William Steinmetz
1 Getting familiar with the router and its commands.
This e-trainer helped me put alot of the router commands that I had only read about to work. I recommend this e-trainer for those who want to get familiar with navigating in a router and for those who need to get familiar with how the routers interact on a network.
Because this was an e-trainer for CCNA, I was hoping that it would have some excercises on subnetting and the OSI model, but unfortunately not.
But I say once again, if its router command and internetworking that you are looking for help with, this item will help.
2 Stay away!!!!!!
Stay away from this thing! Don't believe the 5 star reviews, they are most likely fake. This product is VERY buggy, lots of problems. Also, it is VERY limited in what you can do, you pretty much have to stick to the few labs, no have no room to "play" and try different configurations without running into trouble or getting errors. Not anywhere worth the $$$ they are asking. Even if it was free,it is a frustrating waste of your valuable time. If you are smart you will not buy this. I would give it 0 stars if I could!
3 A good tool for learning to configure routers
If you don't happen to have access to a Cisco router (who does?) but do have access to a PC, this tool can simulate about 80% of router configuration prompts, and 100% of the ones that Cisco tests on. Router configuration and routing table organization is roughly half of the CCNA exam, so this can help greatly in preparing for thoses parts of the test.
4 Poor substitute at best
Very buggy. The software is OK if you stay completely within the bounds of the preset labs. Avoid it if you can. You're better off to try the CCNASim 3.0 from www.routersim.com or just shell out the cash for a lab.
5 buy only if desperate
The Sybex Virtual e-lab Trainer would have been a decent $... software package. No way is it worth $...! It is buggy and very limited in what you can do. Some commands don't seem to work at all. Consider it only if you've never worked on a router before and don't have a clue about how to get access to one.
6 Adequate for the exam but still too shallow.
First off, the shortcuts for MOST of the supported commands do not work in this program. You have to type in exactly what is printed in the manual.
But the labs given are adequate to get your through the IOS part of the exam.
I would say this is actually a 4 star simulator for the CCNA exam.
However, with its lack of commands, I think this program is probably only worth about ....
Its high price drives my rating down to 3 stars.
7 ok tool for reinforcing book knowledge
I used the CCNA Virtual lab to type in commands as I read the CCNA study Guide, by Todd Lammle and used the Virtual lab with to execute the labs at the end of each chapter of the study guide. The router simulater is worth getting, [...]I did find it helpful, but I found all of the complaints about this product as well. For instance it doesn't recognise all of the commands. If you're just interested in using this as a tool to help reinforce the commands in the study guide I recommend it. You should use this with the CCNA study guide and exam notes by Sybex and you will pass. I passed today with a good score. Hope this helps.
Aslam Mohammed, CCNA, MCP, A+, CIW-Associate, I-Net+, Network+
8 Huge Disappointment
Generally speaking, Sybex products are quite good. Sybex is one of the few vendors from which I have purchased titles based on limited (and sometimes NO) up-front information about the title(s). This time I got burned. The CCNA Virtual Lab e-trainer by Todd Lammle, et al was a complete waste of money. Most of the commands don't work, and the simulation screen has a propensity for locking up unexpectedly. I purchased the book and the e-trainer as a boxed set. If I had it to do over again I would only buy the book. I am pleased with the book, but I am greatly disappointed with the e-trainer. I feel that I have been short-changed by Sybex and Todd Lammle in this instance. One thing is for certain; I will do exhaustive research before I buy anything else from Sybex...that is IF I ever buy anything else from Sybex.
9 Great idea rotten execution
I was thrilled to see this product offered and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. That was where the love affair ENDED.
First there are tons of applications it doesn't work with or must be disabled before even attempting to use it. Then while trying to do the exercises in the lab book, and the Sybex CCNA Study Guide the application locks, doesn't recognize the commands, and sometimes refuses to respond at all.
This was the worst ($) I ever spent. Fortunately there are other lab resources on the web and I also enrolled in the Cisco classes.
10 A good first attempt, but falls very short of a router sim
The product is not a router simulator. It does no simulate a Cisco IOS router. You can type a few commands, but it does not actually emulate a routed environment. It is closer to a cool spell checker. And according to the license, you can not return it.
11 VERY over-rated
Soooo many commands aren't supported. Pretty buggy, too. Now, the study guide by Lammle was excellent(good enough to help me pass), but the sim is pretty cheesy.
12 What a pile, truly lame...
Good idea *very* poorly executed. Most of the program simply doesn't work. To say the program is buggy would be an understatement. It comes across more like a very bad piece of shareware/freeware - I'd say it's worth between eight and ten dollars. "Designed for Use in Conjunction with Sybex's" CCNA (Lammle) book - what they don't tell you is that many (most?) of the labs in the book are not on the e-trainer (only one in four in one chapter, one in seven in another, etc). If you've never touched a router it *might* be helpful. But realize there are virtually no WAN configurations/labs - no PPP, no HDLC, no ATM, no ISDN and a *very poor* Frame-Relay. There *is* an access list lab - only it doesn't work. The IPX numbering scheme is *really* screwed up - takes forever to unravel all of the errors (CD doesn't agree with companion guide, neither of which agree with the lab in the book...go figure) - more importantly the numbering is both incompatible and incoherent within itself. Very, very bad overall. Extremely poor. The first third of the "e-trainer" worked, after that it was rapidly downhill. Hope you don't get sucked in by the hype like I was. Really wasted dollars. Yeh, I suppose it's better than nothing, but not by much... (If it makes any difference, I passed the CCNA2 with a very surprising 967 despite this incredibly frustrating "e-trainer").
13 Highly recommended for interactive learning to pass the test
I have worked with Cisco equipment for a few years but the book was an excellent resource to study and pass the test. The actual test questions are definitely different from the study guide but if you understand the material and get over 90% on the timed trials you are on your way. Todd Lammle has done a great job organizing the book. Got 930 to pass.
14 Good idea, but old information.
In trying to follow along with the trainer, a professional CBT on the subject, and the book, I ran into problems with the trainer being set up with Version 5.x commands and the current versions are 11.x so, many of the commands just do not work. It's a great idea if they would just update the software. They should add some sample traffic and do a better job of providing a real-world simulation. It's a good alternative to 'no-hands-on', but it could be better.
15 Very Good...Worth it.
This is an excellent simulator. It does it's job very well...it teaches you the basics on how to configure cisco routers and will definitely help you pass the CCNA test. I ran through all the simulations three times and also used Todd Lammle's book. Very effective! Passed the CCNA exam on first try and, more importantly, I now KNOW and UNDERSTAND this stuff. This software can't perform every cisco command and do everything, but it certainly gives the hands-on experience and covers all the commands as specified by Cisco's exam criteria. I give "two thumbs-up" and highly recommend it. When you are running a simulation lab, if you have any problems it's definitely related to "your own" misconfiguration of the router/switch. You would experience the same situations on the real hardware. Once again, combine this software with your reading and you will learn this stuff easily.
16 NOT WORTH THE MONEY
Purchased software to help study for exam. Built in labs do not work. Commands don't work, tried to add bandwidth 56 to Serial 0 port and it added bandwidth to all interfaces. Then tried to add clock rate 56000 to Serial 0 and got an error message stating you could only enter this command on a DCE interface. I thought that is what Serial 0 was. Called to get tech support from Sybex and they said my trouble had been referred to the developer. This was 5 months ago and still have heard nothing from Sybex or the developer. I send them 1 email every week and still nothing. ...
17 Great idea, poor execution
While the idea of a virtual router is a good one, this bit of software has been very disappointing. My first issue is with the number of commands available - there aren't enough. And there should be a different response for unsupported ones, so the user knows if he/she has made an error or simply exceeded the scope of the trainer. More importantly, though, is the "bugginess" of the software. Commands don't "take", or they show as configured but then don't perform as they should. I have done a "ping", had it fail, and then immediately repeat it and had it succeed. The basic commands are better, but access lists and WAN configurations are very poorly done. Needs work. The companion book, on the other hand, is very good.
18 Excellent resource for studying for CCNA
As a MCSE looking to gain several Cisco certifications I found this resource to be very helpful.
The virtual lab allows you to have hands on interaction with simulated Cisco equipment which helps the user to become familiar with IOS.
I am using this product in conjunction with the Sybex CCNA book and find that the ability to perform the labs detailed in the book is very good.
I recommend this to anyone who is looking to become a CCNA but does not have access to Cisco equipment.
19 Gotta have this!
This is absolutely what you need for the new CCNA EXAM!
20 Does not work with windows 2000.....
I checked before hand that the software was compatible with windows 2000 professional (which the box says it is) and it simply did not work on my computer. My computer easily matches the system requirements, yet when I try to run the software, it says I need to exit the program and insert the correct CD, and there was only one CD included, so that didn't leave me with any options. I then installed the software on a friend's computer running Windows 98 and it worked fine, so it clearly wasn't a faulty CD. Anyway, I just thought people should know this before spending the money on this program.
21 This helped me towards my CCNA, then towards my CCNP
This product was an invaluable resource for my CCNA. I have since gone on towards my CCNP using all of Todd Lammle's Sybex book and pass all my exams. It is hard, but is can be done! If you don't have access to the routers and switches you need, then this product is for you. I did pass my exams because of this product giving me the hands-on I needed to pass.
22 A great help....but has problems
I have found the trainer to be most helpful. Fortunately I work with "router people" who have helped me get through the mistakes in the software. Worth the money, yes. An end all resource, no.
23 Great program for CCNA 2.0 study!
Anyone familiar with Cisco knows that the commands are often cryptic. This makes practice essential for learning. Without spare Cisco routers and switches handy, it's nearly impossible to get that practice, even if your worksite has Cisco gear in operation. Todd Lammle's CCNA Virtual Lab e-Trainer provides this essential practice, as a complement to his book, CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide (for Exam 640-507). With no previous Cisco experience, I read his book, took sample tests, (from www.stsware.com), and then practiced with Mr. Lammle's e-trainer for a week --- and then passed the CCNA 2.0 test on my first try. I can't recommend the CCNA Virtual Lab e-trainer enough!
24 Great Idea, But Too Limited in Scope
I used this to study for the CCNA. I passed, and this was a good tool along with Lammle's CCNA book. However, had I known beforehand just how limited in scope the e-Trainer was, I would have passed on it. This is a $40 value selling for $70 - $100. You are limited to very basic routing scenarios, and an extremely limited list of commands. On top of that, there are annoying bugs. I love the idea behind the e-Trainer, and I have no doubt that such products could be an invaluable tool for certification, whether CCNA or otherwise. But this particular product needs some work.
25 This will be useful til your job interview
If you don't have access or can't play with the router at work, you will need this. There are about ten labs and questions to those labs. You can type in commands not specified in those lab(e.g the ones from Todd Lammle book or ExamCram book) even though not all the commands work. Especially, those for WAN because it is such a little tiny software that you can't expect advanced commands to work.This will be a lot helpful to you in practicing the commands rather than memorizing all the commands. I passed my CCNA on July 16 and I studied Todd Lammle book, ExamCram, THIS VIRTUAL LAB and nothing else. Even though this version of Virtual Lab came out before the old exam expires, it will still work for new exam(Of course, it is better to buy new version if the vendor comes up with one). With this lab, you can create access-lists and apply them to interfaces, can give all the basic(but important for the exam) commands, ping, telnet, trace the route, enable secret and password(including service-encryption command), and can create sub-interfaces for frame relay. Some of the commands like those for ISDN will be accepted when you type in but will do nothing. I read some reviews and saw that trace command doesn't work. The reason might be that there is no route known to the other router, back to the original router or some other different reasons. For me, it worked. Sometimes things won't work when you type in. That's what I felt when I did that for the first time. Later, I found out that I haven't set up things that are necessary for those commands to work. Good luck on your exam!
26 Limited Value
I find this Lammle's virtual trainer to be rather buggy. For example, the cursor often appears on the wrong line and editing keys such as delete often don't work. Now that it is possible to telnet into actual labs for $5-$10 per hour, this trainer is superfluous. Don't waste your time. Use the real thing.
27 This software doesnot work under NT!
Every time I tried to run this software I get a "core-dump" or "Blue-screen-of-death" from the NT operating system. I tried to install it using different NT PCs, and had the same result. Sent an email to support@sybex.com, no reply yet from them.
28 Cheap, but that is no excuse
Yes, it lists for under $100, but that does not excuse sloppy programming. No support of the product (patches, fixes) to at least clean up the more obvious issues. Cheap does not have to mean poor quality. Too bad in this case, it does.
29 Not good enough
I had hoped that e-trainer would save me from spending hours in the lab but I was extremely disappointed. I found the simulation program sloppy and clunky and quite limited. Lammle has another product ... which is more expensive but looks more powerful. I wish I knew that the kinks were worked out on that product but I haven't tried it. There is an upgrade price from etrainer to routersim.
30 If you don't have access to a router, this is for you!
I'm new to the IT world, and I've still never laid hands on a router, so I had to do a great deal of reading to pass the CCNA exam. Using the e-trainer supplemented my reading and familiarized me with IOS commands in a manner that just reading about them didn't. I really like the Network Visualizer feature. I passed the CCNA today, and one of my highest scores was on the IOS portion - that is due mainly to the e-trainer. After reading several books, I recommend this path to folks with limited experience who are pursuing the CCNA*: (1.) Myhre's book (CCNA Certification: Routing Basics...); (2a.) Lammle's study guide; (2b.) the e-trainer router simulator; (3.) Lammle's CCNA Exam Notes <* Note that this is in reference to CCNA1: 640-407. This test will be retired at the end of July 2000, so the new CCNA (640-507) may change this.> The e-trainer isn't perfect as I ran into some commands that weren't accepted, etc., but it does the job. I can comfortably give the e-trainer 5 stars. It's been invaluable to me as a person who doesn't have access to any network equipment.
31 Not unless you are desperate for "hands on"
I picked this up after I passed the CCNA, because I'm trying to help a friend and because I'm getting ready for ACRC. The reviews which point out the bugs are accurate. Many of the included labs don't work AT ALL: access lists, telnet to multiple routers, etc. Don't bother with this product unless you are DESPERATE to get some hands on OR unless they issue a bug fix/new version. Great idea, but very disappointing quality.
32 CCNA Virtual Lab e-trainer
While the e-trainer is fairly useful for studying, I would have to say that it's pretty buggy. To be quite honest, it's a poorly-coded, 16-bit Visual Basic application that's dressed up to look like a 32-bit app. It crashes when you attempt to telnet in user EXEC mode, and on numerous other occasions. Plus, *many* of the commands you need to know to set up a router do not work. I also wish it would let me install the whole thing on the hard drive and run it. Finally, I feel that the author's paranoia about someone pirating this mediocore app are ludicrous. Not allowing me to archive a copy of the program for backup is BS, and if a vendor were to give me that sort of EULA at my job, I would show them the door. Sybex evidently does not feel that these terms require them to replace damaged media at its expense, and to be quite frank, if I would have known that this was a term of the license, I would not have purchased the product.
33 Good product / Great price
If you are studying for the CCNA, this product is good. This router simulator gives you the basic concept and feel that a book cannot give. The even better thought for this product is that it is much cheaper than buying a lab to study on. There are a few features that can be worked on but keep in mind that this is the 1st edition. Overall, this product is good.
34 Virtual Lab e-Trainer
Great tool for those who do not have access to their own Cisco routers and switches. I only wish it supported more commands. There also seems to be some minor bugs to work out. Example... After telneting to routerC from routerA and then disconnecting, routerA's prompt still reads "routerC>". Only a "reload" command corrected it. In all I recommend this util highly.
35 Good for an introduction, but nothing more!
I fully agree with William Smittle from Oklahoma after reading his review of this product. This product is good for someone who wants an introduction to the world of Cisco routing, yet cannot afford to pay $800 each for second-hand routers. I only have one compaint, but it's a major one:
They could have easily added more commands to the this product. I was trying to follow the course of Todd Lammle's book: CCNA Study Guide, and half the commands do NOT work. Simple little things, like trying to trace the path taken to another host using "TRACE 172.16.10.1" comes back with INVALID INPUT! Not to mention many other basic commands, which also produce the same result.
Todd Lammle was co-creator of this piece of software. So I can only wonder if he intentionally left out much of the funtionality from the Sybex version only to make his $300 ROUTERSIM program look better! Hmmmmmm...
36 Not for Tinkering...
OK, so maybe if you've never worked in the computer industry before this might be usefull. The context sensitive help dosen't work, most of the commands don't work, and the cute little '^' doesn't show up when you make a syntax error. I bought this product to learn how to configure a router. That's not what it's for. It seems to be designed for the singular goal of learning some of the commands tested on the CCNA. I haven't tried anything that's not in the study guide by Lammle, and most if it does not work. You can do basic interface config, and you can set some of the passwords. Most of the show commands work, that's about it. The equipment is setup in a fixed network that can not be modified. I appreciate the difficulty of setting a simulator like this up, but for seventy bucks, it should have been a whole lot better. Save your money and find a lab that will let you play with the real thing for a few hours. The frustration level from typing in commands directly from the book and getting a meaningless generic error message is quite hard to describe. But it did inspire me to write my first product review ever.
37 Great Product
Though only in initial use, (I took test 3 weeks ago and was 6-8 q short), my weak areas are IOS, routing, wan protocols. I have been reviewing the Lammle book, CCNA and this simulator for last 2 days. Its great so far, and can do this at my desk without going to the router lab. For CCNA and to get some hands on, GREAT! I will retake after I do the labs to make sure I nail the test, maybe repost again after I use product even more and retest. (640-407 CCNA 1.0) is good for moving on to CCNP 2.0 the newer version.
38 Great Practice, and how to back up your own copy of the disk
I would recommend this to anyone who does not have access to real Routers. It was a great help to me and I know it can help you too. If you need to back up your copy, you have to convert it to an iso.img first,I recommend using blindread with the nibble option. This was the only program that would work. Then use cdrwin to burn the image back to cdrom. This works because I have done it , and the only reason I am telling everyone how to do it is because you are allowed buy Law to have one backup copy.
39 At least takes you a little away from being paper something
No doubt you need hands-on to prepare for Exam 640-407. Practicing with the Command Line Interface is almost a totally different thing than reading about them in books. For all those who don't have the luxury of access to real routers, this lab is the closest you can get to the real thing.
There are bugs and flaws in design. But if you want the real thing, you'll have to plunk down $2400 used or $4800 brand new. Unless you can be completely sure about your commitment to a CCNP pursuit, that's hardly justifiable. After all, commands are not very heavy in 640-407, and this book prepares you well for those that do show up. To prepare for 640-507, you may want to consider RouterSim 2.0, which is supposed to include more on switches, WAN setup, etc.
These are what I found not working in this lab: 1. Router hostnames behave erratically when you use telnet and cdp. 2. Access lists just don't work for me. 3. The IGRP administrative distance is wrong and probably just copied over from RIP because only one type of routes can be shown at a time, even if you enable both.
MCSE, MCP+I, CNA, CCNA
40 Not what I was hoping it would be.
I didn't expect an inexpensive simulator like this to provide anything close to an environment of a real router. Still, I am surprised by its limitations. Not only is the command set abbreviated, but so is the extent to which they are supported--even for simple things like editing. If you don't deviate from the labs in the book, it will serve its purpose.
41 CCNA Virtual E-lab at what price...
I was really let down with this product. It is a lot to pay for just a cd and a 61 page manual, that reiterates what is on the cd. The product may very well offer a person the opportunity to configure routers and switches, but from the moment I opened the 1st lab, the dearth of available commands became very noticeable and debilitating. I would not recommend this to other users unless you are prepaired to have a colleague(s) take you to a site where you can get a free-ware version that offers the same functionality.
42 A huge value for only the would be CCNA
This software is a huge value for anybody who wants to be a CCNA. I know, I'm studying for my CCNA. The e-Trainer emulates the look and feel of actually being on three routers and an ethernet switch. It doesn't do it perfectly, there are still some commands that are not supported by the software. But, it does it well enough that you don't feel too bad for not having spent $5,000 to set up a home lab. I think this would be a great tool for a business to buy for a budding router config specialist. After all, learning on this thing is a lot safer than learning on your company's real routers.
43 MCSE CCNA
The best "EQUIPMENT" I had to pass the CCNA...I just wonder where is the E-trainer for CCNP?
44 An Excellent Learning Tool With Few Flaws
This is a feature packed simulated lab for those who need hands-on experiences with Cisco routers and switch. The e-trainer comes with a user's manual and a CD. The software contains a lab with 3 routers (Cisco IOS version 11.3) and 1 switch (1900 series). You can practice many Cisco commands, but not all. While it may limit your hands-on experience, it will force you to focus and also prevent accidental issuance of unnecessary commands... You can follow the suggested lab sessions--contains a few minor errors, such as typos and unforeseen results, or create your own custom lab session to focus on those areas you need most help on. What I don't like the fact about the e-trainer from Sybex is that the CD can not be duplicated and the software, once installed on your computer, requires the original CD to run. I don't know about you but I'm very forgetfull and I sometimes forget to eject the CD from my home computer before going to school/work. It would have been much better if Sybex provided a way for me to make at least one copy for my laptop. Also, if you lose your original disc or if it gets warped inside your car on a hot day (which has happened to me before--I live in southern California), you're toast. I'm sure Sybex will mail you a new CD if you let them know, but what a hassle, not to mention the wasted time on your part as you wait for its delivery.
45 Accomplishes What It Is Intended For
E-trainer was instrumental in helping me pass my CCNA. The program presents a 3 router, 1900 switch environment. The labs range from basic ones such as configuring your routers with IP addresses to a little bit on frame relay. What is nice is you can use it in free form mode so that you can enter different configurations, however, I found there a are limitations to the program. It is not going to accommodate everything you want to do. But you will do just fine if you stay within the material from the labs. I also found out it is best to use Todd's study guide as reference instead of using e-trainer to go through the labs in his book. Everything in the book is not necessarily covered in e-trainer. The most important thing, even with its strengths and weaknesses, is that for the price you get more than adequate hands on experience to pass the CCNA exam; which I think this program was for the most part intended to help you do. If you have realistic expectations of the program, it will be very helpful. If you want something to be more elaborate and flexible than this product, buy real routers, but who has that kind of money.
46 Great Training Utility
Helped me pass my CCNA exam the first time and I never even took a class on it.
47 Not that good at all
As a reference nice, but Todd needs help in speech. Some of the answers he gives you arent very clear and leave you more like huh?
I do highly reccommend the paperback book,as an additional tool. If you try to pass the ccna with just this cd, you could be in for a BIG disappointment.
48 Sybex CCNA Router Sim will help
I am a Networking Instructor, we just bought $60,000 of Cisco equipment to setup our lab for the students to practice on . I also got a copy of the Sybex CCNA Router sim, it does have several errors as noted above . . . but for less then $89 it is perfect for the students to practice with and get the feel of the routers/switches at home. It is all about study and practice. Some of my students have never seen a router - this will help ! I rated 4 stars(leave room for Sybex to improve) because for the price - you can not go wrong.
49 Good Tool for Practicing But...
...a lot of annoying errors crept up while trying to run several of the labs. If it were not for the errors (which could possibly lead someone to select the wrong answer on the CCNA test) this product would easily earn four stars. I'd also like to see more of the IOS commands available for use.
50 Excellent training tool !
Gives me the hands-on experience that I need! I am a lawyer with limited technical skills, who is transitioning to the computer networking field. E-trainer has helped make the CCNA concepts clearer, because now I can practice what I've learned. Have not found anything like it, unless I want to spend hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars on real equipment.
51 No new labs?
Sybex came out with a good product overall. It will give students the edge they need to really understand how router configurations work. However, it seems a little cheesy to basically copy the labs out of the study guide and add little or no other labs to this product. The good news is that the software used to be called routersim and it cost about $325.00 before Sybex bought it, and it didn't have the switch. Overall, it's worth the money but I would have liked to see more functionality with the routers and the switch.
52 What a joke!
I recently purchased this eTrainer, & despite rave reviews, I hate it. Often the program will mess up and stop taking commands and quite a few of the labs in the book don't work b/c the cisco commands aren't supported! I generally like Sybex quite a bit, but I really HATE this thing. It may be a cheap alternative to other CCNA certification solutions, but you definately get what you pay for. It doesn't even allow you to follow the labs in the Sybex CCNA study guide. The product just feels too rushed.
53 e-trainer
I have been going through Todd Lammle's CCNA Study Guide in preparation for my CCNA exam. There were some concepts that I was not clear on. I then came across the virtual lab e-trainer. This program has not only helped clarify concepts but has given me the hands on experience that I have needed! The program is easy to use and the labs, for the most part, are straight forward and very educational. I can experiment with different network configurations to see what works and what does not. My exam is coming up in April and I now feel much more confident going into my exam. I would highly recommend this product.
54 Save thousand's on lab's --- Excellent
I just got the new e-trainer lab software today and I think it is excellent. All of the commands work properly and you get the actual feedback from the router as if you would on a live router. This is the wave of the future in study material. I give this FIVE STARS. The other reviewer had some harsh words about it being buggy but it has worked perfect for me. I'm using it on Windows 2000 Professional.
55 Good beginner's tool
Delivers what it promises. While the interface itself is a bit quirky (e.g., you can't view the visual of the lab while you're entering commands, although you can print the lab prior to beginning), overall this is a good tool for novices. Of course, you don't get all router features and you can't watch real net traffic with this simulator, but for the price it provides decent hands-on IOS experience at the CCNA level. Beyond CCNA the value decreases, because you really don't have the flexibility to add new hosts, dial-up, etc. Provides three simulated routers, and includes ethernet, serial and token-ring interfaces. Also includes a Catalyst 1900 switch and two "hosts", pc units which can be pinged for communication test. Lab modules are provided for CCNA level (follows the Lammle study guide), but you can use the router free-form and configure your own scenarios.
56 ccna software
I just picked up this software and I have to say that although the idea is a great one, the software is a little buggy and not 100% functional. I've had trouble with password verification and I end up having to restart the program which is a big hassle when you are in the middle of a lab. Since the program is holding me back from completing the labs I would have to say that the product is not quite there yet. Unless I can resolve the issue, I will most likely be returning it when I get the chance.
