About This Study Guide
Last updated
Last updated
This study guide reads as more of a lab workbook than a textbook. I would highly recommend labbing along with each section. Each article typically starts with some background information and theory on the topic. You will then see a "Lab" section that contains a topology diagram and a code block with startup configs, which you can use to quickly build your own lab and follow along.
Throughout the article I will use the lab to demonstrate features, and sometimes test your knowledge. For example, it might say "What will happen if we do xyz? Pause to think this through before continuing on." Of course, no one is making you do this, but I believe it will help your understanding if you challenge yourself to think critically about the technology.
Throughout each article, show output and configuration commands are placed in a code block. In order to further explain a line of configuration or output, I use an annotation within the code block. If there are squiggly lines underneath text, you can click on it to get more information.
For example, click the text "10.1.1.2" below:
I sometimes use annotations to simply point out interesting information in a multi-line show command output. There isn't a way to highlight within a code block on gitbook (as far as I'm aware).
A few topics, such as Segment Routing, Multicast, and QoS are covered from the "ground up." However, other topics such as LDP, basic MPLS, BGP, OSPF, and ISIS are not covered comprehensively. Instead, I encourage readers to seek outside material for these topics if you are interested in more information about the basics and fundamentals of these protocols. Articles on these topics will be more advanced topics or corner cases that I thought were unique. There are a dozen books you can read on BGP that will teach the fundamentals better than I can.
It is assumed that readers have some knowledge and basic experience working with IOS-XR. I do not cover the basic operations of IOS-XR such as committing, CLI syntax, etc. Throughout each topic, the IOS-XR configuration will be explained, but you should understand how to commit changes, and that MPLS LDP configuration is done under its own stanza, etc.
I would not suggest that you use this study guide as your only resource. I make no claim that by following this guide thoroughly you will be able to pass the CCNP-SP exams. This study guide is "unofficial" and has no affiliation with Cisco. You can think of this study guide as a slightly more organized blog website that I created while studying for the CCNP-SP. Many articles contain a "further reading" section at the bottom with links to config guides or chapters in particular books that you should definitely utilize.
These are some of the books I used to learn these topics. Many of these books are referenced in the "further reading" sections throughout this article.
Brad Edgeworth, Aaron Foss, Rios Ramiro Garza, IP Routing on Cisco IOS, IOS XE, and IOS XR
Beau Williamson, Developing IP Multicast Networks
Luc De Ghein, MPLS Fundamentals
Mobeen Tahir, Mark Ghattas, Dawit Birhanu, Syed Natif Nawaz, Cisco IOS XR Fundamentals
Jeff Doyle, Jennifer Carroll, Routing TCP/IP Volume II
Wendell Odom, Michael J. Vacanaugh, Cisco QOS Exam Certification Guide
Ivan Pepelnjak, Jim Guichard, Jeff Apcar, MPLS and VPN Architectures Volume II
The topics are not in a particular order in this gitbook. Each topic can be treated separately, sort of like its own blog post. You don't need to read each section one by one in order. Feel free to skip around to different sections as you study them.
At the very end of this gitbook, there are 13 lab challenges. You can use these at the very end of your studies, or use them while you learn each topic. I refrain from fully explaining each lab answer so that you discover more about the technology yourself if you are having trouble. Each lab challenge contains a CML .yaml file which you can directly import into CML, and the startup configs which you can use to lab with GNS3 or EVE-NG.
If you have no experience with IOS-XR I would recommend this introduction:
Config guides
I would highly suggest you use Cisco documentation throughout your studies. These will be linked throughout the "futher reading" sections, but you can also take a look at a comprehensive collection of CCNP-SP config links here:
