The best thing I like about this lab manual is all configuration files can be downloaded from Cisco Press website. Practice makes man perfect; by troubleshooting various scenarios, which you can build using the above mentioned resource can help you in mastering CCNP TSHOOT topics and can, learn the various approach adapted to trouble shoot more complex Cisco networks. Of course nothing can replace the practical experience but when you simply don’t have that privilege, you can make use of GNS3.

I am hopeful by simply passing Route and Switch exam; you will gain enough confidence and expertise to pass the Cisco TSHOOT exam. Better luck for those who are appearing for the TSHOOT exam, make sure you watch THSOOT Strategies on YouTube by Kevin Wallace which does give you an idea how the real exams look like and do practice the CCNP TSHOOT demo exam available at Cisco web site.

The secret behind passing the Cisco CCNP Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Network (CCNP TSHOOT, 642-832) exam depends on how good you are at troubleshooting, your experience on maintain and managing complex networks, and of course the courage to challenge yourself by focusing and thinking logically on tickets appear on the real TSHOOT exam.

Since I passed the Cisco CCNP Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Network (CCNP TSHOOT, 642-832) exams I was mentally ready to take the challenge of Cisco TSHOOT exam, but my busy schedule was preventing me. Finally I set the date when should I appear for the Cisco TSHOOT exam and I came out passing the exam. Believe me, it was the easiest Cisco Certification exam I appeared till date in my life.

When it comes to exam preparation I got hold of Cisco Press title “CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 Official Certification Guide” and checked the latest exam topology published by Cisco Systems. Yes Cisco System does reveal the topology which appears on the real exam, which itself will ease your burden of preparations. Since I possess over a decade of experience on maintaining and managing Complex Cisco Networks I didn’t find myself reading the Cisco Press title from cover to cover. Just read first two chapters for the sake of curiosity. But prepared the GNS3 topology based on the exam topology published by Cisco Systems and practiced few scenarios. I will cover the approach need to be adopted by CCNP aspirers who are pretty new to Cisco Networks in the upcoming post.

Private VLAN (PVLANS) are really just sub-VLAN inside a VLAN, they basically allows you to split the VLAN domain into multiple isolated subdomains. When it comes to inter-VLAN routing we need a Layer 3 device to forward packets. The same analogy applies to Private VLAN (PVLANS). They need layer 3 devices such as Cisco Router or Cisco Multilayer Switch.

To make things much simpler, consider a Network environment in which the service provider need to connects servers belonging to different customers to the Internet. These servers must all be able to reach their first-hop router, but for security reasons, servers belonging to one customer must not be able to communicate with servers belonging to another. An obvious design solution for these requirements is to place each customer’s servers in a separate VLAN, which also requires the assignment of a separate IP subnet per customer (even if they have only one server).

By creating separate VLANs not only wastes the VLAN IDs but also IP addresses as well. To overcome this Private VLAN (PVLANS) were introduced as a more elegant alternative, allowing multiple devices to reside in the same IP subnet, yet remain isolated from one another at layer two.

In upcoming post we see what terminologies are used in Private VLAN (PVANS) and how they are distinguished.