CCNP Virtual Lab

Rating:
Summary: I loved this item
Review: I am a CCNP with the help of this virtual lab. I also have the virtual etrainer, which I barely used. Anyway, the lab is exactly what it says. Simulator, it will not work exactly like the real thing, but if you are new to this field this is what you need. The "Support section kind of sucks but the other three are so good it makes up for it.
I also have the CCNA, and I'm working on my CCSP.
Todd, get to working on the CCSP Virtual lab!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Worthless.
Review: I bought this with the Sybex CCNP books. First off, download the patch from the Sybex wesite to get the software working. From here, it's downhill. The 'labs' only allow you to perform their pre-prescribed labs with no room to try modifications of creation to the network.

Even for the price asked you would be much better advised to pick up some second-hand kit off the Internet. More flexibility, better investment for your time and money.

Rating:
Summary: Support Module is WORSE than nothing - Sybex Support UNSAT!
Review: I had read the marketing hype and some positive review statements concerning this product, and was very excited to purchase and use it to study for my CCNP. I had already passed my Routing and Remote Access tests before buying the Sybex Virtual Lab, so I never tried those modules. I did use the Switching module, and found it to be adequate having only a few typos. However, I was shocked when I reached the Support section of the product in September 2002. Not only did the status displays resulting from different SHOW commands not agree, none of the labs worked starting at 4.11. I went through extensive, time-consuming troubleshooting scenarios with Sybex technical support where I would follow the labs exactly, get to the point of failure, and send them my settings contained in their .INI file. It took several weeks before Sybex conceded that that the problem was in their product. The original product CD was even silkscreened with the title CCNA 1.0 instead of CCNP. I finally obtained a version upgrade (1.01) directly from Sybex in early November. This CD was marked properly, but the sleeve indicated that it was version 1.02. I tried again and found that they had fixed the first lab problem I encountered, but none of the rest of them worked or had been resolved. It would have been easier to fix the most horrible Cisco failure imaginable. Sybex placed the burden of proving the error in their product and of providing them with troubleshooting data directly on me. I obtained CCNP certification around Thanksgiving 2002 without using the Support section of the Virtual Lab, then Sybex finally answered and offered to send me a new version -- when the developers finish it by the end of 2/03 (coincides with their next commercial release version). I can't recommend this type of product quality or support to anyone -- BUYER BEWARE! Just bite the bullet, buy higher quality Cisco certified materials, and read them repeatedly until you understand it all.

Rating:
Summary: Good if it worked
Review: I successfully used the CCNA virtual lab to help me pass the CCNA qualification, and I have also used microcontroller simulators for debugging code, so I am not entirely new to simulators. The CCNA one had some problems, but nothing really bad, and helped me a lot. Unfortunately the CCNP simulator is worse, not better. I should emphasise that I have downloaded the patch, and keep checking the errata page but I am still finding, reporting, and getting no furthur feedback on additional problems. Now, it is certainly possible to cause your own problems here, but when you find that for instance you cannot ping devices that are supposed to be directly connected, and you get a message about SPID's from the net detective, you know there is something odd going on. (It is trying to use a nonconfigured isdn interface instead of the serial line that is configured by the lab given.) It needs first to be improved to where the labs as written actually work, then it needs a bit of attention to letting you perform diagnostics using the standard cisco commands so that when you do make a typo in a config, you have some reasonable chance of finding it. (Which is also excellent practice for the support part of things...) As it is, when you strike a bug and start trying to troubleshoot, then report what you have done to support, they come back at you that you are only supposed to do the things given in the labs. (let me quote the box: "Extensive free form configuration options" "design custom labs that focus on your special interests")

So this is a product with a great deal of potential, mostly not realised yet. I really couldn't advise anyone to buy it in the current state. I'd be happy to discuss this via email with anyone, especially the developers so do the obvious to this (disposable!) address ibxbksf001(AT)sneakemail.com to get hold of me. I will also happily withdraw or modify this review as necessary should I receive any furthur information from support.

...

Rating:
Summary: CCNP Virtual Lab is ok!
Review: I used the CCNA Virtual Lab, and easily passed my CCNA exam. I was excited when I heard about the CCNP Virtual Lab; however, I was very disappointed with the bugs. The update fixes some bugs, but not all. If sybex fix there bugs, this would be a awesome product. I gave it a four because it is still a useful tool, yet I was very disappointed in all the bugs.

Rating:
Summary: Commendable hard-work, but inadequate for CCNP success.
Review: I've completed my CCNP last June of 2001 but without this product's help. I grabbed this product last christmas just so I could hone while away from my setup, but disappointed not to be able to do what I need to do.

The bugs are not the major drawback of this product, as the patch provided on their site actually did fixed those problems, but rather its' very limited ability to do the task of supposedly helping you with the lab. Not only that it is very limited (it is a program, and the contents are limited to the programming contained), but certainly not enough to pass the 4 core CCNP exams. You'd certainly be able to do the lab which it wants you to do, but try doing the Cisco required labs as requisite towards CCNP track and you're out of luck. Save your money on this, I suggest you buy yourself a used hardware (routers/switches) instead on ebay.

Better suggestion: (1) Grab yourself the "Cisco CCNP Preparation Library" which is 4 course books covering all CCNP exam topics, these textbooks are exactly same contents as those 2-volume spring-bound text given at Cisco CEC, I kid you not. There is nothing on the exam that you won't find on the suggested book, then (2) follow-along the lab exercises on a piece of paper or much better yet directly on the hardware itself (the money you save on buying this software can be put to better use if you buy yourself a used routers/switches instead). If you are short of cash and cannot afford the hardware, there are numerous sites, which offer timed-lab where you ftp to their complete hardware setup and be able to utilize them to perform your lab exercises.

I'll still give this product a 2 star --- it is still an honest hard-work attempt to create a product, although very limited, would allow a user to investigate some command functionality of routers/switches. But I caution you not to rely on it to help you pass your CCNP exams or to mimic your more intricate enterprise environment.

Good Luck!

Rating:
Summary: Commendable hard-work, but inadequate for CCNP success.
Review: I've completed my CCNP last June of 2001 but without this product's help. I grabbed this product last christmas just so I could hone while away from my setup, but disappointed not to be able to do what I need to do.

The bugs are not the major drawback of this product, as the patch provided on their site actually did fixed those problems, but rather its' very limited ability to do the task of supposedly helping you with the lab. Not only that it is very limited (it is a program, and the contents are limited to the programming contained), but certainly not enough to pass the 4 core CCNP exams. You'd certainly be able to do the lab which it wants you to do, but try doing the Cisco required labs as requisite towards CCNP track and you're out of luck. Save your money on this, I suggest you buy yourself a used hardware (routers/switches) instead on ebay.

Better suggestion: (1) Grab yourself the "Cisco CCNP Preparation Library" which is 4 course books covering all CCNP exam topics, these textbooks are exactly same contents as those 2-volume spring-bound text given at Cisco CEC, I kid you not. There is nothing on the exam that you won't find on the suggested book, then (2) follow-along the lab exercises on a piece of paper or much better yet directly on the hardware itself (the money you save on buying this software can be put to better use if you buy yourself a used routers/switches instead). If you are short of cash and cannot afford the hardware, there are numerous sites, which offer timed-lab where you ftp to their complete hardware setup and be able to utilize them to perform your lab exercises.

I'll still give this product a 2 star --- it is still an honest hard-work attempt to create a product, although very limited, would allow a user to investigate some command functionality of routers/switches. But I caution you not to rely on it to help you pass your CCNP exams or to mimic your more intricate enterprise environment.

Good Luck!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Non-experienced users
Review: If you don't have hardware to play with, I recommend this lab. It gives you a feel of configuring the routers/switches and make them actually talk to each other.
It also gets you familiar to Visio/CiscoWorks diagrams of network topology.
All supported commands enough to pass all CCNP exams.

Rating:
Summary: Poor man's Cisco router
Review: Very disappointed. All the bad coments below are true, although I think Todd Lammle tried to do a good work. You only have 33 very basic "chopped" commands in routing, no "show ip protocol", no "show ip ospf", etc. Someone knows if this is the most "advanced simulator" in the market?
If this is it, better to buy second-hand equipments.
I don't know how difficult it is to simulate a real environment . It is necessary to pay more, OK no problem, but overcoming the limitations (minimun 100 full-enabled IOS commands by device in any lab!!)