Cisco CCNA Network Simulator (CCNA Self-Study, 640-801)

Rating:
Summary: Smoke and mirrors
Review: Figures....Cisco comes out with a sim and it is all marketing.

Yes, there are labs, yes there are routers, but it is not as great as the marketing says. It certainly isn't worth the money, and not nearly as good as the RouterSim.com product line.

The program has you reboot (twice!) when you install it, which is annoying at best.

It takes a while to figure out how to run this thing, then it is really slow and clunky. You have to create your routers and labs in one program, then import it into another screen. Weird.

Oh, and when you click on a router, you lose your screen and it becomes the console. RouterSim opens new dialog boxes for everything with a much better looking and running program.

Save your money on this one...

Rating:
Summary: Buggy!
Review: First off, don't buy this thinking there are any practice exams bundled with it. That would prove too cost effective for you to receive a complete package for one price. In any case, the application is buggy. Many errors were generated in the middle of labs causing the app to dump out and close without warning. Needless to say, it was very annoying and a tremendous cost, opportunity wise.

Additionally, the Boson Nazi's are so paranoid about you 'sharing' this product, it is impossible to install it on any other machine other than the one you initially pick without jumping through more hoops than it is worth. All I wanted to do was have it on my PC at work (since work has endorsed this activity) and be able to study at home. No luck, buy two copies I guess.

When the program did work, it had the look and feel of a router/switch which is the only reason this review gets 2 stars instead of one. My advice, study the books and use the limited versions that come with them (any of them; Sybex, Cisco Press, etc). They are all I ended up using.

Rating:
Summary: Good Network Simulator Program for CCNA exams
Review: I like Boson Network Simulator for the following facts:

1. Network design which allow people to design their own network.
2. The package come with many labs
3. I pass with 949 for CCNA in Jan 21 2005 first time, thanks for CCNA Network simulator.
4. Tech support from Boson were very helpful, I don't have any problem to install Network simulator in different PCs.

Good luck on your CCNA and beyond.

Rating:
Summary: Cisco/Boson license is ridiculously restrictive
Review: I purchased this product a few days ago. I opened the box, removed the cellophane from the CD, and discovered that the Boson EULA is absurdly restrictive.

For example, I am going to be visiting my family for 3 weeks for Christmas, and would like to bring my new $150 Cisco Simulator with me, to use temporarily at my families house. Unfortunately, I already installed, and activated it on my regular PC. Since the Boson registration program only allows the program to be installed on 1 PC, I am out of luck.

What happens if my PC breaks and I buy a new one? Or if I want to put it on my laptop for when I travel? Apparently, I will have to buy a new copy. What happens when/if I reinstall Windows, as most people do periodically? Will Boson make me buy a new copy for that?

It is overly restrictive licenses like this that causes piracy in the first place. I purchase all of my software. Yet I am being punished by Boson because some people are less honest than me.

So David Rajala, why cant I bring the software I purchased for $150 with me on a 3 week trip and use it while I am away? Dont you find it a little ridiculous to force your loyal customers to spend another $150 on a product they already bought from you in good faith?

By the time I discovered this absurd EULA, I had already removed the wrapper from the CD, so there was no way it could be returned. Dave Rajala, if you are going to have such a restrictive EULA, maybe you should put it in bold letters on the box, so people like me dont fall into your trap.

By the way, this is a great product, and an incredible learning tool, that is destroyed by its EULA.

Rating:
Summary: Shop around, there's better
Review: It's hard to believe that Cisco/Boson is still using Visual Basic in a "modern" product. And not the .net flavor either. If they can't update the application to a modern language and a serious user interface, it makes you wonder where else they are cutting corners. Although it might support the certification, I found this router simulation too clunky to use.

Rating:
Summary: CISCO CCNA Network Simulator: GREAT HANDS-ON!
Review: Reviewer Certification: MCSE NT 4.0, CCNA

ISBN: 1-58720-131-3

Through my recent CCNA certification process I found that the most difficult part of getting certified is acquiring hands-on experience. Inexperienced Network Administrators are rarely given significant access to production routing and switching equipment. (Gaining experience for OS certifications does not run the same level of risk of negatively impacting an entire enterprise). Couple this with the expense of buying actual "practice" equipment and one can see the value in a good, cost-effective simulator program.

The Cisco CCNA Network Simulator by Boson Software Inc. (Published by Cisco Press) appreciably meets one's need for hands-on experience. There are six lab modules to choose from: Stand Alone Labs, Sequential Labs, Scenario Labs, CCNA INTRO Labs (640-821), CCNA ICND (640-811) Labs, and Your Labs. Companion materials are a click away to help instruct and clarify. (Be aware that the lab numbers and chapter numbers don't necessarily match. For example, Stand Alone Lab 1's support material is Chapter 7 of Cisco CCNA Certification Library.) Students can check their progress with the Lab Grader feature.

Before the student can reap the full benefits of the product, he/she should be prepared to invest time - and perhaps some frustration -- in getting to know how this product works. Though not overly complex, there is a definite learning curve. The process starts with printing the User Guide (which does have some typos). It would have been nice to have this provided with the simulator media. (It would also be nice to have the option of printing all chapters, but Cisco CCNA Certification Library is available via other means in its entirety.) The labs can be printed out individually or in batches.

With the various lab categories and types, students can develop a strategy for where they're at in the education and training process. Beginners will probably want to start with the Sequential Labs. (Read the caution on page 50 of the User Guide as care must be taken to "save" after each lab or face the necessity of repeating "quite a few steps depending on what area you are working on.") The other labs are much more flexible and allow the student to focus on areas of weakness.

As a bonus, the Simulator has uses beyond test preparation. Intermediate administrators and instructors will find the "Network Designer" ("NetMap") module to be a useful tool. The Network Designer, which can accommodate up to 200 devices per simulated network, can be used to test IP changes prior to implementing them in production. Those that have devices above the 4500 Router and 2900 Switches will have to be a little creative with the simulator in the quest of paralleling the production environment -- but this is doable.

Students can go to Help and Check for Updates. The Readme contains errata that can be invaluable in clarifying issues and correcting mistakes that could wreak havoc on certification test scores. Above all, Cisco CCNA Network Simulator will definitely give the student the hands-on experience that is difficult to find but is essential to success in obtaining certification.







Rating:
Summary: Do NOT waste your money on this one!
Review: This Cisco simulator is horribly put together with use of poor graphical interfaces and poor functionality! Take my advice look elsewhere!

Rating:
Summary: GOP
Review: This is the best Cisco Network Simulator that I have found. Not only is it the best on the market, it is just a great product for anyone studying for the CCNA. This product gives you all of the materials (actual chapter snap shots in PDF format from the CCNA Certification Library (CCNA Self-Study, exam #640-801), Sixth Edition by Wendell Odom) that you need to actually understand what you need to do to configure routers and switches. I have access to Cisco equipment but setting up hardware can be time consuming and can lead to rat's nest of wires when you are trying to simulate a WAN that has ten router, switches and computers. This product is point, click and drag. I have created ten router networks in 15 minutes using this product instead of taking 15 minutes just to locate the needed equipment. Once you create the network the product imports your design into the simulator and you can begin configuring your network devices. If you are studying for your CCNA then this is the product for you. It takes some time to familiar with the flow of the product but it is time well spent. After you install the NetSim, go slow and be patient and you will fall in love with it just as I did.

I know that it sounds like I work for Boson or Cisco but in actuality I work for a Defense / Home Land Security Contractor. I purchased this product in hope that it would help me prepare for the CCNA. I can honestly say that I got a lot more then I bargained for. This product is not only a great learning tool but can also be used as a test and deployment tool. The Department of Defenses SIPRNET and NIPRNET is a router based backbone and I have used this tool to test validate configs before rolling them out on actual Cisco routers and switches.

The only issue that I have had with this product is trying to get replacement media. I damaged the CD and Boson and Cisco both tell me that I need to purchase another copy. So now I can not move this copy from my desktop to my laptop.

All in all I am extremely overjoyed with this product. Again, if you are studying for you CCNA then this product is a MUST HAVE study guide along with the CCNA Certification Library (CCNA Self-Study, exam #640-801), Sixth Edition by Wendell Odom. I hope this helps and good luck with you certification.




Rating:
Summary: Not For the Military
Review: This review is intended for military members.

This program requires that you be connected to the internet to install the software. The software comes with a serial number that requires that it be registered with Boson, the manufacturer of the software, to obtain a license key. The license key is used to install the program onto the computer.

Part of the process is supplying Boson with the unique computer verification number for the computer you are installing the software onto. If your unit allows you to install it to you government computer, this means that you cannot transfer the software to another computer (example, you get transfered somewhere els) with out deleting the software from the computer and then calling Boson again to transfer the license.

If you are installing it to your personal computer, the internet option will not work because personal computers are not allowed to be connected to the government network (with a few exceptions). There is a phone number you can call, but you have to call Boson during their office hours, and it is not free. You will have to use a calling card unless you can connect locally to them.

I emailed them the necessary information. Boson is fast to get you the license key, about a day, if you're not in any rush.

If you plan on buying the software, do the install before you deploy overseas, otherwise you will have problems with the installation.

Rating:
Summary: Response to Negative Feedback
Review: This review is merely a response to the negative feedback posted so far, and is not in itself an actual review:

Reviewer: hansen88; Visual Basic has been the industry standard and modern defacto standard for Windows-based user-interfaces for many years. Its interface was chosen due to its stability, it has been debugged by Microsoft for MANY years, and because everyone who has ever used a Windows program before will be familiar with the applications interface. VB.NET was not selected at this time (which has the same end-user interface), because the majority of end-users do not desire to download large file sized patches from Microsoft.

Reviewer: Mark Sevenson "Cisco Kid"; this is an employee of a competitor, same as "Cisco Wannabe", see below, and should be disregarded.

Reviewer: Not Too Ticked Off "Overseas Soldier"; this is simply untrue. A custom licensed version of the software is available, which does not have the standard retail Internet registration requirement (contact boson.com). Internet registration is the defacto standard, even Microsoft now requires it for all of their software sold in the last few years. In addition, a manual registration mode for this retail software is indeed available via telephone or fax or mail, which does permit installation and registration without an Internet connection.

Reviewer: C. Cooke "Cisco Wannabe"; this is an employee of a competitor, and should be disregarded. Look at other reviews by "Cisco Wannabe", and the product they promoted, and I'm sure you can figure out who this really is...

Overall, taking into account the only negative reviews are from a single competitor, this should tell you our competitors are afraid - very afraid - and that this is an outstanding product!!

Sincerely,
David Rajala
President
Boson Software, Inc.