By Michael Aldridge
Hi! I'm Michael Aldridge, Senior Content Developer at Boson Software. We've recently released our new ExSim-Max for TSHOOT product, and I'd like to share with you some thoughts about how to prepare for Cisco's new 642-832 TSHOOT exam.
The TSHOOT exam, which is part of the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) track, is quite different from Cisco's previous exams. In addition to traditional questions, such as multiple choice and drag-and-drop questions, you will also receive several troubleshooting labs to diagnose by using a unique trouble ticket system not found in any of Cisco's other exams.
The TSHOOT trouble tickets will test your ability to systematically troubleshoot a complex network topology. Each trouble ticket will contain a scenario and three questions. Although the topology remains the same for each trouble ticket, the configurations on the routers and switches will change from ticket to ticket. For example, an interface might be shut down on one trouble ticket, OSPF might be misconfigured on a second, and IPv6 might be misconfigured on a third. However, the troubleshooting scenario might be the same on all three tickets. In theory, you should be able to diagnose what is wrong on each trouble ticket if you are familiar with the IOS with respect to the CCNP objectives and if you follow a systematic troubleshooting procedure.
But how do you practice for an exam like this? Even if you have real gear, how can you break something and then conveniently "forget" what you broke so you can diagnose the problem? That's where Boson can help! Our ExSim-Max for TSHOOT practice exam will give you a realistic simulation of what you can expect on the live exam.
Boson's Content Development team has created a trouble ticket interface of our own. In the office, we affectionately call it the Boson Ticket Handling Interface Next Generation (THING). The Boson THING will enable you to interface with simulated routers and switches just as if you were connected to a real rack of routers and switches. To develop the router and switch output, our team assembled a rack of real routers and switches and configured a working topology. Then, for each ticket, we broke a technology and captured the actual device output. Therefore, what you see on Boson's ExSim-Max for TSHOOT is what you would see if you had configured a lab rack and a mysterious phantom were to break your network. This troubleshooting practice can be invaluable in preparing for the live exam.
In upcoming blog posts, I will be sharing more advice on what to expect on the TSHOOT exam, how to study for the exam, and how to approach the troubleshooting scenarios. I look forward to helping you on your journey to becoming CCNP certified!
Michael Aldridge MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
Watch a video demo of ExSim-Max for Cisco TSHOOT