I get many requests for a full CCNA exam course. And while the idea has some appeal, I currently have no plans to produce my own CCNA training course at this time.
However, I did want to provide you all with my recommendation for a CCNA course: Neil Anderson’s CCNA Boot Camp course.
There are two primary reasons I recommend Neil’s Course:
- Neil is a fantastic instructor. He’s able to break down complicated ideas into easily digestible bite sized chunks.
- Neil’s course is incredibly thorough. Many students have been able to go from zero to fully CCNA certified using just his curriculum.
To that end, I’ve partnered with Neil to offer his course at 50% discount to followers of Practical Networking:
The course is usually $99, but with the link above you can get it for $49.
To give you an idea of how thorough the course, here is every lesson available in the course:
Neil Anderson's CCNA BootCamp -- Course Content
- 01 Welcome
- Introduction (1:07)
- How to Make the Most of This Course (5:53)
- The Study Plan (4:32)
- Recommended Practice Exams (6:50)
- Why Passing the Cisco CCNA is Going to Turbo Charge Your Career (3:46)
- 02 How to Set Up the Lab
- How to Set Up the Lab Introduction (0:41)
- Cisco Packet Tracer Installation (6:39)
- How to Use the Course Lab Exercises (8:59)
- Packet Tracer Installation Notes and FAQ
- 03 Host to Host Communications
- Host to Host Communications Intro (0:57)
- A (Very) Basic Introduction to Networking (5:44)
- Open Systems Interconnection OSI Model Overview (9:25)
- The TCPIP Stack (Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol) (5:11)
- The Upper OSI Layers (3:23)
- The Lower OSI Layers (5:06)
- Host to Host Communications Quiz
- 04 The Cisco IOS Operating System
- The IOS Operating System Intro (1:17)
- Cisco Operating Systems (5:08)
- Initial Connection to a Cisco Device (10:35)
- Navigating the Cisco IOS Operating System Part 1 (10:17)
- Navigating the Cisco IOS Operating System Part 2 (10:31)
- IOS Configuration Management (9:05)
- The IOS Operating System – Lab Exercises
- The Cisco IOS Operating System Quiz
- 05 OSI Layer 4 – The Transport Layer
- OSI Layer 4 – The Transport Layer Intro (0:41)
- The Transport Layer Header, TCP and UDP (12:30)
- OSI Layer 4 – The Transport Layer Quiz
- 06 OSI Layer 3 – The Network Layer
- OSI Layer 3 – The Network Layer Intro (0:48)
- The IP Header (8:48)
- Unicast, Broadcast and Multicast Traffic (4:17)
- Converting from Decimal to Binary (9:04)
- IPv4 Addresses (8:03)
- Calculating an IPv4 Address in Binary (8:22)
- The Subnet Mask (10:38)
- Slash Notation (4:01)
- OSI Layer 3 – The Network Layer Quiz
- 07 IP Address Classes
- IP Address Classes Intro (0:33)
- Class A IP Addresses (11:31)
- IP Address Classes B and C (4:29)
- IP Address Classes D and E (8:25)
- IP Address Classes Quiz
- 08 Subnetting
- Subnetting Intro (0:53)
- CIDR Classless Inter-Domain Routing (5:46)
- Subnetting Overview (9:52)
- Subnetting Class C Networks and VLSM (11:25)
- Subnetting Practice Question (7:56)
- VLSM Example Part 1 (10:01)
- VLSM Example Part 2 (7:48)
- Subnetting Large Networks Part 1 (11:30)
- Subnetting Large Networks Part 2 (7:58)
- Subnetting on the 4th Octet – Written Example
- Subnetting on the 3rd Octet – Written Example
- Private IP Addresses Part 1 (10:47)
- Private IP Addresses Part 2 (9:07)
- Subnetting Table and Subnet Calculator
- Where to Get More Subnetting Practice (3:05)
- Additional Subnetting Practice Sites
- Subnetting Quiz
- 09 OSI Layer 2 – The Data-Link Layer
- OSI Layer 2 – The Data-Link Layer Intro (0:47)
- Local Area Network Layer 2 – Ethernet (10:19)
- OSI Layer 2 – The Data-Link Layer Quiz
- 10 OSI Layer 1 – The Physical Layer
- OSI Layer 1 – The Physical Layer Intro (0:36)
- Ethernet Connection Media (12:56)
- OSI Layer 1 – The Physical Layer Quiz
- 11 Cisco Device Functions
- Cisco Device Functions Intro (1:01)
- Switches vs Hubs (4:57)
- Switch Operation (7:52)
- Routers (5:58)
- Other Cisco Devices (3:48)
- Cisco Device Functions – Lab Exercises
- Cisco Device Functions Quiz
- 12 The Life of a Packet
- The Life of a Packet Intro (1:22)
- DNS The Domain Name System (5:47)
- DNS on Cisco Routers (7:01)
- ARP Address Resolution Protocol (7:42)
- ARP for Routed Traffic (8:57)
- The Life of a Packet Example Part 1 – DNS (16:29)
- The Life of a Packet Example Part 2 – HTTP (9:44)
- The Life of a Packet – Lab Exercises
- The Life of a Packet Quiz
- 13 The Cisco Troubleshooting Methodology
- The Cisco Troubleshooting Methodology Intro (0:44)
- The Cisco Troubleshooting Methodology (10:17)
- The Cisco Troubleshooting Methodology Lab Example (7:21)
- The Cisco Troubleshooting Methodology – Lab Exercises
- The Cisco Troubleshooting Methodology Quiz
- 14 Cisco Router and Switch Basics
- Cisco Router and Switch Basics Intro (0:46)
- Basic Router and Switch Configuration (12:41)
- The Setup Wizard (8:00)
- Speed and Duplex Settings (7:48)
- CDP and LLDP (9:11)
- Basic Layer 1 and 2 Troubleshooting (7:52)
- Basic Layer 1 and 2 Troubleshooting Lab Demo (9:02)
- Cisco Router and Switch Basics – Lab Exercises
- Cisco Router and Switch Basics Quiz
- 15 Cisco Device Management
- Cisco Device Management Intro (1:05)
- The Boot Up Process (6:57)
- The Boot Up Process Lab Demo (7:57)
- Factory Reset and Password Recovery (9:17)
- Password Recovery Lab Demo (8:32)
- Backing up the System Image and Configuration (8:23)
- Upgrading IOS (5:06)
- Cisco Device Management – Lab Exercises
- Cisco Device Management Quiz
- 16 Routing Fundamentals
- Routing Fundamentals Intro (0:58)
- Connected and Local Routes (6:29)
- Connected and Local Routes Lab Demo (6:24)
- Static Routes (6:12)
- Static Routes Lab Demo (10:04)
- Summarisation and Default Routes (9:50)
- Summary Routes and Longest Prefix Match Lab Demo (12:19)
- Default Routes and Load Balancing Lab Demo (11:39)
- Routing Fundamentals – Lab Exercises
- Routing Fundamentals Quiz
- 17 Dynamic Routing Protocols
- Dynamic Routing Protocols Introduction (1:38)
- Dynamic Routing Protocols vs Static Routes (10:06)
- Dynamic Routing Protocols Lab Demo (7:18)
- Routing Protocol Types (7:04)
- Routing Protocol Types Lab Demo (6:52)
- Routing Protocol Metrics (14:58)
- Routing Protocol Metrics Lab Demo (15:01)
- Equal Cost Multi Path (4:23)
- Equal Cost Multi Path Lab Demo (10:58)
- Administrative Distance (10:07)
- Administrative Distance Lab Demo (8:25)
- Loopback Interfaces (8:53)
- Adjacencies and Passive Interfaces (7:12)
- Adjacencies and Passive Interfaces Lab Demo (6:37)
- Dynamic Routing Protocols – Lab Exercises
- Dynamic Routing Protocols Quiz
- 18 Connectivity Troubleshooting
- Connectivity Troubleshooting Introduction (0:38)
- Basic Connectivity Troubleshooting (13:17)
- Connectivity Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- Connectivity Troubleshooting Quiz
- 19 IGP Interior Gateway Protocol Fundamentals
- IGP Introduction (1:04)
- RIP Routing Information Protocol (13:08)
- RIP Lab Demo (14:04)
- EIGRP – Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol
- EIGRP Lab Demo (6:20)
- IGP Fundamentals Configuration – Lab Exercises
- IGP Fundamentals Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- IGP Interior Gateway Protocol Fundamentals Quiz
- 20 OSPF – Open Shortest Path First
- OSPF Introduction (1:09)
- OSPF Characteristics (6:09)
- OSPF Basic Configuration (11:10)
- OSPF Basic Configuration Lab Demo (4:39)
- OSPF Advanced Topics (7:15)
- OSPF Advanced Topics Lab Demo (7:18)
- Bandwidth vs Clock Rate and Speed (5:11)
- OSPF Cost Metric (9:29)
- OSPF Cost Metric Lab Demo (7:59)
- OSPF Adjacencies (17:16)
- OSPF DR and BDR Designated Routers (10:36)
- OSPF DR and BDR Lab Demo (13:12)
- OSPF Areas (14:18)
- OSPF Areas Lab Demo (11:10)
- OSPF Configuration – Lab Exercises
- OSPF Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- OSPF Quiz
- 21 VLANs Virtual Local Area Networks
- VLANs Introduction (1:01)
- Campus LAN Design – Core, Distribution and Access Layers (8:08)
- Spine-Leaf Network Design (5:24)
- Why we have VLANs (9:51)
- VLAN Access Ports (6:56)
- VLAN Access Ports Lab Demo (8:21)
- VLAN Trunk Ports (15:46)
- VLAN Trunk Ports Lab Demo (13:28)
- DTP Dynamic Trunking Protocol (5:36)
- VTP VLAN Trunking Protocol (7:45)
- VTP Lab Demo (10:21)
- VLAN Lab Exercises
- VLANs Virtual Local Area Networks Quiz
- 22 Inter-VLAN Routing
- Inter-VLAN Routing Introduction (1:11)
- Router with Separate Interfaces (11:40)
- Router on a Stick (11:33)
- Layer 3 Switch (8:10)
- Layer 3 Switch Lab Demo (9:23)
- VLAN and Inter-VLAN Routing Configuration – Lab Exercises
- Inter-VLAN Routing Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- Inter-VLAN Routing Quiz
- 23 DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
- DHCP Introduction (0:59)
- DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (6:31)
- Cisco DHCP Server (6:49)
- External DHCP Server (5:16)
- Cisco DHCP Client (5:02)
- Windows, Mac and Linux client IP settings (7:24)
- DHCP Configuration – Lab Exercises
- DHCP Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Quiz
- 24 HSRP – Hot Standby Router Protocol
- HSRP Introduction (2:00)
- Network Redundancy (8:50)
- FHRP First Hop Redundancy Protocols (7:09)
- HSRP Hot Standby Router Protocol (9:12)
- HSRP Advanced Topics (7:37)
- HSRP Configuration – Lab Exercises
- HSRP Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- HSRP – Hot Standby Router Protocol Quiz
- 25 STP – Spanning Tree Protocol
- Spanning Tree Protocol Introduction (1:38)
- Layer 3 Path Selection and Loop Prevention Review (11:30)
- Why we have the Spanning Tree Protocol (12:42)
- Spanning Tree Terminology – The Bridge (3:20)
- How Spanning Tree Works (20:23)
- Spanning Tree Versions (7:53)
- Verification – show spanning-tree (11:11)
- Verification – show mac address-table (5:23)
- Manipulating the Root Bridge Election (7:02)
- Spanning Tree and HSRP Alignment (6:56)
- Portfast, BPDU Guard and Root Guard (6:47)
- STP Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- STP Configuration – Lab Exercises
- STP – Spanning Tree Protocol Quiz
- 26 EtherChannel
- EtherChannel Introduction (1:21)
- Why we have EtherChannel (8:38)
- EtherChannel Load Balancing (4:39)
- EtherChannel Protocols and Configuration (10:21)
- EtherChannel Lab Demo (12:59)
- StackWise, VSS and vPC (8:17)
- Layer 3 EtherChannel (6:29)
- EtherChannel Configuration – Lab Exercises
- EtherChannel Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- EtherChannel Quiz
- 27 Switch Security
- Switch Security Introduction (1:07)
- DHCP Snooping (5:35)
- DAI Dynamic ARP Inspection (8:01)
- 8021X Identity Based Networking (3:13)
- Preventing Unauthorised Devices with Port Security (11:00)
- Preventing Unauthorised Devices with Port Security Lab Demo (8:09)
- Locking Ports to Hosts with Port Security (6:08)
- Locking Ports to Hosts with Port Security Lab Demo (10:40)
- Switch Security Configuration – Lab Exercises
- Switch Security Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- Switch Security Quiz
- 28 ACLs – Access Control Lists
- Access Control Lists Introduction (4:11)
- Access Control Lists Overview (4:29)
- Standard, Extended and Named ACLs (10:42)
- ACL Syntax (10:11)
- ACL Operations (15:20)
- Numbered ACLs Lab Demo (14:03)
- Named ACLs Lab Demo (10:23)
- ACL Configuration – Lab Exercises
- ACL Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- ACLs – Access Control Lists Quiz
- 29 NAT – Network Address Translation
- Network Address Translation Introduction (2:14)
- IPv4 Address Exhaustion and NAT (8:04)
- Static NAT (6:48)
- NAT Translations – Inside Local, Inside Global, Outside Local, Outside Global (9:37)
- Static NAT Lab Demo (8:21)
- Dynamic NAT (9:18)
- Dynamic NAT Lab Demo (7:49)
- PAT Port Address Translation (14:21)
- PAT Port Address Translation Lab Demo (6:57)
- NAT Configuration – Lab Exercises
- NAT Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- NAT – Network Address Translation Quiz
- 30 IPv6 Addressing and Routing
- IPv6 Addressing and Routing Introduction (1:29)
- Why We Need IPv6 (10:28)
- The IPv6 Address Format (7:56)
- IPv6 Global Unicast Addresses (9:49)
- IPv6 Global Unicast Addresses Lab Demo (7:35)
- EUI-64 Addresses (8:49)
- Unique Local and Link Local Addresses (10:57)
- Link Local Addresses Lab Demo (6:46)
- SLAAC Stateless Address AutoConfiguration (10:02)
- IPv6 Static Routes (13:36)
- IPv6 Static Routes Lab Demo (17:44)
- IPv6 Addressing and Routing Configuration – Lab Exercises
- IPv6 Addressing and Routing Quiz
- 31 WAN – Wide Area Networks
- WAN Introduction (1:08)
- WAN Overview (4:51)
- VPN Virtual Private Networks (9:36)
- WAN Connectivity Options (11:37)
- Leased Lines (10:17)
- MPLS Multi Protocol Label Switching (12:05)
- PPPoE Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet (3:47)
- WAN Topology Options (6:21)
- WAN – Wide Area Networks Quiz
- 32 The Security Threat Landscape
- The Security Threat Landscape Introduction (0:52)
- The Security Threat Landscape (13:42)
- Common Attacks (18:16)
- Firewalls and IDS/IPs (9:53)
- Firewalls vs Packet Filters (13:53)
- Cryptography (12:39)
- TLS Transport Layer Security (13:35)
- Site-to-Site VPN Virtual Private Networks (15:31)
- Remote Access VPN Virtual Private Networks (5:16)
- Threat Defense Solutions (17:10)
- The Security Threat Landscape Quiz
- 33 Cisco Device Security
- Cisco Device Security Introduction (1:25)
- Line Level Security (13:53)
- Privileged Exec and Password Encryption (4:32)
- Line Level Security Lab Demo (9:34)
- Usernames and Privilege Levels (11:20)
- SSH Secure Shell (4:47)
- SSH Secure Shell Lab Demo (5:32)
- AAA Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (12:10)
- AAA Configuration (8:38)
- Global Security Best Practices (9:48)
- Global Security Best Practices Lab Demo (5:01)
- Cisco Device Security Configuration – Lab Exercises
- Cisco Device Security Troubleshooting – Lab Exercises
- Cisco Device Security Quiz
- 34 Network Device Management
- Network Device Management Introduction (0:25)
- Syslog (15:05)
- Terminal Monitor and Logging Synchronous (6:10)
- Syslog Lab Demo (6:10)
- SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol (9:19)
- SNMP Lab Demo (3:57)
- SNMPv3 Configuration (10:06)
- SNMPv3 Lab Demo (7:05)
- Syslog vs SNMP (5:39)
- Network Device Management – Lab Exercises
- Network Device Management Quiz
- 35 QoS Quality of Service
- QoS Introduction (1:24)
- QoS Overview (19:08)
- Classification and Marking (14:22)
- Congestion Management (10:51)
- Policing and Shaping (12:45)
- QoS Quality of Service Quiz
- 36 Cloud Computing
- Cloud Computing Introduction (1:28)
- Traditional IT Deployment Models (6:10)
- Defining Cloud Computing (6:55)
- Cloud Computing Case Study (13:38)
- Server Virtualization (13:08)
- Virtualizing Network Devices (14:09)
- Cloud Service Models (10:32)
- Cloud Deployment Models (10:57)
- Cloud Computing Advantages (8:31)
- Cloud Computing Quiz
- 37 Wireless Networking Fundamentals
- Wireless Fundamentals Introduction (1:08)
- Wireless Network Types (7:03)
- Infrastructure Mode and Wireless Access Points (6:18)
- Wireless LAN Controllers and CAPWAP (14:05)
- Switch Configuration for Wireless Networks (9:58)
- Wireless Channels and Radio Frequencies (12:44)
- Wireless Security (6:21)
- Switch Configuration for Wireless – Lab Demo (15:20)
- Wireless Network Configuration – Lab Demo (20:07)
- Wireless Networking Fundamentals – Lab Exercises
- Wireless Networking Fundamentals Quiz
- 38 Network Automation and Programmability
- Network Automation and Programmability Introduction (2:50)
- The Benefits of Network Automation and Programmability (11:34)
- Python, Git, GitHub and CI-CD (6:04)
- Data Serialization Formats – XML, JSON and YAML (13:57)
- APIs – CRUD, REST and SOAP (12:42)
- Model Driven Programmability – YANG, NETCONF, RESTCONF and gRPC (11:05)
- Lab Demo – Testing APIs with Postman (12:16)
- Configuration Management Tools – Ansible, Puppet and Chef (7:48)
- Lab Demo – Ansible Network Automation (17:03)
- SDN Software Defined Networking (9:33)
- Software Defined Architecture – Cisco DNA Center (19:50)
- Software Defined Architecture – Cisco SD-Access (10:23)
- Software Defined Architecture – Cisco SD-WAN (12:27)
- Further Automation Learning Resources (3:18)
- Network Automation and Programmability Quiz
There is also a 300+ page lab guide that is available completely free. The guide provides hours and hours of guided labs to complete using Packet Tracer (also available free) that will help give you “time on keyboard” practicing for your CCNA exam.
Plus, since the Lab Guide is free, you can use it to validate the quality of Neil’s content.
To access Neil’s Full CCNA Course at a 50% discount, click here.
To access Neil’s 300 page CCNA Lab Guide, click here.
I hope you find these resources helpful if you are on the CCNA journey.
Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means Neil was kind enough to share a portion of sales from readers of Practical Networking who used these links. There is no added cost to you (in fact, the link above is a 50% discount of Neil’s regular price).
I just wanted to say I love your site. I followed a link you posted from a reddit link discussing VLANs and multiple APs and you linked a blog to VLANs.
Great content! Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Glad you enjoy the content, Jerad =).
Hi,
Discounted link of this course is not working. Please assist.
I have the same issue.
Try clearing your cookies. The discount is only if you purchase in the first 30 minutes.
Try clearing your cookies. The discount is only if you purchase in the first 30 minutes.
Neils course is no longer accepting the discount, thought I would update you, tried but it went back to the original price
Can anyone assist me in getting access to this course. The above links are not working.Thanks