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

Manufacturer: Pearson Education Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours List Price:$149.95 Our Price:$104.97 Authors: Inc. Boson Software Description:

Reviews:

New CCNA
This product was very helpful in attaining my CCNA. The simulations were helpful in reinforcing the material covered in the text books.


Pile of Poo
The simulator of the net of Cisco CCNA is that of product defective software it never has purchase. The reason: I cannot convince the software in order to install. I have tried to install without succeeding this software on 4 different computers, different Marches (IBM, Toshiba) all the operation Windows.xp SP2. The relative creed an edition of allowed of recording key, but I have not been able to discover like enough still repairing it. There is no denies the permissions selects to you in the specific keys. Yes, they are a full coordinator. Hatred the questions twitty like that one. When I have called the support line the relative formation of Pearson. The same company that ago the handbook and the other software for the educators. Job in the field of formation in IT and is a company of the crap. It explains why there are many errors and incomplete parts in this software. GRRR.


Nice idea but the product is Obsolete for the current CCNA exam
This product has the just idea of simulation of the products of the Cisco so as to a person can use the software instead of purchase of the real equipment of the Cisco in order practicing in the exam of CCNA. However, this product has a sure number of important defects in the software and has been disused from when the Cisco it has announced the new version of theirs exam of CCNA past june. You aspett better an modernized version that it has software of better quality and it supports the products currents of the Cisco (routers and switches) to one version more current of the IOS.


Beware Misrepresented Product
Recently I have bought this software next to that what I have thought I was a price of great reduction in price rather than to pay the complete price to the Web site of the bosone. I have called the technical support of the Boson because "the message of input not valid" I counts over when I make the errors of beating to machine I was not working. It turns out is not supported in this version. Nizza. MOREOVER, this version is the OLD simulator clearly that the bosone it has sold to the Cisco and more to the supports (v5.014 was last version). The square of technical support of the bosone could not more than little interested being to help it. Bosone the hour nearly sells "their" simulator (v6.00 exactly same but "the systems of input the not valid") to theirs just Web site in order much more. Inferior line, I have thought that sterà obtaining a lot on the last version of the simulator clearly and preferibilmente, you obtained sold an old polverosa copy to which the bosone more it does not support to have some affiliation. My technical support goes. On purpose, the simulator clearly of the bosone for the 640-802 (v7.x) will be outside soon and costs at least the others $50,00 more! How we can allow them if our employer will not pay an authorization of the only place?


this is the best network simulator for ccna
This simulater of the net regards every thing that a student of ccna will appreciate to know approximately the configuration of the routers of the Cisco and to pass to its exams.I much happy one with simulater and the hope to pass mine exams of ccna after that he has rifinito to make the laboratories, from the tolerance of the God.


CCNA Simular Works Great!
That is a learning tool large for that it is taking the program of CCNA studies. It works well. The only thing is that it does not support all the orders of the router that they are in the laboratories of program of studies of the Cisco. I would find that periods a lot, I would obtain to half road through the laboratory and then would not recognize an order. Except this "wrong impulse" or if the moneies wished to pay through the nose the CCNP version are calm worthy. I have rifinito my program of studies of the Cisco with To because of the laboratories of practical and of the enclosed laboratories. It sure beats that they buy the real thing and that they play with it. Particularly if wished to save the sure moneies. It buys them... that you will appreciate them! :)


good book
i ended up changing my careers to websphere application server.
did not get certified in ccna. i am sure this book will get you certified.


Avoid this product
If you're trying to pass the CCNA exam (either the single exam or the two-part exam) I would recommend that you buy the Exam Certification Library from Cisco Press (which includes a "Lite" version of the CCNA Network Simulator) and bypass this offering. Then make sure that you get some time on real equipment, if at all possible. The bottom line on the full blown version is that it's not worth the $$$. I wish I'd read the reviews on this product before I bought it. It's true what others have said about the deficiencies of this product. If you're interested in really mastering things like Spanning tree protocol you'll not get that good feeling from this product. STP doesn't work outright! I'm a veteran of certification testing. In all, I've taken 15 tests covering various technologies from various vendors. I took the INTRO test (relying on the books in the Exam Certification Library and the NetSIM) and passed it easily. However, for the first time in my life, I failed a test when I took the ICND exam. I went through the simulator exercises twice before the exam. I read the book cover-to-cover twice before the exam. It's not that I'm a bad test taker. Before the ICND I was 14 for 14. The simulator simply didn't prepare me for the exam. Period.


Great Teacher
This is a good investment for anyone new to configuring routers and switches. The labs are very good tools to teach you how to config and help you understand the reasons behind the command.


good for training, but seems incomplete
It is a good tool for exam practice, but doesn't seem too useful for practical network mapping, simulation, or planning. There's just too much that's incomplete. Commands are missing including some advanced routing protocol support, there's no support for larger switches, and some of the diagnostics are pretty kludgy. There is a CCNP version of the software that supposedly addresses these, but I haven't tried it. It may seem fairly expensive, but it is still a lot cheaper than buying an assortment of cisco gear to run through the exercises.


Too many mistakes
I read the other reviews on Amazon before purchasing this product. I saw some were good and some were bad. I thought, well, people have different opinions and I may like it. No. There are too many mistakes. Others have commented on VLAN issues with the 2950's. I had the same problem. Any more than 3 vlans and it just wouldn't work. It was very frustrating in that I wasted ALOT of time thinking it my configs at first. Then there is some kind of bug with pings. When you ping from one specific PC to another across your virtual network the entire application shuts down. This will consistently happen so you must remember which PC's you can and can't ping to and from safely and make sure to save everything before every ping. You will put in configurations then 5 minutes later do a "sh run" and they will mysteriously be gone. Or take a network statement out from under OSPF but it just will NOT remove it. Lastly there is the user friendly-ness. I rate this as a zero. It is the most cumbersome application I have ever used. It would have helped had I been able to open the user guide but that did nothing when I clicked on it. I lost many a network because I didn't save the topologies and configs correctly. So I called Boson for help. You have to leave your name and number and they will call back within 48 hours. That was 2 weeks ago. I have not heard from them.


Poor Implementation of ACL's
I sent the company some feedback last week and have heard nothing from them. Product does not apply ACL's properly to interfaces and has problems recording matches to outbound ACL's. Also there are problems with alternate vlans on 2950 switches. Numerous bugs running verion 5.07 with latest patch. Was a very disappointing purchase.

Dennis Byford, CCNP


The best network simulator on the market
Several reviews of this product have protested approximately the EULA. The bosone it has been much profit in allowing that the customers record this software on more than one calculating staff of use. Therefore if you have a calculating of the job, the personal calculating and laptop, you must not not have problem to record it on these blots some multiple.


Great investment
I bought and used this product to prepare for my CCNA exam, and found it to be a wonderful investment (I passed with a 933 on my first try). I did most of the labs and created some of my own. I used this simulator while reading through the Cisco Press Certification library, testing myself in areas as I read. I had no problems installing the product and have had no problems running it. My only "gripe" is that it doesn't support as many features as I would like (for example etherchannel configuration). But for these features I will have to wait for Netsim for CCNP, still in beta. But I thought it was a very life-like product. For example, I learned to get up and get a drink of water or something while waiting for RIP or IGRP to converge, and I got to see OSPF and EIGRP converge very quickly. Overall, this product will prepare you and give you confidence for the simulator sections of the exams, and if used properly, the troubleshooting sections where you may need to be able to read output of a "show" or "debug" command and figure out what is going on.


The next best thing to having the real equipment!
The better thing following to having the real equipment! Published from Cisco Press, the simulator of the net of Cisco CCNA (CCNA Auto-Studiano, 640-801), ISBN 1587201313, from Boson Software, Inc. can be confronted to having yours just laboratory in your center. Even if the simulator is in relative the first version on the examined CD, more close introduces several advantages over the competitor. The characteristic of the modernization of the software allows that the simulator constantly is modernized. Beginning from this date, the running version is 5.00. The greater part of the workforce cannot be allowed to have ours just ambient of the laboratory in their own center, or it cannot have approached hand on experience be necessary in order to obtain the competence that it works with the equipment of the Cisco and/or that is prepared for the exams of certification. You can learn to yours just step and earn the necessary abilities in the operation with the equipment of the Cisco. The Cisco has certifyd the associate of net (CCNA) that the exams they demand that the certification candidate has experience hands-on. This software prepares the individual for the exam of 640-801 CCNA, therefore like, the INTRO 640-821 and 640-811 exams of ICND respective. Of the planner and the motor simulator router of the net, pointed out more subsequently in this review, both support beyond 45 different models of the device of the Cisco, comprised interrupting following: The Cisco the routers of 800 series, Cisco the routers of 1000 series, Cisco the routers of 1600 series, Cisco the routers of 1700 series, Cisco the routers of 2500 series, Cisco the routers of 2600 series, Cisco the routers of 3600 series, Cisco the routers of 4500 series, Cisco the switches of 1900 series, switches of series of the 2950 of the Cisco, based Scanalatura-Ha devices with possibility in order to change to the modules and the hosts to you with friendly CLI and has integrated the aid. The installation of the software was extremely easy and much easy one to use. From the beginning to covering the time total of the installation has occorr approximately 5 minuteren. Requirement of the system to install and to use the software demand: - compatible IBM-PC 100% to 500 megahertz or more fastly - Windows 98 or ME with the RAM of mb - Windows 2000 or XP with the 64 RAM of mb 128 - actuator of the disc of the CD-ROM 4x or more fastly - mb 100 of the space of disc free - TCP/IP installed - version 5,0 of the reader of the acrobat of the adobe or higher - versions 6,0 of the Internet Explorer or more high - video able card of 800 x 600 resolutions with (the 256) colors 8-bit - the access of the Internet for the immediate registry unfortunately, the compatibility total of the system, Apple Macintosh, Windows 95 and the station of job and the assistant NT is not supported in the estimated version. The characteristics of the software include beyond 100 independent laboratories of CCNA, 37 laboratories, 20 sequenziali laboratories, 26 laboratories of the action plan, 5 laboratories of intro and 15 laboratories of ICND. One of the greater characteristics is that the customer can add your own laboratories on ordinazione. All the laboratories can be classified, therefore like, the video of instruction of didactic program and the guide of the customer are included in order to guide it on like using the laboratories and the software. You can moreover, cargo and it saves the entire net, to use the instantaneous photographies with the configs, cargo and saves the various ones configs of the device of the switch and of the router, to load the configs real with the device of the switch and the router, telnet to a device with all the program standard of the telnet, telnet to a device for means of the assistant finishes them simulated, to add the models different of the device in order to make the net on ordinazione and to use the devices you simultaneous in the same net. The competitor more close does not have any only approximately 80 laboratories and of the advance characteristics that this product offers. I have installed and used the other software and have found this simulation of training much more better than any other product. The simulator of the net moreover has a full-version of the module of the planner of the net of the Cisco constructed in the software in order to develop a simple net, a complex net, or it even models a net puts into effect them. Moreover, you can use the tool in order to generate your own net on ordinazione. That is a tool much profit in order to use when you have an acquaintance of with the topology and the devices you of the net who connect with to vicissitude. The catalogue price of the sales by piece of the software for: $149.95 The S.U.A., but you can be able to buy it to a low cost from the different retailers. Boson Software, Inc. has been the head "in the certification solutions". The alignment of the bosone and the Cisco was a blow of the genius! Currently I am studying for mine exam of CCNA and have found this software one of the better thing on the market! The simulator of the net of CCNA (CCNA Auto-Studiano, 640-801), ISBN 1587201313, from Boson Software, Inc. is 4 rated on 5 stars. If you are serious approximately obtaining certifys to you and having experience hands-on this software and training the simulation is to must buy!


Buggy!
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.


Good Network Simulator Program for CCNA exams
I appreciate the simulator of the net of the bosone for made following: 1, Design of net that allows that people plans their own net. 2. The package comes with many laboratories 3. Step with 949 for CCNA of the 21 in before the time 2005 January, thankses for the simulator of the CCNA net. 4. The technical support from the bosone was much profit, I does not have some problem in order to install the simulator of the net in PC different. Good fortune on your CCNA and here.


Cisco/Boson license is ridiculously restrictive
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.


GOP
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.





Response to Negative Feedback
This review is only an answer to the negative answers sended up to now and real review is not in himself one: Critic: hansen88; Of visual base he has been the champion modern standard and of industry of defacto for the customer-interfaces windows-based for many years. The relative interface chosen had had the relative stability, has been put to point from Microsoft for MANY years and because all that had never used a program of Windows before the will has one acquaintance of with the interface of applications. VB.NET has not been selected currently (that it has the same interface of the final utilizzatore), because the greater part of the final utilizzatori does not want to transfer the zones from the system centers them towards the satellites graded large lima from Microsoft. Critic: Sevenson Marks "Kidskin Of The Cisco"; that is an employee of a competitor, same "of the Cisco Wannabe", sees under and would have to be ignored. Critic: Not equally Made tic tac Outside "Of the Soldier overseas"; that is simply false. A version authorized on ordinazione of the software is available, than contact does not have requirement to the tiny standard of registry of the Internet (boson.com). The registry of the Internet is defacto the standard, Microsoft hour even demands it for all the their software sold during the last years. In more, a way than manual registry for this software to the minute is effectively available via the telephone or fax or mails, that the installation and the registry without a connection of the Internet concur. Critic: C. Cooke "Cisco Wannabe"; that is an employee of a competitor and would have to be ignored. It watches other reviews "from the Cisco Wannabe" and the product has promoted and is sure that you can calculate towards the outside who this really is... In a generalized manner, considering the only negative reviews it comes from a single competitor, this would have dirvi our competitors is frightened that - a lot frightened - and that one this is an exceptional product!! Frankly, Boson President Software, Inc Di David Rajala.


Shop around, there's better
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.


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


CISCO CCNA Network Simulator: GREAT HANDS-ON!
Certification Of The Critic: NT 4,0, ISBN OF MCSE OF CCNA: 1-58720-131-3 with my recent process of certification of CCNA I have found that the part to obtain more difficult certifyd is acquiring the experience hands-on. The inexpert coordinators of the net are given very rarely the meaningful access to the equipment of distance and commutation of production (to earn the experience for the certifications of OS do not make to negatively work the same level of the risk of incastramento of the entire enterprise). Brace this with the expense of purchase of practical the real equipment "of" and one can see the value in a good ones, program of profitable simulator. The simulator of the net of Cisco CCNA from Boson Inc. Software (published from Cisco Press) considerably answers to its requirement of experience hands-on. There are six modules of the laboratory to choose give: Single laboratories of the base, sequenziali laboratories, laboratories of the action plan, laboratories of INTRO of CCNA (640-821), laboratories of CCNA ICND (640-811) and your laboratories. The materials of the companion are a release via contributing to teach and clearing (are informed that the numbers of the laboratory and the numbers of understood necessarily do not bind together it. As an example, the material of support of laboratory 1 of the base is only understood it 7 of the library of certification of Cisco CCNA.) The students can control their progress with the characteristic of the selezionatore of the laboratory. Before that the student can draw the complete advantages of the product, he/she would have to be prepared in order to invest the time - and perhaps a sure frustration -- in familiarizzazione with like this product works. Benchè not excessive complex, is one defined learning curve. The process begins with the press of the guide of the customer (that it has some typos). He would have been pleasant to have this supplied of means of the simulator (moreover would be pleasant to have the press option de all the understood one them, but the library of certification of Cisco CCNA is available via other means in its totality.) The laboratories can be print to you or in the batch individually. With several the categories and types of the laboratory, the students can develop a strategy for where they are in the formation and to the process of training. The principianti probably will wish to begin with the laboratories sequenziali. (picked the attention to page 50 of the guide of the customer as it cures must be taken to "savings" after every laboratory or to face the necessity to repeat "some been points second that zone working.") The other laboratories are much more flexible and that they allow that the student puts to fire on the zones of the weakness. Like ndemnity, the simulator has uses beyond the preparation of the test. The intermediate coordinators and instructors will find "the module of the planner of the net" ("NetMap") for being a useful tool. The planner of the net, that she can repair until 200 dispositive you for the simulated net, can be used in order to verify the changes of the IP before carrying out them in the production. Those that has dispositi to you over the 4500 router and 2900 switches will have to be a creative small with the simulator in the search to put the atmosphere in production parallel -- but this is doable. The students can go to help and to control in order to see if there are modernizations. The Readme contains the errors that can be inestimabili in clearing editions and errors to correct that they could havoc of the wreak on the signs of the certification test. Above all, the simulator of the net of Cisco CCNA definitively will give to the student the experience hands-on that it is difficult to find but essential to will have succeeded in obtaining the certification.


Not For the Military
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.


Smoke and mirrors
The figures... Cisco exit with a brokerage house and are all the sale. Yes, there are laboratories, yes are routers, but it is not large as the sale says. Sure it is not worthy the moneies and not nearly good as the series of products of RouterSim.com. The program makes reboot (two times you!) when the installed ones, that it is annoying in the best one of the cases. It is necessary a moment to the figure towards the outside like making to work this thing, therefore it is really slow and clunky. You must generate yours routers and laboratories in a program, therefore the imported ones in an other screen. Bizzarro. The OH and when released over a router, loses your screen and transforma in in the section commandos. RouterSim opens the new windows of dialogue for all with a program much observing and working best. It saves your moneies on this...


Unparalleled Router Coverage
One of the greatest problems a budding CCNA has is getting hands-on exposure to different Cisco devices. It can cost many thousands of dollars to get access to all the right gear. I've certainly spent a lot of money and time spelunking Cisco gear on eBay.

I wish I had access to this simulator sooner! It has around 105 labs versus 84 for a near competitor. You can interact with the simulated devices and routers using exactly the same tools you use in real life.

Save a bundle of time and grief. This has to be one of the best investments you can make in gaining your CCNA



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