BitsOnTheLine

My Cisco CCNA flashcards for Anki are now available to download. As recently reviewed, Anki is a multi-platform flashcard application that is available for all major operating systems including Apples iOS. To download the flashcards you will need to download and install Anki from here, once installed goto: File > Download > Shared Deck and search for ‘bitsontheline’. Please report any errors through the Contact page.

I’ve been experimenting with GNS3 installed on Ubuntu recently and was under the impression that a tabbed console was not possible. Unitl now I’ve been using the rather uninspiring Gnome Console. Fortunately, a tabbed console is possible.


Konsole provides said functionality and is installed using the following command:

sudo apt-get install konsole

The following command should then be entered as the terminal command within GNS3 preferences:

konsole –profile “gb” –new-tab -p tabtitle=%d -e telnet %h %p >/dev/null 2>&1 &

I would just like to highlight the excellent work by Jeremy Grossmann over at www.gns3.net For almost a year an updated DMG of GNS3 was unavailable for OS X making installation rather tricky. However, on March 6th a new DMG was created for version 0.7 Hurray! Consequently, the DMG has continued to be updated inline with the development of GNS3.

Anki is a flashcard application that leverages all the benefits of traditional paper based flashcards but also takes advantage of mobile computing. Designed for OS X, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and also Apple IOS, Anki allows flashcards to be created and reviewed from most platforms. A web based version of the software is also available.


A feature of Anki worth mentioning is its ability to synchronise flashcards between different working locations. Perhaps you created a new flashcard using your iPhone on the way to work and now you want it to appear on your laptop? No problem. Anki will synchronise your flashcards with the Anki website and the new flashcard will appear on your laptop the next time you load Anki. Awesome. Decks of flashcards can also be uploaded to the Anki website and shared with the masses. Even better.


From what I’ve seen so far, Anki is going to play an important role when I begin revising for the new CCNP exams. Traditionally, I have always revised from notes written in Apple Pages that are typically 60+ pages long. While this method works, I find the process of writing notes very time consuming and ultimately more about the structure/layout than the information itself. Flashcards on the other-hand contain only the specific information you need to remember. I’ve created a set of flashcards based on my CCNA notes which I hope to share in the coming weeks. In the words of Steve Jobs: Stay tuned.

After a long running dispute regarding the bitsontheline.com domain name, I have taken the quicker and more efficient route of moving from .com to .net. The website being back online and accessible is more important than the name itself.

Today is a good day. After a few delays, I finally took and passed the CCNA:Security exam today. It feels particularly good passing this exam as the material became a little tiresome towards the end and my focus began to wander towards CCNP topics. Studying for this exam was also more difficult than usual due to the poor quality study materials. The CCNA Secuity Certification Guide is not a good book particularly when compared to the excellent CCNA texts written by Wendell Odom. My dislike for this book is covered in my book review.


The exam itself wasn’t that difficult compared to the CCNA, but still requires adequate preparation. Like other Cisco exams, you are likely to be tested on your ability to understand the question before attempting to answer it. It’s a shame that even Cisco falls foul of bad proof reading and grammatical errors.


My preparation consisted of reading and making notes from the official text as well as these excellent notes which served as a good comparison to my own. GNS3 allowed me to get comfortable with the SDM which I installed inside a Windows XP virtual machine, I simulated a number of routers and created IPSec tunnells between them using the SDM. This was a great way to learn about VPNs and the underlying protocols which are an important part of the CCNA Security exam.


I’m going to take some time off now and enjoy my free time before starting another certification towards the end of the year. Good luck to anyone else taking this exam.