As everyone knows, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) is the premier IT certification in the world. So congratulations on taking this step to be one of the less than 1% elite in the IT world. On our Cisco CCIE certification exam page, you will find useful articles on how to prepare for your CCIE written exam, CCIE lab exam and how to build your own Cisco CCIE lab.

CCIE v5 Exam Updates?

Did you ever wonder how the unique Cisco CCIE exam format came about? Well, we did too. So we hope you enjoy your CCIE history lesson and learn a little about your roots!

CCIE

History of the CCIE Certification

Now that you know a little about the history of the Cisco CCIE certification, you probably want to know what you are getting yourself into. There is a reason why CCIEs routinely command a starting salary of over $100K. It is because there are no paper CCIEs! You can’t fake your way through the 8 hours you have with equipment broken by the proctor that you have to fix. So we have taken the time to write the best article on what to expect during your Cisco CCIE written and CCIE lab exam. But to take it one step further, we provide you valuable tips on passing your CCIE exam. Learn from our success and learn from our failures in this two part article on becoming a CCIE.

How to become a CCIE Part 1

How to become a CCIE Part 2

We really hope you enjoyed our article detailing what it takes to successfully become a Cisco CCIE. So now you are probably trying to figure out how do you start on your journey. Well as mentioned, you must have a lab. You can get a top end CCIE home lab for around $2,500. That is about the cost of the hands-on lab without travel, airfare, hotel, etc. So don’t skimp on your CCIE lab. Have the right equipment for your CCIE lab. Enjoy this article covering some of the best approaches to building your Cisco CCIE lab.

How to Build a CCIE Lab

Now that you know how to build your Cisco CCIE home lab, let’s see some of the options that are available to you. We prefer to build our CCIE labs to match the INE topology. In our experience, they have provided us a better support experience than the other vendors. So below you will find the two most popular CCIE home lab solutions for them. Keep in mind, this is a small investment compared to the cost of retaking the exam, travel, your time, etc.

Cisco CCIE Lab Rack

Click here for CCIE Lab Kit Options

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