Alright, this isn’t a straight tech article, but I just wanted to post showing that I’ve made progress. I finished 100% of IEWB Vol I frame relay labs three times now, the first using help and looking up articles to get things straight, and the last two with no outside help, just trying to make sure I understand why things are happening and doing lots of verification. I decided to move onto the RIP labs again, because last time I did them they were over P2P serial links, not a FR cloud. The biggest thing I’ve noticed with Frame relay..be patient. Verification is key with FR, and patience is important as well. I’ve noticed on several occasions where a PVC would not come up, and a simple “shut/no shut” or “Clear frame inarp” was required. A couple of times just waiting was all it took for the PVC to come up. A lot of this comes from Inverse-ARP, which from what I’ve read/heard can really mess you up on the lab if enabled, but still, it’s good to know! Anyway, I’ll post more once I get a little further. I’m also in the process of watching Jeremy Ciora’s CBT nuggets for the CCIE, as well as reading.

For more on adding Frame Relay to your CCIE studies, see CT’s (Cisco_trooper) blog