Most of you probably have no idea what I am even talking about.
AppleTalk – Wow, I almost forgot about the little AppleTalk boxes used by the old Mac 128, 512, SE, Ci, CX models and such. Now let’s look at some of the topics that were on this version of the exam that were since removed from the exam. Binary-Hex-Decimal Conversions – Although you still need to know binary to decimal conversions to be proficient in subnetting, the hexidecimal conversions were dropped. Access-Lists – General access-list configuration was covered. Hubs/Switches – Very basics of hubs, bridging and switching which will be expanded on in later revisions. PPP – Another cor WAN protocol which is still heavily covered on today’s exam.
Frame Relay – Still on the exam for large networks that span multiple geographic locations. Static Routing – Still a base concept you must understand to be a successful network engineer. TCP/IP – The protocol of choice for most networks which was a part of the first exam and is still on the CCNA exam. If you do not understand this, you will not pass the exam. OSI Model IP Addressing/Subnetting – Still a major part of the exam. OSI Model – The foundation of how data travels up and down the data stack and allows for inter-operability. First we will look at the items that were on the initial exam and that still reside on the current 200-120 exam so you can see the core has not changed that much. So let’s take a look at what concepts were on the initial 1998 CCNA exam 640-407 to compare against today’s CCNA exam. The initial exam consisted of 60 to 70 questions and you were provided 75 minutes to complete the exam and the cost was $100. So you can see how much they have dropped in price over the years. We also had one 1924 switch to share between the whole class of 12 students! Why? Well, back in 1999 when I took the exam, Cisco 2501 routers were selling for $1,000 each on the used market as were the switches. Back in these days when I achieved my CCNA, the classroom I sat in each student had one 2501 router and we had to partner up with another student to see routes propagate between our routers.
I am guessing they are just regurgitating other people’s articles which are incorrect). This was a single exam and the exam number was 640-407 (I have no idea why so many other articles state the first exam was 640-507. So in 1998 at the Philadelphia Networker show, Cisco introduced the entry level Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification as a precursor to all the new Cisco certifications (the CCNP certification and a few others were also introduced at this time). However, this left a glaring hole for those who wanted to break into the new and exciting world of computer networking. The CCIE certification was aimed at those hardcore networking geeks in the early days of corporate networking. If you read our article on the History of the CCIE Certification, you are aware that the Cisco CCIE certification was introduced in 1993 five years before the CCNA certification.
We will cover what we know about the exam’s history from its inception in 1998 all the way until today’s current 200-120 CCNA Routing & Switching update throwing in how different certifications evolved from the base CCNA certification. Given that you are about to take on the challenge of obtaining your Cisco CCNA certification, you probably should know a little about the history of how it came about and how it evolved.