It’s hard to consider a career in technology without considering Cisco as one of the companies you will be interfacing with. Cisco has a wide range of hardware and software products that fuel the technology sector. With so much complicated information, it can be hard to find good references.

The first reference material to consider is Cisco posters. These posters, often found free through the Cisco Academy or through third party retailers, cover many topics such as router commands and network hardware specifications. Keeping up a Cisco poster in your room is a great way to learn all of the ins and outs of Cisco products a little bit each day at a time.

Cisco also has great software utilities that can guide you through the process of learning how networks operate. Packet Tracer is their flagship software suite, which is only offered to those who are either in the Cisco Academy or have been in the past. This free program is a godsend for teachers, who are able to easily create labs and print them off for students.

Desktop programs exist that act as an encyclopedia for Cisco terms. Each program is different, based on the company who created it, but in general you should only need one for a quick search-and-find reference. This is the ideal solution for the workplace and in classes, where quick reference is a must to make the most out of the work or school day given to you.

Cisco has their own line of books and learning materials. The only downside is that these manuals are often hard to read and require attention to detail in order to allow the information to sink in. Books also are subpar in terms of quick reference, as they are thick with information and flipping through pages can be time consuming. Desktop software and posters are quicker, but books tend to be more thorough in explanations.

If you are operating within the Cisco IOS, you can easily find help by using the in-program help feature. You can quickly find what a command is used for, or which commands can be used in each level of router mode. A similar feature is included within Cisco switches for all recent Cisco IOS versions. There are no explanations, of course, but it acts as a great refresher for when you forgot a command name.

Final Thoughts

Cisco runs a complicated business, and those who work with Cisco products need to know how to operate within the Cisco software and hardware suites. Keep these tips in Cisco reference materials in mind so you won’t be at a loss next time you are in need of help.

Learn more about computer networking and download packet tracer.