If you do obtain Jeremy’s 642-661 series, here’s how to leverage it today:
Each video built on the last. Jeremy started with two directly connected routers running eBGP. By video 10, he had five routers, two route reflectors, a confederation, and a full-mesh iBGP nightmare that he calmly untangled. He didn’t use pre-built configurations—he typed every command live, often making mistakes and troubleshooting them on camera. That transparency was gold. cbt nuggets cisco ccip bgp 642661 by jeremy cioara work
BGP’s path attributes are abstract. Jeremy made them tangible: If you do obtain Jeremy’s 642-661 series, here’s
These metaphors stuck long after the exam. These metaphors stuck long after the exam
The 642-661 exam’s biggest killer was BGP path selection. Most students memorized the order. Jeremy drilled it differently: he would change one attribute at a time, run show ip bgp, and ask “Which path wins and why?” repeatedly until it became instinct. His coverage of Multiprotocol BGP for MPLS VPNs was especially rare for video training at the time—most books glossed over it, but Jeremy simulated a full VRF configuration.
| Week | Topics from Jeremy’s Course | Hands-On Activity |
|------|-----------------------------|-------------------|
| 1 | BGP overview, eBGP vs. iBGP, loop prevention | Configure eBGP between 3 routers |
| 2 | Path attributes (Weight, LP, AS_PATH) | Manipulate weight to influence outbound |
| 3 | BGP decision process (13 steps) | Force one path using MED |
| 4 | Route reflectors & confederations | Build a route reflector cluster |
| 5 | Filtering (prefix-lists, route-maps) | Block default route from ISP |
| 6 | BGP communities & conditional advertising | Tag routes with community no-export |
Jeremy famously used a simple whiteboard and colored markers to draw live, evolving topology diagrams. He would act out routing decisions as if he were a packet, walking through AS_PATH prepending or LOCAL_PREF decisions. His catchphrases—”BGP is a path-vector protocol that lives in the control plane”—became mental anchors.