Thousands of enterprise networks are running IOS versions from the 12.4 and 15.x era. They aren't using VxLAN or EVPN. They are using BGP for multihoming exactly as configured in this course.
The 642-661 exam focused specifically on BGP configuration and troubleshooting on Cisco IOS. The series breaks down complex topics into digestible "nuggets" (short video segments). Key topics include:
A keyword search for "CBT.Nuggets.-.Cisco.CCIP.BGP..642-661" often misses the companion materials. The video training was paired with:
If you find just the videos, you have 80% of the value. If you find the lab workbook, you have the formula for passing. Thousands of enterprise networks are running IOS versions
If you are looking to get certified today using a similar skill set, you should look at the CCNP Service Provider certification.
The CBT Nuggets Cisco CCIP BGP 642-661 course is no longer on the current roster. The exam number is retired; Cisco has moved on to SPRI (Service Provider Routing and Switching). But ask any network engineer who passed their CCNP/CCIE in the late 2000s about Jeremy’s BGP training, and their eyes go distant.
They’ll remember:
In the history of IT certification, few courses have achieved cult status. Before the advent of software-defined networking (SDN) and the consolidation of Cisco tracks into the single "CCNP Enterprise" path, there was the CCIP (Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional) . This certification was the gold standard for Service Providers and large-scale enterprise engineers who lived and breathed routing.
At the heart of the CCIP was the infamous exam: 642-661 BGP (Configuring BGP on Cisco Routers) . And at the heart of passing that exam was the legendary training series from CBT Nuggets , taught by the inimitable Jeremy Cioara.
For those who hold onto the archives or for historians of networking, the search for “CBT.Nuggets.-.Cisco.CCIP.BGP..642-661..with.Jeremy.Cioara.Training” is a hunt for the most engaging, high-energy, and effective BGP training ever produced. If you find just the videos, you have 80% of the value
This article explores why that specific course remains a benchmark, what it covered, and why the Jeremy Cioara teaching methodology turns complex path-vector routing into a digestible story.
Every student has that video where it finally clicks. For many, it was Jeremy explaining why iBGP needs a full mesh. He’d pace, grab a marker, and draw four routers. Then draw lines between them. Then dramatically throw his hands up and say: "See this mess? That’s why we invented route reflectors. You're welcome."
He treated BGP not as a protocol but as a relationship protocol—a system of trust, manipulation, and policy between companies (ASes). That metaphor turned abstract 32-bit numbers into human decisions. If you find just the videos
No modern course teaches BGP with the same enthusiasm. If you are struggling with current CCNP Encor (350-401) BGP sections, searching for this old Jeremy Cioara series is a secret weapon. He makes "Path Vector" sound like a football playbook.