As a lot of you will know, the cost of the CCIE lab equipment is what scares a lot of people aware from attempting it. The CCIE has traditionally been regarded as something that cannot be done independantly. Most people get the backing of their employer when it gets to this point.
What if there was an alternative? What if you could build a CCIE lab to practice on for the cost of a Good PC? Interested? Check out the following link:
http://www.internetworkpro.org/wiki/CCIE_Security_Home_Lab_with_dynamips_%26_Co
This covers building the CCIE security Lab using freely available emulators and VMWARE. No, it probably wont be perfect, but it certainly wont be £40,000 either.
Give it a try and let us know how you get on!