Category Archives: CCNA Data Center

200-150 DCICN Exam Contents for CCNA Data Center Version 6.0

200-150Overview

In the previous post on this subject, we discussed the changes from the “old” DCICN exam to the “new” 200-150. In this blog post, I lay out the exact exam topics you need to master in order to pass this exam.

The 200-150 Exam Topics

Here are the exam topics. Note that the percentage shown for each major topic domain indicates the number of questions in your exam that will come from that section! I also resisted the temptation to do a bunch of formatting for this blog post on this list of topics. This is so that you can easily copy and paste this list into the tracking software of your choice as you study.

1.0 Data Center Physical Infrastructure – 15%
1.1 Describe different types of cabling, uses, and limitations
1.2 Describe different types of transceivers, uses, and limitations
1.3 Identify physical components of a server and perform basic troubleshooting
1.4 Identify physical port roles
1.5 Describe power redundancy modes

2.0 Basic Data Center Networking Concepts – 23%
2.1 Compare and contrast the OSI and the TCP/IP models
2.2 Describe classic Ethernet fundamentals
2.2.a Forward
2.2.b Filter
2.2.c Flood
2.2.d MAC address table
2.3 Describe switching concepts and perform basic configuration
2.3.a STP
2.3.b 802.1q
2.3.c Port channels
2.3.d Neighbor discovery
2.3.d [i] CDP
2.3.d [ii] LLDP
2.3.e Storm control

3.0 Advanced Data Center Networking Concepts – 23%
3.1 Basic routing operations
3.1.a Explain and demonstrate IPv4/IPv6 addressing
3.1.b Compare and contrast static and dynamic routing
3.1.c Perform basic configuration of SVI/routed interfaces
3.2 Compare and contrast the First Hop Redundancy Protocols
3.2.a VRRP
3.2.b GLBP
3.2.c HSRP
3.3 Compare and contrast common data center network architectures
3.3.a 2 Tier
3.3.b 3 Tier
3.3.c Spine-leaf
3.4 Describe the use of access control lists to perform basic traffic filtering
3.5 Describe the basic concepts and components of authentication, authorization, and accounting

4.0 Basic Data Center Storage – 19%
4.1 Differentiate between file and block based storage protocols
4.2 Describe the roles of FC/FCoE port types
4.3 Describe the purpose of a VSAN
4.4 Describe the addressing model of block based storage protocols
4.4.a FC
4.4.b iSCSI

5.0 Advanced Data Center Storage – 20%
5.1 Describe FCoE concepts and operations
5.1.a Encapsulation
5.1.b DCB
5.1.c vFC
5.1.d Topologies
5.1.d [i] Single hop
5.1.d [ii] Multihop
5.1.d [iii] Dynamic
5.2 Describe Node Port Virtualization
5.3 Describe zone types and their uses
5.4 Verify the communication between the initiator and target
5.4.a FLOGI
5.4.b FCNS
5.4.c active zone set

Pearson Education (InformIT)

The New 200-150 DCICN Exam for CCNA Data Center

DCICN

Overview of DCICN

The CCNA Data Center has finally revised! This certification has lunged from version 1 to version 6. The CCNA Data Center is still made up of two exams you must pass. These exams have no prerequisites.  This post focuses on the new Introducing Cisco Data Center Networking (DCICN) exam.

The Old DCICN Exam

Are you interested in squeaking out the old DCICN exam? Its number is 640-911 and your last day to test is April 11, 2017. If you are interested in my training course for this exam, it can be found here at CBT Nuggets until it retirement.

This “old” exam featured these major sections and exam percentages:

1.0 Describe How a Network Works (15%)
2.0 Configure, Verify and Troubleshoot a Switch with VLANs and Interswitch Communications Using Nexus (21%)
3.0 Implement an IP Addressing Scheme and IP Services to Meet Network Requirements in a Medium-Size Enterprise Branch Office Network Using Nexus (12%)
4.0 Configure, Verify, and Troubleshoot Basic Router Operation and Routing on Cisco Devices Using Nexus (52%)

The New DCICN Exam

The new exam features these major sections and exam percentages:

1.0 Data Center Physical Infrastructure (15%)
2.0 Basic Data Center Networking Concepts (23%)
3.0 Advanced Data Center Networking Concepts (23%)
4.0 Basic Data Center Storage (19%)
5.0 Advanced Data Center Storage (20%)

What was removed from the old exam to the new and what was added? Here are the biggest areas:

Removed:

  • Removed product-specific elements, such as Nexus, and instead increased the focus on skills and technologies
  • Removed Ethernet low-level functionality and added operational roles of data center devices; for example, use cases to deploy various types of physical devices
  • Removed Cisco IOS router topics
  • Removed specifications of platform components as in boot process procedures, passwords, and diagnostics

Added or Changed:

  • Increased breadth of data center networking concepts including First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP), data center networking architectures such as spine-and-leaf designs, unicast and multicast, and authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) concepts and filtering
  • Additional focus on high-availability switching concepts, port channel, virtual Port Channel (vPC), and control plane and data plane separation
  • Increased data center storage concepts including Fiber Channel operations and design, IP storage protocols, and moved storage topics from DCICT into DCICN
  • Added basic understanding of Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)

In the next post – I will provide you with the complete topic list for this new DCICN exam!
Pearson Education (InformIT)