Updated Cisco CCNA Certification Program
The article was prepared jointly with the company Fast Lane.
A few months ago, Cisco updated the exams required for CCNA Routing and Switching status (Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing and Switching). Along with the exams, official trainings (courses) were updated to prepare candidates for CCNA status. Fresh exams contain a number of new topics, and updated courses - material on these topics, that is, in fact, at the moment we are dealing with CCNA Routing and Switching new version 3.0 . In this article we will look at exactly what changes the CCNA certification program has undergone and what the actual RNA S CCNA looks like today.
To talk about the changes, you first need to remember what the previous version of CCNA (version 2.0) looked like. It is immediately worth reminding that there are two ways to get CCNA status:
Which way to choose, everyone decides for themselves. Candidates with a more thorough approach to the study of theoretical material usually choose the first path. Such candidates master the theoretical part of the first course, pass one exam, and then repeat the process for the second. Those who have, in their opinion, already quite a lot of experience with Cisco equipment, choose to pass one exam. Moreover, there is practically no difference in money between these options.
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As already mentioned, the updated CCNA version 3.0 means, first of all, a new subject of examinations and corresponding courses. For example, the old version of the ICND1 course included the following topics:
Actually, this whole set of theoretical topics and related laboratory works was proposed to be mastered in 5 days of training. In total, 13 laboratories are planned, plus one super-lab at the end. The new version of ICND1 3.0 has undergone the following changes:
It may seem that the difference between the old and the new versions is not very big, but there is one very important change: this is access to training materials and laboratory work. Training materials (the so-called Student Guide) are now provided electronically. Students attending the official ICND1 v.3.0 training receive access to the course materials as part of their cisco.com account. That is, paper books on the course are no longer issued to them, and access to materials can be obtained if there is an Internet connection.
Changed the concept of laboratory work. If earlier the ICND1 course used real Cisco equipment assembled into some specific topology, now the virtual lab is used. That is, practical classes are held on virtual switches and routers. In fact, this is good, since the use of virtualoks allows for each task to collect different topologies, that is, to adjust the tasks of each laboratory work for the material that needs to be fixed. The most positive point is that access to laboratory work for the trainee of the official course does not end at the end of the course itself, but is maintained for 180 days. That is, if the listener, after completing the course, wants to practice more in setting up the proposed protocols and technologies, then he can still do it within six months. This is quite convenient in terms of preparation for the exam: you can practice right before the exam.
The ICND2 course has also undergone major changes. Its old version as a whole was focused on the process of finding any malfunctions in the work of various technologies and protocols (the so-called troubleshooting) and included the following topics:
The new version of the course ICND2 3.0 has the following differences:
Laboratory work has also undergone changes: if there were only 18 of them in the old version of the ICND2 course, then the new version offers listeners 25 discovery lab and 19 challenge lab (the concept of discovery and challenge lab for this course is also preserved). That is, the focus of the course is shifted towards practical training, which allows studying the proposed topics not only in theory. In this new version of the course ICND2, as well as ICND1 uses the same concept of access to educational materials and laboratory work. Students of the official ICND2 v.3.0 will be able to continue to perform laboratory work for six months from the time they gain access to the lab, perfecting the configuration skills of the proposed technologies and protocols.
It is also worth noting that in addition to the two ICND1 and ICND2 courses mentioned above, which are obviously related to exams for CCNA status, there is also a training called CCNAX (CCNA Accelerated). This is a 5-day course that includes ICND1 and ICND2 course material in a concise form. This course is usually suitable for those who want to get a basic understanding of the work of packet networks, the logic of their construction based on Cisco equipment, as well as the protocols and technologies that will work in these networks, but, unfortunately, cannot spend on training as much as 2 weeks (it takes so much time to listen to the ICND1 and ICND2 courses in full). The course program CCNAX new version 3.0 includes all topics that are covered in courses ICND1 and ICND2, but less time is spent on the theoretical part (which is logical). From the point of view of practical training, this course offers 53 discovery lab and 15 challenge lab, so the practice in this 5-day course is also more than enough.
Actually, the topic of official Cisco courses, which prepare candidates for passing the relevant exams, was presented. As for the exams themselves, the changes here are quite simple. New exams have the following numbers:
Traditionally, the content of the exams is not disclosed, but it is logical enough to assume that their subjects correspond to the courses mentioned. Older exam versions will be available until August 20 (for CCNA and ICND1) and until September 24 (for ICND2). As before, to obtain CCNA status, you must pass either two ICND1 + ICND2 exams, or one CCNA exam. Registration for new exams is still available through Pearson VUE.
A few months ago, Cisco updated the exams required for CCNA Routing and Switching status (Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing and Switching). Along with the exams, official trainings (courses) were updated to prepare candidates for CCNA status. Fresh exams contain a number of new topics, and updated courses - material on these topics, that is, in fact, at the moment we are dealing with CCNA Routing and Switching new version 3.0 . In this article we will look at exactly what changes the CCNA certification program has undergone and what the actual RNA S CCNA looks like today.
To talk about the changes, you first need to remember what the previous version of CCNA (version 2.0) looked like. It is immediately worth reminding that there are two ways to get CCNA status:
- Pass successively two ICND1 and ICND2 exams (ICND - Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices). These exams correspond to the official Cisco courses with the exact same names.
- Pass one CCNA exam, which includes topics from the ICND1 and ICND2 exams.
Which way to choose, everyone decides for themselves. Candidates with a more thorough approach to the study of theoretical material usually choose the first path. Such candidates master the theoretical part of the first course, pass one exam, and then repeat the process for the second. Those who have, in their opinion, already quite a lot of experience with Cisco equipment, choose to pass one exam. Moreover, there is practically no difference in money between these options.
')
As already mentioned, the updated CCNA version 3.0 means, first of all, a new subject of examinations and corresponding courses. For example, the old version of the ICND1 course included the following topics:
- Building a simple network. Here we considered the terminology of packet networks, gave an idea of what a topology is, what it looks like and why a seven-level ISO / OSI model is needed, also gave an overview of the TCP / IP stack. After that, the principles of building local networks were discussed, the logic of the switches, the basic skills of working in the Cisco IOS operating system were given.
- Connect to the Internet. In this part of the course, the interaction of devices at the third level was considered, an idea of the IP protocol was given (together with a detailed review of the principles of IP addressing). Further, the transport layer and the TCP and UDP protocols were considered. After that, an idea was given of what a router is, why its use is required in packet networks, what its operation and boot process look like. By the way, in the same topic, the process of delivering data from the sender to the recipient via the packet network (using the existing knowledge of the TCP / IP protocol stack) was discussed in some detail. Next, the concept of static routing, ACL, principles of operation and NAT settings was introduced.
- Security management of network devices. Here, extended material was provided on the ACT, port security technology was considered, and general recommendations were given on the protection of Cisco network devices (setting up passwords, authenticating users).
- Build a medium size network. This section describes VLAN technology and trunk links between switches, traffic routing between different VLANs, as well as dynamic routing methods (the basic OSPF protocol setting was considered).
- Introduction to IPv6. Here, students were asked to get acquainted with the IPv6 protocol and related protocols and technologies (ICMPv6, neighbor discovery), to consider the routing of IPv6 traffic, including using dynamic methods (an idea of OSPFv3 was given).
- At the very end of the course a super-lab was offered: a half-day laboratory work, which should serve to consolidate all the material covered.
Actually, this whole set of theoretical topics and related laboratory works was proposed to be mastered in 5 days of training. In total, 13 laboratories are planned, plus one super-lab at the end. The new version of ICND1 3.0 has undergone the following changes:
- Themes were regrouped by module, which made the perception of the material more logical and consistent.
- Laboratory works, which are now offered to students, are divided into two categories: discovery lab and challenge lab. It is assumed that the discovery lab contains not very complex tasks that course participants can perform on their own, or may ask an instructor at an official course to demonstrate the progress of this lab to explain the process of setting up a particular functionality. These labs are offered for each topic considered: there are 28 of them in the course. Challenge lab is designed to fix a certain portion of theoretical material. As planned, it should be performed by each listener independently. Tasks in such laboratory work more. The ICND1 course includes 17 challenges lab ... That is, it turns out that more practical tasks have been added to the new version, which contributes to a more complete consolidation of the theory.
- Removed the super lab at the end of the course.
It may seem that the difference between the old and the new versions is not very big, but there is one very important change: this is access to training materials and laboratory work. Training materials (the so-called Student Guide) are now provided electronically. Students attending the official ICND1 v.3.0 training receive access to the course materials as part of their cisco.com account. That is, paper books on the course are no longer issued to them, and access to materials can be obtained if there is an Internet connection.
Changed the concept of laboratory work. If earlier the ICND1 course used real Cisco equipment assembled into some specific topology, now the virtual lab is used. That is, practical classes are held on virtual switches and routers. In fact, this is good, since the use of virtualoks allows for each task to collect different topologies, that is, to adjust the tasks of each laboratory work for the material that needs to be fixed. The most positive point is that access to laboratory work for the trainee of the official course does not end at the end of the course itself, but is maintained for 180 days. That is, if the listener, after completing the course, wants to practice more in setting up the proposed protocols and technologies, then he can still do it within six months. This is quite convenient in terms of preparation for the exam: you can practice right before the exam.
The ICND2 course has also undergone major changes. Its old version as a whole was focused on the process of finding any malfunctions in the work of various technologies and protocols (the so-called troubleshooting) and included the following topics:
- Build scalable medium-sized networks. Here, students were asked to learn the methods of troubleshooting in L2 infrastructures, where VLAN technology and trunk links are used. It also gave an idea of the logic of the STP protocol and the process of its optimization and troubleshooting. Also, EtherChannel technology and logic settings on the Cisco Catalyst switches were considered.
- The search for the simplest faults in packet networks. Using the example of the lack of connectivity between the client and the server, the listeners were asked to get acquainted with the tools for troubleshooting and approaches to it.
- The implementation of the EIGRP protocol . In this part, the basic theoretical aspects of the work of the EIGRP routing protocol, as well as the logic of its configuration and troubleshooting, were revealed. The issues of setting up this protocol for networks using the IPv6 protocol were also touched upon.
- Implement a scalable network using OSPF with multiple domains. If ICND1 dealt with the work of the OSPF protocol with one area (area), then this course gave an enhanced knowledge of this protocol, and the listeners were asked to master, configure and test the work of OSPF in several areas. Recommendations were also made regarding the troubleshooting process of a non-performing OSPF.
- Global Networks. Listeners were familiarized in detail with the use of serial (Serial) interfaces on routers, as well as with their configuration for working with HDLC, PPP and Frame Relay protocols (the latter received much attention). In addition, in this module, students were asked to familiarize themselves with VPN technologies and understand the logic of building and configuring the simplest GRE tunnel.
- Manage network devices. In this module, students were given an idea of the protocols and technologies for managing networks and individual devices (SNMP, NetFlow, Syslog). Also, students received knowledge of the boot process of the router and learned to manage this process. At the end of the module, issues of licensing various functionalities of the ISR G2 series routers (29xx, 39xx) in Cisco IOS software 15.0 and higher were considered.
- At the end of the course, students were offered a super-lab, performing the tasks of which they consolidated the material of both courses: ICND1 and ICND2. In general, this laboratory work was a fairly large set of tasks for all the topics covered.
The new version of the course ICND2 3.0 has the following differences:
- A review of DTP and VTP protocols has been added to the course. Previously, these protocols were considered only in the SWITCH course, that is, on the professional level course.
- More laboratory work has been added to the connectivity troubleshooting module between individual devices.
- From consideration removed the HDLC protocol. But Multilink PPP and PPPoE client settings have been added to the module via global networks. By the way, some listeners sometimes complained that the client's PPPoE setting was not considered in any course, and for its analysis one had to dig into the documentation. Someone needs to set up a client in real life, someone - to prepare for the CCIE .
- From the course removed Frame Relay. I single it out as a separate item, since for many trainees and candidates for exams the question of the presence of Frame Relay in the course and on the exam is a stumbling block.
- A basic review of the logic of the BGP protocol and the process of setting up an eBGP session when connected to one service provider has been added to the course.
- More information was added to the network device management module for TACACS + and RADIUS protocols in the context of using them for the user authentication process.
- Added basic knowledge of QoS tools.
- Added SDN review module.
Laboratory work has also undergone changes: if there were only 18 of them in the old version of the ICND2 course, then the new version offers listeners 25 discovery lab and 19 challenge lab (the concept of discovery and challenge lab for this course is also preserved). That is, the focus of the course is shifted towards practical training, which allows studying the proposed topics not only in theory. In this new version of the course ICND2, as well as ICND1 uses the same concept of access to educational materials and laboratory work. Students of the official ICND2 v.3.0 will be able to continue to perform laboratory work for six months from the time they gain access to the lab, perfecting the configuration skills of the proposed technologies and protocols.
It is also worth noting that in addition to the two ICND1 and ICND2 courses mentioned above, which are obviously related to exams for CCNA status, there is also a training called CCNAX (CCNA Accelerated). This is a 5-day course that includes ICND1 and ICND2 course material in a concise form. This course is usually suitable for those who want to get a basic understanding of the work of packet networks, the logic of their construction based on Cisco equipment, as well as the protocols and technologies that will work in these networks, but, unfortunately, cannot spend on training as much as 2 weeks (it takes so much time to listen to the ICND1 and ICND2 courses in full). The course program CCNAX new version 3.0 includes all topics that are covered in courses ICND1 and ICND2, but less time is spent on the theoretical part (which is logical). From the point of view of practical training, this course offers 53 discovery lab and 15 challenge lab, so the practice in this 5-day course is also more than enough.
Actually, the topic of official Cisco courses, which prepare candidates for passing the relevant exams, was presented. As for the exams themselves, the changes here are quite simple. New exams have the following numbers:
- ICND1 - 100-105
- ICND2 - 200-105
- CCNA - 200-125
Traditionally, the content of the exams is not disclosed, but it is logical enough to assume that their subjects correspond to the courses mentioned. Older exam versions will be available until August 20 (for CCNA and ICND1) and until September 24 (for ICND2). As before, to obtain CCNA status, you must pass either two ICND1 + ICND2 exams, or one CCNA exam. Registration for new exams is still available through Pearson VUE.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/306628/
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