Recertification time! 2021-2022 prep chat

[Dieselboy]

CCNP certs expire in Sept next year so thinking about the next years study and exams. Recertification has changed again <sarcasm> yay! </sarcasm> and there are a few ways to recertify.

Simple option that I know about (obtain 80 credits)
- take 1 x Core CCNP exam = 80 credits

OR
- take 2 x concentration exams at 40 credits each

I've been looking into this and though I already have CCNP Enterprise I am looking to take 2 x concentration exams to get certified in SDWAN and SDAccess
1. 300-415 -- Implementing Cisco SD-WAN Solutions (ENSDWI)
2. 300-420 -- Designing Cisco Enterprise Networks (ENSLD)

Now to obtain a CCNP you need to take 1 core and 1 concentration. But this new track I am unsure what happens if I complete the 2 exams above and then pass the core exam? Do I obtain 2 additional CCNP certs at that point?
Another similar scenario would be that I could go down a new cert track to me like Security. I could pass 2 x concentration Security exams to recertify the Enterprise CCNP but then later on if/when passed the Security Core exam I would achieve CCNP Security (twice?) ref: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/training-events/certifications/career-path.pdf

//

First up then is the 300-415. No Cisco press book specifically for that so so far I am navigating this path:
1. buy/read this https://www.ciscopress.com/store/cisco-software-defined-wide-area-networks-designing-9780136533177
2. CBT Nuggets videos (18 hours)  https://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training/cisco/ensdwi-300-415

Once I've at least got stuck into the above I'll figure out next steps eg lab or other reading material. Should be fun

[deanwebb]

Best of luck and let us know how the Cisco Press book is, I might want to read it just to stay current on things.

[Dieselboy]

Will do
The CBT Nuggets videos are good as usual. Very easy to digest.

The exam is made up of these weighted sections :

Domain Percentage of Representation in Exam
1: Architecture 20%
2: Controller Deployment 15%
3: Router Deployment 20%
4: Policies 20%
5: Security and Quality of Service 15%
6: Management and Operations 10%

[deanwebb]

Agh, QoS... one of the reasons I enjoy security.

[config t]

I recertified CCNP last year and it's likely that was the last time I will do it. The way they have monetized and locked down their certification process makes me want to keep it even less.

Now to obtain a CCNP you need to take 1 core and 1 concentration. But this new track I am unsure what happens if I complete the 2 exams above and then pass the core exam? Do I obtain 2 additional CCNP certs at that point?

Kinda.. this scenario would = CCNP cert + 2 individual "concentrations". Technically they are not additional CCNPs. Specializations? I guess that's a good name.

[Dieselboy]

I recertified CCNP last year and it's likely that was the last time I will do it. The way they have monetized and locked down their certification process makes me want to keep it even less.

Now to obtain a CCNP you need to take 1 core and 1 concentration. But this new track I am unsure what happens if I complete the 2 exams above and then pass the core exam? Do I obtain 2 additional CCNP certs at that point?

Kinda.. this scenario would = CCNP cert + 2 individual "concentrations". Technically they are not additional CCNPs. Specializations? I guess that's a good name.

When I took the CCNP voice, it was 1 x CCNA and 5 x CCNP exams. It took me so long as well as bad exam timings (exams changed) as well as moving countries it meant that it took me around 6 years and almost 10 individual exams to pass it. With $300 per exam thats $3000USD in exams alone, not counting the many books, cbt nuggets, Kevin Wallace training etc and also hardware.

Speaking specifically about exams, a current CCNP Collaboration will be just 2 exams: 1 x CCNP Collab core, 1 x CCNP concentration. I have been looking into this recently and it does not state that CCNA is a requirement anymore. At first glance it appears to be cheaper and easier to get CCNP certified. I'll learn more once I take an exam I suppose.
I also struggled to find training material for the Collaboration and so I sourced info wherever I could. I watched kevin wallaces free vids as well as bought modules from his store. This did encourage me to lab up but as I didnt have a specific lab, I placed what I was learning into scenarios that directly related to my company and then went ahead and configured that for a real environment.

In summary, I am not disagreeing with you but just sharing my side. I was glad to finally pass in 2018 and not HAVE TO take another exam for a few years and that's exactly what I did. I hope now that it's more manageable and rewards come sooner so as to make baby-steps and digest the knowledge in more bite-sized chunks. It's the 2020's now, with fast everything - fast videos (tiktoks), low attention-span (and all that).

[Dieselboy]

I'm about 20% through the CBT nuggets training videos and I really like this SD concept. I almost built something manually myself when I was planning a DR site. I needed to get some stretched L2 networks to the DR site and was considering using a Linux VM to do the L2 encapsulation but decided against it for many reasons.

It's pretty much what Cisco are doing with a controller VM and gubbins.

What I am really keen on is that things like BFD is already enabled and cant be disabled. WAN routers can be zero-touch and be plugged straight into wan connections, the routers are already locked down out-of-the-box to keep risks low (example, plugging a new unconfigured router into the internet circuit).

Essentially the network is dumb (just default routes) and the software layers the smarts over the top.

[deanwebb]

Stretching L2 networks... how's that working these days? Any better than in the last decade?

[Dieselboy]

Well, they're doing it way more. Now, there's a single access subnet and it's the same in multiple sites. So everyone's desktop is on a single /24 for the company and all sites.

I've yet to find out how AD copes with that. Because AD locates the nearest domain controller based on client subnet. I'm itching to discover this.

[Dieselboy]

Cisco SDWAN cloud on-ramp for SaaS:


Imagine 2 sites each with WAN and Internet circuits. Both sites accessing a cloud app (eg Exchange 365).
If site #2 has poor connectivity to Exchange (measured via HTTP probes) then SDWAN can compare this to the measurements made across the WAN back to site #1 and then from site #1 to Exchange via Site #1's internet. If routing back to site #1 is better then it can auto failover. Called "Quality of Experience" (QoE).

I really like this, I spent a lot of time manually doing this to avoid internet routing / peering issues where the ISPs had no idea what the problem was let alone where it was.

[deanwebb]

Well, they're doing it way more. Now, there's a single access subnet and it's the same in multiple sites. So everyone's desktop is on a single /24 for the company and all sites.

I've yet to find out how AD copes with that. Because AD locates the nearest domain controller based on client subnet. I'm itching to discover this.

If the AD is in the cloud, problem solved.

[Dieselboy]

If the AD is in the cloud, problem solved.

I think you are right, Dean.

I have been thinking to make a post here titled "If you were tasked with building out a network from the ground up today, how would you do it?"...

I'd plan to build something out that meant users were classed the same regardless of where they were - in the office or at home/over the net. Hybrid-cloud, with probably Azure AD rather than on-prem AD/Exchange.

Given what I was doing with Openstack before, I realised that I could build out a network with some switches but essentially have your WAN circuits coming straight into the server chassis, where it's all or mostly SDN from there (virtual switches/routers/firewalls)

With the SD-WAN type stuff, it means no longer any need for internet leased lines, many options here.

//


I have confirmed that there is no CCNA prerequisite for CCNP now. I'm annoyed by this but whatever . Seems CCNA is now for the inexperienced or juniors to get going. Also, when I pass the SDWAN exam, I will get a "SDWAN Specialist" certificate. Cisco is issuing certs for the individual exams so that people can show/validate/achieve while on their way to CCNP.

So I think now is the best time to get different CCNPs in my opinion. Because regardless of existing certifications, it's just 2 exams to get CCNP certified in another track. If you want to get CCNP security, just 2 exams. If you want CCNP collab, just 2 exams. When I wanted CCNP Voice, it was 1 x CCNA + 5 x CCNP exams.

[deanwebb]

So it's a much shorter path to CCNP, that's a change.