📖 About this Domain
This domain covers programmatic interaction with network devices and services through Application Programming Interfaces. Key topics include consuming REST APIs with various authentication schemes and leveraging model-driven programmability protocols like RESTCONF and NETCONF with YANG.
🎓 What You Will Learn
- You will learn to construct Python scripts to consume REST APIs using basic, token-based, and OAuth2 authentication mechanisms.
- You will learn to utilize RESTCONF and NETCONF protocols to perform device configurations on IOS XE for interfaces, static routes, and VLANs.
- You will learn to build Python scripts that leverage NETCONF and RESTCONF to retrieve and parse operational data from devices using YANG data models.
- You will learn to compare XML and JSON data encoding formats and identify specific details within YANG models for network features.
🛠️ Skills You Will Build
- You will build the skill to write Python scripts that act as clients to consume and interact with various web-based RESTful services.
- You will build the skill to automate network device configuration and state retrieval using modern protocols like NETCONF and RESTCONF.
- You will build the skill to read and interpret YANG data models to identify correct data paths for configuration and operational data retrieval.
- You will build the skill to implement different API authentication flows, including basic, token-based, and OAuth2, within automation scripts.
💡 Top Tips to Prepare
- Focus on hands-on Python scripting using the requests library for REST API calls and ncclient for NETCONF operations.
- Utilize Cisco DevNet Sandboxes to practice configuring IOS XE devices using RESTCONF and NETCONF with YANG models.
- Master the sequence and data exchange for basic, token, and OAuth2 authentication to implement them programmatically.
- Practice constructing and parsing both XML and JSON data payloads for API requests and responses to understand their structural differences.
📖 About this Domain
This domain covers the architectural components and operational characteristics of core Cisco data center platforms. You will explore the hardware and software specifics of Cisco Nexus, MDS, UCS, HyperFlex, and ACI solutions. A deep understanding of these platforms is foundational for designing and implementing scalable data center infrastructures.
🎓 What You Will Learn
- You will learn to describe the hardware architecture and components of Cisco Nexus 9000, 7000, 5000, and 2000 series switches.
- You will learn the architectural details of Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers, including Fabric Interconnects and chassis components.
- You will learn the components of Cisco HyperFlex systems, including HX nodes and the HX Data Platform.
- You will learn to analyze packet flow and forwarding mechanisms within Cisco Nexus, UCS, and ACI environments.
🛠️ Skills You Will Build
- You will build the skill to differentiate between various Cisco Nexus and UCS platform models for specific data center use cases.
- You will build the skill to architect solutions using Cisco ACI, understanding its policy-based forwarding and fabric components like APICs and spine-leaf switches.
- You will build the skill to troubleshoot data plane forwarding issues by understanding the packet flow on Nexus and UCS platforms.
- You will build the skill to evaluate the integration of compute, network, and storage using platforms like HyperFlex and MDS.
💡 Top Tips to Prepare
- Focus on the specific hardware components, such as ASICs, line cards, and fabric modules for Nexus and UCS platforms.
- Memorize the high-level architecture and packet forwarding logic for both standalone NX-OS mode and ACI mode on Nexus 9000 switches.
- Utilize Cisco's official configuration guides and design guides to understand the intended deployment models for each platform.
- Practice identifying the roles of key components like the APIC in ACI, Fabric Interconnects in UCS, and the HX Data Platform in HyperFlex.
📖 About this Domain
This domain covers software design patterns and development methodologies. It emphasizes distributed applications, API consumption, and the principles of CI/CD pipelines.
🎓 What You Will Learn
- Compare architectural patterns such as monolithic, microservices, and SOA for distributed applications.
- Utilize RESTful APIs by interpreting HTTP response codes, headers, and implementing authentication.
- Describe the components and benefits of a CI/CD pipeline, including source control, automation, and deployment.
- Construct Python scripts to consume APIs, parse JSON/XML data, and manage application dependencies.
🛠️ Skills You Will Build
- Ability to design and compare distributed application architectures like microservices.
- Proficiency in scripting API interactions using Python for network automation tasks.
- Competency in using Git for version control, including branching and merging strategies.
- Skill to interpret and design CI/CD pipelines for automated application delivery.
💡 Top Tips to Prepare
- Focus on REST API fundamentals, including HTTP verbs, status codes, and authentication flows like OAuth2.
- Gain hands-on experience writing Python scripts that parse JSON and interact with network APIs.
- Practice core Git commands and understand common branching workflows like GitFlow.
- Deconstruct the stages of a CI/CD pipeline, from code commit in a repo to automated deployment.
📖 About this Domain
This domain covers Cisco data center infrastructure, including ACI and UCS, and its management through automation and orchestration. It emphasizes IaC principles using tools like Ansible and Terraform for programmatic control of network, compute, and storage resources.
🎓 What You Will Learn
- Describe Cisco ACI architecture, including APIC controllers, fabric policies, and L4-L7 service insertion.
- Understand Cisco UCS Manager, Fabric Interconnects, and the role of Cisco Intersight in centralized infrastructure management.
- Implement infrastructure as code (IaC) using Ansible playbooks and Terraform providers for automated provisioning.
- Explain container networking with Kubernetes CNI and storage with CSI, integrated with Cisco platforms.
🛠️ Skills You Will Build
- Configure and troubleshoot ACI tenants, bridge domains, EPGs, and contracts for application connectivity.
- Automate UCS server profiles and policies using Cisco Intersight API and SDKs.
- Develop Ansible playbooks and Terraform configurations to manage Cisco Nexus, ACI, and UCS infrastructure.
- Deploy and manage containerized workloads on Kubernetes clusters running on Cisco HyperFlex.
💡 Top Tips to Prepare
- Gain hands-on lab experience with the ACI simulator and Cisco DevNet sandboxes for practical configuration.
- Focus on the syntax and structure of Ansible playbooks and Terraform HCL for IaC tasks.
- Understand the integration points between Kubernetes, CNI plugins like ACI CNI, and underlying physical infrastructure.
- Review the Cisco Intersight REST API documentation to understand its endpoints and data models for automation.
📖 About this Domain
This domain covers the CI/CD pipeline for containerized applications, focusing on deployment and troubleshooting in environments like Kubernetes and Docker. It also details critical security concepts including secret management, image registries, and implementing network policies with CNIs and service meshes.
🎓 What You Will Learn
- You will learn to describe the components and benefits of a CI/CD pipeline for automated software delivery.
- You will learn to troubleshoot application deployments by interpreting Kubernetes manifests, Dockerfiles, and container logs.
- You will learn the concepts of secure application lifecycle management, including secret management, image versioning, and artifact signing.
- You will learn to implement network security using Kubernetes NetworkPolicies with Calico or Cilium and a service mesh like Istio.
🛠️ Skills You Will Build
- You will build the skill to diagnose deployment failures by analyzing Kubernetes YAML manifests and container runtime logs.
- You will build the skill to configure Kubernetes NetworkPolicy resources to enforce microsegmentation and control traffic flow between pods.
- You will build the skill to integrate security practices like secret management and image signing into a deployment workflow.
- You will build the skill to interpret the output of `kubectl` commands to validate the state of deployments, pods, and services.
💡 Top Tips to Prepare
- Get hands-on practice with a local Kubernetes environment like Minikube or kind to deploy applications and inspect resources.
- Focus on understanding the structure of a Kubernetes Deployment manifest and a Dockerfile, as you will need to interpret them.
- Practice using `kubectl logs` and `kubectl describe` to troubleshoot failing pods and deployments.
- Review the fundamentals of Kubernetes NetworkPolicies and the role of a CNI plugin like Calico in enforcing them.
