31 Days Before Your CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core Exam

Now updated for the 350-401 ENCOR v1.1 exam release! Digital chapter updates are available for download on the companion website after product registration. The new reprint from Cisco Press will include the latest content.

31 Days Before Your CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core Exam is the friendliest, most practical way to understand the CCNP and CCIE Enterprise certification process, commit to taking your ENCOR 350-401 exam, and finish your preparation using a variety of primary and supplemental study resources.

Thoroughly updated for the current exam, this comprehensive guide offers a complete day-by-day plan for what and how to study. It covers ENCOR 350-401 enterprise network technology implementation topics including dual stack (IPv4/IPv6) architecture, virtualization, infrastructure, network assurance, security, and automation.

Each day breaks down an exam topic into a short, easy-toreview summary, with Daily Study Resource quick-references pointing to deeper treatments elsewhere. Sign up for your exam now, and use this day-by-day guide and checklist to organize, prepare, review, and succeed!

How this book helps you fit exam prep into your busy schedule:

• Planning calendar, available when you register your book, summarizes each day's study topic, to help you get through everything
• Checklist offers expert advice on preparation activities leading up to your exam
• Descriptions of exam organization and sign-up processes help make sure nothing falls between the cracks
• Proven strategies help you prepare mentally, organizationally, and physically
• Conversational tone makes studying more enjoyable

Primary Resources:

CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core ENCOR 350-401 Official Cert Guide, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-0-13-821676-4

CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core ENCOR 350-401 Complete Video Course, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-0-13-820312-2

CCNP Enterprise Advanced Routing ENARSI 300-410 Official Cert Guide, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-0-13-821752-5

CCNP Enterprise Advanced Routing ENARSI 300-410 Complete Video Course, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-0-13-821719-8

Supplemental Resources:

CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core & CCNP Enterprise Advanced Routing Portable Command Guide

ISBN: 978-0-13-576816-7

Introduction xxx

Day 31: Enterprise Network Architecture 1

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 1

Key Topics 1

Hierarchical LAN Design Model 1

Enterprise Network Architecture Options 4

Study Resources 13

Day 30: Packet Switching and Forwarding 15

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 15

Key Topics 15

Layer 2 Switch Operation 15

Layer 3 Switch Operation 17

Forwarding Mechanisms 19

Study Resources 32

Day 29: LAN Connectivity 33

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 33

Key Topics 33

VLAN Overview 33

Access Ports 35

802.1Q Trunk Ports 38

Dynamic Trunking Protocol 44

VLAN Trunking Protocol 46

Inter-VLAN Routing 50

Study Resources 54

Day 28: Spanning Tree Protocol 55

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 55

Key Topics 55

IEEE 802.1D STP Overview 55

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol 64

RSTP Rapid Transition to Forwarding State 66

RSTP Synchronization 66

RSTP Topology Change 67

STP and RSTP Configuration and Verification 68

STP Stability Mechanisms 77

Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol 83

Study Resources 90

Day 27: Port Aggregation 91

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 91

Key Topics 91

Need for EtherChannel 91

EtherChannel Mode Interactions 93

EtherChannel Configuration Guidelines 95

EtherChannel Load Balancing Options 96

EtherChannel Configuration and Verification 97

Advanced EtherChannel Tuning 101

Study Resources 104

Day 26: EIGRP 105

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 105

Key Topics 105

EIGRP Features 105

EIGRP Reliable Transport Protocol 106

Establishing EIGRP Neighbor Adjacency 109

EIGRP Metrics 110

EIGRP Path Selection 115

EIGRP Load Balancing and Sharing 117

Study Resources 119

Day 25: OSPFv2 121

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 121

Key Topics 121

OSPF Characteristics 121

OSPF Process 123

OSPF Neighbor Adjacencies 125

Building a Link-State Database 127

OSPF Neighbor States 127

OSPF Packet Types 129

OSPF LSA Types 130

Single-Area and Multiarea OSPF 131

OSPF Area Structure 132

OSPF Network Types 133

OSPF DR and BDR Election 134

OSPF Timers 136

Multiarea OSPF Configuration 137

Verifying OSPF Functionality 138

Study Resources 141

Day 24: Advanced OSPFv2 and OSPFv3 143

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 143

Key Topics 143

OSPF Cost 143

OSPF Passive Interfaces 145

OSPF Default Routing 146

OSPF Route Summarization 147

OSPF Route Filtering Tools 151

Distribute Lists 151

OSPF Filtering Options 152

OSPFv3 155

OSPFv3 Configuration 157

Study Resources 162

Day 23: BGP 163

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 163

Key Topics 163

BGP Interdomain Routing 163

BGP Multihoming 167

BGP Operations 169

BGP Neighbor States 171

BGP Neighbor Relationships 172

BGP Path Selection 173

BGP Path Attributes 175

BGP Configuration 176

Study Resources 182

Day 22: First-Hop Redundancy Protocols 183

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 183

Key Topics 183

Default Gateway Redundancy 183

First Hop Redundancy Protocol 184

VRRP 199

Study Resources 203

Day 21: Network Services 205

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 205

Key Topics 205

Network Address Translation 205

Network Time Protocol 218

Study Resources 226

Day 20: GRE and IPsec 227

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 227

Key Topics 227

Generic Routing Encapsulation 227

IP Security (IPsec) 232

IPsec: IKE 240

IPsec Site-to-Site VPN Configuration 242

Study Resources 250

Day 19: LISP and VXLAN 251

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 251

Key Topics 251

Locator/ID Separation Protocol 251

Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) 262

Study Resources 268

Day 18: SD-Access 269

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 269

Key Topics 269

Software-Defined Access 269

Cisco SD-Access Fabric Data Plane and Control Plane 275

Cisco SD-Access Fabric Policy Plane 275

Cisco SD-Access Fabric Components 277

Shared Services in Cisco SD-Access 281

Study Resources 283

Day 17: SD-WAN 285

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 285

Key Topics 285

Software-Defined WAN 285

Cisco SD-WAN Solution Example 295

Cisco SD-WAN Routing 299

Study Resources 301

Day 16: Multicast 303

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 303

Key Topics 303

Multicast Overview 303

Internet Group Management Protocol 311

Multicast Distribution Trees 313

IP Multicast Routing 315

Study Resources 321

Day 15: QoS 323

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 323

Key Topics 323

Quality of Service 323

QoS Models 327

QoS Mechanisms Overview 329

Study Resources 348

Day 14: Network Assurance, Part 1 349

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 349

Key Topics 349

Troubleshooting Concepts 349

Network Diagnostic Tools 352

Cisco IOS IP SLAs 360

Switched Port Analyzer Overview 365

Study Resources 372

Day 13: Network Assurance, Part 2 373

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 373

Key Topics 373

Logging Services 373

Understanding Syslog 374

Simple Network Management Protocol 376

NetFlow 378

Study Resources 387

Day 12: Wireless Concepts 389

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 389

Key Topics 389

Explain RF Principles 389

IEEE Wireless Standards 399

Study Resources 406

Day 11: Wireless Deployment 407

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 407

Key Topics 407

Wireless Deployment Overview 407

Wireless AP Operation 422

Antenna Characteristics 428

Study Resources 431

Day 10: Wireless Client Roaming and Authentication 433

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 433

Key Topics 433

Wireless Roaming 434

Wireless Location Services 442

Wireless Client Authentication 445

Study Resources 463

Day 9: Secure Network Access 465

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 465

Key Topics 465

Network Security Threatscape 465

Network Security Components 468

Endpoint Security 471

Firewall Concepts 476

TrustSec 478

MACsec 483

Identity Management 484

Study Resources 490

Day 8: Infrastructure Security 491

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 491

Key Topics 491

Secure Access Control 491

Access Control Lists 504

Control Plane Policing 513

Study Resources 516

Day 7: Virtualization 517

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 517

Key Topics 517

Server Virtualization 517

Network Function Virtualization 523

Network Path Isolation 527

Study Resources 532

Day 6: Cisco DNA Center 533

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 533

Key Topics 533

Need for Digital Transformation 533

Cisco Digital Network Architecture 535

Cisco Intent-Based Networking 537

Cisco DNA Center Features 539

Cisco DNA Assurance Workflow 548

Study Resources 554

Day 5: Network Programmability 555

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 555

Key Topics 555

Python Concepts 555

Device Management and Network Programmability 565

Study Resources 582

Day 4: REST APIs 583

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 583

Key Topics 583

Application Programming Interfaces 583

Southbound APIs 584

Northbound APIs 584

REST API Response Codes and Results 585

REST APIs in Cisco DNA Center 587

REST APIs in Cisco vManage 590

Cisco SD-WAN API Library and Documentation 592

Study Resources 598

Day 3: Network Automation 599

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Topics 599

Key Topics 599

Configuration Management Tools 599

Embedded Events Manager 615

Study Resources 620

Day 2: Review Lab 1 621

Objective 621

Day 1: Review Lab 2 633

Objective 633

9780136965220, TOC, 10/2/2020

Patrick Gargano has been an educator since 1996, a Cisco Networking Academy Instructor since 2000, and a Certified Cisco Systems Instructor (CCSI) since 2005. He is currently working for Cisco as a Content Engineer on the Enterprise Technical Education team within DevCX. Until recently, he was based in Australia, where he worked as a Content Development Engineer at Skyline ATS, responsible for CCNP Enterprise course development with Learning@Cisco. He previously led the Networking Academy program at Collège La Cité in Ottawa, Canada, where he taught CCNA/CCNP-level courses, and he has also worked for Cisco Learning Partners NterOne and Fast Lane UK. In 2018 Patrick was awarded the Networking Academy Above and Beyond Instructor award for leading CCNA CyberOps early adoption and instructor training in Quebec, Canada. Patrick has also twice led the Cisco Networking Academy Dream Team at Cisco Live US. His previous Cisco Press publications include CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core & CCNP Advanced Routing Portable Command Guide (2020), 31 Days Before Your CCNA Security Exam (2016), and CCNP Routing and Switching Portable Command Guide (2014). His certifications include CCNA, CyberOps Associate, and CCNP Enterprise, as well as the Enterprise Core and Enterprise Advanced Infrastructure Implementation specialists. He holds BEd and BA degrees from the University of Ottawa, and he is completing a master of professional studies (MPS) degree in computer networking at Fort Hays State University.