Goal

. The goal of this learning matrix is to help you attain your goal to become certified by providing study resources tail
. It is intended to be used as a reference, and not to provide a complete list of all resources available. The matrix foc
. These widely available preparation resources can be in the form of specific chapters of books, Cisco Validated Desi
webinars, VoDs, SRNDs, white papers, case studies, design guides, Design TechNotes, reference guides, etc.

Disclaimer
. There is no guarantee that you will be able to pass the exam by only referring to material provided within this matr
. There are a lot of other resources (both internal and external) that cover the same exam topics. You are encouraged to use a
. This matrix should be considered a living document and taking into account the sheer amount of possible relevant content, t
. We encourage you to participate and engage with us, so if you have any suggestions for further content or any comments re

How to make the best out of this learning matrix?

1.1. Evaluate yourself and determine which areas you need to improve in

1.2. Create a strategy

Determine which preparation resources YOU need based upon your self-evaluation. Several options might be provid

1.3. Get preparation resources tailored to your own needs

Buy or borrow books, schedule classes, find a study partner, etc. In short, arrange all YOU need to get ready for the

1.4. Are you ready?

Once you are comfortable you are mastering exam topics, register and take the exam.

1.5. Pass?
Did you pass? Great! Did you not? Do not despair, do a lessons learned review and update your self-evaluation.
 viding study resources tailored to your own needs.
es available. The matrix focusses primarely on Cisco and Cisco Press content.
ooks, Cisco Validated Design documents (CVDs), Cisco Live 365 presentations, courses,
erence guides, etc.

l provided within this matrix. But it will certainly improve your skills, which will serve as the foundation you need to build upon
You are encouraged to use any other resources at your own discretion during your exam preparation.
f possible relevant content, the objective here is to refine and improve this compilation of resources over time, so please refer to it freque
content or any comments regards to the current content, please let us know.

ral options might be provided to prepare to each topic, you might not need all of them.

need to get ready for the exam.

e your self-evaluation.
on you need to build upon.

e, so please refer to it frequently.

 Exam Topic
ID

1 Data Center L2/L3 Connectivity

1.1 Layer 2 technologies
Link aggregation
1.1.a

1.1.a i Virtual PortChannel

1.1.a ii PortChannel
Tagging/trunking
1.1.b
1.1.c Static path binding
Spanning Tree Protocol
1.1.d

1.1.d i PVST and Rapid PVST

1.1.d ii MST
1.2 Routing protocols and features
OSPF (v2 and v3)
1.2.a
1.2.a i Authentication
1.2.a ii Adjacencies
1.2.a iii Network types and area types
1.2.a iv LSA types
1.2.a v Route aggregation/summarization
1.2.a vi Route redistribution
ISIS
1.2.b
1.2.b i Adjacencies
1.2.b.i 1 Single area, single topology
1.2.b ii Network types, levels and router types
1.2.b.ii.1 NSAP addressing
1.2.b.ii.2 Point-to-point, broadcast links
BGP
1.2.c
1.2.c i Path selection
1.2.c ii External and internal peering
1.2.c iii Route reflectors and route server
1.2.c iv Peer templates
1.2.c v Multihop EBGP
1.2.c vi Route aggregation/summarization
1.2.c vii Route redistribution
1.2.c viii Local-AS number
1.2.d BFD
1.2.e FHRP

1.3 Multicast protocols

1.3.a PIM
1.3.a i Sparse Mode
1.3.a ii BIDIR
1.3.a iii Static RP, BSR, Auto-RP, phantom RP
1.3.a iv IPv4 PIM Anycast
1.3.a v IPv4 Anycast RP using MSDP
1.3.b IGMP
1.3.b i IGMPv2, IGMPv3
1.3.b ii IGMP snooping
1.3.b iii IGMP qurier
2 Data Center Fabric Infrastructure
2.1 Physical fabric components
2.1.a Fabric discovery
2.1.b Controllers
2.1.c Switches
2.1.d Multi-Tier architecture
2.2 ACI Policies
2.2.a Access policies
2.2.b Fabric policies
2.2.d Multi-tenancy
2.3 Overlay policies

2.3.a Tenants, application profiles, EPGs and ESGs

2.3.b Networking (VRFs, bridge domains)

2.3.c Security (contracts, filters, vzAny)
2.4 Fabric monitoring
2.4.a Faults
2.4.b Events
2.4.c Health indicators
2.4.d Audit logs
2.5 Virtual networking
2.5.a vSphere VDS with or without VMM Integration
3 Data Center Fabric Connectivity

3.1 Overlay fabrics

3.1.a ACI
3.1.b VXLAN EVPN

3.2 External connectivity

3.2.a VRF Lite
3.2.b OSPF
3.2.b i Authentication
3.2.b ii Adjacencies
3.2.b iii Network types and area types
3.2.b vi Route redistribution
3.2.c BGP
3.2.c i AS manipulation
3.2.c ii External and internal peering
3.2.c iii Route reflectors
3.2.c vii Route redistribution
3.2.d Transit routing
3.3 Inter-fabric connectivity
Multi-Site: ACI or VXLAN EVPN
3.3.a
3.3.b ACI Multi-Pod
3.3.c ACI remote leaf

4 Data Center Compute

4.1 Compute resources
4.1.a Compute policies, profiles and templates
4.1.b Nutanix
4.2 Compute connectivity
4.2.a SAN/LAN uplinks
4.2.b Rack server integration
4.2.c Port modes
4.3 Compute management
4.3.a UCS Manager
4.3.b Intersight
5 Data Center Storage Protocols and Features
5.1 FC and FCoE
5.1.a Zoning
5.1.b NPV/NPIV
5.1.c Trunking
5.1.d PortChannel
5.1.e Load balancing
5.2 RoCE v2 transport for high performance networks, such as for
5.2.a DCQCN congestion control
5.2.a i PFC
5.2.a ii ECN
6 Data Center Security and Network Services
6.1 Security features
6.1.a ACLs
6.1.b First Hop Security
6.1.c Port security
6.1.d Private VLANs
6.1.e Contracts
6.2 RBAC
6.2.a RADIUS
6.2.b TACACS+
6.2.c LDAP
6.2.d AAA
6.3 Network services insertion and redirection
6.3.a Policy-based routing
6.3.b Policy-based redirection
6.3.c Inter VRF communication
6.3.d Route targets
6.3.e Prefix lists
6.4 Services
6.4.a Flow/telemetry export
6.4.b (R)SPAN/ERSPAN
6.4.c SNMP
6.4.d Syslog
6.4.e DHCP
6.4.f NTP/PTP

6.5 Traffic management

6.5.a Queueing
6.5.b Policing
6.5.c Classification/marking
6.5.d Scheduling
6.5.e CoPP
7 Data Center Automation and Orchestration
7.1 Data center tasks using scripts (Python, Ansible and Terraform
7.1.a Create, read, update, delete using RESTful APIs
7.1.b Deploy and modify configurations
7.1.c Statistics and data collection
7.2 Data center automation and orchestration tools
7.2.a Nexus Dashboard
7.2.a i Orchestrator
7.2.a ii Fabric Controller
7.2.a iii Insights
7.2.b Cloud Network Controller
References
Online

Configuring vPCs
Configuring PortChannel
Configuring Tagging/Trunking

Statically Deploying an EPG on a Specific Port

Configuring PVST
Configuring MST

Configuring OSPF v2 and v3

Configuring Authentication
Configuring Adjacencies
Configuring Areas
LSA Types
Configuring Route Summarization
Cofiguring Route Redistribution
Configuring IS-IS

Configuring IS-IS adjacencies

IS-IS Area
IS-IS Levels
Configuring Net
Configuring IS-IS on Interface
Configuring BGP

Configuring Path Selection

Configuring Peering
Configuring Route Reflectors
Configuring BGP Peer Templates
Configuring EBGP
Configuring Route Aggregation
Configuring Route Redistribution
Configuring BGP External Routed Networks
Unicast Routing Configuration Guide
Unicast Routing Configuration Guide

Multicast Routing Configuration Guide

Configuring Sparse Mode
Bidir
Rendezvous Points
Anycast RP
Configuring MSDP

Configuring IGMP
Configuring IGMP Snooping
Multicast Routing Configuration Guide

Fabric Initialization and Switch Discovery

Cisco ACI Cluster Management
Fabric Initialization and Switch Discovery
Cisco ACI Multi-tier Architecture White Paper

Designing the Fabric Access

Designing the Fabric Access
Designing the Tenant Network

a Design Guide
ACI
ACI Fabric Endpoint Learning White Paper
ACI Endpoint Security Group (ESG) Design Guide
ACI Design Guide
Cisco ACI Contract Guide White Paper

APIC Troubleshooting Guide

APIC Faults, Events and System Messages Management Guide
APIC Troubleshooting Guide
APIC Faults, Events and System Messages Management Guide

Cisco ACI Virtualization Guide

ACI Design Guide
Configuring VXLAN EVPN
APIC Layer 3 Networking Configuration Guide
NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide

ACI Multi-Site Architecture White Paper

VXLAN EVPN Multi-Site Design and Deployment White Paper
ACI Multi-Pod White Paper
ACI Remote Leaf Architecture White Paper

UCS Manager Server Management Guide

Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix
UCS Manager Network Management Guide
SAN Ports and Port Channels
Server Integration with Cisco UCS Manager

UCS Manager Getting Started Guide

Intersight Managed Mode Configuration Guide

Configuring Zoning
N Port Virtualization
Configuring Trunking
Configuring SAN Portchannels
Understanding Load Balancing
RoCE v2 white paper
How to Manage Congestion Efficiently in AI/ML Cluster Networks

NX-OS Security Configuration Guide

First Hop Security

Port Security

ACI Contract Guide White Paper

RADIUS, TACACS+, LDAP, RSA, SAML, Oauth 2, and DUO

RADIUS, TACACS+, LDAP, RSA, SAML, Oauth 2, and DUO
RADIUS, TACACS+, LDAP, RSA, SAML, Oauth 2, and DUO
Access, Authentication, and Accounting

Configuring Policy-Based Routing

ACI Policy-Based Redirect Service Graph Desigh White Paper
Inter-Tenant and Inter-VRF Communication
Configuring VXLAN BGP EVPN
Configuring Route Policy Manager
System Management Configuration Guide

Configuring DHCP

Cisco APIC and QoS

Quality of Service Configuration Guide

Webinar: Automating ACI using Ansible

Webinar: Automating ACI using Terraform
Webinar: Getting Started with Cisco ACI and its REST API
Webinar: Getting Started with Cisco ACI and its REST API
Webinar: Getting Started with Cisco ACI and its REST API
ACI Multi-Site Architecture White Paper
Webinar: Introducing NDFC
Nexus Dashboard Insights - for ACI User/NDFC User Content
Cisco Cloud Network Controller Solution Overview
Books

Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)

NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6

NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)
Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)
Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)

NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
Troubleshooting Cisco Nexus Switches and NX-OS (ISBN-10: 1-58714-505-7)

NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
Troubleshooting Cisco Nexus Switches and NX-OS (ISBN-10: 1-58714-505-7)

NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
Troubleshooting Cisco Nexus Switches and NX-OS (ISBN-10: 1-58714-505-7)
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCORE 350-601 Official Cert Guide

Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)

Cisco Cloud Infrastructure: Application, Security, and Data Center Architecture (ISBN-10: 0-13-769012-6)

CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)

Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)

ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)

Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)
Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)

Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)
Deploying ACI: The complete guide to planning, configuring, and managing ACI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-474-3)
Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)

Cisco Unified Computing System (UCSCisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference G

Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)

Hyperconverged Infrastructure Data Centers: Demystifying HCI (ISBN-10: 1-58714-510-3)
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)

CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)

Cisco Intersight: A Handbook for Intelligent Cloud Operations (ISBN-10: 0-13-793728-8)

I/O Consolidation in the Data Center (ISBN-10: 1-58705-888-X)

Cisco Data Center Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 0-13-763824-8)

NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)

CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)

Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)
ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)
Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)
Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN: A Cisco NX-OS Perspective (ISBN-10: 1-58714-467-0)
ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)

CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)
ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)
ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)
ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting (ISBN-10: 1-58714-528-6)
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching: Next-Generation Data Center Architectures, 2nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-58714-304-6

CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)

Network Programmability amd Automation Fundamentals (ISBN-10: 1-58714-514-6)

CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide (ISBN-10: 0-13-644962-X)
Cisco Cloud Infrastructure: Application, Security, and Data Center Architecture (ISBN-10: 0-13-769012-6)
Cisco Live
BRKACI-2004; BRKACI-2005

BRKDCN-2999
BRKACI-2002

CISCOU-2008

BRKACI-2102
BRKDCN-1601
BRKDCN-1901
BRKACI-2006, BRKDCN-2267, BRKDCN-3569, BRKACI-2642

BRKDCN-2980, BRKDCN-2919, BRKDCN-2913

BRKDCN-2949
BRKACI-2387

BRKCOM-2938
BRKDCN-3982
BRKDCN-3914
BRKDCN-2980
BRKDCN-1619
BRKDCN-3924
BRKDCN-2653