This topic includes the following skills: explaining the network components role; describing network topology architectures; comparing cabling and physical interface types; defining cable and interface issues (collisions, speed, errors, mismatch duplex); comparing TCP and UDP; customizing and verifying subnetting IPv4 subnetting and addressing; describing the necessity of private IPv4 addressing; customizing and verifying IPv6 prefix and addressing; comparing IPv6 address types; verifying IP parameters for Client OS (Linux, Windows, Mac OS); describing switching principles; explaining wireless concepts; explaining virtualization basics (virtual machines).

Within this domain, the examinees need to demonstrate their ability to: interpret the routing table components (routing protocol code, network mask, prefix, next hop, last resort gateway, administrative distance, metric); customize IPv4 and IPv6 static routing (host route, default route, floating static, network route); identify how a router makes a forwarding decision by default (administrative distance, longest match, routing protocol metric); customize and verify single area OSPFv2 (point-to-point, neighbor adjacencies, router ID, broadcast); explain the objective of first hop redundancy protocol.

This subject area evaluates the following skills of the candidates: identifying core security concepts (vulnerabilities, threats, exploits, mitigation techniques); explaining security program elements (physical access control, user awareness, and training); customizing device access control using local passwords; explaining the elements of security password policies, including complexity, management, password alternatives (multifactor authentication, certificates, and biometrics); describing site-to-site VPNs and remote access; configuring and verifying access control lists; configuring security features of Layer 2 (dynamic ARP inspection, DHCP snooping, port security); differentiating accounting, authentication, and authorization concepts; describing WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 security protocols; customizing WLAN with the help of WPA2 PSK.

Here the applicants need to demonstrate that they are capable of: explaining how automation affects network management; distinguishing traditional networks from controller-based networking; describing software defined and controller-based architectures (fabric, overlay, underlay); distinguishing traditional campus device management from Cisco DNA Center enabled device management; describing REST-based APIs characteristics (data encoding, CRUD, HTTP verbs); recognizing the abilities of Puppet, Chef, and Ansible configuration management mechanisms; interpreting JSON encoded data.

This objective combines the questions that check competency of the test takers in: customizing and verifying within source NAT with the help of static and pools; customizing and verifying NTP operating in a server and client mode; explaining the function of DHCP and DNS within the network; explaining the role of SNMP in executing network operations; describing the utilization of syslog features including facilities and levels; customizing and verifying DHCP relay and client; explaining the forwarding per-hop behavior (PHB) for QoS, including classification, queuing, marking, shaping, congestion, policing; customizing remote access network devices with the help of SSH; describing the function of TFTP/FTP in the network.