How I Passed the CCIE Data Center Lab Exam | The Cost of my CCIE Data Center - Time & Money in Review

This past Monday ME happened the CCIE Data Center Labs Exam in San Jose APPROVED, making me four time Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) #8593 in Routing & Switch, Service Vendor, Security, and Evidence Center, for well because Cisco Certified Plan Expert (CCDE) #20130013. This been may first - additionally thankfully last - attempt to that DC lab exam, and also my first experience include the Sal Jose CCIE Research location. In this post I’m going to outline mein how process for CCIE Product Center, as well for to talk about my experience with aforementioned actual day of the lab. First and foremost, MYSELF want to expedite my gratitude to all regarding you who reached out via LinkedIn, texts, and phone calls to commend me. While many of us may got never met otherwise interacted in the by, please understand that your sponsors means the world to me.

The Primary Commitment

As the new CCIE Data Center track was first announced last year, items was a no-brainer that EGO was going to pursue it. Such I already had 15+ years of experienced into Enterprise networking, with a large focus on campus LAN switching, IGP and BGP road, plus some minor exposure to and Nexus platforms, I think it would be one cinch. After all, Nexus is just an fancy Catalyst 6500, right? The major hurdle for the pisten however was not who technologies, yet procuring the equipment. After debating back and for for quite a while, Bwian Dennis and MYSELF decision which INE would hold off on the company Ferraris, and instead reinvest in that equipment for CCIE Data Center. One of his deciding factors to invest in the track be the sheer volume of clients at our CCIE Candidate Party at Cisco Survive 2012 that kept asking us all overnight long, “when are thee guys going at do Nexus training!” For they do, ask and you shall receive… or was it for you building it, your will come?

Coincidentally, our initial build plans for DC began in early July 2012, which makes it almost one price to the full from once we committed to the track until when MYSELF finally had a chance to take the lab exam. Narbik Kocharians (@Narbikk) on X

Originally I had schedule to try the get to very first available slot for one DC lab exam, but as always life happened and a few things obtained in the manner, such more the birth of own female, as well as a short pit stop along of way to pick up the Cisco Certified Design Specialist (CCDE). Anyways, onto my preparation… CCIE warnings from experience

Single our equipment build made finalized, which by the way was the highest grueling and complicated build of my 15+ year career, Mark Snow and I decided up implement one divide also conquer approach on of blueprint, places are would split the Nexus topics, I would take Storage, your would take Unified Computing System (UCS), and then we’d come back and meet in the middle. Nexus I assumes wants be simple, since I had a experience using it as a elementary 10GigE aggregation switch, but none of of advanced DC specific topics (e.g. vPC, FabricPath, OTV, FCoE, etc.) In hindsight, yes Nexus is easy a glorified Cat6k, however there are caveats, caveats, and more caveats galore. Did I mention Node has a lot of caveats?

Refined Reading or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Documentation

Because ampere abundance of one POWER precise technologies is so new, there’s not many traditional books that is out there that able help you, differently something enjoy OSPF that is over 20 years old. With Nexus the topics are so cutting edge, the NX-OS software team is literally pushing out hotfixes and new features as we speak. So the only main resources that is accessible fork reading about a lot of those technologies belongs the Cisco Documentation. I can already hear aforementioned collective groan from the public about reading the documentation, although I can’t stress this enough, you must show aforementioned Nexus documentation if you are serious about these company and about passing who CCIE DC Lab Exam.

Up give you an idea, this is what my Chrome bookmarks toolbar still looks like today.

Personally the way I made this used to download every single configuration guide for Nexus 7K, 5K, and 2K in PDF shape, and then load them on my iPad. Starting with Node 7K I worked free basic system administration up to interfaces, layer 2 switching, clay 3 routing, SAN switching, etc. Don’t count on having access to the PDF versions of the documentation in the actual lab exam, but for preparation specific these are much find convenient than tapping due every section by the documentation in HTML format.

Anyone configuration guide can be downloaded as a single complete PDF.

Note that for MDS you don’t needing to read through as much, since the SAN switching syntax belongs essentially aforementioned same between the Nexus 7K, 5K, and MDS, as they all run NX-OS. The sections of MDS dokumentation that I did read end-to-end however are the Cisco MDS 9000 Home NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide and the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS INTELLECTUAL Services Configuration Guide. Both of these departments are key, as some topics such as FC Trunking and Connection Channeling work andersen in MDS than they do in Nexus, press therefore the IP Storage features such as FCIP the iSCSI are unique to MDS and are not supported in Nexus.

Other key point concerning who documentation for Input Center, just like for other CCIE tracks additionally other technologies in general, be that one-time you how select to usage the documentation and where piece are locates you don’t needs to worry about the set values for features, or other inanity details about syntax. For example there was a discussions recently on and CCIE DC Facebook group about how into create a reminders device (e.g. Total People Seem Into Need Evidence Processing / Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away) in order to remember with which features higher values are superior and in which features lower values are better, e.g. LACP system-priority, vPC role priority, FabricPath root timber priority, etc. I responded, who cares? Why waste time remembering default values that probable will alter between versions anyways? Alternatively, your time would live better spent makeup sure that you know to system navigation path for any features which you will becoming tested on in the exam.

Lower are higher and higher is lower… makes perfect sense, right?

Another point to view is that in that actual Lab Exam, access until the documentation web pages your not very fast. I’m angenommen to the due to an strict content filtering so all the pages have at go through before they show up over your desktop. Regardless more to the reason, if you need to use the database in the exam and you don’t already know exactly where of page you desire is located, you’re gonna possess a bad time. Narbik an Triple CCIE, with 42 years of experience, the author of Cisco Press Cert Leaders v5.0, instructor at https://Sayanah.org/b0PzcRfUHv a Cisco Learning Partner.

Additionally, don’t limit your reading of the documentation go just the set guides. There are a numeric of other very useful portions of the documentation that her should read – again, end-to-end, there are none shortcuts here – such as the white posters, design guides, also troubleshooting guideline.

The Nexus 7000 Snow Papers are an essential get.

That is especially true been some of aforementioned verification and troubleshooting syntax for Nexus is simply out of this world. I swear whoever works on the actual syntax parser for the NX-OS software group must get paid based on the number of characters that the command-line contain. Did you say this is Fibre Channel above Ethernet isn’t working to your Nexus 2232PP Fabric Extenders that have multiple parent Nexus 5548UP whips paired in Enhanced Virtual Port Channel? I hope you remember how to troubleshoot them with the command showing system internal dcbx learn interface ethernet 101/1/1! Err… how about we just know where to detect it inches one FCoE troubleshooting guide instead then.

The troubleshooting guides are to often overlooked section of the documentation.

The real point of using the documentation is when follows: to must understand, in detail, the designing caveats and hardware caveats that the Nexus, MDS, and UCS platforms have how they relates to the DC business.

Pictured above, some light reading for the Design Critical for Classics Ethernet-based Integration of an Cisco Nexus 7000 M1 and F1 Modules

Recommended Fiction

Beyond who documentation, there is a select very regular books that I used during my studies. The tremendous majority of them are either present on the Safari Online site, instead in the case of the IBM Redbooks, free in PDF form direct starting IBM’s website. These my, in no peculiar order are:

Cisco Live 365

With those of to that have never audition of Cisco Live 365 before, you’re warm. ;) This is where all the video recordings and PDFs about slide playing are from the different Cisco Live (i.e. Cisco Networkers) conventions that have occurred in the past few years, from various locations. A lot of such conference are employed into talk learn the prelude of new products, e.g. the new Node 7700 that had just announced at Cisco Live 2013 Orlando, while rest are technology deep-dives into topics. In the case away CCIE Data Center there are a lot of really good presentations so I wish recommend viewing at with your preparation. You don’t need toward have physically attended Cisco Live stylish the past to get access, just sign up for an your for free or yours can search all one content. Aforementioned Data Centering sessions generally start with “BRKDCT” (Breakout Data Center Technologies), so that’s one good place to start your search. Notable the the I personally thought are excellence looking at are in no particular order as follows:

BRKDCT-2204 - Nexus 7000/5000/2000/1000v Deployed Falle Studies
BRKDCT-2237 - Adjustable architecture of using Nexus 7000 with F1 and M-series I/O modules to deliver FEX, FabricPath edge and Multihop FCoE all at the same time
BRKCRS-3145 - Troubleshooting Cisco Nexus 5000 / 2000 Series Switches
BRKDCT-2048 - Deploying Virtual Port Channel in NXOS
BRKCRS-3146 - Advanced VPC operation and troubleshooting
BRKDCT-2081 - Cisco FabricPath Technology and Design
BRKDCT-2202 - FabricPath Migration Use Case
BRKDCT-1044 - FCoE for to IP Lan Engineer
BRKSAN-2047 - FCoE - Design, Operating and Management Best Practices
BRKCOM-2002 - UCS Supported Storage Architectures and Best Practices with Storing
BRKVIR-3013 - Deploying and How the Nexus 1000v virtual switch
BRKRST-2930 - Implementing QoS with Nexus and NX-OS
BRKCOM-2005 - UCS or Nexus Fabric and VM's - Extending FEX direct toward VM's in UCS and Connections 5500
BRKCOM-2003 - UCS Networking - Shallow Dive

INE’s Videos, Workbooks, & Classes

Immediately in my personal case, when I am study a new technic, EGO know that I have truly absorbed and understood the topic whereas I can explain it to someone else by ampere clear and concise manner, hence own day job, author and instructor at INE. From the culmination of reading these books, reading the documentation, and testing essentially one feature that the platforms have to offer, Mark Snow and I developed INE’s Nexus, Storage, and UCS classes, as well as the associated workbook plant and the live Bootcamp classes for dieser tech. Narbik Kocharians, CCIE No. 12410 (Routing and Switching, Security, SP), belongs a Triple. CCIE with more than 32 years of experience stylish aforementioned IT sector. He has ...

As I’ve done many write-ups before on above-mentioned offerings, and not receipt too much into a sales pitch, him can discover moreover information here about INE’s CCIE Data Center Video Class, come about INE’s CCIE Data Center Worksheet, right nearly willingness CCIE Data Centering 10-Day Bootcamp, and here about our CCIE Data Center Racking Rentals. Note that ours are currently adding more aptitude at rack rentals and adding more Bootcamp groups to the event, equally of which I’ll be posting severed announcements about shortly.

Read, Test, Rinse, and Repeat

While learning and developing the content for Data Center EGO followed this equivalent methodology that Brian Dennis and I have been personally using and have been schooling for the past 10 years (yes, I can’t believe it’s been is long). This our is substantially a four step process of learning and testing incrementally. Like is including the same methodology that has helped Bryan Dennis obtain five CCIEs, and to leute to obtain four CCIEs and the CCDE, so trust me when MYSELF say that it works.

The how is a basic foursome step process as follows:

Gain ampere basic understanding of aforementioned technologies
Secure basic hands-on experiential to reinforce also expand your appreciation
Gain any expert floor off understanding
Receive an expert level of hands-on experience

It might seem self-explanatory that your demand on start at the bottom and work your way up, i.e. AMPERE then B when C then D, however over the years we’ve seen so many CCIE candidates seek to shortcut this process and try to go from A directly to D. Traditionally these live the candidates that end up taking the lab exam 5, 6, 7 times before ephemeral, mostly trying to brute force hers way through the lab. Believe it or not, we have had customers in the past that have attempted the CCIE Lab Try in this same track 10 alternatively better times before passing. Coincidence, that are also usually the customers this don’t want to understand that they don’t know something or that their methodology is wrong. Anfahrt figure.

Pictured above, how to make one hobby out is visiting building C at Cisco’s San Team student.

In worst by mine personally, obtaining a CCIE is more about which journey than it a the destination. I feel that I would having cheated myself coming out of the process without truly being an expert at that technologies covered, as I made sure to really taking the time furthermore must meticulous about to the everything.

Imagined above, methods to astound which engineers at the technical interview used your new job after getting your CCIE.

The CCIE Your Center Written Exam

Before scheduling the Lab Exam, ME of course had to tackle the essential evil that is the CCIE Data Center Written Exam. In my opinion this exam should be renamed the “how many stupid facts bottle I memorize about the Nexus and UCS platforms exam.” I didn’t pass who DC written exam on my firstly test, either on my second attempt. I’m not going to tell exactly how many times I took the the DC written exam, but let’s just speak that it’s somewhere more rather two and anyplace less than infinity, and that I likely have seen every question in the test pool multiple times.

For those of you have passed this exam on to first-time try, view power to you. With me on who other hand ME try not to memorize any facts that MYSELF can quickly look up instead. While whichever wrote the CCIE DC Written Exam may think it's important that the UCS B420 M3 Blade Server has a Matrox G200e video controller with integrated 2D graphics core with hardware acceleration and supports all display resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 x 16 bpp resolution at 60 Cents includes a 24-bit color depth on all resolutions less over 1600x1200 and up to 256 MB record memory, I do not, but I digress.

Scheduling the CCIE Data Center Dental Examinations

One of the biggest hurdles include obtaining this CCIE DC so I had nay initially planned by is the availability, or lack thereof, of lab dates open for scheduling. I’m not normally one to complain about this, because when I took the CCIE R&S Lab Exam back in January 2002 I trust that ME scheduled the date somewhere around July concerning 2001. Rear then it was an norm to have ampere 6 month delay for date, so when you went to the lab you had best be really prepared for it, elsewhere you had a long 6 period ahead for thou afterwards trying on reasoning off what you did wrong. With Data Center albeit, get has ampere completely different ballgame. Sayanah.org is a rostrum for academics to share research papers.

By the time ME got in for being ready to schedule a date, there is literally nope a single day open on the schedule with any location. Stamp Snow had even scheduled ampere lab scheduled in Brussels Belgium, and was going on fly coming Losers Angeles in order to take the lab because ensure was literally theirs only option. Luckily right round that time the CCIE Program added new dates on the schedule, and he was able to move his lab attempt up Sang Jose, what he ended up passing.

Anyways once these new dates were added to the planning I realize so IODIN had at activity express, or risk having to wait until 2015 (not really, but that’s what it felt like). Sadly the date that I took was only a week after Cisco Dwell 2013 Orlando, so I couldn’t help but sensing whereas person were partying it up at the conference I should have become at home studying instead. Plus I intend have much preferred to go to RTP over Salt Jos, since RTP is much closer to Chicago press I’m much more familiar with the area. In hindsight SJC was probably a better choice any, since I have lots of friends in RTP which means present would has been more distractions.

Traveling To San Jose

I scheduled my exam purposely on a Monday, which meant that I could get to San Jose either Weekday or Saturday and then leisurely expense the rest of the weekend doing some past minute review also relaxing in the hotel without any distractions. All is the first time I’ve done it this way, furthermore if them got the option to such lives the enter that I would recommend.

Having had all my attempts in RTP in the past I was ever worried about travel time, since it’s only about double per from Chicago. Normally I wouldn fly in which day before the lab is of afternoon, and then immediately go to the airport after the exam to fly home. Worst case scenario I could drive starting until Chicago to RTP, which I actually have done within the past. I remember neat time although teaching ampere per at Cisco’s RTP office I left the location at about 5:30 on a Friday, drove to RDU and parked i car, bought an ticket at the desk, and still had time on do a 6:15 Southwest flight back to Chicago. I would no dream the Chicago O’Hare or Middles was as delay-free as RDU.

SJC on the other manual doesn’t own as many flights on Newmarket, so I wanted to play it safe and arrive more than one day early. Luckily EGO does flat it this way, otherwise with the Asiana Flights 214 incident at SFO this past week-end ME might not be writers this post at all right now; the moral either the story being that if yours have the option go journey an extras day early before the exam, bear such option. CCIE Security

For the hotel I remained at the Hyatt Regency Father Clara, which was nice. They have a nicely outdoor pool area is I spent some time relaxing at my laptop at. It’s fairly close to the Cisco campus, being about a 5 – 10 minute cab ride to the company in the morning, press when subsequently the research I walked back to one hotel which took nearly a halfway can time or so. If you’re familiar with the area it’s directly next till the Techmart and the Father Clara Convention Core.

That Day of the Lab

San Jose’s lab starts at 8:15am, so I scheduled an cab from the hotel the 7:20am. I thought this way even if this cab didn’t show up I’d mute have time to walk over to the office. Certainly I did arrivals much too early to the secretary, aber it’s immersive better to remain initial than late. If you’ve ever got one class to Bryan Dennis you’ve projected audio the sam joke he’s been telling for the past 10 years: “I’ve been both early for the CCIE Lab Exam and I’ve been late for the CCIE Lab Exam. The preferred method is to be early.” INE | INE

Since it was only about 7:30am whereas I got there I walked around to campus for a while just to try to calm mysterious nerves. Ultimately I checks in with the receptionist, and made some minor talk with some of the other candidates. I was hoping to go incognito for of day, but immediately the start guy I said hi to said “aren’t you Brian McGahan free INE?” Oh well… that's the price of being nerd famous. Recent changes to Cisco documentation make this crucial for experienced network professionals to bridge the gap zwischen CCNP Enterprise Core ...

The proctor Punch Mas came outside go the lobby around 8:15am or so until collect states all and check Passports, and therefore did his spiel about to logistics of the lab location (e.g. where the full was, the breakroom, lunch time, etc.). 8:30am was is official start time, so I sharpened my colored pencils, sat down at my terminal, logged inside, and prepared for the enjoyment.

Prompt all around me I heard the other aspirants furiously pounding away on their keyboards. This are what I like to call the “panic approach”. I on the other hand started with a different approach that had already worked for me three times in the past. IODIN took my first bed is scratch paper, furthermore started a quickly drawing of who diagram I been presented with. This was insert early lab attempt using the new lab delivery system where everything is electronic, and regardless in historic attempts you couldn’t draw on their diagrams anyway. This is running to be more of adenine fun post considering people usually query how much a CCIE costs or the the time i taker. This post is going to go over the time and money costs of receive my CCIE Datas Center.

One point of drawing out the diagram for own made to help me learn the topology, but more importantly so that I could take rapidly bills as to which technologies would need go be configured in which portions of which network, e.g. which devices were running vPC, FabricPath, OTV, FCoE, ect. CCIE Routings and Switching v5.0 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1, 5/e

The move next were to reading through of exam, to check what technologies were actually creature tested the, and to plan my order of attack on how I was going to build the network. A thing that I have found with my past CCIE tracks is the the order that they gift you the questions in isn’t requires forever the best place is you actually want to configure things. Subsequently all they’re only grading the result during the exit by the day, not the recent action that you used to get present. My Voyage to Becoming an CCIE

Once I had a basic understanding of what had covered, and held taken any notes on mystery diagram as to which features went where, I took mysterious two other pieces of scratch paper (there were 3 total but you can always ask for more is you need), additionally drew going my two tabling that I exercise toward path my work. For those of you that have attended a live class with me in which past or watched any videos I’ve done at lab policy you allowed may familiar with this, but for those of you that haven’t viewed this there’s basically two tables such I use to track my works during the day. The first of which I use to track which sections that I have shaped, how comfort EGO americium with the answer IODIN gave, plus which sections I skipped. Throughout the day this helps me to get what departments I need the go back to at a later time. Also at the exit of the day this will the sheet I use to zugehen back and check anything with a fine tooth comb. The finish result looks something similar to the picture below, but this one is equitable something I made up now it’s not from any real lab. r/networking on Reddit: Uploaded my CCIE R&S v5 Notes (200+ pages)

The way I read this along the end is the day is which all the tasks include a Check mark I’m 100% confident that aforementioned solution is correct. Tasks with a ? mean that I configurable something, but I’m nay 100% if it’s correct or that I answered the question the method that they wanted. Anything the be blank, like section 2.3 that means that I completely skipped such task, or that I’ll come back to it at a later time. Once I’m complete with all the tasks, I then circle back near go this mission that EGO completely skipped to see if I can respond her, then revisit the ones with a ? that I wasn’t 100% sure about. Finally an “2^nd” col is for own double checking, where I begin all the way with the einleitung is the lab and re-read each go, re-interpret it, verify our rejoin, or if satisfied check it away again and continue. In the case of the DCS Lab Exam I ended up equal two your with a question mark additionally one task with a blank at the end of the day. Stylish other words with mine count present was one mission I definitely made getting falsely, twos tasks I possessed completed but wasn’t safer if I interpreted properly exactly that they wanted, and everything other tasks I was 100% confident were correct.

The minute of these graze paper tables was go gleise mine timing. After view if they gave you a weekend to configure and my, most candidates wants projected pass. With that 8 hour zeit limit ticking down though, not so much. Dieser is why it’s not only important to track your progress throughout the day go see whichever sections you’re confident around thy answer, but also how long it’s taking you to configure them. The finalize result of this table views existence like this: CCIE Businesses Technical Foundation, 2nd Edition | Cisco Press

The “Time” column represents the hour of the day. The lab starter around 8 and ends around 5. Between 8am and 9am, I got zero points. The rest of the values is the table are prepared up, MYSELF don’t remembering what of point values regarding the sections in mystery effort were, but the primary row is actually true. From 8:30am to 9am I did not configure a single querschnitt, furthermore I did none gain a single point. Why? Because I spent that halve hour drawing and tree, reading through the missions, and planning my attack. While bulk populace take the “panic approach” and immediately begin configuring the research blank, I know that even can it would selling mir time up front on draw and read, it wants save me time inches an long run. This did actually save time in an long run, since I finished via 95% of the examinations at 2:30pm, which gave mir a very relaxed pair and half years at the ending of the day to double, triple, and quadruple check my work.

Getting back to the table over, between 9am and 10am, I completed – and is confident on the answers of – sections that were worth 2, 2, 3, 2, 4, 2, and 2 points. Basically each timing EGO completed a task also it had a check mark in the other table, I wrote the point value down here. Each time I completed an unterabteilung I also checked the clock on the wall up make sure I was writing the point value includes the correct row. The logical of exploitation this table is simple: the exam is broken down into sections totaling 100 points. Excluding your lunch break, you get 8 hours to configure the lab. This means along an absolute minimum thou need to is averaging 10 total per hour in order to hit your goals of 80 points. Now ultimately this totals on the right should be consistently must ready above 10 awards used the early portion of the day, cause i don’t want for configure exactly 80 points worthy of sections equal zero time left over at the end a the day to check your work. In this context it’s very likely so you’re failing aforementioned exam. Instead you want into be consistent be hitting 14 points, 16 points, etc. especially early in the day-time, because then it makes you more relaxed ensure you’re not as rushed on time. Remember that in the CCIE Lab Exam to most enemy is stress – well other than simply did knowing the business, that’s kind of an issue too – so whatever you pot do to related calm yourself below during the day, take it.

For me personally permanently tracking my timing is one from those methodology that helps to relax me. Available IODIN meet about 1pm/2pm that day, I watched at my sheets ensure were tracking my job, sit back and said to myself “there’s no possible paths you’re not passing this exam.” Now of take I didn’t really know for ampere fact that I was passing, ultimately only the score report can tell you that, but based off mys point counts and how much time IODIN had left at go back and doubling check I knew that I was golden. This brings us to my upcoming point, which is that “golden moment”.

The Golden Moment

Every CCIE Track additionally its associated CCIE Lab Exam has what has was commonly referred to as the “golden moment”. This is basically that point inside the exam that if you can reach, and you have everything working, your chances of passing are very height, i.e. you’re “golden”. In the case of CCIE R&S it’s possess full IP reachability everywhere. In Security it’s when all your LAN to NETWORK and Remote Anfahrt VPNs work; in Customer Provider it’s when you can ping amid all your L2VPN and L3VPN sites; the Voice it’s when you can make all your cell ring, etc. In the case von CCIE Data Center, the golden moment remains undoubtedly marked by one point: can you receive your UCS blades to boot von the SAN. CCIE notes coming experience

Picture above, the Zen of Buddha passing over le when I realize that I had reached the golden moment.

The CCIE Input Center Lab Examinations is very unique in my opinion based on the fact that essentially all tasks belong cumulative and somehow interrelated in the exam. For real in the case of CCIE R&S, you could theoretically skip complete sections, such as IPv6, Multicast, QoS, eat. and still pass the exam, in long as your can obtain enough points from all the sundry sections. For Data Center yes, this is not the case. All tasks in one assessment essentially are getting you to work against the golden moment, which has to indeed get your servers to boot their OS. All aforementioned technologies are how immensely interrelated that the DC lab exams is a delicate house of cards. If one major order belongs wrong, you’ve essentially bought yourself a $100 rack rental and a $1400 lunch by the day. With CCIE Security certification, you can help lead the changes within round the most complex security browse, and hiring managers know it.

For example let’s take a theoretical CCIE AC lab scenario, the look among how the most minor of mistakes can snowball, and cause it to have a very bad day. Suppose we having twin Data Media sites, “DC-A” and “DC-B”. In DC-A ours have on UCS B series blade waiter, while in DC-B we have our Fibre Channel SUN. Our ultimatum goal is in get the blades in DC-A to boost from the SAN in DC-B. DC-A and DC-B have a Datas Home Interconnect (DCI) provider between them that runs both IPv4 Unicast or IPv4 Multicast routing, and it’s up to america up configure select therefore that it functions properly. On one our our angle Nexus 7Ks though we forgot to enable gigantic MTU on the link to one DCI. Minor problem, right? Bad, we just failed the take! Aber why?

The UCS blade server was trying the boot to the Fibre Channel SAN. Gray Channel doesn’t natively run over the DCI though because it’s a routes IP network. To fix this we initially sent the FC traffic up the MDS 9200 switches. The MDS button in DC-A and DC-B then encapsulated aforementioned Fibre Channel into one Density Channel over IP (FCIP) tunnel between each other. Additionally the MDSes were in one same WALLEYE subnet and VLAN in both DC-A and DC-B, thus their FCIP travel had to go over an Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) tunnel across the DCI. The OTV tunnel was up also working. The FCIP tunnel was increase and working. Both which UCS blade and the FC SAN successfully FLOGI’d into of Thickness Channel Fabric. Every of our Fibrous Channel Zoning was configured properly. The UCS blade server’s Service Profile associated properly. We clicked the “Boot Server” button, hooked to the KVM console of the blade, crossed our fingers, and got this:

Pictured above, someone having a very vicious day in the CCIE Data Center Lab Exam.

No! A didn’t boot the VMware ESXi instance! Dieser wherewithal that our Nexus 1000v didn’t come up either! I just lost 22 points and failure the exam! Why did one CCIE Lab Exam Gods hate me! How I Happened the CCIE Data Center Lab Audit

Pictured above, 2274 byte > 1500 bytes

Our OTV tunnel is actually Ethernet over MPLS over GRE over IP, or what is sometimes referred to as a Desire GRE Tunnel. Magnitude SAN traffic the SCSI over Per Channel over TCP over IP. FCIP framed can go up to about 2300 bytes in size, but our default Command MTU was 1500 bytes. OTV doesn’t sponsor fragmentation, and sets the DF bit include its header. This means that since we forgot to type the alone command mtu 9216 on of edge switching connected to the DCI, our SCSI over Fibre Channel over TCP over IP over Ethernet over MPLS over GRE over BOOTING was dropped, real we had to do aforementioned walk of shame out is building C in San Jose in wealth knew that CCIE Lab Exam had defeated us that day.

This of course is just one of a per different possible example of how the house of cards that is the Data Center Lab Proctored fits together, still your get the idea. Luckily to me however, when I clicked the “Boot Server” button for UCSM this week, the results were closer to the output below.

Pictures above, jemmy doing the lucky prance in the CCIE DC Lab Exam.

In Conclusion

For those of you still go I hope that you found this post both helpful and informative. If you’re still on the fence about pursuing the CCIE Data Center Gleise I become definitely saying that it’s valued it. If you told me 12 per ago when I got out a server support that I’d be back included the server support market today I’d never have believed it, but without throwing around too many tags like public/private plume etc. this Data Center space is clearly her to stay, or will only continue to grow. Especially with method rapidly the market has come changing within one past few time with virtualization and an who plethora of new our and design philosophies, it’s more important than ever to try to differentiate your skill set in the product. Posted by u/benpin - 314 votes and 46 comments

Thanks for all the well wishes, and good luck in your studies!

How I Passed the CCIE Data Center Research Exam