Cisco have released details of the new v5.0 blueprint for the CCIE Routing and Switching exams.
Here's a breakdown of what is in the new exam.
Last date of the v4.0
You have until June 3rd 2014 to take the V4 blueprint.Start date of the v5.0
The v5.0 exams will start on July 4th 2014.Hardware
As previously thought the lab will be 100% virtualised, though if you want to buy equipment you will need Cisco ISR 2900 series running IOS 15.3T Universal, and Catalyst 3560Xs running 15.0SE universal (IP services).v5.0 Written exam
The new code for the written exam is 400-101, and is much the same format as before.It is now broken down into six areas, with the percentage for each topic in brackets:
1.0 Network Principles (10%)
2.0 Layer 2 Technologies (15%)
3.0 Layer 3 Technologies (40%)
4.0 VPN Technologies (15%)
5.0 Infrastructure Security (5%)
6.0 Infrastructure Services (15%)
A full breakdown of the v5.0 Written Exam topics
v5.0 Lab Exam
The lab exam has also been simplified, with now just 5 areas:1.0 Layer 2 Technologies (20%)
2.0 Layer 3 Technologies (40%)
3.0 VPN Technologies (20%)
4.0 Infrastructure Security (5%)
5.0 Infrastructure Services (15%)
There is a big change to the format of the lab exam, and now it is split into three parts.
Troubleshooting - 2 hours with an optional 30 minutes
Diagnostic - 30 minutes
Configuration - 5 hours 30 minutes with an optional 30 minutes (if you havn't already used it in the troubleshooting)
The diagnostic module is ticket based - similar to the CCNP TSHOOT, whereby you are required to make a choice between pre-defined options and show either where or what the root cause is, or what lead you to this conclusion, or what is missing to make a judgement about the root cause. There will be multiple sources of information such as logs, diagrams and emails - though given some of the "The internet is broken" emails I get, I hope Cisco won't go down to end-user level...
A full breakdown of the v5.0 Lab Exam topics
What's been added, moved or removed
Indications from various sources were pretty spot-on.The following have been removed:
• Flexlink, ISL, Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling
• Frame-Relay (LFI, FR Traffic Shaping)
• WCCP
• IOS Firewall and IPS
• RITE, RMON
• RGMP
• RSVP QoS, WRR/SRR
The following have been moved from the Lab exam to the new written exam:
• Describe IPv6 Multicast
• Describe RIPv6 (RIPng)
• Describe IPv6 Tunneling Techniques
• Describe Device Security using IOS AAA with TACACS+ and RADIUS
• Describe 802.1x
• Describe Layer 2 QoS
• Identify Performance Routing (PfR)
New topics on the written exam are:
• Describe basic software architecture differences between IOS and IOS XE
• Identify Cisco Express Forwarding Concepts
• Explain General Network Challenges
• Explain IP, TCP and UDP Operations
• Describe Chassis Virtualization and Aggregation Technologies
• Explain PIM Snooping
• Describe WAN Rate-based Ethernet Circuits
• Describe BGP Fast Convergence Features
• ISIS (for IPv4 and IPv6)
• Describe Basic Layer 2 VPN - Wireline
• Describe Basic L2VPN - LAN Services
• Describe GET VPN
• Describe IPv6 Network Address Translation
And finally new topics on the both the written and lab exams:
• Use IOS Troubleshooting Tools
• Apply Troubleshooting Methodologies
• Interpret Packet Capture
• Implement and Troubleshoot Bidirectional Forwarding Detection
• Implement EIGRP (multi-address) Named Mode
• Implement, Troubleshoot and Optimize EIGRP and OSPF Convergence and Scalability
• Implement and Troubleshoot DMVPN (single hub)
• Implement and Troubleshoot IPsec with pre-shared key
• Implement and Troubleshoot IPv6 First Hop Security
As I thought in my previous post on what's probably going to come up in the v5.0 there is a greater emphasis on IPv6. Some older technologies have been removed such as ISL, and Frame-Relay, and other technologies that are more suited to the Security track (WCCP, Firewall and IPS) have also been removed.
The changes do make a lot of sense, certainly as IPv6 adoption increases then the exam-provable skill sets must also increase.
All in all it's not an overly scary change. The current reading list is still pretty valid, even the 4th edition certification guide by Wendell Odom is still very useful, but we would expect the new version to be released in the first half of next year.
I will go through the complete changes to the v5.0 Written and Lab exams in separate posts, so stay tuned!