Tag Archives: exam

WatchGuard Network Security Essentials Exam

This posting is ~3 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

Yesterday, I passed the first exam of the year. In this case the WatchGuards Network Security Essentials exam. The exam covers basic networking and firewalling skills, as well as the necessary knowledge to configure, manage, and monitor a WatchGuard Firebox. If you were familier with networking and firewalls in general, this exam is a “low hanging fruit”. I had to take it due to partner conditions.

WatchGuards offers a pretty good study guide for this exam which you can get for free.. The exam is delivered by  Kryterion and can be taken in a test center or as online proctored exam.

The closed book exam consists of 70 questions. You have 2h and you need at least 70% to pass the exam. The exam covers six different topics:

  • Network and network security basics
  • Administration and setup
  • Monitoring, logging, and reporting
  • Networking and NAT
  • Policies, proxies, and security services
  • Authentication and VPN

I passed the exam with a some preparation (I’ve only used the study guide). As long as you have experience with WatchGuard firewalls, which is mandartory IMHO, it is sufficient to read the study guide a couple of times.

HPE Networking expert level certifications

This posting is ~5 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

A couple of days ago, I took the HP0-Y47 exam “Deploying HP FlexNetwork Core Technologies”. It was one of two required exams to achive the HPE ASE – Data Center Network Integrator V1, and the HP ASE – FlexNetwork Integrator V1 certification. It was a long planned upgrade to my HP ATP certification, and it is a necessary certification for the HPE partner status of my employer.

You might find it confusing that I’m talking about an HP ASE and a HPE ASE. That is not a typo. The HP ASE was released prior the HP/ HPE split. The HPE ASE was released after the split in HP and HPE.

The HP/ HPE ATP is a professional level certification, comparable to the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). The HP/ HPE ASE is an expert level certification, so the typical candidate for a HP/ HPE ASE certification is a professional with three to five years experience in designing and architecting complex enterprise-level networks.

Requirements

There are different ways to achieve this certification. Regardless of the way you chose, you need a certification from which you can upgrade. This does not have to be a HP/ HPE certification! If you hold a valid CCNA/ CCNP or JNCIP-ENT, you can upgrade from this certification without the need of a valid HP/ HPE ATP Networking certification.

If you want to earn the HPE ASE – Data Center Network Integrator V1, and the HP ASE – FlexNetwork Integrator V1 certification in a single step, you need at least one of these certifications:

  • HP ATP – FlexNetwork Solutions V3
  • HPE ATP – Data Center Solutions V1

Or if you want to upgrade from a non-HP/ HPE certification:

  • Cisco – CCNP (any CCNP regardless of technology)
  • Cisco – Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
  • Juniper – JNCIP-ENT

Now you need to pass two exams:

HP2-Z34 (Building HP FlexFabric Data Centers)

The HP2-Z34 exam focuses on deployment and implementation of HPE FlexFabric Data Center solutions. Therefore, the exams covers topics like

  • Multitenant Device Context (MDC)
  • Datacenter Bridging (DCB)
  • Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
  • Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
  • Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI),
  • Multi-Customer Edge (MCE),
  • Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL), and
  • Shortest Path Bridging Mac-in-Mac mode (SPBM).

HPE offers a study guide to prepare for this exam: Building HP FlexFabric Data Centers (HP2-Z34 and HP0-Y51). I used this guide to prepare for the exam (eBook). The guide was of an average quality. Its sufficient to prepare for the exam, but I used other materials to get a better understanding of some topics.

HP2 exams are web-based exams. To pass the HP2-Z34 exam, I had to answer 60 questions in 105 minutes, with a passing score of 70%. The exam was quite demanding, especially if you don’t have much real-world experience with some of the covered topics.

HP0-Y47 (Deploying HP FlexNetwork Core Technologies)

The HP0-Y47 exam covers the configuration, implementation, and the troubleshoot enterprise level HPE FlexNetwork solutions. The exam covers different topics, e.g.

  • Quality of Service (QoS)
  • redundancy (VRRP, Stacking)
  • multicast routing (IGMP, PIM)
  • dynamic routing (OSPF, BGP)
  • ACLs, and
  • port authentication/ port security (Mac-auth, Web-auth, 802.1x)

I used the HP ASE FlexNetwork Solutions Integrator (HP0-Y47) study guide to prepre myself for the exam. Unfortunately, it had the same average quality as the HP2 Z34 guide: Good enough to pass the exam, but don’t expect to much.

HP0-Y47 is a proctored exam. I had to answer 55 questions in 150 minutes, with a passing score of 65%. The exam is not very hard, if you were familiar with the covered topics. Experience with ProVision and Comware is absolutely necessary, because both platforms have their peculiarities, e.g. processing of ACLs, differences in Stacking technologies, commands, STP support etc.

It took me some time to prepare for both exams, despite the fact that I work with ProVision and Comware Switches every day. So I’m pretty happy that I passed both exams on the first try.

VCP7-DTM certification beta exam experience

This posting is ~7 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

Nearly a month ago, a tweet caught my attention:

These beta exams are a cost-effective way to achieve certifications. The last beta exam I took, was the VCP6-DCV beta. Because I already had the VCP6-DTM on my to-do list, the new VCP7-DTM beta exam was released just in the right moment.

As already mentioned in the blog post of the VMware Education and Certification Blog, there are primarly three reasons to take this beta exam:

  • get certified
  • low costs (only 50 USD)
  • identify strengths and weaknesses

Beside of this, VMware can test the questions and is getting feedback to increase the quality of their exams.

Exam preparation

The beta exam preparation guide is quite comprehensive.  Desktop and Mobility (DTM) is not only about VMWare Horizon View. VMware Horizon Mirage, App Volumes, User Environment Manager, Thin App, IDM/ Workspace are also part of the exam.

Section 1 – Install and Configure Horizon Server Components

  • Objective 1.1 – Describe techniques to prepare environment for Horizon
  • Objective 1.2 Determine procedures to install Horizon Components
  • Objective 1.3 – Determine steps to configure Horizon Components
  • Objective 1.4 – Analyze End User Requirements for Display Protocol Performance Knowledge
  • Objective 1.5 – Diagnose and solve issues related to connectivity between Horizon Server Components

Section 2 – Create and Configure Pools

  • Objective 2.1 – Configure and Manage Horizon Pools
  • Objective 2.2 – Build and Customize RDSH Server and Desktop Images

Section 3 – Configure and Administer VMware Mirage

  • Objective 3.1 – Install and Configure Mirage Components
  • Objective 3.2 – Configure and Manage Mirage layers
  • Objective 3.3 – Configure and Manage Mirage Endpoints

Section 4 – Configure and Manage Identity Manager

  • Objective 4.1 – Install and Configure VMware Identity Manager
  • Objective 4.2 – Manage VMware Identity Manager

Section 5 – Configure and Manage User Environment Manager

  • Objective 5.1 – Install and Configure VMware User Environment Manager
  • Objective 5.2 – Manage VMware User Environment Manager

Section 6 – Configure and Manager App Volumes

  • Objective 6.1 – Install and Configure VMware App Volumes
  • Objective 6.2 – Manage VMware AppStacks and writeable Volumes

Section 7 – Configure vRealize Operations for Horizon

  • Objective 7.1 – Manage VMware Workspace Portal

The preparation guide outlines some documents, which can be used to preapre for the exam. Although I’m working with Horizon View on a regular base, I had some “blind spots”. I used the official documentation and my lab to prepare for the exam.

The exam

The exam contained 175 questions, and I had 245 minutes to answer all the questions. I arrived early at the test center, because I had booked the first available slot for that day. I did not expect to be able to answer all the questions. View, Mirage, App Volumes, Workspace and IDM were the main topics, only a few questions about ThinApp and vROps for Horizon. Many questions were about administrative topics, where to click to achieve something, or where a specific option is located. There were also some questions about requirements, supported databases etc. As far as I can judge, these were all fair questions. If you have intensivly studied the documentation, you have do not have to fear this exam. Experience in administration is a great plus.

I really do not know if I have passed it. It will take some time. The results will be available after the beta phase. If I don not passed, I have at least gained experience.

Juniper launches Design Certification Track

This posting is ~8 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

This tweet from @JuniperCertify has caught my attention:

Later that day, I got an e-mail from Juniper with the same announcement. Juniper has launched its Design Certification Track inside the Juniper Networks Certification Program (JNCP) and the Juniper Networks Certified Design Associate (JNCDA) is the first available certification.

The new Design Certification Track

A picture says more than a thousands words (… I found this in the blog post “Juniper Networks New Network Design Curriculum and Certifications” on the Juniper “My Certification Journey” blog):

juniper-plan-build-operate

Juniper/ juniper.net

Juniper addresses the “Plan” phase of the network life cycle and many of the talented folks from Juniper contributed to this new certification track. This certification is not addressed directly to network architects, pre-sales consulting and the other people who are involved in the planning. It’s aimed more at network professionals and designers with beginner knowledge.

Currently there is only an associate-level certification, but this will be the prerequisite certification for specialist-level certifications on the Design Track, that are currently in development.

First stop: Associate certification

The Juniper Networks Certified Design Associate (JNCDA) certification is the first available certification and Juniper starts, similar to the other certification tracks, with an associate-level certification. On a higher level, the written exam covers the following objectives:

  • Customer Design Requirements
  • Customer Organizational Structure
  • Physical Design Considerations
  • Logical Design Considerations
  • Industry Alternatives

A more detailed objective list can be found on the Training & Certification website. You can schedule the exam (JN0-1100) at any Pearson VUE test center. You have 90 minutes to answer 65 multiple-choice questions. Unfortunately, Juniper doesn’t release any information about the needed passing score. The exam fee is 100 US-$.

To prepare yourself for the exam, you can book a 3 day Juniper Networks Design Fundamentals (JNDF) course. This course covers all necessary topics. If you think you’re experienced enough, try the practice test. For the moment, there is no self-study material available.

VCP6-DCV Delta Beta exam experience

This posting is ~8 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

Today, I took my very first VMware beta exam. I took the 2V0-621D exam, known as the VMware Certified Professional 6 – Data Center Virtualization Delta Beta Exam, at a local Pearson VUE test center. This exam is a possible migration paths from a valid VCP5-DCV, or any valid solution track VCP, to the VCP6-DCV certification.

The benefit of a beta exam is the low price (currently 50 US-$) and a chance to upgrade the associated certification, in this case the VCP6-DCV. This was the main reason for me to request the authorization and schedule an appointment at a local Pearson VUE testcenter. When I pass the exams, that would be a very effective and simple upgrade.

Exam topics

The blueprint for the delta beta exam consists of 10 sections and it covers a bit more then only VMware vSphere 6.

  • Section 1: Configure and Administer vSphere 6.x Security
  • Section 2: Configure and Administer Advanced vSphere 6.x Networking
  • Section 3: Configure and Administer Advanced vSphere 6.x Storage
  • Section 4: Upgrade a vSphere Deployment to 6.x
  • Section 5: Administer and Manage vSphere 6.x Resources
  • Section 6: Backup and Recover a vSphere Deployment
  • Section 7: Troubleshoot a vSphere Deployment
  • Section 8: Deploy and Consolidate vSphere Data Center
  • Section 9: Configure and Administer vSphere Availability Solutions
  • Section 10: Administer and Manage vSphere Virtual Machines

Each section includes one or more objectives. In opposite to exam 2V0-621, the VMware Certified Professional 6 – Data Center Virtualization Beta Exam, the delta exam doesn’t include the objectives

  • 7.4: Troubleshoot and Monitor vSphere Performance
  • 7.5: Troubleshoot HA and DRS Configurations and Fault Tolerance
  • 8.3: Consolidate Physical Workloads using VMware Converter
  • 10.3: Configure and Maintain a vCloud Air Connection

Manfred Hofer highlightes this already in a blog post about his exam experience. But instead, the delta exam includes the objective

  • 9.3: Setup and Configure AppHA

So if you take the delta beta exam, you better take a closer look at VMware AppHA.

The exam

The exam consists of 75 single and multiple choice questions. You have 90 Minutes time to answer all questions. If you are a non-native english speaker, you will get 30 minutes extra. The questions are not always related to VMware vSphere 6! There are also questions about vSphere in gerneral, or prodcuts around vSphere, like Replication or AppHA. In my case, the questions were very unevenly distributed over the blueprint sections. I got a relatively high number of questions involving HA, DRS, Resource Pools and troubleshooting in general. Carefully reading the question and answers was very helpful. In most cases, I was able to eliminate wrong or unlikely answers. Answers must not be correct, sometimes answers were “best fit” answers.

With 75 questions in 120 minutes, I had more than one minute per question. That’s much more time as you get in the VCP5-DCV (vSphere 5.5) exam. There you have to answer 135 questions in 120 minutes. After 60 minutes I clicked the “End Exam” button. Now I have to wait. The results will be published after the end of the beta phase. This may take 6 to 8 weeks.

I don’t know if I passed the exam. In fact, I did not really prepare for the exam. I have the documents just flown over. But it was a very nice experience.

VCP5-DCV Delta recertification exam extended

This posting is ~9 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

Originally the VCP5-DCV Delta exam (VCP550D) was available until 30. November. I passed it on 22. November, about one week before the planned ending of availability. Yesterday, VMware announced the extended availability of the delta exam. You can find the announcement on the VMware Education and Certification Blog. The exam will be available through 10. March 2015. Previously requested authorizations are still valid.

This delta exam is focused on the differences between VMware vSphere 5.1 an vSphere 5.5, and it is available to existing VCP5-DCVs who took the VCP510 exam and need to recertify on or before 15. March 2015. The exam consists of 65 questions. You have 75 minutes time to answer them. If you’re a non-native english or japanese speaker, you will granted 30 minutes extra time.

VCP5-DCV Delta recertification exam

This posting is ~9 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

The clock is ticking… Current VCP5-DCVs who need to recertify their VCP can do this until 30. November 2014 by passing the VCP5-DCV Delta exam (VCP550D). The exam can booked online via Pearson VUE and it’s delivered as an online exam. This means, that you don’t have to visit a Pearson VUE test center to take the exam. The costs for the exam are 90,- € plus taxes (in my case ~ 107 €).

vcp550_delta

VMware/ vmware.com

This delta exam is focused on the differences between VMware vSphere 5.1 an vSphere 5.5, and it is available to existing VCP5-DCVs who took the VCP510 exam and need to recertify on or before 15. March 2015. The exam consists of 65 questions. You have 75 minutes time to answer them. If you’re a non-native english or japanese speaker, you will granted 30 minutes extra time.

I recommend to take the chance and take the exam. You have the choice: Answer 65 questions about vSphere 5.5, or pass a complete VCP5 (DCV, Cloud, EUC, NV) or VCAP exam. I would choose the lesser evil. ;) When you’re an experienced VCP, then you will pass the delta exam without much prep. Check the blueprint and you will see: No nasty stuff, IMHO quite simple stuff. I passed the exam in the first attempt between breakfast and lunch. ;) Go, go, go!

EDIT

The VCP550D availability was extended until 10. March 2015.

Exam experience JNCIA-Junos

This posting is ~9 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

The Juniper Networks Certification Program (JNCP) consists of different tracks, which enable you to demonstrate your skills with Juniper products and technologies in the areas most pertinent to your job function and experience. There are three main areas:

  • Junos
  • Support
  • Product and Technology

The Junos area consists of three tracks:

  • Service Provider Routing and Switching
  • Enterprise Routing and Switching
  • Junos Security

The “Service Provider Routing and Switching” track focuses on service provider and telecommunication (M-, MX-Series, Routing with OSPF, BGP, MPLS etc.), the “Enterprise Routing and Switching” on enterprise routing and switching in LAN and WAN (EX-Series, MX-Series, Spanning-Tree, VLANs, Routing etc.) and the “Junos Security” track is focused on the Juniper Security products (SRX-Series, Routing, Firewall, VPN etc.). All three tracks have the Juniper Networks Certified Associate – Junos (JNCIA-Junos) as a prerequisite. This is an entry-level certification and it covers the following objectives:

  • Networking Fundamentals
  • Junos OS Fundamentals
  • User Interfaces
  • Junos Configuration Basics
  • Operational Monitoring and Maintenance
  • Routing Fundamentals
  • Routing Policy and Firewall Filters

The certification is compareable to Cisco CCNA (Routing & Switching, Security) or HP ATP (FlexNetworks or TippingPoint Security). The certification can be achieved by passing the JN0-102 exam, that can be booked at Pearson VUE and which is delivered as an proctored exam. The exam costs ~100 € (depending on taxes). A Fast Track program for different certifications is available, so also for the JNCIA-Junos. If you pass a pre-assessment exam, you can get a 50% discount exam voucher for Pearson VUE. I strongly recommend to take the pre-assessment exam and save 50% costs. The voucher can only be used one time. So if you fail the first attempted, you have to pay the full price for the second attempt. It’s strongly recommended to get a CertManager ID before you schedule the exam. Otherwise you can’t get your eCertificate. You can get a CertManager ID later and connect it with your Juniper accounts. You can get a CertManager ID here.

To pass the exam you have to answer 70 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. I can’t tell you the passing score, because it’s not officially published by Juniper. But it’s compareable to other entry-level exams I passed in the last years. Nothing special. You get the result (if you passed or failed) immediately after the exam. But, and this was new to me, you get only a provisional score report! Juniper states on its homepage:

Juniper Networks then performs industry standard statistical analyses on all exam results to ensure compliance with the Juniper Networks Candidate Agreement and JNCP exam security policies.

It seems that Juniper tries to avoid that people pass the exam that have used braindumps or that have thrown a coin at each question. You get the final score report within three business days. I passed the exam on friday (based on the provisional score report) and today I had the exam listed as “passed” in my CertManager account.

Exam preparation

You can prepare for the exam in many ways. Juniper offers three different trainings that cover some of the exam objectives:

You don’t have to take a classroom or virtual training, you can prepare yourself for the exam. Juniper offers an excellent free software documentation, the Fast Track Self-study Guides and different Day One Guides (e.g. Day One: Exploring the Junos CLI). If you like CBT, try the course on Pluralsight: Juniper JNCIA-Junos – Introduction to Junos OS (thanks to Chris Frisch for developing the course!). Hands-on experience is strongly recommended! You can get cheap SRX 100 or 110 on eBay. Or try Juniper Firefly Perimeter, a virtual SRX. You can use it for 30 days without a license. Don’t make the mistake and buy Juniper 5GT or SSG series! They are running ScreenOS, not Junos! If you think you are well prepared, try the practice test that is offered by Juniper. If you pass the practice test schedule your exam at Pearson VUE.

The exam

I passed the Fast Track pre-assessment exam some weeks ago and scheduled an appointment for last friday (24. October). I had not much time to prepare for the exam. I used the Fast Track Self-study Guides (two PDF with ~ 160 pages) and a Juniper Firefly Perimeter to prepare for the exam. Since I’m quite familar with the SSG and SRX, I know how firewalls policies, routing and routing protocols work. As above mentioned the exam consists of 70 questions that have to be answered in 90 minutes. There is no bonus time for non-native speaker. Some questions can be answered really quick, but some questions, especially question with an exhibit, need more time. As far as I’ve seen all exam objectives were covered. I can’t reveal any details, but reading the study guides is not enough to pass the exam! You should be familiar with converting decimal to binary and IPv6. You should also be familiar with IP routing, subnetting, longest route match etc. Know the Junos CLI and the syntax for the important commands. You should also know how Junos routing engine and packet forwarding engine act together. Don’t waste to much time with basic questions. And very important: READ CAREFULLY! Some questions are nasty if you haven’t read the question, the exhibit and the answers…

I finished the exam after round about 60 minutes and passed it. I felt the exam as challenging, compared to other entry-level exams.

What’s next? I think I will start prepare for JNCIS-SEC and maybe JNCIS-ENT. The latter is more of a hobby because my employer does not sell Juniper EX. But in any case: It opens future options and learning new things is always a good thing.

VMware VCP certification has now an expiration date

This posting is ~10 years years old. You should keep this in mind. IT is a short living business. This information might be outdated.

This morning a tweet from Josh Coen (VCDX #129) shocked me a bit:

So far the VMware certification had no expiration date. If you had a VCP for ESX2, this was still valid up to today. I quickly checked my VMware Training account and noticed a tiny exclamation mark above my certifications.

vmware_training_vcp_expiration

As you can see the expiration date is two years after the certification date. Interestingly my VMware Certified Associate (VCA) and VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP) certifications have no expiration date. Unfortunately the “Learn more” link is going nowhere, so currently I can only guess how to extend the validity. One ways is, to get certified as VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP). Currently you get a VCP, if you are certified as VCAP. For example you get a VCP-Cloud, if you get certified as VCAP-CIA, or a VCP-DT if you get certified as VCAP-DTD. So in the future you will have to get a new VCP (e.g. for vSphere 6) or another, higher certification to extend the validity of you certifications. This is nothing special. Other vendors do the same, like Cisco oder HP. It seems that VMware moves with the time. VMware has published the recertification policy.

Feel free to comment this post and write down your opinion. Also take a look at vninja.net. Christian Mohn also wrote an article. His article has a lot of good comments about this topic.

Edit 20.11.2014

Recertification candidates for the VCP5-DCV certification have the  limited time opportunity (until 30. November 2014) to take VCP5-DCV delta exam. This exam can be taken online and can booked at Pearson VUE. For more information check the MyLearn portal.