CCIE STORAGE NETWORKING TRACK

The Storage Networking written exam (#350-040) has 100 multiple choice questions and is two hours in duration. The topic areas listed are general guidelines for the type of content that is likely to appear on the exam. Please note, however, that other relevant or related topics may also appear.

1. Describe standards-based SAN protocols
   1. Describe Fibre channel standards and protocols
   2. Describe SCSI standards and protocols
   3. Describe iSCSI standards and protocols
   4. Describe IP standards and protocols
   5. Describe IPFC standards and protocols
   6. Describe FCIP standards and protocols
   7. Describe FICON standards and protocols
   
   
2. Design a solution that addresses a customer's fibre channel SAN requirements
   1. Evaluate the customer’s SAN utilization and propose consolidation options
   2. Evaluate customer’s Storage Virtualization implementation strategy
   3. Evaluate customer’s Security requirements
   4. Evaluate over-subscription ratio for a given design
   5. Identify characteristics of customer’s host operating systems that could impact their SAN design
   6. Select the appropriate design option given a set of customer requirements including applications such as data replication, high availability
   7. Propose protocols, topologies, devices, and features that would improve customer solution
   8. Design an appropriate Cisco management infrastructure
   9. Determine hardware configurations, power requirements, environmental considerations to support SAN fabric design
   
   
3. Implement FCP and FICON fibre channel features
   1. Implement port channel, ISL, and trunking
   2. Implement VSAN
   3. Implement basic and enhanced zoning
   4. Implement IVR, including IVR 2, IVR service groups, IVR static FCIDs
   5. Implement traffic engineering
   6. Implement port tracking
   7. Implement Dynamic Port VSAN Membership
   8. Implement Device Aliases
   9. Implement CFS capable applications
   10. Implement FC domain parameters
   11. Implement FICON
   12. Implement proper oversubscription
   13. Implement standards-based and Cisco-specific FC-0 through FC-2 features
   14. Implement SAN extension over optical
   15. Implement fibre channel security features
   16. Validate proper configuration of FCP and FICON fibre channel features
   
   
4. Identify switch interoperability requirements
   1. Identify considerations that should be addressed when designing a heterogeneous fabric
   2. Implement switch interoperability modes 0-4
   3. Validate proper configuration of interoperability
   
   
5. Design IP configurations
   1. Determine requirements for IP addressing and IP routing
   2. Determine appropriate VLAN requirements for storage solutions
   3. Determine ACL requirements for storage solutions
   4. Determine end-to-end QoS requirements for SAN extension
   5. Determine components needed for a SAN extension solution
   6. Determine HA requirements based on customer service-level agreements
   
   
6. Implement IP Storage-based solutions
   1. Implement IP features, including high-availability
   2. Implement ISCSI, including advanced features
   3. Implement SAN Extension Tuner
   4. Implement Network Simulator
   5. Implement ISLB
   6. Implement ISNS
   7. Implement FCIP, including advanced features
   8. Implement iSCSI security features
   9. Implement FCIP security features and use of special frames
   10. Validate proper configuration of IP Storage-based solutions
   
   
7. Implement SAN management
   1. Implement Performance Manager
   2. Implement NTOP
   3. Implement Fabric Manager and Device Manager
   4. Implement CLI variables, aliases, scripting, and Command Scheduler
   5. Implement Call Home, SNMP, and RMON features
   6. Implement IPFC
   7. Configure licensing to insure proper licensing compliance
   8. Implement SAN Management security features
   9. Implement AAA services
   10. Verify performance statistics
   11. Validate proper configuration of SAN Management
   
   
8. Implement Cisco intelligent storage services
   1. Implement Fibre channel write acceleration
   2. Implement SANTap
   3. Implement SME
   4. Implement DMM
   5. Implement Storage virtualization
   6. Implement SDV
   7. Validate proper configuration of Cisco intelligent storage services
   
   
9. Troubleshoot SAN infrastructure
   1. Troubleshoot problems and failures using Command Line Diagnostic tools, show and debug commands, and GUI
   2. Capture and analyze fibre channel flows using FCAnalyzer, SPAN, and RSPAN
   3. Troubleshoot using RMON, SNMP, and Call Home for detecting problems
   4. Configure and interpret the various system logs
   5. Troubleshoot problems with switch recovery, upgrades, and rollbacks