CCNP ENCOR

Course Introduction
INSTRUCTOR:
Jeremy McDowell
 Things we’ll cover
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What is CCNP ENCOR?
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CCNA vs ENCOR
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How to study for ENCOR
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Flashcards (Anki)
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Labs (CML)
 What is CCNP ENCOR?
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ENCOR is the core exam for the CCNP Enterprise certification.

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To achieve the CCNP Enterprise certification, you must pass ENCOR and one of the following
concentration exams:
→ENARSI: Implementing Cisco Enterprise Advanced Routing and Services
→ENSDWI: Implementing Cisco SD-WAN Solutions
→ENSLD: Designing Cisco Enterprise Networks
→ENWLSD: Designing Cisco Enterprise Wireless Networks
→ENWLSI: Implementing Cisco Enterprise Wireless Networks
→ENAUTO: Automating Cisco Enterprise Solutions

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For more info, check out: [Link]
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CCNA is not a prerequisite to take ENCOR or get a CCNP certification, however it is highly
recommended to study for and pass the CCNA exam before attempting ENCOR.
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ENCOR is the natural next step after the CCNA.
→Covers similar topics to the CCNA.
→Wide (covering many topics), but not so deep (compared to concentration exams).
 CCNA vs ENCOR
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CCNA is entry-level.
→No previous networking knowledge or experience is required or expected.
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ENCOR is not entry-level.
→CCNA-level knowledge of networking is assumed, so the course will only briefly review the
basics of each concept before going into greater detail.
→Work experience is not required, but recommended.
*I got my CCNP with no work experience, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t have any
experience yet.
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In CCNA courses, you can expect more ‘hand-holding’.
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At the CCNP level, you must be an independent learner.
→When you have questions: Google, read documentation, try it in a lab, etc.
→Feel free to ask questions and discuss problems at [Link]
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This course will consist of more, shorter videos (10 minutes ~ 30 minutes).
→Videos in the CCNA course were often around 45 minutes in length.
 How to study for ENCOR
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It is very important to use multiple resources to study for CCNP-level exams:
→Video courses
→Books
→Documentation (Cisco, RFCs, etc.)
→Articles/blog posts
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Use the exam topics list as your guide (Google ENCOR exam topics to find them).
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Google searches are your best friend.
→If you Google a topic, you will likely find links to Cisco documentation, RFCs, articles, blog
posts, etc. that answer your question.
→Studying EIGRP? Google ‘Cisco EIGRP configuration’. You’ll find a Cisco guide called
IP Routing: EIGRP Configuration Guide (plus other articles and blogs etc).
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You should develop your ability to find answers without a teacher directly giving you the
answer.
→This doesn’t mean you can’t/shouldn’t ask questions!
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Use practice exams (Boson ExSim) after you have studied all of the exam topics!
 Flashcards (Anki)
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Flashcards are a very helpful tool to help you remember what you studied.
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Anki is a very popular flashcard app available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
→Anki ( 暗記 ) means memorization in Japanese.
→Available at [Link]
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I recommend making your own flashcards while you study.
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I will provide pre-made flashcard decks for most videos in the course.
→To get access to the Google Drive, sign up at [Link]/encor-files
→Follow the instructions on the sign-up page. Send me an email if there are problems.
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Feel free to edit/delete/add to my pre-made decks.
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Do the scheduled flashcard reviews daily. If you miss a few days the number of reviews will
accumulate and it will become harder and harder to keep up.
 Labs (CML)
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Packet Tracer is a fantastic tool for labbing at the CCNA level, but not beyond.
→Packet Tracer is a network simulator that uses software to run ‘fake’ network devices and
simulate their operations.
→Functionality is quite limited compared to real networking devices.
→It supports most of what you need to lab for the CCNA, but not for ENCOR.
→It is free, easy to set up, and doesn’t require a powerful computer to run.
 Labs (CML)
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At the CCNP level and beyond, I recommend CML (Cisco Modeling Labs).
→CML is a network emulator. It uses virtualization technology to run real Cisco IOS devices.
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CML is not free: $199/year for Personal (20 nodes), $349/year for Personal Plus (40 nodes).
→I recommend the Personal edition. We won’t be doing any labs with over 20 devices.
→Watch out for sales (Black Friday/Cyber Monday).
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CML requires much greater hardware resources than Packet Tracer.
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Google CML user’s guide and CML installation guide to get more info about hardware
requirements, installing CML, and using CML.
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I will try to keep the course labs as small as possible so that they can be run with minimal
hardware resources.
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By signing up at the same link as for flashcards ([Link]/encor-files) you will get
access to my pre-made CML lab files.
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I recommend making your own labs too!
Labs (CML)
 What about GNS3 and EVE-NG?
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GNS3 and EVE-NG are two other popular network emulation platforms.
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They are free (EVE-NG has free/paid options), but the IOS files you need to run Cisco devices
in GNS3/EVE-NG are not free.
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It is possible to run the CML IOS files in GNS3 or EVE-NG, but this is prohibited by the CML
EULA.
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I will not provide GNS3 or EVE-NG lab files in this course, but I will provide device starting
configuration files so you can re-create the labs in GNS3 or EVE-NG if you prefer.
 Things we covered
●
What is CCNP ENCOR?
●
CCNA vs ENCOR
●
How to study for ENCOR
●
Flashcards (Anki)
●
Labs (CML)