Cisco Storage Networking Certification

I have thought about pursuing this as well. I have a CCNA, whichexpires every three years I think, and one way to renew is take a test towards the CCNP. The storage tests count last time I checked.

Didn't you take the MDS9000 course? I thought that was one of the supporting courses towards the storage exams?

I recently completed the Cisco Data Center Storage Networking Support Specialist Certification (a bit along winded if you ask me). I decided to start with this cert since the recommended classes cover topics that we use in our environment. The 2 classes are offered by EMC though the advanced class doesn't seem to run that often. Here is a link to the cert's webpage:

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le41/le99/le05/learning_certification_type_home_extra_level.html

I do not have a CCNA. It was actually a requirement for this cert but was dropped earlier this year. I can imagine it would be helpful since there seems to be a lot of similarities between the IOS and SAN-OS.

The exam was interesting . You could not go back after answering a question (not sure if that is a Cisco thing or just this test). A lot of the class material is covered within the exam. I have my score report so I can give you the categories they grouped the questions into:

Implement appropiate IP configurations

Install a Cisco Storage Solution

Implement Cisco Storage equipment in multi-vender multiprotocal environments

Implement the fabric design from the design document

Configure Security in a multiprotocal storage environment

Analyze and tune customer configurations to optimize application performance in multiprotocal environment.

Troubleshoot SAN infrastructure.

Basically my prep for the test was experience and the 2 classes, took them a year apart and took the test a couple weeks after the second class. I also checked topics within the configuration guides for some added material. Looking back I probably could have afforded to study some more prior to the test. Of the categories above I only had a passing percentage in the bolded categories. I think that makes sense since that is what basically what I do on a daily basis. The other sections I think are mostly one time setups and/or things we don't have implemented in our environment.

Hi Hersh,

Did you already have a CCNA? And if so how did the storage exam compare to the CCNA exams?

In support of the obvious experience requirement with Cisco SAN, did the courses prepare you for the exam or were there additional study materials you used to prepare?

Thanks,

Aran

CCNA does not allow you to go back to answered questions. I just took it in July of 09 and it was a hard exam.  I was sweating over the simulations, but those turned out to the easiet.

I used a CISCO simulator (Packet Tracer 5.0) to prepare. It did everything that was requried for the CCNA except for WAN setups.

Can one study for the storage networking cert just by reading the book and practicing on a simulator?  Is there a simuator for this? Buying switches is probably too expense, and a SAN switch is just one part of the infrastructure.

I don't remember from my CCNA exams if it allowed me to go back. That is good to hear about the courses helping with the exams. The CCNA was by far the hardest exams I have taken (five certifications and 15 exams to date). I had four switches and three routers setup in my house and spent a lot of extra time going over the exam materials and still on did OK on the exams. All the questions on ISDN kept tripping me up.

Thanks for your feedback, I think I am going to pursue that this year. Good to hear from some that took the exam, and passed ;-)

Aran

I did the MDS9000 course in 2006 or 2007... it was SAN-OS 2.x based back then and although it might have been a prereq towards certification, I already had my cert (Clariion IEe). I didn't do any SAN Manager exams or what's it called....

I'm now trying to get Cisco certs with the latest exams and when I can get EMC certs on the fly, that would be great as well ;-)

That's the reason why I'd like to do "regular" Cisco as well: FCoE needs LAN, so if we want to keep the SAN business for ourselves, we simply need to know LAN as well

I checked with my Cisco representative and he told me I need to do ICND1 and ICND2 to start with. And when I'm done with that I'll try the version 4 course of the basic and the advanced MDS . After that it's Q4 2010 anyway....

Back in August they updated the test. It looks like it might still be 3.X since after a quick search I didn't see anyone offering 4.X classes.

Good luck with the CCNA! I'm considering that now with all this convergence talk, would probably be helpful to know both sides.

I think the biggest thing is experience with touching the switches. If you manage an environment and you are the one making the config changes outside of just creating new zones then it will be very beneficial. For instance I have setup the following so I was comfortable with this stuff: initial config, VSANs, ISLs, Port Channels, IVR, IVR-Topology, FCIP, upgrades, DPVM, Call Home, SPAN Ports, and Fabir Manager Server.The other stuff, for me at least, was on features we don't have implemented so I was banking on my memory from the class (port security, fabric binding,QOS etc).

I was not able to find a simulator when I looked before.