The Cisco Storage Networking Design Specialist exam is a pre-sales/design focused exam which will certify that the successful candidate has important knowledge and skills necessary to recommend and design new storage solutions and recommend improvements to existing implementations.
The following information provides general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam.
Identify appropriate Storage Network topology, protocols, and transport features
- Describe the benefits of implementing a Cisco collapsed core SAN network design
- Describe the evolution of SAN topology design
- Select the appropriate distance solution given a set of customer requirements
- Select appropriate collapsed core design given a set of customer requirements
- Select appropriate media solution given a specific topology design
- Compare costs and ROI to scale a given SAN solution
- Calculate oversubscription ratio for a given design
- Select appropriate dual fabric design given a set of customer requirements
- Identify protocol capabilities and constraints impacting solution selection
- Identify topology appropriate to satisfy customer requirements
- Select appropriate iSCSI design given a set of customer requirements
Select features for interoperation in an existing customer SAN environment
- Identify the Fibre Channel standard features that enable the Cisco family of MDS switches to interoperate with other devices when installed within an existing Storage Network
- Identify characteristics of customer's host operating systems that could impact their SAN design
- Identify characteristics of customer's HBAs that could impact their SAN design
- Identify characteristics of customer's storage arrays that could impact their SAN design
- Identify characteristics of customer's tape libraries that could impact their SAN design
- Identify characteristics of customer's existing fabrics that could impact their SAN design
- Identify the Cisco Value Added features that enable the Cisco family of MDS switches to interoperate with other devices when installed within an existing Storage Network
Identify selling opportunities for MDS family
- Differentiate between standard Fibre Channel features and those that are Cisco Value Added features
- Identify weakness and deficiencies of customer's current SAN implementation
- Select the Cisco Value Added features that will address the weakness and deficiencies of a customer's currently installed SAN
Develop a network design for implementing or migrating to a Cisco SAN solution
- Develop a capacity plan for implementing a Cisco SAN solution
- Collect the proper statistics to identify the characteristics of an installed customer SAN
- Extract customer requirements from a given scenario
- Propose Distance Solution topology, devices and features appropriate for designed SAN
- Propose an iSCSI solution, topology, devices and features appropriate for designed SAN
- Propose SAN topology, devices and features appropriate for designed SAN
Identify and propose Storage Networking Solutions
- Design a NAS, SAN and iSCSI solution to satisfy the customer's requirements
- Select the appropriate SAN solution to satisfy the customer's business continuance requirements
- Evaluate the customer's backup requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
- Evaluate the customer's replication requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
- Evaluate the customer's data warehousing requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
- Evaluate the customer's high availability requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
- Evaluate the customer's storage consolidation requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
- Evaluate the customer's Storage Virtualization requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
- Evaluate the customer's Security requirements and propose the appropriate SAN solution
The following courses are recommended training for this exam.
- MDS 9000 Configuration and Troubleshooting (MDSCT) OR Cisco MDS Storage Networking Fundamentals (CMSNF)
- Cisco Multiprotocol Storage Essentials (CMSE)
- Cisco Storage Networking Design Essentials (CSDE)
Courses listed are offered by Cisco Learning Partners, the only authorized source for Cisco IT training delivered exclusively by Certified Cisco Instructors. Check the List of Learning Partners for a Cisco Learning Partner nearest you.
A variety of Cisco Press Self Study titles may be available for this exam and may be purchased through the Cisco Bookstore in the Cisco Marketplace, directly through Cisco Press, or wherever you purchase technical books.
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