CCNP Data Center study plan

Map the underlay: draw a spine-leaf topology and label every link, VLAN, and routing boundary you will build

Configure and verify OSPF or IS-IS underlay adjacencies across at least three simulated switches

Configure vPC (or MLAG equivalent) domain pairs and confirm peer-link and keepalive behavior under a simulated link failure

Compare east-west and north-south traffic paths and write down where each is policed and load-balanced

Build a VXLAN flood-and-learn segment, then rebuild it with an EVPN control plane and note exactly what changed

Trace a frame end-to-end across the overlay and identify every encapsulation and lookup step

Troubleshoot three injected faults (MTU black hole, missing route-target, stale ARP) using only CLI and packet capture

Explain and test the MTU budget for the underlay given overlay headers, and pick a defensible fabric MTU

Diagram the compute stack from chassis to hypervisor and label every management and data path

Create pools (identity, MAC, IP, WWN, UUID, server) and build a service profile that boots from SAN

Perform a firmware upgrade path in the lab and explain the difference between infrastructure and server firmware packs

Compare stateless and stateful compute designs and justify where each belongs

Inventory every compute object that must exist before a server boots and list them in dependency order

Configure VSANs, interfaces, and zoning on a simulated fabric and verify the zone set activates

Differentiate FC, FCoE, and iSCSI on transport, loss behavior, and design constraints

Build a WWN-based single-initiator, single-target zone and explain why that pattern is preferred

Configure NPV or NPIV and verify uplink registration and login distribution

Diagnose a login failure end to end: check physical layer, then FLOGI, then name server, then zone

Design and validate a multipathing layout that survives a single HBA, cable, or switch loss

Compare fabric redundancy models and state what each one actually protects against

Consume a controller REST API with Python: authenticate, read, create, and verify an object

Write an idempotent playbook that configures a repeatable object set and re-run it to prove no drift

Parse structured device output (JSON or XML) and extract a compliance report programmatically

Enforce least-privilege access: create roles and users, then prove a restricted account is blocked from a privileged action

Configure AAA against an external identity source with fallback and verify both paths

Translate a plain-language segmentation requirement into concrete policy objects and enforce it

Harden management-plane access: disable insecure protocols, restrict sources, and validate with a scan

Apply encryption or key management to data in flight and in place, and document the operational cost

Rebuild the full lab from your own notes only, with documentation closed

Time yourself on mixed-domain scenarios and close every gap you find

Reconcile every deliverable from weeks 1-7 into one indexed reference

Identify your two weakest areas and schedule a targeted re-drill for each