CCNP Service Provider study guide
CCNP Service Provider · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The CCNP Service Provider is a professional-level Cisco certification aimed at network engineers who design, deploy, and operate service provider networks. Candidates typically already hold a CCNA-level foundation and work with routing, MPLS, and transport technologies in carrier or large-enterprise environments. This page exists to help you prepare for the exam through original practice material and study guidance, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco. At the time this page was assembled, the official Cisco certification page for the CCNP Service Provider returned a 404 error, so verified details on exam numbers, item counts, time limits, passing scores, fees, retake rules, and validity periods could not be confirmed. Topics on this exam: Service Provider Network Architecture, Service Provider Routing and Switching, Service Provider MPLS and VPN Technologies, and Service Provider Automation and Assurance. The CCNP Service Provider study guide has 4 sections and about 1,760 words.
01Service Provider Network Architecture
Domain 1 of SPCOR (15%) examines how a service provider network is assembled: functional planes, PoP and tier structure, hardware roles, network virtualization, and high-availability mechanisms. The questions are conceptual, but they turn on precise distinctions, so define each term before comparing options.
475 words, about 2 min02Service Provider Routing and Switching
Domain 2 (25%) covers the IGPs and BGP that carry SP routes plus the Layer 2 switching used in access and aggregation. Expect best-path questions, policy, route reflection, and L2 redundancy.
429 words, about 2 min03Service Provider MPLS and VPN Technologies
Domain 3 (30%) is the heaviest: MPLS forwarding, L3VPN, L2VPN/EVPN, and segment routing. Know label operations and which protocol builds each table.
448 words, about 2 min04Service Provider Automation and Assurance
Domain 4 (30%) covers automation interfaces and assurance: NETCONF, RESTCONF, YANG, gNMI, telemetry, SNMP, IP SLA, OAM, and tooling. Expect configuration and verification questions.
408 words, about 2 min