Cisco DCID 300-610 study plan
Cisco DCID 300-610 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Data Center Network Design
Map the 300-610 blueprint weights to a personal gap list by rating confidence 1-5 for each domain and listing the sub-areas you cannot yet explain aloud
Draw a two-tier data center topology from memory on blank paper, labeling spine, leaf, border leaf, and server access roles and the cabling pattern between each layer
Compare single-tier, two-tier, and three-tier designs by writing out when each is appropriate and the oversubscription and failure-domain tradeoffs of each
Explain vPC and VXLAN EVPN fundamentals in your own words, including anycast gateway, BUM traffic handling, and how a vPC domain differs from a fabric underlay
Your checkpoint
A one-page handwritten topology sketch plus a gap matrix spreadsheet scoring all five domains by confidence and listing at least 15 weak sub-topics to schedule in later weeks
Data Center Network Design
Design an underlay using OSPF or IS-IS and justify the protocol choice against scale, convergence, and operational familiarity constraints
Sketch a VXLAN EVPN overlay showing MP-BGP route types 2, 3, and 5 and describe what each advertises and when it is used
Size a fabric for a stated requirement of 200 servers at 3:1 oversubscription and show the leaf, spine, and uplink port math
List the design constraints that drive multi-site vs single-site fabric decisions, including DCI, stretchability, and control-plane boundaries
Your checkpoint
A written design rationale of 400+ words for a 200-server two-tier VXLAN EVPN fabric with port-count math, protocol choices, and a labeled diagram
Data Center Compute Design
Compare rack, blade, and modular compute platforms and state the workload profile that justifies each
Calculate power, cooling, and rack-unit budgets for a given server count and identify the constraint that binds first
Explain Cisco UCS management concepts including service profiles, pools, policies, and the role of the fabric interconnects in a design
Describe how compute design decisions feed network design, specifically port density, vNIC layout, and uplink sizing
Your checkpoint
A compute sizing worksheet for a 100-server deployment showing chassis count, RU, power draw, cooling load, and the resulting leaf port requirement
Data Center Storage Network Design
Contrast Fibre Channel, FCoE, and IP-based storage transports by design implication rather than by marketing claim
Draw a SAN topology with dual fabrics and explain why A/B separation exists and what breaks if it is collapsed
Explain zoning, VSANs, and NPV/NPIV and describe the design problem each solves
Size ISLs for a stated host count and throughput target, showing the oversubscription assumption you used
Your checkpoint
A SAN design document with dual-fabric topology diagram, zoning plan, VSAN allocation, and ISL sizing math, reviewed against your week 1 gap list
Data Center Network Services Design
Design a first-hop redundancy and anycast gateway scheme and justify the choice for a VXLAN EVPN fabric
Explain how policy, contracts, or ACL placement differ between a traditional and an ACI-style fabric and where enforcement belongs
Describe load-balancing insertion options in a data center fabric and the traffic-steering implications of each
Identify the services that must be designed for multi-site fabrics, including DNS, NTP, and address management
Your checkpoint
A network services design section of 300+ words covering gateway redundancy, policy enforcement points, load balancing, and shared services, with a decision table
Data Center Infrastructure and Automation Design
Describe out-of-band and in-band management design and state what must be reachable when the production fabric is down
Explain infrastructure automation approaches including controller-based and template-driven configuration, and when each is appropriate
Map the telemetry and monitoring data a data center design must produce, including flow, counter, and streaming telemetry sources
Describe the configuration management and change-control design elements that reduce drift in a fabric
Your checkpoint
An infrastructure and automation design brief covering management plane, automation toolchain, telemetry sources, and a change workflow diagram
Data Center Network Design & Data Center Storage Network Design
Re-derive the full end-to-end design for a scenario combining compute, network, and storage without notes, then check against your earlier deliverables
Revisit every item on the week 1 gap list and mark each resolved, partially resolved, or unresolved with a reason
Practice explaining design tradeoffs aloud in under two minutes per topic for the ten weakest sub-topics
Identify the three design areas where your reasoning is thinnest and schedule targeted review for week 8
Your checkpoint
An updated gap matrix with every original weak item scored and a written list of the three remaining weak areas with a review plan
Data Center Compute Design & Data Center Network Services Design & Data Center Infrastructure and Automation Design
Consolidate compute, services, and infrastructure notes into a single cross-domain design checklist
Walk through a full scenario from requirements to design decisions to justify each choice against an alternative you rejected
Review all prior deliverables for internal consistency and correct any contradictions in sizing or topology
Confirm readiness by stating, for each domain, the design decisions you can defend and the ones you still cannot
Your checkpoint
A consolidated cross-domain design checklist plus a final self-assessment stating per-domain readiness and any residual risk areas
Milestones
Week 2: Can draw a two-tier VXLAN EVPN fabric from memory and justify protocol, oversubscription, and port math without notes
Week 4: Can explain dual-fabric SAN separation, zoning, and ISL sizing, and has produced both a network and a storage design document
Week 6: Has design deliverables covering all five domains, with automation and management plane addressed explicitly
Week 7: Every item on the original gap list is scored resolved or unresolved with a stated reason, and no more than three areas remain weak
Week 8: Can defend a full end-to-end design decision by decision, naming the rejected alternative for each, across all five domains