JNCIE-ENT study plan
JNCIE-ENT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
System Management and Monitoring & Layer 2 Switching and Features
Build a lab topology of at least four Junos devices (vMX/vQFX or mixed) with out-of-band management reachable from a single jump host
Configure commit-confirm, rescue configuration, and automatic rollback on each device, then deliberately break and restore one device to prove recovery works
Set up syslog to a collector plus SNMPv3 polling and verify both receive data from every device
Capture baseline interface counters and routing tables with operational commands and store them as reference files
Your checkpoint
A version-controlled lab diagram plus a one-page runbook listing the exact recovery commands, verified by a screenshot-free written log of the break/fix exercise
System Management and Monitoring & Layer 2 Switching and Features
Configure a Virtual Chassis or MC-LAG pair and verify control-plane and data-plane redundancy by disabling one member
Implement storm control, MAC limiting, and DHCP snooping on access ports and confirm each feature triggers as expected
Configure 802.1X with a RADIUS server (or a simulated one) on at least two ports and test accept, reject, and re-authentication
Automate collection of interface error statistics and log them on a schedule via a Python or PyEZ script
Your checkpoint
A written test report documenting each Layer 2 feature's trigger condition and observed output, plus the working automation script
Layer 2 Switching and Features & Layer 3 Switching and Features
Configure RSTP and MSTP across a redundant triangle and verify convergence times and root election after a link failure
Build a multi-area OSPFv2 and OSPFv3 topology and verify adjacency, summarization, and stub areas behave as designed
Configure VRRP or IS-IS, or both, with authentication and verify failover and graceful restart
Tune IGMP snooping and PIM sparse mode on a small multicast segment and confirm group membership and RPF paths
Your checkpoint
A convergence matrix table listing each protocol, the failure injected, and the measured recovery time
Layer 3 Switching and Features & EVPN and Services
Configure BGP with at least three peers, including route reflection, and verify policy application with show commands and traceroute
Deploy EVPN-VXLAN with a two-leaf, one-spine fabric and verify MAC and IP learning in the EVPN table
Configure an Ethernet segment with EVPN multihoming (ESI-LAG) and test link failure and designated forwarder election
Implement route policy to prefer one path and confirm with the routing table and BGP output
Your checkpoint
A fabric design document with the working configuration, EVPN table output, and a failover test log
EVPN and Services & System Management and Monitoring
Configure EVPN Type-5 route advertisement for a tenant and verify inter-VLAN routing through the fabric
Set up a Layer 3 VPN over MPLS or an EVPN-based alternative and verify route exchange between customer sites
Add CoS classification and scheduling to the fabric and verify behavior under congestion with a traffic generator
Configure RPM probes and streaming telemetry to monitor fabric health
Your checkpoint
An end-to-end service test showing tenant traffic, EVPN route types in use, and CoS behavior under load
Class of Service (CoS) & System Management and Monitoring
Design and implement a full CoS hierarchy: classifiers, rewrite rules, schedulers, drop profiles, and shaping on an uplink
Verify multi-field classification matches on the intended traffic and rewrite markings are correct at egress
Test WRED and priority scheduling under congestion and record drop and queue statistics
Configure per-class accounting and use it to prove the intended bandwidth allocation
Your checkpoint
A CoS design table mapping traffic class to queue, scheduler parameters, and measured behavior, with the verified configuration
System Management and Monitoring & Layer 2 Switching and Features & Layer 3 Switching and Features
Build a full mock lab scenario combining switching, routing, and management features in a single topology
Practice timed troubleshooting on injected faults and document the diagnostic path
Review weak areas from earlier weeks and re-run the failing tests
Harden the configuration with firewall filters, rate limiting, and secure management access
Your checkpoint
A timed troubleshooting log for at least five injected faults with root cause and resolution time for each
System Management and Monitoring & EVPN and Services & Class of Service (CoS)
Run a full timed practice exam under exam conditions with no notes
Review every missed item and write the correct approach for each
Re-verify the two weakest domains with fresh hands-on configurations
Finalize a checklist of commands and design patterns used most often
Your checkpoint
A scored practice exam result with a written remediation list and a final command checklist
Milestones
Week 2: Can recover any lab device from a broken commit using commit-confirm and rescue configuration without external notes
Week 4: Can build a working EVPN-VXLAN fabric with multihoming from scratch and explain the EVPN route types learned
Week 6: Can design and verify a complete CoS hierarchy under congestion with measured evidence
Week 8: Achieves a passing score on the timed practice exam and has a written remediation plan for every missed area