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Exam Review

Key Facts: CCIE Data Center Exam

$400 + $1,600

Core + Lab Fees

Cisco

8 hours

Lab Duration

Cisco

Pass/fail

Score Reporting

Cisco

5-7 years

Recommended Experience

Cisco

$130-200K+

Median Salary Range

Industry data

3 years

Certification Validity

Cisco

CCIE Data Center requires two assessments: the 350-601 DCCOR qualifying exam and the CCIE Data Center lab. Cisco lists the core exam at $400 and the lab at $1,600. The lab covers ACI fabric operations, NX-OS VXLAN EVPN, UCS compute, MDS SAN, and data center automation. Cisco does not publish fixed passing scores or fixed lab task counts.

Sample CCIE Data Center Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CCIE Data Center exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1What is Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure)?
A.A traditional Layer 2 switching platform
B.A policy-driven, software-defined networking solution for data center environments that uses an application-centric model for provisioning and management
C.A storage area network protocol
D.A server virtualization platform
Explanation: Cisco ACI is an SDN solution for data centers that shifts from device-centric to application-centric network management. It uses a centralized controller (APIC) to manage the entire network fabric (spine-leaf topology of Nexus 9000 switches) through declarative policies defined in terms of application requirements rather than individual device configurations.
2What is the role of the APIC (Application Policy Infrastructure Controller) in Cisco ACI?
A.A spine switch in the fabric
B.The centralized policy engine and management controller for the ACI fabric that defines, deploys, and monitors application-centric policies
C.A storage controller
D.A hypervisor management platform
Explanation: The APIC is the central nervous system of ACI. It provides centralized automation, policy management, and health monitoring for the ACI fabric. APIC does not handle data-plane forwarding; it programs the spine and leaf switches with policies. APIC runs as a cluster (typically 3 nodes) for high availability and provides REST API, GUI, CLI, and Terraform/Ansible interfaces for management.
3What is the ACI fabric topology model?
A.Three-tier hierarchical (core-distribution-access)
B.Spine-leaf (Clos) architecture where every leaf connects to every spine
C.Ring topology
D.Full mesh between all switches
Explanation: ACI uses a spine-leaf (Clos) topology where every leaf switch connects to every spine switch. Endpoints connect to leaf switches. This architecture provides consistent latency (any endpoint is exactly two hops from any other endpoint through a spine), predictable bandwidth scaling (add more spines), and eliminates spanning tree. No leaf-to-leaf or spine-to-spine direct connections are used.
4In ACI, what is an Endpoint Group (EPG)?
A.A group of physical servers
B.A logical grouping of endpoints (VMs, containers, physical servers) that share the same policy and security requirements
C.A VLAN group
D.A BGP peer group
Explanation: An EPG is the fundamental policy construct in ACI that groups endpoints requiring similar network policies. Endpoints in the same EPG can communicate freely. Communication between EPGs requires explicit contracts (policies). EPGs can contain physical servers, VMs, or containers and are mapped to VLANs, VXLANs, or other encapsulations at the leaf switches. EPGs abstract policy from network topology.
5What is a Contract in Cisco ACI?
A.A service agreement with Cisco
B.A policy rule that defines what traffic is allowed between EPGs, specifying the protocols and services permitted
C.A licensing agreement
D.A VPN tunnel definition
Explanation: A Contract in ACI defines the communication policies between EPGs. It specifies which traffic (protocols, ports, services) is allowed between a provider EPG and a consumer EPG. Contracts contain subjects, which contain filters (similar to ACL entries). Without a contract between EPGs, traffic is denied by default (whitelist model). Contracts can also insert Layer 4-7 service graphs for load balancing or firewalling.
6What is VXLAN and why is it used in data center networking?
A.A VLAN extension limited to 4094 IDs
B.A MAC-in-UDP encapsulation that extends Layer 2 networks over Layer 3 infrastructure with a 24-bit VNI supporting up to 16 million segments
C.A proprietary Cisco routing protocol
D.A storage protocol
Explanation: VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) encapsulates Layer 2 Ethernet frames in UDP packets for transport across Layer 3 networks. The 24-bit VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI) supports up to 16 million logical networks, overcoming the 4094 VLAN limit. VXLAN is the overlay protocol used in ACI and NX-OS EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, enabling workload mobility and multi-tenant isolation across the data center.
7What is Cisco NX-OS?
A.A desktop operating system
B.A data center-grade network operating system for Cisco Nexus switches, providing modularity, high availability, and programmability
C.A storage operating system
D.A hypervisor
Explanation: NX-OS is Cisco's operating system designed for data center Nexus switching platforms. It provides modular process architecture (processes run independently), in-service software upgrades (ISSU), virtual device contexts (VDCs), VPC (virtual port channels), FabricPath, VXLAN, OTV, and extensive programmability through NX-API, NETCONF/YANG, and Python. NX-OS supports both standalone and ACI modes on Nexus 9000.
8What is vPC (Virtual Port Channel) on Cisco Nexus switches?
A.A single link bundle
B.A technology that allows two physical Nexus switches to appear as a single logical switch for downstream device port channels, eliminating spanning tree blocking
C.A virtual VLAN
D.A storage channel
Explanation: vPC allows a downstream device to form a port channel across two separate Nexus switches, treating them as one logical switch. This eliminates spanning tree blocked ports, provides active-active forwarding, and doubles available bandwidth. vPC uses a peer-link between the two Nexus switches for control plane synchronization and a peer-keepalive link for split-brain detection.
9What is Cisco UCS (Unified Computing System)?
A.A network switch platform
B.An integrated data center computing platform that unifies servers, networking, storage access, and virtualization into a cohesive system managed through a single interface
C.A storage array
D.A load balancer
Explanation: Cisco UCS integrates blade servers (B-Series), rack servers (C-Series), and modular servers (X-Series) with Fabric Interconnects that provide unified management, networking (Ethernet and FCoE), and storage access. UCS Manager provides a single management domain with service profiles that abstract server configuration, enabling rapid provisioning, stateless computing, and consistent policy application.
10What is a UCS Service Profile?
A.A user account
B.A software-defined identity for a server that encapsulates all configuration (firmware, BIOS, network, storage, boot) enabling hardware abstraction and rapid reprovisioning
C.A network profile
D.A monitoring dashboard
Explanation: A UCS Service Profile contains the complete server identity and configuration: UUID, MAC addresses, WWNs (World Wide Names), firmware levels, BIOS settings, network VLANs/vNICs, storage targets/vHBAs, boot policy, and QoS policies. Service profiles can be instantiated on any compatible physical server, making servers stateless and interchangeable. If a server fails, its service profile migrates to a replacement server within minutes.

About the CCIE Data Center Exam

CCIE Data Center is Cisco's expert-level data center certification. Earning it requires passing the qualifying 350-601 DCCOR core exam and then the CCIE Data Center lab, which tests expert-level design, deployment, troubleshooting, and automation of comprehensive data center solutions spanning ACI, NX-OS, UCS, MDS SAN, and programmability.

Exam sponsor: Cisco / Pearson VUE / Cisco Expert-Level Lab. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

One qualifying core exam (350-601 DCCOR) plus one 8-hour hands-on lab; Cisco does not publish fixed lab task counts

Time Limit

120 minutes core exam + 8-hour lab

Passing Score

Pass/fail (Cisco does not publish fixed passing scores)

Exam / Certification Fees

$2,000 total baseline ($400 core + $1,600 lab)

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25%

Data Center Networking

NX-OS, VXLAN EVPN, vPC, OTV, FabricPath, DCB, HSRP, and data center interconnect technologies

25%

ACI

APIC, spine-leaf architecture, tenants, EPGs, contracts, Bridge Domains, L3Out, service graphs, multi-pod/site

15%

Compute (UCS)

UCS architecture, Fabric Interconnects, service profiles, Intersight, HyperFlex, and server lifecycle management

20%

Storage and SAN

MDS switches, Fibre Channel, zoning, VSAN, FCoE, iSCSI, NVMe-oF, FCIP, and SAN analytics

15%

Data Center Automation

NX-API, APIC REST API, Ansible, Terraform, Python, NETCONF/YANG, Nexus Dashboard, and NDFC

Preparing for the CCIE Data Center Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Pass/fail (Cisco does not publish fixed passing scores)
  • Assessment: One qualifying core exam (350-601 DCCOR) plus one 8-hour hands-on lab; Cisco does not publish fixed lab task counts
  • Time limit: 120 minutes core exam + 8-hour lab
  • Exam / certification fees: $2,000 total baseline ($400 core + $1,600 lab) Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CCIE Data Center: Suggested Study Strategy

1Spend most time on the 25% domains: ACI (APIC, tenants, EPGs, contracts, L3Out, service graphs) and DC Networking (VXLAN EVPN, vPC)
2Build a comprehensive ACI lab: practice tenant provisioning, contract creation, L3Out BGP peering, VMM integration, and troubleshooting
3Master NX-OS VXLAN EVPN: understand symmetric IRB, anycast gateways, VTEP operations, and BGP EVPN route types
4Practice MDS operations: FC zoning, VSAN creation, port channels, FLOGI verification, slow drain detection, and FCIP
5Know UCS service profiles thoroughly: vNIC/vHBA, boot-from-SAN, firmware management, and Intersight operations
6Build timing discipline: multi-technology labs require fast context switching between ACI, NX-OS, UCS, and MDS
7Treat automation as essential: practice NX-API, APIC REST API, Ansible playbooks, and Python scripts for DC tasks

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the CCIE Data Center exam format?

CCIE Data Center requires two assessments: first pass the qualifying 350-601 DCCOR written core exam, then pass the CCIE Data Center lab (8-hour hands-on expert lab). Cisco does not publish fixed lab task counts. The lab tests expert-level implementation and troubleshooting across ACI, NX-OS, UCS, MDS, and automation domains.

Does Cisco publish a CCIE Data Center passing score?

No. Cisco does not publish fixed passing scores for either the DCCOR core exam or the CCIE Data Center lab. Results are reported as pass or fail. Preparation should focus on comprehensive blueprint coverage, operational speed, and systematic troubleshooting rather than targeting a numeric passing threshold.

Which CCIE Data Center domains matter most?

Data Center Networking and ACI are tied at 25% each, comprising 50% of the blueprint. Strong ACI skills (APIC, tenants, EPGs, contracts, L3Out) and NX-OS VXLAN EVPN expertise are essential. Storage/SAN at 20% requires solid MDS, zoning, and VSAN knowledge. Automation (15%) increasingly matters for modern operations.

How long should I study for CCIE Data Center?

Most candidates at CCNP Data Center level need 350-500 hours of focused preparation. Build a comprehensive lab covering ACI, NX-OS VXLAN EVPN, UCS service profiles, MDS SAN operations, and Python/Ansible automation. Practice timed multi-technology troubleshooting scenarios. Do not schedule the lab until you can solve tasks quickly without reference.

How is CCIE Data Center different from CCNP Data Center?

CCNP Data Center validates professional-level breadth. CCIE Data Center demands expert-level depth: faster troubleshooting, deeper integration knowledge across ACI-UCS-MDS-NX-OS ecosystems, and hands-on performance in an 8-hour lab. CCIE expects you to design, deploy, and troubleshoot full data center stacks under time pressure with complex interdependencies.

What jobs can I get with CCIE Data Center?

CCIE Data Center qualifies you for roles including Data Center Architect ($130,000-200,000+), Principal DC Engineer ($120,000-180,000), Cloud Infrastructure Architect ($140,000-210,000+), DC Solutions Consultant ($130,000-200,000+), and Senior Infrastructure Manager ($120,000-175,000). CCIE DC is highly valued by enterprises, cloud providers, and consulting firms.