Cisco 642-354
Description:
The Cisco 642-354 CSNSS (Cisco Storage Network Support Specialist) exam is designed to validate the prospective Cisco specialist’s knowledge of installing, configuring, and troubleshooting Cisco storage products to maintain a highly scalable, efficient, high performing storage networking environment. It is thus essential to know that all successful candidates of this examination will understand how to deploy and optimize the features and benefits of the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Directors and Switches, Cisco MDS 9509 Director Switch, Cisco 9216 Fabric Switch, and Cisco MDS 9120 products to provide fast and accurate resolution to network installation and customer service issues, definitely a very handy certification to strive towards.
Exam Details:
The Cisco 642-354 CSNSS exam encompasses a 65-75 question long examination. Any 642-354 practice questions for the Cisco 642-354 CSNSS exam, such as the Testking practice exams should have 65 to 75 questions in a set. The candidate taking the Cisco 642-354 CSNSS exam will have 75 minutes to answer the questions.
Registering for the Exam:
Registration costs for the Cisco 642-354 CSNSS exam can amount to between $65 and $300 USD. You can make use of any of the accredited Cisco examination centers namely Prometric or Pearson VUE world wide but the exam is available in English only.
Key Topics:
The key topics for the Cisco 642-354 CSNSS (Cisco Storage Network Support Specialist) exam covers installing a Cisco Storage Solution, implementing Cisco Storage equipment in multi-vender multi-protocol environments, implementing the fabric design from the design document, configuring security in a multi-protocol storage environment, analyzing and tune customer configurations to optimize application performance in multi-protocol storage networks, and troubleshooting SAN infrastructure. These key topics are covered in detail in 642-354 study guides and 642-354 study notes.
Further detail on the key topics is listed below:
Installing a Cisco Storage Solution
- With emphasis on demonstrating a high level understanding of SAN technology, Applications and Topologies.
- Also identifying Environmental considerations, and mitigating design and installation implications.
- Performing initial setup tasks and routine administrative tasks.
- Installation process steps & expected outcomes and the validation of the operational function of Cisco Storage Solution.
Implementing Cisco Storage equipment in multi-vender multi-protocol environments
- interoperability standards and industry implementations
- configuration requirements based on a design document
- appropriate interoperability settings
Implementing the fabric design from the design document
- correct system & interface configuration parameters
- minimize disruption to the existing fabric
- VSANs and Inter VSAN Routing (IVR)
- Zoning, management infrastructure
- correct licensing to insure proper licensing compliance
- proper configuration using appropriate tools
- static domain ID's & persistent FC IDs
Configuring security in a multi-protocol storage environment
- fibre channel port & fabric security
- security for iSCSI , SAN Extension, data management path, including ACLs
- VSAN-based roles, AAA services
Analyzing & tuning to optimize application performance in multi-protocol storage networks
- RMON / SNMP , TCP/IP parameters
- Monitor control plane & data plane flows
- performance statistics, Chart performance, SCSI level protocol flows, traffic engineering
- Validate tuning performance
- write & tape acceleration, proper compression deployment
Troubleshooting SAN infrastructure
- using Fabric Analyzer, RMON, SNMP, and Call Home
- using Device Manager/Fabric Manager, Command Line Diagnostic tools, show and debug commands
- SPAN & RSPAN
- system logs SYSLOG, RADIUS accounting logs
- verify connectivity to and from the host to the storage
- switch upgrade problems
- repair strategy to resolve problems while minimizing disruption
Preparing for the Exam:
There are many study aids for 642-354 available on the Internet. These are amongst others the Testking 642-354 practice exams and Testking 642-354 study guides. Online practice exams 642-354 exam notes, 642-354 free questions, 642-354 study questions and 642-354 brain dumps are also available online. It is also recommended on the official Cisco Web site that one follows the MDS 9000 Configuration and Troubleshooting (MDSCT), the Cisco Multi-protocol Storage Essentials (CMSE) as well as the Cisco Advanced Storage Implementation and Troubleshooting (CASI) 642-354 training courses.
Certification Credits:
You will reap benefits in terms of working towards the Cisco Storage Network Support Specialist certification when you successfully complete the 642-354 exam.
