What you'll learn:
- Pass the GNS3 Certified Associate Exam
- Learn network programmability with GNS3 and Python
This is the official GNS3 Certified Associate course. This course covers the topics you need to know to pass the GNS3CA Exam.
The GNS3 Certified Associate (GNS3CA) program is a multi-vendor, next generation network engineer certification that focuses on the core skills that network engineers need today for the new era of rapidly changing, programmable, automated and intelligent networks.
In today’s rapidly changing networking environment where billions of IoT devices are being added to the Internet every year, it is no longer enough for network engineers to simply configure network devices manually via a Command Line Interface (CLI). Network engineer skill-sets need to diversify to include network programmability and automation skills such as Ansible and Python, programmable APIs, Open Networking technologies, virtualization, Linux and support of multi-vendor environments.
The GNS3CA program will prepare you to have the knowledge and training to:
Install and build virtual networks using GNS3 with knowledge of multiple vendors and protocols
Explain and describe GNS3 core functions and architecture
Identify and troubleshoot GNS3 installation and configuration issues
Program networks using Python network automation scripts
Implement OpenFlow based SDN networks within GNS3 topologies
Implement Docker based appliances within GNS3 topologies
Describe DevOps terms such as Data Formats, APIs, REST, NETCONF and others
Program networks using Ansible network automation scripts
Install and configure Linux based virtual machines and core Linux functions
Install, configure and troubleshoot hypervisors such as VMware Workstation, ESXi, QEMU and VirtualBox
Troubleshoot basic network issues
Exam topics:
Core GNS3 Skills
Explain GNS3 architecture:
GNS3 GUI
GNS3 VM
Local versus remote VMs
Schema (GUI / Web / Controller / Compute / Emulators)
Explain, configure and troubleshoot GNS3 Hypervisor options
VMware Workstation Pro
VMware Workstation Player
Vmware Fusion
VirtualBox
ESXi
QEMU
Describe GNS3 cloud solutions:
Packet net
Explain and contrast GNS3 device support
Switches
Routers
Firewalls
Servers
Hosts
Explain, configure and troubleshoot device types:
Built-in
Hub
Switch
Cloud options
Network Vendors
Dynamips IOS routers
Cisco IOSv appliance
Cisco IOSvL2 appliance
Arista vEOS appliance
Juniper SRXv appliance
FRRouting appliance
Server / PC appliances
Ubuntu Appliance
Network Automation Appliance
Networker’s Toolkit Appliance
DNS appliance
Other popular GNS3 appliances
Troubleshoot GNS3 installation issues (GUI and VM)
Describe GNS3 best practices
GNS3 GUI
GNS3 VM
Emulation options
Vendor device emulation / simulation options
Describe and use GNS3 programmability options
REST API
cURL
Postman
Python scripts
Bash scripts
Python:
Describe Python terms including:
Objects
Variables
Strings
Integers and floats
Booleans
Operators
Lists
Dictionaries
Tuples
Loops
Conditions
Functions
Explain and troubleshoot Python code snippets including
Text manipulation (split / join / concatenation)
Loops (for / while)
If / else / elseif logic
Describe and verify the Python Telnet library for network device automation
Describe, verify and troubleshoot the use of Netmiko for network device automation
Describe, verify and troubleshoot the use of NAPALM for network device automation
Linux
Describe Linux distributions (Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, Mint)
Describe Linux Text editors (vi, nano)
Configure, verify and troubleshoot IPv6 addressing, default gateways and static routes (Ubuntu)
Describe and verify Linux Directory structures (Ubuntu)
Describe file copying, moving and deleting (Ubuntu)
Describe and verify common Linux commands (ls, grep, more, cat, less) (Ubuntu)
Describe and verify Linux Permissions (Ubuntu)
Describe Linux Processes (Ubuntu)
Configure and verify Linux software installation (Ubuntu)
Configure and verify Linux DNS server (dnsmasq)
Configure and verify Linux DNS server (dnsmasq)
Configure and troubleshoot network devices such as Cumulus Linux, Arista, NX9000 and FRR using Linux command
SDN
Describe SDN terms and definitions
Controller functions
Plane separation
Northbound interface (APIs)
Southbound interface (APIs)
NFV
Describe and contrast SDN visions
Open SDN
SDN via Overlays
SDN via APIs
Automation based SDN
Describe SDN protocols
OpenFlow
NETCONF
VxLAN
YANG
Describe and contrast Data Formats
JSON
XML
YAML
Describe source control using Git
Describe APIs
Network Device APIs
REST APIs
Describe and contrast SDN controllers:
Open source SDN controllers (OpenDaylight, ONOS, RYU)
Vendor SDN controllers (NSX, ACI, APIC-EM)
Describe and verify basic OpenFlow switch flows (OVS / Mininet)
OpenFlow 1.0 and 1.3 only
Proactive vs Reactive flows
Pipeline Processing
Match Types
Match Actions
Message types
OpenFlow Ports
Automation Tools
Ansible
Install and configure Ansible for network automation
Describe and contrast agentless vs agent based automation tools
Describe Ansible terms such as Idempotency, Ad Hoc changes, inventory files, plays, tasks and playbooks
Implement and troubleshoot Ansible scripts for network device automation
Describe and contrast Salt, Puppet and Chef
Virtualization technologies
Describe and contrast hypervisors
VMware Workstation Pro
VMware Workstation Player
VMWare Fusion
VirtualBox
QEMU
ESXi
Describe and contrast virtual image types (img, qcow2, iso, ova and vmdk)
Explain virtualization concepts such as nested virtualization, host virtualization, network NIC virtualization, network device sizing and scaling.
Install and configure GNS3 supported hypervisors
Install and configure GNS3 with cloud based providers such as Packet net