The Cisco DCCOR 350-601 Cheat Sheet You Can Read the Night Before

The Cisco DCCOR 350-601 exam is a challenging test of your data center knowledge. With a broad syllabus covering networking, storage, compute, automation, and security, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But with the right focus, you can walk into the exam room confident. This cheat sheet highlights the most critical facts, domain weightings, and common traps to help you maximize your score.

Exam Overview

The DCCOR exam validates your skills in implementing and operating Cisco data center technologies. It covers five major domains, each with a specific weight. Knowing these weights helps you allocate your study time effectively. We recommend pairing this with CCNA Passing Score: How Cisco Scores the 200-301.

• Network (25%) – Focus on switching, routing, and fabric infrastructure.
• Compute (15%) – Covers UCS servers, hypervisors, and server deployment.
• Storage Network (20%) – Includes Fibre Channel, FCoE, and storage protocols.
• Automation (15%) – Emphasizes scripting, APIs, and model-driven programmability.
• Security (15%) – Covers security policies, segmentation, and threat mitigation.
• System Management (10%) – Monitoring, troubleshooting, and high availability.

Note: The percentages may vary slightly, but these are the official weights from Cisco. Prioritize accordingly.

If you want those priorities turned into a schedule that fits your available time, the free DCCOR study plan gives you a week-by-week breakdown weighted by the official topics.

Must-Know Concepts by Domain

Network (25%)

This domain tests your ability to configure and troubleshoot data center networking. Here are the key areas:

• Switching: VLANs, VPC (Virtual Port Channel), and VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) are critical. Understand how VXLAN overlays work and how to configure VTEPs (VXLAN Tunnel Endpoints).
• Routing: OSPF and BGP in the data center. Know how to configure and verify these protocols, including route redistribution and filtering.
• Fabric Infrastructure: Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) and NX-OS. Understand ACI policy model (Tenants, EPGs, Contracts) and how to integrate with VMM (VMware vCenter).
• Multicast: PIM (Protocol Independent Multicast) and IGMP snooping. Know how to configure multicast for data center applications.

Compute (15%)

Compute focuses on Cisco UCS (Unified Computing System) and virtualization. Key points: For background on this area, read Cisco DevNet Associate Difficulty: What Actually Makes People Fail.

• UCS Manager: Understand service profiles, pools (UUID, MAC, WWN), and policies. Know how to create and deploy service profiles.
• UCS Fabric Interconnect: Know the difference between end-host and switching modes. Understand how uplinks and VLANs are configured.
• Hypervisors: VMware ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V. Know how to integrate with UCS and manage virtual machines.
• Server Deployment: Bare-metal provisioning using Cisco IMC (Integrated Management Controller) and UCS Manager.

Storage Network (20%)

Storage networking is a major component. Focus on Fibre Channel and FCoE.

• Fibre Channel (FC): Understand zoning, VSANs, and NPV (N_Port Virtualization). Know how to configure zones and VSANs on MDS switches.
• FCoE: Know how to implement FCoE on Nexus switches, including VLANs and QoS. Understand FIP (FCoE Initialization Protocol).
• Storage Protocols: iSCSI, NFS, and NVMe over Fabrics. Compare and contrast their use cases.
• Multipathing: Understand how to configure and verify multipathing on hosts.

Automation (15%)

Automation is increasingly important. You'll need to know scripting and APIs.

• Scripting: Python basics – variables, loops, functions. Know how to use Python to interact with Cisco devices via REST APIs.
• APIs: NX-API, RESTCONF, and NETCONF. Understand JSON and XML formats. Know how to make API calls to retrieve or configure device settings.
• Ansible: Understand how to use Ansible playbooks for configuration management. Know modules like nxos_config and nxos_command.
• Model-Driven Programmability: YANG models and telemetry. Know how to use telemetry for monitoring and troubleshooting.

Security (15%)

Security covers both network and compute aspects. For a deeper dive, check out 10 Cisco DevNet Associate Questions Most Candidates Get Wrong.

• Segmentation: VXLAN and ACI microsegmentation. Understand how to implement security policies using EPGs and contracts.
• ACLs and QoS: Configure and verify ACLs on Nexus switches. Know QoS features like policing and shaping.
• AAA: RADIUS and TACACS+ for authentication, authorization, and accounting. Know how to configure them on Cisco devices.
• Key Management: Understand trust anchors and PKI. Know how to implement key management for secure communication.

System Management (10%)

This domain covers monitoring and high availability.

• Monitoring: SNMP, Syslog, and NetFlow. Know how to configure and interpret data.
• Troubleshooting: Common tools like ping, traceroute, and Ethanalyzer. Understand how to use show commands to diagnose issues.
• High Availability: HSRP, VRRP, and vPC. Know how to configure and verify these protocols.
• Backup and Restore: Know how to backup and restore device configurations and UCS service profiles.

Common Traps to Avoid

Many candidates fall into the same traps. Here's what to watch for:

• Confusing VXLAN and VLAN: VXLAN is an overlay that extends Layer 2 over Layer 3. VLAN is a Layer 2 segmentation. Don't mix them up.
• Misunderstanding ACI Policy Model: EPGs are not VLANs. EPGs are logical groupings of endpoints. Contracts define communication rules. Understand the difference.
• Zoning vs. VSAN: Zoning controls which devices can communicate within a VSAN. VSANs are separate SANs. They serve different purposes.
• Service Profiles vs. Templates: Service profiles are used for individual servers. Templates are for bulk deployment. Know when to use each.
• API Authentication: When using REST APIs, remember to include authentication headers (e.g., Basic Auth or Token). Many forget this and get errors.
• QoS on FCoE: FCoE requires proper QoS configuration (e.g., class maps for FC traffic). Without it, FCoE may not work.
• Overlooking Automation in Storage: Automation also applies to storage. Know how to use APIs for MDS or UCS.

Final Tips

• Practice with CLI: Use simulators or real equipment to practice commands. Muscle memory helps.
• Review Official Documentation: Cisco's configuration guides are your best friend.
• Take Practice Exams: Familiarize yourself with the exam format and timing.

Remember, this cheat sheet is a quick refresher, not a substitute for deep study. Use it to jog your memory on key points and identify areas where you need more review.

Reinforce your weaker topics by repeating Cisco Implementing Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) sample questions until your score plateaus above passing.

To quickly spot which topics still need work, the free DCCOR readiness check gives you practice questions across the exam domains and an explanation for each.