As I discussed in my earlier weblog on the CCNP Automation core examination (AUTOCOR), I needed to supply an insider’s view of the examination subjects for the brand new skilled automation observe. I think about myself an insider as a result of I used to be a part of the workforce of product managers, psychometricians, program managers, and subject material specialists that helped focus on (and generally argue) for what ought to and sshouldn’tbe included within the certification.
This culminated in a variety of hours locked in a room to hash out the examination subjects’ lists that at the moment are accessible for evaluate. To say that it’s a variety of exhausting work is an understatement. Nonetheless, the workforce’s whole focus is to ship a complete examination that you simply, the learner, discover priceless sufficient to pursue in your skilled profession.
Nonetheless, I do know that there are generally questions as to why issues had been constructed or tasked a sure approach, and its (E)-NAUTO drawback (not a’ drawback, get it?) for me to take a while out of my day to reply your burning enterprise automation examination matter questions.
ENAUTO 1.1 Eliminated Subjects
From design patterns to answer operate
The primary massive departure is from the earlier ENAUTO 1.1 area 1. This area targeted on software program improvement practices. Whereas subjects like git utilization and performance are necessary, a lot of the area handled correct coding and improvement practices, interpretations of Python scripts, and the advantages of automation tooling (digital environments, infrastructure as code, and the like). We needed to evolve the ENAUTO to focus extra on the performance and practitioner stage. We took these ideas and both eliminated them fully (do we have to know the advantages of Infrastructure as Code or ought to we be capable to make the most of IaC tooling in an automation answer?) or integrated them into a bigger, automation targeted process. Understanding these subjects remains to be priceless. Nonetheless, a community automation engineer in in the present day’s world doesn’t have to promote the advantages of APIs; as an alternative, they’re being requested ship the best worth to a corporation by leveraging present instruments, minimizing disruption, and avoiding pointless tool-spread.
Units and platforms take middle stage
Just like the AUTOCOR examination, the introductory paragraph for the examination subjects particularly calls out sure platforms and working techniques. Nonetheless, you may discover a separation between gadgets and platforms throughout the examination domains—an intentional change. Each enterprise has distinctive wants. For some, managing all gadgets via a controller or platform is smart; others could favor device-by-device administration utilizing automation and orchestration tooling. Each abilities maintain significance, so each domains have been included within the examination, with every specializing in its respective space.
The gadget configuration area is Python heavy, specializing in quite a lot of libraries and protocols which might be generally used to handle gadgets.
- We deal with issues like NETCONF, RESTCONF, and CLI-based automation strategies and libraries to drive automated configuration throughout the fleet.
- To not be omitted, Ansible is included, because it’s generally used to supply configuration administration for a bunch of gadgets.
- Lastly, we didn’t neglect on-box strategies for automation, so we made positive to incorporate duties round using Visitor shell on IOS-XE platforms and my favourite, Embedded Occasion Supervisor (EEM).
Controllers and platforms, nonetheless, are additionally necessary as a result of they supply straightforward automation and single “pane” visibility throughout giant, geographically separated, disparate enterprises. These platforms are additionally developed with APIs at their core, permitting for performance, configuration, and observability to be extracted by way of programmatic strategies, a win for automation builders!
Whereas there’s some overlap, the intent is to make sure that the capabilities offered by the platforms, like further Jinja2 templating or creating bigger automation routines leveraging the APIs offered by the platform (e.g. kicking off a tool improve routine utilizing an API, relatively than constructing the automation your self and utilizing that as a part of an onboarding routine). This isn’t to push or “promote” people on one administration fashion vs. one other, simply as an example the widespread duties engineers face in each eventualities.
New software program, who dis?
Eager eyes will discover the software program platforms in scope on the prime of the examination subjects sheet. Even keener eyes might even see that there are two platforms which might be fully new to the automation observe, Cisco Identification Providers Engine (ISE) and Cisco ThousandEyes. These could seem misplaced, however let’s dive into why these platforms are necessary.
Cisco ISE
Cisco ISE gives a foundational “single supply” for all gadget entry and consumer identification inside an enterprise community.
- ISE can also present safety and entry coverage to gadgets that reside on the community.
- Due to this, ISE has a plethora of details about the community that could be required within the provisioning of the configurations of gadgets, together with safety posture and community segmentation.
Let’s be mindful, that is not a safety examination; learners won’t be anticipated to configure ISE, however it’s in scope to have the ability to use ISE APIs as a part of a segmentation or coverage enforcement automation throughout the campus switches and routers.
Cisco ThousandEyes
Cisco ThousandEyes operates on the different finish of the deployment, not in provisioning, however in operations and administration. Finish-users of the community care in regards to the high quality of their expertise throughout the community; they don’t care whether or not the configuration utilized to their change was automated or typed by hand on the CLI, it simply must work.
- Just like Cisco ISE, this examination doesn’t anticipate you to know the ins and outs of ThousandEyes (though, if you happen to are , the ENNA examination is for you)
- You must be capable to perceive question particular APIs from the ThousandEyes cloud platform for metrics and an understanding if an automatic change made the consumer expertise higher or worse.
This knowledge might then drive a selected end result to the automation (rollbacks, anybody?), which might even be automated. Once more, you don’t have to create the assessments however know interpret the information and outcomes from assessments as a pre- and post-change validation to your automation.
Digital twinning
Talking of pre- and post-change, have you ever heard about Cisco Modeling Labs? If you happen to haven’t, it’s a community simulation platform that runs Cisco Digital Community Capabilities (VNFs), like digital routers, switches, firewalls, and wi-fi controllers.
These VNFs will be related to one another in a digital canvas, which permit a consumer to mannequin a community, its configurations, and the conduct due to these modifications. It gives full control-plane simulation if routes are modified, VLANs are added, or ACL guidelines are eliminated. Community engineers are utilizing it to review for quite a lot of exams from affiliate to professional due to the capabilities within the platform.
The fusion was pure: community managers not trusting the automation to do what it mentioned it will do; community automation engineers wanting to review and show that their automation options labored. Cisco Modeling Labs fills that want for pre-change testbed which turns into the post-change normal for all configurations. Community automation engineers ought to be fluent in Cisco Modeling Labs and the concept of digital twins as a testbed for his or her automation earlier than implementation into manufacturing. All of us prefer to keep away from these “resume producing occasions”, proper?
We’ve gotta AI the enterprise
I do know, I do know. AI is in all places, and you might or is probably not going through AI burnout. Nonetheless, as somebody who has at all times considered practicality at the beginning when studying one thing new, you may relaxation straightforward that this was put into the examination subjects for causes past simply ensuring that we “checked the AI field”.
- This area is centered round having the ability to determine and focus on varied considerations round AI throughout the enterprise; one thing we must always all really feel snug with on this fast-moving house.
- You could be requested to create an MCP server that might permit an AI agent to speak with varied gadgets throughout the community utilizing the FastMCP, which is a extremely popular MCP framework.
This process is deliberately written in the identical verbiage as that from the AUTOCOR examination subjects. As an automation skilled, we foresee that it is going to be your duty to translate instruments and capabilities into one thing that can be utilized by AI for automation routines. Having the ability to design, develop, and scope the configuration for that MCP appropriately might be a really crucial talent to have, which is why it seems in each AUTOCOR and ENAUTO (and I guess you may guess what different examination has it as a process as nicely).
By way of this main uplift on the examination, we hope that the abilities which might be being requested are reflective of widespread issues that in the present day’s enterprise automation engineers are being requested to unravel. We tried to strike the right combination of controllers and platforms, but additionally tie in validation and testing, as a result of these are necessary ideas to incorporate in your workflow, and we hope that each one these abilities can be utilized in your skilled profession.
As at all times, yow will discover me on LinkedIn or on X (@qsnyder) in case you have any questions concerning this or another examination. Comfortable finding out!
Efficient February 3, 2026, the 300-435 ENAUTO examination might be up to date to v2.0 and renamed “Automating and Programming Cisco Enterprise Options.” Obtain examination subjects
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