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Exam Information
Official specifications published by Cisco
Exam Format
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Skills this practice test covers
- Troubleshoot OSPF, MP-BGP, PIM and FHRP problems in a data center network.
- Find the faults behind vPC, LACP and VXLAN EVPN failures.
- Trace ACI issues from fabric discovery and access policies to tenant policies and external connectivity.
- Repair UCS blade chassis, service profile, boot policy and firmware problems.
- Diagnose Fibre Channel fabric, buffer credit, NPV, zoning and device alias faults.
- Debug EEM, Python, Ansible, Terraform and Intersight jobs, and AAA and MACsec settings.
Explore related topics
300-615 exam content
5 domains · 28 topics · 230 of 240 questions sorted by domain
Network25%64 questions
This domain covers faults in the data center network itself. Candidates troubleshoot routing and switching protocols, VXLAN EVPN overlays, and Cisco ACI from fabric discovery to external connectivity.
Skills tested
- Fix OSPFv2 and OSPFv3 adjacencies, MP-BGP sessions, PIM multicast and FHRP failover.
- Find why a vPC, LACP port channel or RSTP+ topology does not come up as planned.
- Trace VXLAN EVPN problems such as VTEP peering and VNI mapping errors.
- Troubleshoot ACI fabric discovery, access policies, VMM domain integration and tenant policies.
- Follow unicast, multicast and broadcast forwarding through an ACI fabric and out to external networks.
Questions by topic
- Troubleshoot Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)26
- Troubleshoot overlay protocols16
- Troubleshoot switching protocols14
- Troubleshoot routing protocols8
Compute Platforms25%49 questions
This domain covers Cisco Unified Computing System servers. Candidates troubleshoot rack servers and blade chassis, the path from a server to the fabric, hardware interoperability and firmware upgrades.
Skills tested
- Diagnose UCS rack servers through CIMC and blade chassis through UCS Manager.
- Fix VLAN, vNIC template, vHBA and VSAN settings that break a service profile.
- Check server pools and boot policies when a blade will not boot from SAN.
- Keep VIC adapters, I/O modules and fabric interconnects on compatible firmware.
Questions by topic
- Troubleshoot firmware upgrades4
- Troubleshoot Cisco Unified Computing System rack servers9
- Troubleshoot Cisco Unified Computing System blade chassis22
- Troubleshoot hardware interoperability7
- Troubleshoot packet flow from server to fabric5
- Troubleshoot firmware upgrades, packages, and interoperability2
Storage Network15%36 questions
This domain covers Fibre Channel storage networks built on Cisco MDS switches. Candidates troubleshoot the physical fabric first, then the services that run on it.
Skills tested
- Troubleshoot switched fabric initialization, including principal switch selection and domain ID conflicts.
- Recognize Fibre Channel buffer credit starvation and the slowdowns it causes.
- Fix NPV and NPIV logins and VSAN membership problems.
- Repair zoning, device alias and Cisco Fabric Services distribution errors.
Questions by topic
- Troubleshoot Fibre Channel4
- Troubleshoot FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet)3
- Troubleshoot VSAN4
- Troubleshoot zoning and device aliasing3
- Troubleshoot NPV and NPIV4
- Troubleshoot Fibre Channel services7
- Troubleshoot Fibre Channel physical infrastructure11
Automation15%37 questions
This domain covers automation that fails. Candidates troubleshoot tools that run on the switch, such as EEM and the scheduler, and tools that program it, from the REST API to Python, Ansible, Terraform and Intersight.
Skills tested
- Debug EEM applets and NX-OS scheduler jobs that do not trigger or run.
- Use the Bash shell and guest shell on NX-OS to run and test Python scripts.
- Read REST API responses in JSON and XML to find request and authentication errors.
- Fix failed Ansible playbooks, Terraform plans and Intersight workflows.
Questions by topic
- Troubleshoot automation with configuration management tools4
- Troubleshoot automation with APIs5
- Troubleshoot automation workflows3
- Troubleshoot programmability and orchestration22
- Troubleshoot automation and scripting tools3
Management and Operations20%44 questions
This domain covers day-to-day control and security of the data center. Candidates troubleshoot software upgrades, Nexus Dashboard and Cisco Intersight integration, and security from MACsec to ACI security domains.
Skills tested
- Troubleshoot NX-OS upgrades and ISSU, and plan a rollback.
- Fix site onboarding and telemetry problems in Nexus Dashboard, and device claims in Cisco Intersight.
- Find AAA, RBAC and first-hop security faults, such as DHCP snooping and Dynamic ARP Inspection drops.
- Troubleshoot MACsec sessions, fabric binding and port security on the network and storage sides.
- Check ACI security domains and role mapping when users see too much or too little.
Questions by topic
- Troubleshoot integration of centralized management16
- Troubleshoot AAA and RBAC5
- Troubleshoot network security4
- Troubleshoot first-hop security4
- Troubleshooting network security12
- Troubleshoot firmware upgrades, packages, and interoperability3
Requirements
About the 300-615 exam
300-615 DCIT asks engineers to find and fix faults across a Cisco data center: its networks, servers and storage, and the tools that automate and manage them. Every topic in its five domains is a troubleshooting task, from routing, VXLAN EVPN and ACI to UCS servers, Fibre Channel and security. Passing earns the Cisco Certified Specialist - Data Center Operations certification. With the DCCOR core exam, it also completes CCNP Data Center.
Network and Compute Platforms are the two largest domains. In the PlanetCert practice test, ACI troubleshooting is the biggest single topic, followed by UCS blade chassis and programmability. The explanations follow each fault to its cause, for example a blade that cannot boot from SAN because the zone for its vHBA is missing. Flashcard mode helps with the Fibre Channel terms, from FCID to NPIV. Brainy AI Assistant can walk through a show command's output or explain how a VSAN mismatch shows up.
How to earn the certification
- Earns
- Cisco Certified Specialist - Data Center OperationsProfessional
Cisco certifications stay active for three years. Continuing Education credits or qualifying exams extend them.
- Before
- 200-301 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Optional but recommended. DCIT troubleshoots the same routing and switching ideas at data center scale.
- 350-601 Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR)
The CCNP Data Center core exam, recommended first. Together with DCIT it completes CCNP Data Center.
- 200-301 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
How to prepare for 300-615
- 1
Break a small Nexus lab
Use Cisco Modeling Labs or dCloud to run OSPF, vPC and VXLAN EVPN on NX-OS. Then shut the peer-keepalive link or change a VNI, and find the fault from show commands alone.
- 2
Trace one frame from blade to uplink
Follow traffic from a UCS blade's VIC adapter through the I/O module and the fabric interconnect to the uplink. Knowing each hop makes pinning and uplink faults easier to place.
- 3
Map the Fibre Channel login steps
Write down the order from fabric initialization to FCID assignment, name server registration and zoning. Next to each step, note the show command that confirms it worked.
- 4
Feed bad input to automation tools
Run a Python script in the guest shell, an Ansible playbook and a Terraform plan for ACI. Then add errors such as a wrong credential or a bad JSON key, and read what each tool reports.
- 5
Pair Study Mode with a timed finish
Begin with Network and Compute Platforms in Study Mode, since they carry the most weight. Then sit the full 300-615 practice test in Timed Mode, and ask Brainy AI Assistant about every fault that was missed.
Start a timed 300-615run
Troubleshooting Cisco Data Center Infrastructure (DCIT) is Cisco's own course for the exam, offered as instructor-led training and as e-learning. A CCNP Data Center learning path is also available on Cisco U.
Who 300-615 is for
- Data center engineers who support Cisco Nexus, UCS and MDS equipment in production.
- Network engineers who take over hard faults in ACI or VXLAN EVPN fabrics.
- CCNP Data Center candidates who choose troubleshooting as their concentration.
- Operations staff who run Nexus Dashboard or Cisco Intersight and act on what they report.
Typical job titles: Data center engineer · Data center operations engineer · Network engineer · Infrastructure engineer · Cloud infrastructure engineer
300-615 glossary
18 terms from the exam objectives and the vendor's official material, each defined in a sentence.
- APIC
- The Application Policy Infrastructure Controller: the controller cluster that manages an ACI fabric and stores its policies.
- Application Centric Infrastructure
- Cisco's policy-based data center fabric of leaf and spine switches, managed as one system by an APIC cluster.
- Buffer-to-buffer credits
- Fibre Channel flow control: each credit lets a port send one frame, and the port must wait when its credits run out.
- Cisco Intersight
- Cisco's cloud-based platform for managing, monitoring and automating UCS servers and other data center devices.
- Device Alias
- A readable name for a device's WWN, shared across the fabric and usable in zoning.
- Embedded Event Manager
- An NX-OS feature that watches for events, such as a log message or a counter change, and runs set actions in response.
- Fabric interconnects
- The switches that connect UCS servers to the LAN and the SAN, and that run UCS Manager.
- FHRP
- First Hop Redundancy Protocols, such as HSRP and VRRP, which let two or more routers share one default gateway address.
- Guest shell
- A Linux container on NX-OS switches where Python scripts and other tools can run.
- MACsec
- IEEE 802.1AE encryption that protects traffic on the link between two directly connected devices.
- Nexus Dashboard
- Cisco's platform that runs data center operations services, such as Nexus Dashboard Insights and Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator.
- NPIV
- N_Port ID Virtualization: lets one physical Fibre Channel port log in to the fabric with several port IDs, for example one per virtual machine.
- NPV
- N_Port Virtualization: a mode in which an edge switch passes server logins up to a core switch instead of joining the fabric as a full switch.
- Service Profiles
- UCS definitions of a server's identity and settings, such as MAC addresses, WWNs and boot order, that are applied to the hardware.
- VMM domain
- An ACI link to a virtualization manager such as VMware vCenter, so ACI policies can reach virtual machines.
- vPC
- Virtual Port Channel: lets a device connect to two Nexus switches through one port channel, so both links carry traffic.
- VSAN
- A virtual SAN: a logical Fibre Channel fabric that keeps a group of ports separate on shared MDS switches.
- VXLAN EVPN
- An overlay that carries Layer 2 traffic across a routed network with VXLAN, and uses BGP EVPN to share MAC and IP addresses between switches.
Related practice tests
- 300-535Automating and Programming Cisco Service Provider Solutions (SPAUTO)
- 200-901CCNA Automation (DevNet Associate)
- 200-201CCNA Cybersecurity (CyberOps Associate)
- 200-301Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
- 300-420Designing Cisco Enterprise Networks (ENSLD)