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Exam Information
Official specifications published by CWNP
Exam Format
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Skills this practice test covers
- Design a highly available network with redundancy, load balancing and segmentation.
- Implement BGP, OSPF and EIGRP routing, MPLS and QoS in an enterprise design.
- Run core services such as DHCP, DNS, NTP, Syslog, SNMPv3 and RADIUS/TACACS+.
- Isolate BGP peering, OSPF/EIGRP, VLAN and STP convergence faults.
- Apply NGFW, IDS/IPS, NAC, Zero Trust and SASE/SSE controls, and respond to incidents.
- Forecast capacity and compare the TCO of network options, including CapEx and OpEx.
Explore related topics
CNAE-101 exam content
5 domains · 19 topics · 150 questions
Network Design25%36 questions
This domain covers the decisions made before deployment. Candidates build in redundancy and failover, choose routing and switching protocols, extend the network into VPCs and containers, and set documentation standards.
Skills tested
- Design for high availability with redundancy, load balancing, HA clustering and geographic distribution.
- Choose between BGP, OSPF and EIGRP for a design, and decide where MPLS helps.
- Plan data center switching architectures and QoS for delay-sensitive traffic.
- Design VPCs and container networking, and place NFV in a hybrid cloud.
- Set standards for logical and physical network diagrams.
Questions by topic
- Design highly available and scalable network architectures8
- Implement advanced routing and switching solutions13
- Design and integrate cloud and hybrid cloud network environments9
- Develop network documentation and diagramming standards for networks6
Network Administration20%32 questions
Administration is the daily running of the network. It covers core services, the device life cycle from capacity planning to firmware upgrades, and secure remote access through VPNs and AAA.
Skills tested
- Configure DHCP, DNS, NTP and Syslog, and monitor devices with SNMPv3.
- Control administrator access to devices with RADIUS or TACACS+.
- Plan firmware and software upgrades, and keep configurations under configuration management.
- Set up remote access VPN and site-to-site VPN connections.
- Use network automation for repeatable configuration tasks.
Questions by topic
- Manage and maintain the network infrastructure lifecycle9
- Implement and manage network services17
- Implement and maintain secure remote access solutions6
Network Troubleshooting20%31 questions
When a network fails, this domain asks for a method, not a guess. Candidates isolate routing, switching and performance faults step by step, and use protocol analyzers, NPM tools and scripts to prove the cause.
Skills tested
- Follow an OSI-model-based troubleshooting method from the symptom to the root cause.
- Diagnose BGP peering, OSPF/EIGRP and MPLS forwarding problems.
- Fix VLAN issues and slow STP convergence.
- Find bottlenecks and latency, including application-specific problems.
- Capture and read traffic with a protocol analyzer such as Wireshark.
Questions by topic
- Troubleshoot routing and switching issues14
- Troubleshoot network performance and connectivity issues6
- Utilize network tools for diagnostics and analysis7
- Apply advanced troubleshooting processes for complex network issues4
Network Security25%36 questions
Network Security carries as much weight as Network Design. It covers the controls that protect the network, the response when an attack gets through, and the scans and audits that find weak points first.
Skills tested
- Place NGFW, IDS/IPS, DLP and NAC controls in a network design.
- Apply Zero Trust and SASE/SSE models to users who work off-site.
- Analyze traffic to trace an attack vector, then respond and keep forensic evidence.
- Deploy PKI, IPSec and SSH/SSL/TLS to protect traffic and device management.
- Run vulnerability scans and configuration audits against regulatory compliance needs.
Questions by topic
- Implement and manage network security controls14
- Implement and manage cryptographic solutions for network security7
- Analyze and respond to network security incidents9
- Conduct network security assessments and audits6
Network Governance and Operations10%15 questions
The smallest domain covers the business side of networking. Candidates explain policies, change management and risk, run support with runbooks and KPIs, forecast capacity, and weigh costs.
Skills tested
- Route network changes through change management, with risk and compliance in view.
- Write operational runbooks and track KPIs for network support.
- Separate incident management from problem management.
- Forecast growth from baseline performance data.
- Compare options by TCO, and by CapEx and OpEx, when planning a budget.
Questions by topic
- Understand the financial aspects of network operations5
- Manage network operations and support3
- Implement and manage network capacity planning3
- Explain the purpose and importance of network governance4
Requirements
- No formal prerequisites: anyone can book the exam.
- Recommended: one to three years of work in the networking industry.
- Recommended: the full knowledge set of CompTIA Network+; the credential itself is not required.
About the CNAE-101 exam
CNAE-101 measures how well a network administrator or engineer handles the whole job, from BGP routing and hybrid cloud design to change management and budgets. CWNP keeps it vendor-neutral, so the questions name protocols and methods, not one maker's equipment. It assumes the knowledge of CompTIA Network+ and goes further, into MPLS, SASE and structured troubleshooting. A pass leads to the Certified Network Administrator and Engineer (CNAE) certification, which lasts five years.
Network Design and Network Security, the two largest domains, also get the most room in the PlanetCert practice test. When OSPF and EIGRP, or RADIUS and TACACS+, both seem to fit, the answer explanations show which detail settles it. Troubleshooting questions reward a slow, careful read, so that domain is best worked in Study Mode. Brainy AI Assistant can walk through a BGP peering fault step by step, or compare CapEx and OpEx for a network refresh.
How to earn the certification
- Earns
- Certified Network Administrator and Engineer (CNAE)Professional
CNAE is valid for five years. Holders renew it by passing the current CNAE exam before it expires or by earning a higher or newer CWNP certification.
- Before
- N10-009 CompTIA Network+
Not required. CNAE-101 assumes the knowledge it covers, but candidates do not need to hold the credential.
- N10-009 CompTIA Network+
- After
- CPNAE-101 Certified Python Network Administrator and Engineer
CWNP's next step for network automation, where Python scripts configure and manage the network.
- CPNAE-101 Certified Python Network Administrator and Engineer
How to prepare for CNAE-101
- 1
Review the base networking topics
CNAE-101 builds on the CompTIA Network+ knowledge set. Review its topics, such as VLANs, routing basics and the OSI model, before starting the advanced objectives.
- 2
Build a routed lab with failover
Use virtual routers to run OSPF inside one site and BGP between two sites. Add HSRP or VRRP, then fail a link and trace how the network recovers.
- 3
Add the core services
Put DHCP, DNS, NTP, Syslog and SNMPv3 into the lab, and move device logins behind RADIUS or TACACS+. Network Administration questions expect these to work together.
- 4
Spend most time on design and security
These two domains carry the most weight. Draw a highly available design with segmentation, then add the NGFW, IDS/IPS, NAC and Zero Trust controls that protect it.
- 5
Finish with a timed run
A full Timed Mode run of the practice test shows which domains still need lab time. Go back to the lab for each weak area, and use Brainy AI Assistant to break down any question that still seems unclear.
Start a timed CNAE-101run
CWNP's own preparation is the CNAE Complete Bundle, which pairs e-learning with a practice test and the certification exam.
Who CNAE-101 is for
- Administrators with one to three years in networking who want a vendor-neutral credential.
- Engineers who design routed, switched and hybrid cloud networks for an organization.
- Network staff who also manage firewalls, NAC and VPN access.
Typical job titles: Network administrator · Network engineer · Network operations engineer · Infrastructure engineer · Network security engineer
CNAE-101 glossary
18 terms from the exam objectives and the vendor's official material, each defined in a sentence.
- Baseline Performance
- A record of normal network behavior, such as usual traffic levels and latency, that later measurements are compared with.
- BGP
- Border Gateway Protocol: the routing protocol that exchanges routes between separate networks, such as a company and its internet providers.
- CapEx vs. OpEx
- Capital expenses buy assets up front, such as switches. Operating expenses are ongoing costs, such as cloud or support fees.
- Container networking (CNI)
- The way containers connect to each other and to the network, set up through Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins.
- HSRP/VRRP
- Gateway redundancy protocols that let two routers share one virtual gateway address, so hosts keep working if one router fails.
- MPLS
- Multiprotocol Label Switching: a method that forwards packets by short labels instead of full address lookups, often used for links between sites.
- NAC
- Network access control: a check of a device's identity and health before the device may join the network.
- Network Function Virtualization (NFV)
- Running network functions, such as firewalls and routers, as software on standard servers instead of dedicated hardware.
- Operational Runbooks
- Step-by-step written procedures for routine network tasks and known faults, so that any engineer on shift can follow them.
- OSPF
- Open Shortest Path First: a link-state routing protocol that maps the network and picks the lowest-cost path to each destination.
- Protocol Analyzers (Wireshark)
- Tools that capture packets and decode each protocol field, to show what actually crossed the network.
- SASE/SSE
- Secure Access Service Edge joins network and security services in the cloud. Security Service Edge is its security part on its own.
- SNMPv3
- The version of the Simple Network Management Protocol that adds authentication and encryption to device monitoring.
- STP Convergence
- The time Spanning Tree Protocol needs to settle on a new loop-free path after a switch or link changes.
- TACACS+
- An AAA protocol, often used for administrator logins to network devices, that encrypts the whole session.
- TCO
- Total cost of ownership: the full cost of a network option over its life, including purchase, support, power and staff time.
- VPC
- Virtual private cloud: an isolated network inside a public cloud, with its own address ranges, subnets and routing.
- Zero Trust
- A security approach in which no user or device is trusted by default, and each access request is verified on its own.
Related practice tests
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- CWDP-305Certified Wireless Design Professional (CWDP)
- CWISA-103Certified Wireless Iot Solutions Administrator