Cisco Certified Architect Exam blueprint has been released

Cisco announced through their LearningNetwork webpage that the topics (blueprint) for the Cisco Certified Architect have been released. The exam is scheduled to be available February 2010 and qualified candidates will be provided the information as it becomes available.

It will be quite a challenge among these level engineers to be the first one to achieve such certification :) Above holding a valid CCDE certification there are a lot of other requirements just to qualify to take this exam.

If you are interested in you can download the PDF blueprint or have a look on the official Cisco LearningNetwork homepage for more details.

Cisco Revising CCIE R&S Certification

Source: https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/docs/DOC-4605

Cisco Revising CCIE R&S Certification
The upcoming Version 4.0 of Cisco CCIE® Routing and Switching certification will test hands-on troubleshooting, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), and VPN networking

To reflect the growth of the network as a service platform, Cisco is revising the certification requirements for CCIE Routing & Switching (CCIE R&S)–the expert level certification for network engineers. The new requirements were developed with assistance from Cisco enterprise customers and reflect the expectations of employers across industries.

The competencies required for CCIE R&S v4.0 certification were released on May 5, 2009, and are available on the Cisco Learning Network under the CCIE R&S v4.0 Written Exam topics and CCIE R&S v4.0 Lab Exam topics. Exams based on the new requirements are scheduled for release on October 18, 2009, and will immediately replace the currently available v3.0 exams. Candidates who plan to take their exams on October 18, 2009, or later should prepare using the new v4.0 exam topics.

Both the written and lab exams will be refreshed with new questions and will cover MPLS and VPN networking. The written exam will add scenario-based questions to the multiple choice questions, and the lab will now require hands-on troubleshooting of preconfigured networks, in addition to configuration. Exam duration and pricing will remain the same, with the two-hour written exam at USD$350 and the eight-hour lab at USD$1400.

A beta version of the new CCIE R&S v4.0 written exam (351-001) will be available to all customers in the July–August 2009 timeframe at a discounted price of USD$50. An announcement will be made when scheduling begins.

Cisco 360 Learning Program Updates Available

Cisco 360 Learning Program components aligned to the new CCIE R&S certification standards will be available on May 11, 2009. All current students will have access to the new materials throughout their subscription period. New materials include additional lessons on MPLS and troubleshooting, enhanced coverage of these topics in the instructor-led workshops, an updated Practice Lab Workbook for self-paced practice, and new Performance Assessments that gauge skill level and offer mentoring feedback.

CCIE Assessor, the first CCIE R&S practice lab, will be retired on June 5, 2009, and will be replaced by the 10 eight-hour assessment labs available through the Cisco 360 Learning Program.

Lab Equipment and IOS

The lab exam tests any feature that can be configured on the equipment and the IOS versions indicated below. You may see more recent IOS versions installed in the lab, but you will not be tested on the new features of a release unless indicated below.

Version 3.0 (effective through October 17, 2009)
  • 3725 series routers – IOS 12.4 mainline – Advanced Enterprise Services
  • 3825 series routers – IOS 12.4 mainline – Advanced Enterprise Services
  • Catalyst 3550 series switches running IOS version 12.2 – IP Services
  • Catalyst 3560 Series switches running IOS version 12.2 – Advanced IP Service

Version 4.0 (effective beginning October 18, 2009)
  • 1841 series routers – IOS 12.4(T) – Advanced Enterprise Services
  • 3825 series routers – IOS 12.4(T) – Advanced Enterprise Services
  • Catalyst 3560 Series switches running IOS version 12.2 – Advanced IP Services

Check here the Blueprints:
Cisco CCIE R&S Written Blueprint v4.0
Cisco CCIE R&S Lab Blueprint v4.0