The Cisco CCNA® Exploration curriculum provides a comprehensive overview of networking - from fundamentals to advanced applications and services. This course emphasizes theoretical concepts and practical application, while providing opportunities for students to gain the skills and hands-on experience needed to design, install, operate, and maintain networks. CCNA Exploration offers in-depth theory, challenging labs, and a detailed overview of protocol operations. The CCNA Exploration curriculum is composed of four courses, 70 hours each:

• Network Fundamentals
• Routing Protocols and Concepts
• LAN Switching and Wireless
• Accessing the WAN

CCNA Exploration helps students prepare for successful IT careers in small-to-medium businesses, as well as enterprise and service provider environments.

Industry Recognized Certification

The CCNA Exploration curriculum prepares students for the Cisco CCNA® network associate certification exam. CCNA is the industry standard, foundational certification for networking careers. Students need to complete all four courses of CCNA Exploration to fully prepare for the CCNA exam.

Prerequisites

CCNA Exploration is designed for students with advanced problem-solving and analytical skills. Students who enroll in CCNA Exploration are also expected to have English reading and understanding skills. Working background and certifications in computer systems and networking is an advantage.
Network Fundamentals is the first course and it has no prerequisites. It is a prerequisite for the other three courses. Routing Protocols and Concepts is the preferred second course in the sequence.

Skills and Competencies

Here are some examples of the skills students will be able to perform after completing each course:

Network Fundamentals
- Use network protocol models to explain the layers of communications in data networks
- Design, calculate, and apply subnet masks and addresses
- Build a simple Ethernet network using routers and switches
- Employ basic cabling and network designs to connect devices
- Use Cisco CLI commands to perform basic router and switch configuration and verification
- Analyze the operations and feature of the transport and network layer protocols and services

LAN Switching and Wireless
- Troubleshoot common network problems at Layers 1, 2, 3, and 7 using a layered model approach
- Interpret network diagrams
- Perform and verify initial switch configuration tasks including remote access management
- Configure, verify, and troubleshoot VLANs, interVLAN routing, VTP, trunking on Cisco switches, and RSTP operation
- Manage IOS configuration files
- Identify the basic parameters to configure a wireless network and common implementation issues

Routing Protocols and Concepts
- Configure and verify router interfaces
- Demonstrate comprehensive RIPv1 configuration skills
- Design and implement a classless IP addressing scheme for a network
- Use advanced configuration commands with routers implementing EIGRP
- Apply the basic RIPv2 configuration commands and evaluate RIPv2 classless routing updates
- Identify the characteristics of distance vector routing protocols

Accessing the WAN
- Describe the impact of applications (Voice Over IP and Video Over IP) on a network
- Configure, verify, and troubleshoot DHCP and DNS operation on a router
- Verify, monitor, and troubleshoot ACLs in a network environment
- Configure and verify a basic WAN serial connection, a PPP connection between Cisco routers, and Frame Relay
- Configure and verify a PPP connection between Cisco routers, and Frame Relay on Cisco routers
- Troubleshoot WAN implementation issues