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Free 350-401 ENCOR study notes covering every exam domain — key concepts, mnemonics, and practice links.
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10 free practice questions. No credit card.
ENCOR architecture questions test whether you can choose the right campus, WAN, and wireless design — and explain how Cisco SD-Access and SD-WAN components fit together. Know when to use three-tier vs spine-leaf, and how QoS and wireless architectures support voice, video, and branch resilience.
| Design Model | Tiers / Roles | Best For | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-tier | Access → Distribution → Core | Large campus, full L2/L3 services at distribution | Higher complexity and cost; proven modularity |
| Collapsed core | Access → Core (no distribution) | Medium sites, routed access common | Fewer devices; distribution services move to access/core |
| Spine-leaf (Clos) | Spine = L3 fabric; Leaf = attachment | Data center ECMP, predictable latency | Requires L3 everywhere; no STP blocking paths |
| Modular WAN hub | Hub routers + branch spokes | Centralized policy and internet breakout | Hub becomes critical; consider regional hubs |
| Protocol | Mechanism | Exam Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HSRP | Cisco FHRP — active/standby virtual IP | Preempt, priority, tracking interfaces/objects |
| VRRP | Open standard FHRP | Master/backup; priority 1–254 |
| GLBP | Cisco — load-balancing across gateways | AVG assigns MACs; hosts use different gateways |
| SSO / NSF | Stateful switchover on supervisors | Control plane redundancy in modular switches |
| Step | Action | Common Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Classify | Identify traffic (ACL, NBAR, DSCP) | match access-group, match protocol |
| Mark | Set DSCP/CoS at trust boundary | set dscp ef, set cos 5 |
| Police | Hard rate limit — drop or remark excess | police cir exceed-action drop |
| Shape | Smooth bursts to contracted rate | shape average — queues excess |
| Queue | Scheduler allocates bandwidth | priority queue (LLQ), CBWFQ, WRED |
| Mode | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Centralized | LWAPs tunnel to WLC — control + data | Campus, full RF visibility |
| FlexConnect (H-REAP) | Local switching at AP; central auth optional | Branch — survives WAN loss with local VLANs |
| FlexConnect local auth | AP authenticates locally when WAN down | Retail, remote offices |
| Autonomous AP | Standalone — no CAPWAP to WLC | Legacy/small deployments; not ENCOR focus |
Practice what you just read
10 free practice questions. No credit card.
Practice what you just read
10 free practice questions. No credit card.
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3 practice exams • 300+ questions
Download the free 350-401 ENCOR study notes PDF
Every domain in one printable file. No email address required.
Download the PDFCisco CCNP Enterprise (350-401 ENCOR) is a Cisco certification. These facts come from the current exam guide and are the numbers to plan around.
| Domain | Weight | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | 30% | Layer 2: VLANs, trunks, STP, EtherChannel, private VLANs, Layer 3: IPv4/IPv6 routing, static routes, policy-based routing, OSPF: areas, LSA types, path selection, authentication |
| Security | 20% | AAA: RADIUS vs TACACS+, authentication, authorization, accounting, TrustSec: SGT, SXP, SGACL, CTS, MACsec: MKA, CAK, link-layer encryption |
| Architecture | 15% | Enterprise network design principles (3-tier, collapsed core, spine-leaf), SD-Access: underlay, overlay, fabric, DNA Center, SD-WAN: control plane, data plane, vSmart, vBond, vManage |
| Automation and Artificial Intelligence | 15% | Python scripting: Netmiko, NAPALM, Paramiko for device automation, Ansible: playbooks, inventory, modules for network devices, REST APIs: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, JSON payloads |
| Virtualization | 10% | LISP: EID, RLOC, ITR, ETR, map-server, map-resolver, VXLAN: VNI, VTEP, MP-BGP EVPN control plane, VRF: route leaking, route distinguisher (RD), route target (RT) |
| Network Assurance | 10% | NetFlow: flow records, collector, analyzer, versions (v5, v9, IPFIX), SPAN and RSPAN for traffic mirroring, Syslog: severity levels, logging destinations |
Yes. Every 350-401 ENCOR study note on this page is free to read, and the PDF download requires no email address. Practice questions start free as well.
They cover all 6 domains of the 350-401 ENCOR exam: Infrastructure (30%), Security (20%), Architecture (15%), Automation and Artificial Intelligence (15%), Virtualization (10%), Network Assurance (10%). Each section is weighted in the same proportion as the real exam, so nothing high-value is buried.
The 350-401 ENCOR exam has approximately 100 questions in 120 minutes. Use the practice questions to confirm you are consistently above that line before booking the real exam.
Read a domain, then immediately answer practice questions on it — recall is what moves knowledge into long-term memory. Start with Infrastructure, and finish with a mixed set so you practise switching between topics.
They cover the content, but reading alone is not enough. Answer practice questions for every domain and take a timed practice exam; the notes are most useful when you return to them after a wrong answer.