Study Guide on Automating and Programming Cisco Data Center Solutions (300-635 DCAUTO) Exam

The Cisco 300-635 DCAUTO certification focuses on automation and programmability within Cisco Data Center technologies, particularly Cisco ACI, NX-OS, and UCS environments. The exam covers fundamental knowledge of Cisco’s Unified Data Center Architecture and dives deep into key components such as the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC), Leaf and Spine switches in ACI, and the role of Cisco UCS with its management platforms including Cisco Intersight.

Central to the certification is understanding the ACI policy model, which uses tenants, bridge domains, and endpoint groups (EPGs) to logically segment and control network traffic. Mastery of the ACI object model and REST API is essential, enabling candidates to programmatically manage and automate network policies. The exam also emphasizes practical skills in NX-OS programmability, contrasting traditional CLI with modern NX-API REST and CLI methods, and highlights the importance of Python scripting alongside NETCONF and RESTCONF protocols.

Cisco UCS programmability is explored through UCS Manager’s XML APIs, Cisco Intersight’s cloud-based device management, and the use of Python SDKs and PowerTool for automation. Candidates learn how to automate workflows using DevOps and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Ansible and Terraform, integrating these with CI/CD pipelines and Git for streamlined operations.

Advanced scripting techniques cover data extraction, reporting, and building automation scripts across Cisco UCS, ACI, and NX-OS platforms. Monitoring and logging with telemetry, SNMP, and syslog integration into tools like Splunk and Grafana complete the skill set. Overall, the certification equips network professionals to automate and manage modern data center infrastructures efficiently.