Introduction
The Implementing Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies (CLCOR 350-801) exam is the required “core” exam for the CCNP Collaboration and CCIE Collaboration certifications. If you pass the CLCOR 350-801 exam, you also obtain the Cisco Certified Specialist–Collaboration Core certification. This exam covers core Collaboration technologies including infrastructure and design; protocols, codecs, and endpoints; Cisco IOS XE gateways and media resources; call control; QoS; and Collaboration applications.
Tip
You can review the exam blueprint from the Cisco website at https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccnp-collaboration-cert/clcor/exam-topics.
This book gives you the foundation and covers the topics necessary to start your CCNP Collaboration or CCIE Collaboration journey.
The CCNP Collaboration Certification
The CCNP Collaboration certification is one of the industry’s most-respected certifications. To earn the CCNP Collaboration certification, you must pass two exams: the CLCOR exam covered in this book (which covers core Collaboration technologies) and one Collaboration concentration exam of your choice, so you can customize your certification to your technical area of focus.
Tip
The CLCOR core exam is also the qualifying exam for the CCIE Collaboration certification. Passing this exam is the first step toward earning both of these certifications.
The following are the CCNP Collaboration concentration exams:
Implementing Cisco Collaboration Applications (CLICA 300-810)
Implementing Cisco Advanced Call Control and Mobility Services (CLACCM 300-815)
Implementing Cisco Collaboration Cloud and Edge Solutions (CLCEI 300-820)
Automating and Programming Cisco Collaboration Solutions (CLAUTO 300-835)
Tip
CCNP Collaboration now includes automation and programmability to help you scale and customize your Collaboration infrastructure. If you pass the Automating and Programming Cisco Collaboration Solutions (CLAUTO 300-835) exam, the CLCOR 350-801 exam, and the Developing Applications Using Cisco Core Platforms and APIs (DEVCOR 350-901) exam, you will achieve the CCNP Collaboration and DevNet Professional certifications with only three exams. Every exam earns an individual Specialist certification, allowing you to get recognized for each of your accomplishments, instead of waiting until you pass all the exams.
There are no formal prerequisites for CCNP Collaboration. In other words, you do not have to pass the CCNA Collaboration or any other certifications in order to take CCNP-level exams. The same goes for the CCIE exams. On the other hand, CCNP candidates often have three to five years of experience in IT and Collaboration.
Cisco considers ideal candidates to be those who possess the following:
Working knowledge of fundamental terms of computer networking, including LANs, WANs, switching, and routing
Basics of digital interfaces, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), and Voice over IP (VoIP)
Fundamental knowledge of converged voice and data networks and Cisco Unified Communications Manager deployment
The CCIE Collaboration Certification
The CCIE Collaboration certification is one of the most admired and elite certifications in the industry. The CCIE Collaboration program prepares you to be a recognized technical leader. To earn the CCIE Collaboration certification, you must pass the CLCOR 350-801 exam and an eight-hour, hands-on lab exam. The lab exam covers very complex Collaboration network scenarios. These scenarios range from designing through deploying, operating, and optimizing Collaboration solutions.
Cisco considers ideal candidates to be those who have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing Collaboration technologies and solutions prior to taking the exam. Additionally, candidates will need to
Understand capabilities of different technologies, solutions, and services
Translate customer requirements into solutions
Assess readiness to support proposed solutions
Deploy a Cisco Collaboration solution
Operate and optimize a Cisco Collaboration solution
The Exam Objectives (Domains)
The Implementing Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies v1.0 (CLCOR 350-801) exam is broken down into six major domains. The contents of this book cover each of the domains and the subtopics included in them as illustrated in the following descriptions.
The following table breaks down each of the domains represented in the exam:
Domain |
Percentage of Representation in Exam |
|---|---|
1: Infrastructure in Design |
20% |
2: Protocols, Codecs, and Endpoints |
20% |
3: Cisco IOS XE Gateway and Media Resources |
15% |
4: Call Control |
25% |
5: QoS |
10% |
6: Collaboration Applications |
10% |
The following topics are general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the exam; however, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam. To better reflect the contents of the exam and for clarity purposes, the following guidelines might change at any time without notice. Here are the details of each domain and where the exam objectives are covered in the book:
Domain 1: Infrastructure and Design |
Chapter(s) Where This Is Covered |
|---|---|
1.1 Describe the key design elements of the following, pertaining to the Cisco Collaboration architecture as described in the SRND/PA |
Chapters 6, 9, 13 |
1.1.a Licensing (Smart, Flex) |
|
1.1.b Sizing |
|
1.1.c Bandwidth |
|
1.1.d High availability |
|
1.1.e Disaster recovery |
|
1.1.f Dial plan |
|
1.1.g Security (certificates, SRTP, TLS) |
|
1.1.h QoS |
|
1.2 Describe the purpose of Edge devices in the Cisco Collaboration architecture such as Expressway and Cisco Unified Border Element |
Chapters 20, 21, 22 |
1.3 Configure these network components to support Cisco Collaboration solutions |
Chapters 12, 13, 14, 22 |
1.3.a DHCP |
|
1.3.b NTP |
|
1.3.c CDP |
|
1.3.d LLDP |
|
1.3.e LDAP |
|
1.3.f TFTP |
|
1.3.g Certificates |
|
1.4 Troubleshoot these network components in a Cisco Collaboration solution |
|
1.4.a DNS (A/AAA, SRV, Reverse Pointer Record (PTR)) |
|
1.4.b NTP |
|
1.4.c LDAP integration on Cisco Unified Communications Manager |
Chapters 16, 28, 29 |
1.5 Explain these components to support Cisco Collaboration solutions |
|
1.5.a SNMP |
|
1.5.b DNS |
|
Domain 2: Protocols, Codecs, and Endpoints |
Chapter(s) Where This Is Covered |
2.1 Troubleshoot these elements of a SIP conversation |
|
2.1.a Call set up and tear down |
|
2.1.b SDP |
|
2.1.c DTMF |
|
2.2 Identify the appropriate collaboration codecs for a given scenario |
Chapters 2, 3, 15 |
2.3 Configure codec negotiations |
|
2.4 Deploy SIP endpoints |
Chapters 5, 9, 17 |
2.4.a Manual |
|
2.4.b Self provisioning |
|
2.4.c Bulk Administration Tool (BAT) |
|
2.5 Troubleshoot collaboration endpoints |
|
Domain 3: Cisco IOS XE Gateway and Media Resources |
Chapter(s) Where This Is Covered |
3.1 Configure these voice gateway elements |
|
3.1.a DTMF |
|
3.1.b Voice translation rules and profiles |
|
3.1.c Codec preference list |
|
3.1.d Dial peers |
|
3.2 Configure ISDN PRI/BRI |
|
3.3 Troubleshoot ISDN PRI/BRI |
|
3.4 Configure and verify the MGCP |
|
3.5 Identify the appropriate media resources for a given scenario (hardware and software) |
|
Domain 4: Call Control |
Chapter(s) Where This Is Covered |
4.1 Describe the Cisco Unified Communications Manager digit analysis process |
|
4.2 Implement toll fraud prevention on Cisco Unified CM |
|
4.3 Configure globalized call routing in Cisco Unified CM |
|
4.3.a Route patterns (traditional and +E.164 format) |
|
4.3.b Translation patterns |
|
4.3.c Standard local route group |
|
4.3.d Transforms |
|
4.3.e SIP route patterns |
|
4.4 Describe Mobile and Remote Access (MRA) |
|
Domain 5: QoS |
Chapter(s) Where This Is Covered |
5.1 Describe problems that can lead to poor voice and video quality |
|
5.1.a Latency |
|
5.1.b Jitter |
|
5.1.c Packet loss |
|
5.1.d Bandwidth |
|
5.2 Describe the QoS requirements for these application types (voice and video) |
|
5.3 Describe the class models for providing QoS on a network |
|
5.3.a 4/5 Class model |
|
5.3.b 8 Class model |
|
5.3.c QoS Baseline model (11 Class) |
|
5.4 Describe the purpose and function of these DiffServ values as it pertains to collaboration |
|
5.4.a EF |
|
5.4.b AF41 |
|
5.4.c AF42 |
|
5.4.d CS3 |
|
5.4.e CS4 |
|
5.5 Describe QoS trust boundaries and their significance in LAN-based classification and marking |
|
5.6 Describe and determine location-based CAC bandwidth requirements |
|
5.7 Configure and verify LLQ (class map, policy map, service policy) |
|
Domain 6: Collaboration Applications |
Chapter(s) Where This Is Covered |
6.1 Configure Cisco Unity Connection mailbox and MWI |
|
6.2 Configure Cisco Unity Connection SIP integration options to call control |
|
6.3 Describe Cisco Unity Connection call handlers |
|
6.4 Describe Cisco Unified IM&P protocols and deployment |
|
6.4.a XMPP |
|
6.4.b High availability |
|
6.5 Deploy Cisco Jabber on premises |
Steps to Becoming a CCNP Collaboration Certified Engineer
To become a CCNP Collaboration Certified Engineer, you must first take and pass the CLCOR 350-801 exam. Passing this exam alone will automatically earn the Cisco Certified Specialist–Collaboration Core certification. All Cisco certification exams are managed by the Pearson Vue testing organization. Use the following steps to sign up for your Cisco exam.
Signing Up for the Exam
The steps required to sign up for the CCNP Collaboration CLCOR exam are as follows:
Navigate to https://home.pearsonvue.com/, select the For Test Takers drop-down list, and then select Schedule an Exam.
In the Start Here: Select Your Program box, enter Cisco and then select the Cisco Systems option that appears.
To schedule a Cisco exam, you must first have a CCO ID you created on the Cisco website. Then you must create a Pearson Vue login and link it to the CCO ID. After all this is created, you must sign in to the Pearson Vue site to schedule the exam. Click Sign in from the column on the right side of the screen and enter your login credentials.
Two types of exams are available: proctored exams and unproctored online exams. All Cisco certifications use only proctored exams. After logging in, click the Proctored Exams button.
In the Find an Exam box, enter 350-801 and then click the 350-801: Implementing Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies name when it appears. Click Go to proceed to the next screen.
Continue to follow the steps on the screen. You will need to select a testing center, date, and time to take the exam. A schedule of available times for the testing center you select is visible from this site. You will also need to provide payment for the exam you’re scheduling. The CLCOR 350-801 exam costs $400 USD.
Facts About the Exam
The exam is a computer-based test. It consists of multiple-choice questions only. To take the test, you must bring two forms of ID; one must be a government-issued identification card with a photo. The second can be any official ID with your name on it, such as a Social Security card, employee ID card, or credit card, as long as it has your signature on it.
About the CCNP CLCOR 350-801 Cert Guide
Although this book does not map sequentially to the topic areas of the exam, all topic areas on the exam are covered in this book. This book cannot contain the personal experience and hands-on exposure to the equipment needed to answer some of the questions that may be asked in the exam. However, it was my intent to write this book in a manner that provides a slow buildup to the technologies that are being tested so that you will not only be better prepared to pass the test but also develop a solid understanding of the underlying technologies examined in this book. This book also uses a number of features to help you understand the topics and prepare for the exam.
Objectives and Methods
This book uses several key methodologies to help you discover the exam topics on which you need more review, help you fully understand and remember those details, and help you prove to yourself that you have retained your knowledge of those topics. This book does not try to help you pass the exam only by memorization; it seeks to help you to truly learn and understand the topics. This book is designed to help you pass the CCNP CLCOR 350-801 exam by using the following methods:
Helping you discover which exam topics you have not mastered
Providing explanations and information to fill in your knowledge gaps
Supplying exercises that enhance your ability to recall and deduce the answers to test questions
Providing practice exercises on the topics and the testing process via test questions on the companion website
Book Features
To help you customize your study time using this book, the core chapters have several features that help you make the best use of your time:
Foundation Topics: These are the core sections of each chapter. They explain the concepts for the topics in that chapter.
Exam Preparation Tasks: After the “Foundation Topics” section of each chapter, the “Exam Preparation Tasks” section lists a series of study activities that you should do at the end of the chapter:
Review All Key Topics: The Key Topic icon appears next to the most important items in the “Foundation Topics” section of the chapter. The Review All Key Topics activity lists the key topics from the chapter, along with their page numbers. Although the contents of the entire chapter could be on the exam, you should definitely know the information listed in each key topic, so you should review these areas.
Define Key Terms: Although the CLCOR exam may be unlikely to ask a question such as “Define this term,” the exam does require that you learn and know a lot of terminology. This section lists the most important terms from the chapter, asking you to write a short definition and compare your answer to the glossary at the end of the book.
Complete Memory Tables: Open Appendix C from the book’s website and print the entire thing or print the tables by major part. Then complete the tables.
Review Command References: For some of the chapters that are a little more CLI-intensive, it’s useful to have a working familiarity with some of the related command functions and generated output so that you don’t have to hesitate too much during the exam when encountering a question related to commands.
Review Questions: Confirm that you understand the content that you just covered by answering these questions and reading the answer explanations.
Web-Based Practice Exam: The companion website includes the Pearson Test Prep practice test engine that enables you to take practice exams. Use it to prepare with a sample exam and to pinpoint topics where you need more study.
How This Book Is Organized
This book contains 31 core chapters. Chapter 32 includes preparation tips and suggestions for how to approach the exam. Each core chapter covers a subset of the topics on the CCNP CLCOR 350-801 exam. The core chapters map to the CCNP CLCOR 350-801 exam topic areas and cover the concepts and technologies that you will encounter on the exam. Refer back to the exam objective/chapter mapping table as a reference to see which objectives are covered in which chapters.
The Companion Website for Online Content Review
All the electronic review elements, as well as other electronic components of the book, exist on this book’s companion website.
To access the companion website, which gives you access to the electronic content with this book, start by establishing a login at www.ciscopress.com and register your book.
To do so, simply go to www.ciscopress.com/register and enter the ISBN of the print book: 9780136412595. After you have registered your book, go to your account page and click the Registered Products tab. From there, click the Access Bonus Content link to get access to the book’s companion website.
Note that if you buy the Premium Edition eBook and Practice Test version of this book from Cisco Press, your book will automatically be registered on your account page. Simply go to your account page, click the Registered Products tab, and select Access Bonus Content to access the book’s companion website.
Please note that many of our companion content files can be very large, especially image and video files.
If you are unable to locate the files for this title by following the preceding steps, please visit www.pearsonITcertification.com/contact and select the Site Problems/Comments option. Our customer service representatives will assist you.
How to Access the Pearson Test Prep (PTP) App
You have two options for installing and using the Pearson Test Prep application: a web app and a desktop app. To use the Pearson Test Prep application, start by finding the registration code that comes with the book. You can find the code in these ways:
Print book: Look in the cardboard sleeve in the back of the book for a piece of paper with your book’s unique PTP code.
Premium Edition: If you purchase the Premium Edition eBook and Practice Test directly from the Cisco Press website, the code will be populated on your account page after purchase. Just log in at www.ciscopress.com, click Account to see details of your account, and click the Digital Purchases tab.
Amazon Kindle: For those who purchase a Kindle edition from Amazon, the access code will be supplied directly from Amazon.
Other Bookseller eBooks: Note that if you purchase an eBook version from any other source, the practice test is not included because other vendors to date have not chosen to vend the required unique access code.
Note
Do not lose the activation code because it is the only means with which you can access the QA content with the book.
Once you have the access code, to find instructions about both the PTP web app and the desktop app, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open this book’s companion website, as was shown earlier in this Introduction under the heading “The Companion Website for Online Content Review.”
Step 2. Click the Practice Exams button.
Step 3. Follow the instructions listed there both for installing the desktop app and for using the web app.
Note that if you want to use the web app only at this point, just navigate to www.pearsontestprep.com, establish a free login if you do not already have one, and register this book’s practice tests using the registration code you just found. The process should take only a couple of minutes.
Note
Amazon eBook (Kindle) customers: It is easy to miss Amazon’s email that lists your PTP access code. Soon after you purchase the Kindle eBook, Amazon should send an email. However, the email uses very generic text and makes no specific mention of PTP or practice exams. To find your code, read every email from Amazon after you purchase the book. Also do the usual checks for ensuring your email arrives like checking your spam folder.
Note
Other eBook customers: As of the time of publication, only the publisher and Amazon supply PTP access codes when you purchase their eBook editions of this book.
Customizing Your Exams
Once you are in the exam settings screen, you can choose to take exams in one of three modes:
Study mode: Allows you to fully customize your exams and review answers as you are taking the exam. This is typically the mode you would use first to assess your knowledge and identify information gaps.
Practice Exam mode: Locks certain customization options, as it is presenting a realistic exam experience. Use this mode when you are preparing to test your exam readiness.
Flash Card mode: Strips out the answers and presents you with only the question stem. This mode is great for late-stage preparation when you really want to challenge yourself to provide answers without the benefit of seeing multiple-choice options. This mode does not provide the detailed score reports that the other two modes do, so you should not use it if you are trying to identify knowledge gaps.
In addition to these three modes, you will be able to select the source of your questions. You can choose to take exams that cover all of the chapters, or you can narrow your selection to just a single chapter or the chapters that make up specific parts in the book. All chapters are selected by default. If you want to narrow your focus to individual chapters, simply deselect all the chapters and then select only those on which you wish to focus in the Objectives area.
You can also select the exam banks on which to focus. Each exam bank comes complete with a full exam of questions that cover topics in every chapter. You can have the test engine serve up exams from all test banks or just from one individual bank by selecting the desired banks in the exam bank area.
There are several other customizations you can make to your exam from the exam settings screen, such as the time of the exam, the number of questions served up, whether to randomize questions and answers, whether to show the number of correct answers for multiple-answer questions, and whether to serve up only specific types of questions. You can also create custom test banks by selecting only questions that you have marked or questions on which you have added notes.
Updating Your Exams
If you are using the online version of the Pearson Test Prep practice test software, you should always have access to the latest version of the software as well as the exam data. If you are using the Windows desktop version, every time you launch the software while connected to the Internet, it checks whether there are any updates to your exam data and automatically downloads any changes that were made since the last time you used the software.
Sometimes, due to many factors, the exam data may not fully download when you activate your exam. If you find that figures or exhibits are missing, you may need to manually update your exams. To update a particular exam you have already activated and downloaded, simply click the Tools tab and click the Update Products button. Again, this is an issue only with the desktop Windows application.
If you wish to check for updates to the Pearson Test Prep exam engine software, Windows desktop version, simply click the Tools tab and click the Update Application button. This ensures that you are running the latest version of the software engine.