300-630 · ● Active · Professional · Cisco
Exam facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | $300 USD |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Questions | 55–65 |
| Passing | ~750/1000 (70% estimated) |
| Format | Multiple choice, multiple select, drag-and-drop, simulations |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE |
| Languages | English |
| Valid | 3 years |
| Renewal | Pass any CCNP Data Center concentration or professional-level exam |
| Prerequisites | CCNP Data Center qualification exam (350-601 DCCOR) recommended |
| Released | 2019 |
| Retiring | N/A (active) |
Vendor source — Cisco DCACIA ↗
Official exam guide — Exam topics v1.1 ↗
Cisco Learning Network — DCACIA Exam Topics ↗
About
The 300-630 DCACIA is the advanced concentration exam for the CCNP Data Center certification. This exam is a companion to the 300-620 DCACI (associate-level ACI exam) and targets network engineers, data center architects, and SDN specialists working with advanced Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure implementations. It validates expertise in multi-site ACI deployments, orchestration, automation, and enterprise-scale fabric management using Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator and APIC controllers.
Domain context — Data Center / SDN
Policy-based data center networking using Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). Multi-tenant SDN fabric management via APIC (Application Policy Infrastructure Controller), Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator, and Nexus 9000 Series switches in ACI mode. Focus on enterprise deployments spanning multiple sites, external routing, service graph integration, and infrastructure automation.
Topics covered
The 300-630 exam blueprint covers the following major topic areas:
-
ACI Packet Forwarding (~15%)
- VxLAN encapsulation and packet flow within the fabric
- Role of spine and leaf switches
- Forwarding tables and lookup mechanisms
- Server NIC teaming and endpoint learning optimization
- Intra-pod and inter-pod forwarding (multi-pod architecture)
-
Advanced ACI Policies and Integrations (~20%)
- Tenant policies, application profiles, and endpoint groups
- Contracts, filters, and policy rules
- Layer 4–7 policy-based redirect and service graphs
- VMM integration (vSphere, Hyper-V, OpenStack)
- Kubernetes integration and container networking
- Configuration of advanced policy models
-
External Connectivity and Routing (~20%)
- L3Out configuration for external BGP and OSPF peering
- VRF route leaking and inter-VRF communication
- OSPF, BGP, EIGRP external routing protocols
- Layer 2 external connectivity (transit routing)
- Route summarization and redistribution in multi-site
- External endpoints and border leaf configurations
-
Multi-Pod and Multi-Site ACI (~20%)
- Multi-pod fabric architecture and inter-pod network (IPN)
- Spine-to-spine peering and super-spine topologies
- Multi-site implementation using Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO)
- Stretched VRFs, contracts, and policies across sites
- Multi-site tunnel setup and LISP control plane
- Traffic forwarding between pods and sites
- Disaster recovery and redundancy in multi-site
-
ACI REST API and Automation (~10%)
- APIC REST API structure and authentication
- Python and Ansible for ACI automation
- Terraform for infrastructure-as-code (IaC)
- API-based policy configuration and management
- Script development for fabric operations
- Integration with CI/CD pipelines
-
APIC Administration and Operations (~10%)
- APIC high availability and backup/restore
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Monitoring, telemetry, and dashboards
- Fabric health and fault reporting
- Firmware upgrades and fabric maintenance
- Certificate management and security
- Logging and syslog configuration
-
ACI Troubleshooting (~5%)
- Contract troubleshooting and policy validation
- Fabric health checks and diagnostics
- Endpoint and bridge domain troubleshooting
- Connectivity issues in multi-site deployments
- Common misconfigurations and resolution
- Packet capture and flow analysis in ACI
Common job-ready skills
- Configure and manage advanced ACI policies, contracts, and service graphs
- Design and deploy multi-site ACI fabrics using Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator
- Implement external connectivity (L3Out, BGP/OSPF) for traditional network integration
- Automate ACI operations using REST API, Python, Ansible, and Terraform
- Troubleshoot ACI fabric issues, endpoint reachability, and policy enforcement
- Manage APIC controllers in high-availability clusters with proper security and RBAC
- Integrate ACI with virtualization platforms (vSphere, Hyper-V) and container orchestrators (Kubernetes)
- Optimize ACI packet forwarding, VxLAN encapsulation, and multi-pod routing
Recommended courses
Cisco Official Training
- DCACIA — Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure – Advanced (instructor-led and digital)
- DCCOR — Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (prerequisite foundation)
- DCIT — Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (associate-level foundation)
Digital Learning & Self-Paced
- Cisco Learning Network on-demand videos
- Global Knowledge — DCACIA instructor-led and virtual labs
- FastLane — DCACIA bootcamp and hands-on training
Third-Party Training
- Udemy — ACI advanced courses with hands-on labs
- INE (Instructor-led Network Engineering) — CCNP Data Center tracks
- Pluralsight — Cisco ACI and data center networking paths
Practice exams
- ExamTopics — Free and premium DCACIA practice questions with community discussions
- NWExam.com — DCACIA sample questions and full-length practice exams
- PrepAway — Official Cisco exam prep bundles with practice tests
- Udemy — DCACIA practice exam bundles from certified instructors
- Cert Empire — Updated practice questions aligned with v1.1 exam blueprint
- DumpsArena / DumpsPedia — Exam dumps and question banks (use with caution for study only)
Books
- Cisco Press — "Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure" (2nd edition, covers DCACIA)
- Cisco Press — "ACI Administrative Essentials" — APIC management and operations
- Cisco Learning Network — Official DCACIA Exam Certification Guide (ECG)
- O'Reilly — "Cisco ACI: How to Succeed in the Exam" — intermediate and advanced topics
Job titles
- ACI Engineer / Senior ACI Engineer
- Cisco Data Center Network Engineer
- SDN Architect / Infrastructure Architect
- Network Solutions Architect (Data Center)
- Cloud Infrastructure Engineer (ACI focus)
- Data Center Automation Engineer
- Nexus/ACI Implementation Specialist
- Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineer – ACI
Salary
United States (USD)
| Level | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (CCNP DC) | $85,000 | $110,000 | $135,000 |
| Mid (2–5 yrs) | $110,000 | $147,461 | $165,000 |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | $135,000 | $180,000 | $225,000 |
Data source: ZipRecruiter, Salary.com, PayScale (2026 estimates)
South Africa (ZAR)
| Level | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (CCNP DC) | 1,530,000 | 1,980,000 | 2,430,000 |
| Mid (2–5 yrs) | 1,980,000 | 2,654,298 | 2,970,000 |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | 2,430,000 | 3,240,000 | 4,050,000 |
Conversion: ZAR 18 × USD (approximate)
United Kingdom (GBP)
| Level | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (CCNP DC) | £65,000 | £85,000 | £105,000 |
| Mid (2–5 yrs) | £85,000 | £115,000 | £135,000 |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | £105,000 | £145,000 | £180,000 |
European Union (EUR)
| Level | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (CCNP DC) | €72,000 | €97,000 | €120,000 |
| Mid (2–5 yrs) | €97,000 | €130,000 | €155,000 |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | €120,000 | €160,000 | €210,000 |
Australia (AUD)
| Level | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (CCNP DC) | $125,000 | $165,000 | $205,000 |
| Mid (2–5 yrs) | $165,000 | $225,000 | $270,000 |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | $205,000 | $280,000 | $350,000 |
Regional variations: Major tech hubs (Sydney, Melbourne) command 10–15% premium; regional areas 5–10% discount.
Skills validated
- Policy-based networking — Advanced contract modeling, service graphs, and Layer 4–7 integration
- Multi-tenant isolation — RBAC, VRF separation, and security policy enforcement
- Fabric scalability — Multi-pod and multi-site architectures with Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator
- External routing integration — L3Out, BGP, OSPF, and seamless legacy network integration
- Infrastructure automation — API-driven configuration using Python, Ansible, Terraform, and custom scripts
- High-availability management — APIC clustering, backup/restore, firmware upgrades, and zero-downtime operations
- Troubleshooting expertise — Contract enforcement, endpoint reachability, multi-site routing, and fabric health diagnostics
Related certifications
- 300-620 DCACI — Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (associate-level ACI)
- 350-601 DCCOR — Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (CCNP DC qualifying exam)
- 300-635 DCOPS — Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Automation and Orchestration (CCNP DC concentration)
- 300-410 ENARSI — Implementing Cisco Enterprise Advanced Routing and Services (CCNP Enterprise concentration)
- CCIE Data Center — Expert-level certification (written + lab)
- VMware VCP-DCV — VMware Data Center Virtualization (complementary hypervisor certification)
- Red Hat Certified Specialist (Kubernetes) — Container orchestration integration (optional)
Sources & further reading
- Cisco 300-630 Exam Syllabus — NWExam ↗
- DCACIA Exam Topics v1.1 PDF — Cisco Learning Content ↗
- DCACIA Exam Topics — Cisco Learning Network ↗
- CCNP Data Center Salary (March 2026) — ZipRecruiter ↗
- CCNP Engineer Salary (April 2026) — Salary.com ↗
- CCNP Data Center Info — Field Engineer ↗
- DCACIA Course — Global Knowledge ↗
- DCACIA Course — FastLane MEA ↗
- DCACIA Practice Exam — ExamTopics ↗
Last verified: 2026-05-02
Status: Active, no retirement date announced
Next update: Monitor Cisco Learning Network for exam blueprint updates (v1.2 or higher)