Nokia NRS II Composite (4A0-C03) Exam

The Nokia Network Routing Specialist II (NRS II) certification has been developed on the foundational knowledge formed in the NRS I certification. The main aim of this certification is to provide candidates with a very strong foundation in the core area of Nokia service routing which includes – internet routing protocols, IP/MPLS networks, and delivering Nokia layer 2 and layer 3 services. This Service Routing Certification Program is Nokia’s one of the most important training and certification programs designed especially for IP networking and technical support for professionals. This certification has been developed to meet the needs of today’s advanced IP network and service environments. The NRS II Composite exam IS-IS version includes content from the four separate exams required for NRS II certification into a single exam. The four separate exams are :

Who should take the exam?

The candidates who are willing to pursue their career as a professional with Service Routing Architect are recommended to take this exam. This will benefit both the job seekers and employees who want to add on to their knowledge. This certification will equip you with the skills to work on Nokia Service Routing Architecture. Also, this is a merger of 4 individual exams, candidates who are willing to get an integrated certification should opt for Nokia Network Routing Specialist and Nokia Service Routing Architect.

Exam Details

The Nokia NRS II Composite (4A0-C03) Exam comprises a total of 70 questions. All the questions are either multiple-choice or multiple-response questions in which the candidates have to choose from a list of possible answers. The exam appointment duration is 165 minutes but the actual exam duration is 120 minutes. The extra 45 minutes duration is a tutorial on computer-based examinations for candidates. The examination fee is $375 USD. This exam is conducted in the English language. The candidates need to score 70% or more in order to pass the exam successfully. In total there are 4 exams for this certification.

Prerequisites for Nokia 4A0-C03 exam

The NRS II Composite Exam consists of content from four individual exams required for NRS II certification into an integrated exam. Therefore, a candidate should possess knowledge of all four courses as a prerequisite. These are-

Nokia IS-IS Routing Protocol
Nokia Border Gateway Protocol Fundamentals for Services
Nokia Multiprotocol Label Switching
Nokia Services Architecture

Course Outline

Understanding Nokia IS-IS Routing Protocol (4A0-112)

Content Overview

This is the first course among the four courses needed for the certification.

This course will determine the operation and use of the standards-based Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS) routing protocol.
Overview of IP routing and various methods available to populate the routing table.
A brief description of static routing, and IS-IS routing protocol in detail.
Overview of concepts covering route redistribution, route filtering, equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing, bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD), and IP fast re-route based on loop-free alternative (LFA) paths.
Configuring both IPv4 and IPv6 routing.
The main objective of this course is to develop knowledge and skills regarding operations of IS-IS, configuring and verifying complex networks with the help of IS-IS protocol among the candidates.

Content Objectives-

Upon completion of the exam, the candidates will be able to –

Describing the Internet Protocol (IP) addressing and forwarding process
Explaining precisely the difference between static routing and dynamic routing protocols
Identifying the common interior and exterior routing protocols
Describing the advantages of equal-cost multipath routing (ECMP)
Describing the route redistribution and route filtering
Explaining the major characteristics of link state routing protocols
Explaining the messages, adjacency states, and link state advertisements of IS-IS
Listing all the steps required to configure IS-IS for IPv4 and IPv6

Understanding Nokia Border Gateway Protocol Fundamentals for Services (4A0-114)

Content Overview-

This is the second course among the four courses needed for the certification.
Equips candidates with important BGP knowledge required for Nokia Services Architecture course, specifically in topics related to layer-3 VPN services.
Describing how MPL tunnels can be stitched together, having BGP advertising labels to IP prefixes.
Introduction of EVPN as an alternative choice to achieve VPN control signaling.
Fundamental concepts of BGP messages, peering sessions, path attributes as well as the list of criteria used by BGP by selecting the best route by advertising two or more routers of the same prefix.
Several address families supported by BGP in addition to the traditional IPv4 prefixes.

Content Objectives –

Describing the role of BGP
Describing how a BGP-capable router selects the best path if it receives more than one update describing the same address
Explaining how route policies can be used to modify the default behavior of a BGP speaker
Explaining that BGP was originally designed to exchange IPv4 prefixes only, but it was later extended to exchange other types of addresses as well
Listing some of the most important address families supported by BGP, including IPv4, IPv6, VPN-IPv4, VPN-IPv6, Label-IPv4, Label-IPv6, and EVPN
Explaining that iBGP peers typically require a full mesh of iBGP sessions, which is not a scalable approach
Describing the concept of route reflector and explain how it improves scalability by relaxing the full-mesh requirement

Understanding Nokia Multiprotocol Label Switching (4A0-103)

Content Overview –

This is the third course among the four courses needed for the certification.
Concepts of MPLS, terminology, and signaling protocols of LDP and Resource Reservation Protocol with Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE).
Discussion on control-plane and the data-plane behavior of the protocols.
Configuring and signaling intra-area and inter-area MPLS tunnels.
Approach of tunnel resiliency used by RSVP-TE and LDP.
Implementing, monitoring and basic troubleshooting of an MPLS network.

Content Objectives –

Explaining the fundamental concepts of MPLS technology, for example- forwarding equivalence classes (FECs), labels and label stacks, label distribution, LSPs and MPLS packet forwarding
Describing the structure of MPLS header and explaining the label operations of pop, push and swap
Explaining the working of LDP to distribute labels for FECs and establish LSPs
Describing traffic engineering and its benefits in an MPLS network
Identifying the traffic engineering extensions made to the IGP routing protocols and understanding its usage with CSPF to establish traffic engineered LSPs
Demonstrating how RSVP-TE is used to establish traffic engineered LSPs using RSVP signaling messages to distribute labels, specify constraints for the LSP and request LSP protection mechanisms
Describing the concept of a shared risk link group (SRLG) and how to use it in traffic engineering
Configuring an MPLS-based core network using LDP, RSVP-TE, and hierarchical network with the use of Inter-Area TE LSP
Mentioning the various LSP protection mechanisms (secondary/standby LSP, fast reroutes and LFA).
Configuring the RSVP-TE LSPs using each of the possible protection mechanisms
Describing MPLS for IP routing (MPLS shortcuts)
Configuring 6PE on a network of 7750 SRs
Understanding to manage, monitor and perform basic troubleshooting of LDP/RSVP-TE-established LSPs on the Nokia 7750 Service Router (SR) and Nokia 7450 Ethernet Service Switch (ESS)

Understanding Nokia Services Architecture (4A0-104)

Content Overview –

This is the last course among the four courses needed for the completion of Nokia 4A-C03 certification.
Introduction of Nokia’s implementation of service concept.
Steps taken to deploy virtual private network and residential services in a service provider’s MPLs network.
Various services supported in the Nokia service routing portfolio.
Overview of coupling of a layer-2 service with a layer-3 interface, which includes spoke termination of one service into another and routed VPLS.
Issues related to troubleshooting of service and debugging.
Concepts of service mirroring and service OAM commands.

Content Objectives-

Demonstrating a fundamental understanding of Nokia services
Difference between a service access point (SAP) and network ports
Defining service delivery point (SDP) and difference between mesh and spoke SDPs
Difference between transport tunnels and service tunnels
Understanding the implications of maximum transmission unit (MTU) size
Using the correct and appropriate OAM tools to analyze a configured system
Correct configuration of an Epipe service
Managing Epipe services given an existing infrastructure
Explaining the purpose and operation of a VPLS service.
Explaining the several types of SAP encapsulations and describe their behavior
Correct configuration of a VPLS service
Defining and configuring an Internet enhanced service (IES)
Configuring and verifying the operation of a remote and distributed mirror service
Identifying the protocols and technologies required for implementation of a VPRN service
Explaining the interaction between the control and data plane of a VPRN service
Configuring, verifying, and troubleshooting an IPv4 and IPv6 VPRN Service
Explaining the operation of a Routed VPLS Service

Registration Process for Nokia A40-C03 exam

Following are the steps to register for this exam.

The first step is to visit the Pearson Exam Registration.
Proceed to Signup/Login to the Pearson VUE account.
Search for the 4A0-C03 Exam and select it.
The final step is to select the Date, time, and confirm with the payment method.

Nokia A40-C03 Exam FAQs

Learn more about this exam and get all your doubts and queries resolved by clicking here.

Retake and Cancellation Policy

The retake policy for the Nokia 4A0-C03 is quite flexible. Once the candidate has given the exam, Nokia will receive the results from the test center approximately within 5-6 business days. When Nokia receives the results, it will notify back to the candidates with an acknowledgment of the result and post it on the Student Portal webpage. There is as such no waiting period for the candidates to retake the exam. To manage the exam, create an account in the student portal. Through this, the candidates can schedule, reschedule, or even cancel the exam according to their requirements. For more information, refer to the Nokia Learning and Service Written Exam Registration Guide.

Preparatory Guide for Nokia 4A0-C03

Getting certified for this exam is not that easy and requires a lot of focus, hard work, and determination. Also, it is important to put your efforts in the right direction and for that, you need an effective plan. To make your work easier, here is a well-planned, systematic format to help you reach your target. This study guide will give you an entire plan for your preparation including learning resources, practice tests, and more.

Visit the Official Site

Before starting the preparation, it is crucial that you gather all the relevant and important details, information regarding the exam. This should be the first step a candidate needs to take when preparing for this exam. The candidate should visit the official site of Nokia 4A0-C03 as it will contain the most authentic information. This site will provide you with all the latest updates about the exam and all the important exam guidelines. This also includes the resources you will need to prepare for the exam such as sample papers, online documentation, e-resources, access to online and classroom training programs. Most of these are provided free of cost and some might charge you. Don’t forget to visit the website or lose out any important information.

Learning resources for exam preparation

Courses and Course materials

Nokia provides module-wise courses and study material for the same to prepare for the exam. These are-

Nokia IS-IS Routing Protocol (Module-1)

Go through this course for module 1. This will provide you with all the information in a very detailed version including a description of each and every topic covered in the module, course overview, course objectives, sample course with self-paced learning.

For the same go through-

Module 2 course material

Module 3 course material

Module 4 course material

Nokia A40-C03 Training Program

Nokia has provided access to a training program for candidates seeking the certification exam. This training program includes-

Instructor-Led Training

Nokia has provided an opportunity for candidates with instructor-led training programs. Enrolling in these will develop your skills with the help of hands-on training provided by experts and professionals. These are self-paced learning and also have remote lab access.

Self-Paced Training

This is one of Nokia’s self-paced learning tool kits. These have all the course material and content that you obtain from a classroom-led delivery and are useful to prepare for your exam. These have the following content-

Course lecture material
Lecture notes
Module learning assessments
Student lab guide

The candidates also have access to –

Printing sections of the content.
Having access on up to 6 different devices.

Self-Study Bundles and E-Books

Go through self-study bundles

Nokia provides the candidates with e-books to prepare for their SRA certification. These include-

Course Lecture Material
Pre- and Post-chapter Assessment Questions
Lab Exercises (complete using My SR Lab)
Chapter Reviews
Practice Written Exam Questions

Nokia Online Forum and Student Portal

Join the online community and forums by Nokia. This is the best platform to have group discussions and get all your doubts cleared. There are many other students who are preparing for the same and discussing and having a brainstorming session. These discussions will boost up your confidence and help you face the competitive environment.

Practice Tests

With all the mentioned, recommended learning resources, model test papers, workbooks, your last but not the least step towards your preparation should be taking as many practice tests as you can. Start preparing with Testprep Training. You will get access to Free Practice Tests. Attempt and practice as many times as you can. This will boost up your confidence, reduce your exam anxiety, and get you familiar with the exam environment.