Well it looks like there isn’t going to be any “real” changes to the R&S CCIE lab coming anytime soon. The only changes discussed here at Networkers will be the possibility of having Frame Relay pre-configured. Although Frame Relay could be pre-configured for basic connectivity it does not mean you couldn’t still be asked to configure various Frame Relay features: FR traffic shaping, FR end-to-end keepalives, etc.

The good news about the hardware is that it’s not going to change. You can still expect to see six routers, four switches and three backbone routers. The routers will remain 3825s and 3725s. The switches will also stay the same (3560s and 3550s). This means that Dynamips will continue to be a solution for the foreseeable future.

Security Candidates,

As we speak I’m sitting in the CCIE Security Techtorial led by Yusuf Bhaiji, the CCIE Security Program Manager. The verdict is in… changes are coming for the CCIE Security Lab Exam! I will be making a more detailed post later today about the changes, but in a nutshell the following changes are coming:

• PIX Firewall - Removed
• VPN 3000 Concentrator - Removed
• New Routers - 3800s running 12.4T
• New Switches - 3560s running 12.2(x)SE
• New ASA Software - Version 8.x
• IPS 4215 Replaced With IPS 4240
• New IPS Software - Version 6.x

MARS and NAC Appliance are still possible but not official yet. Since the announcement is not “official” yet the timeframe for the change is still more than 6 months out.

Keep an eye on the blog as a more detailed breakdown will be coming shortly.