After many months of development, INE is happy to announce that our CCIE Data Center Technology Lab Workbook is now available! The initial release of the workbook contains over 100 hands-on lab scenarios that walk you through the technologies used in Cisco’s modern Data Center architecture. Whether you are preparing for the CCIE Data Center Lab Exam, have an upcoming implementation project with Cisco’s Nexus switches or Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS), or you simply want to gain hands-on experience with these cutting-edge technologies, this workbook is for you.

The labs in this workbook are all individually focused advanced technology labs that present topics in an easy-to-follow, goal-oriented, step-by-step approach. Every scenario features detailed breakdowns and thorough verifications to help you completely understand the technology. The workbook is subdivided into two sections, Nexus Technology Labs and UCS Technology Labs. A sample of the Nexus Technology Labs can be found here, and a sample of the UCS Technology Labs can be found here. The workbook is priced at $399, and can be purchased here.

This workbook is also the first to use INE’s new online content delivery system, which will continue to evolve over the next few weeks to add new features as well as additional content. Ultimately this new content delivery system will be extended to all workbooks and tracks, i.e. R&S, Service Provider, Security, Voice, Wireless, etc. We encourage all users to submit feedback not only on the technical nature of the content but also about the usability of the system. To do so use the “Feedback” link in the bottom right portion of the page of each lab, as seen below:

The rack rental scheduler for Data Center will appear on Wednesday for public beta bookings.  We've already been piloting both the workbook and the rack rentals in private beta for a few weeks, but this week we will be releasing the racks in public beta.  Basically what this means is that if you are a workbook customer you will be able to book DC rack sessions for free.  The goal during the beta period is to get feedback from our customers on the usability of the system as well as to fine-tune our automation system.  Once public beta is completed in about a week or two then the rack scheduler will be available for public consumption.

During this next week a lot of additional content will be added to the Nexus section of the workbook, including the OTV and FabricPath sections just to name a few, which are currently in final editing.  As I mentioned this is initial release of both the workbook and the new content system, so we are encouraging users to submit as much feedback as possible on it.  I will be posting a more detailed overview of the content system later this week along with some videos that walk through the specific features that are available, and the ones that are in development and are slated for upcoming release.

Thanks, and happy labbing!