Cisco Certified Design Associate Certification

The CCDA is affiliated with one of the two entry-level certifications, i.e. the Network Engineering and Design track. For CCDA to be operative it is not imperative to acquire CCNA, but one cannot ignore what Cisco states that, "knowledge and skills to install, configure and operate small networks", are needed. So, according to the best authority on the subject Cisco, it is maintained that one should obtain CCNA prior to obtaining the CCDA certification. CCNA and BCMSN level knowledge are needed for the preparation of CCDA certification examinations.

To perform basic design and network engineering for the small-office/home-office (SOHO) market, CCDAs contain the very matter to do so. Routed and switched networks that include LAN, WAN and remote-access services for networks with less than 100 nodes, are designed by the CCDAs. To have an entry-level credential, a CCDA is nice to have rather than the fact that it is set in stone to obtain it necessarily, and it should be deemed as stepping forward to the point of gaining Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP) and higher-level certifications.

The CCDA examination is known as #640-863. Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESGN), and passing its single exam is sufficient to obtain it. Cisco recommends that candidates take the Cisco Certified Network Associate Basics (CCNAB) class in addition to the CCDA. This class can be omitted only if CCNA is obtained before attempting the CCDA.

A CCDA certification is held void after three years of passing it. If it is wanted for it to remain valid, it must be recertified at the Professional level or the respective exam taken at the time of invalidity, since it's a single set of examinations, in the first place.