Cisco 300-610 DCID Data Center Design Practice Exam
Cover the full 300-610 blueprint — network design (the heaviest domain, now including AI/ML fabrics), compute design, storage network design, and automation design — with objective-mapped questions, immediate feedback in Learn mode, and full timed simulation in Exam mode.
Start 24-hour free trial →300-610 exam at a glance
- Vendor
- Cisco
- Exam code
- 300-610 (DCID)
- Full name
- Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure for Traditional and AI Workloads
- Level
- Professional
- Blueprint
- v1.2 (reshaped for traditional and AI/ML workloads)
- Duration
- 90 minutes
- Role in CCNP
- CCNP Data Center concentration exam — pair with the DCCOR 350-601 core to earn CCNP Data Center
- Also earns
- Cisco Certified Specialist – Data Center Design
- Domains
- Four, with published weights (see below); they sum to 100%
- Prerequisites
- None formally required; three to five years of data-center experience is typical
- Delivery
- Pearson VUE; test center or online proctored
- Scoring
- Scaled score; Cisco does not publish a fixed public cut score. Confirm on Cisco’s page
Sources: Cisco — DCID (300-610) exam page · Cisco Learning Network — DCID exam topics. Verify current details with Cisco before scheduling.
About the Cisco 300-610 DCID exam
The 300-610 DCID exam validates the skills to design Cisco data-center infrastructure across network, compute, storage, and automation — and, in the v1.2 refresh, to design for both traditional and AI/ML workloads. It is a Professional-level exam. For how certification exams work generally, see the certification study guides in our Learning Hub.
DCID is a CCNP Data Center concentration exam. To earn CCNP Data Center you pass two exams: the DCCOR 350-601 core (Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies) plus one concentration of your choice — DCID being the design-focused option. Passing DCID on its own also earns the Cisco Certified Specialist – Data Center Design credential. Related concentrations include DCIT troubleshooting (300-615) and DCACI ACI implementation (300-620).
Every PowerKram practice question maps to one of the four weighted domains and links to Cisco’s own exam material, so a weak spot becomes a specific study step rather than a guess.
300-610 exam domains and weights (v1.2)
Cisco publishes four weighted domains for the 300-610 exam, and they sum to 100%. Network Design is by far the heaviest, and in v1.2 it carries the new AI/ML networking content — so start there. Confirm the current weights on Cisco’s exam topics before scheduling.
Layer 2/3 data-center topologies, vPC, VXLAN BGP EVPN, VRF-lite, and data-center interconnect (DCI). In v1.2 this domain adds AI/ML fabrics: RoCEv2 over lossless Ethernet (PFC, ECN, DCQCN) versus InfiniBand, and why training clusters need non-blocking, low-latency designs.
Cisco UCS B/C/X-Series compute, Fabric Interconnect (switch vs end-host mode), VIC adapters, and service profiles and templates that make compute portable and policy-driven.
Fibre Channel port types and oversubscription, VSANs, FCoE, and iSCSI multipathing — designing resilient, high-performance storage connectivity for the data center.
Cisco Intersight, NX-API and model-driven programmability, and automation with Ansible, Python, and Terraform — plus service-profile templates and Intersight orchestration for repeatable, scalable operations.
Source: Cisco Learning Network — DCID (300-610) exam topics. Weights are Cisco’s and sum to 100%. Verify the current edition before scheduling.
Who the 300-610 exam is for
DCID is aimed at experienced data-center professionals moving into design:
- Data-center design and network engineers formalizing Cisco DC design skills across network, compute, storage, and automation.
- Architects and senior engineers validating design decisions for Nexus, UCS, and modern fabrics — now including AI/ML clusters.
- CCNP Data Center candidates choosing the design concentration alongside the DCCOR 350-601 core.
- Specialists pursuing the Cisco Certified Specialist – Data Center Design credential.
Pair this design concentration with troubleshooting via DCIT (300-615) or ACI implementation via DCACI (300-620). If you’re building networking foundations first, start with CCNA (200-301). For where data-center design skills lead, see the network and infrastructure career paths in our Career Hub.
What this 300-610 practice exam delivers
Learn mode
Get the correct answer, the explanation, and a direct link to Cisco’s exam material each question maps to — immediately after each question. Ideal for design trade-offs across fabrics, compute, and storage.
Exam mode
Timed, full-length simulation weighted toward Network Design and spanning all four domains at the real 90-minute pace — so test day feels familiar.
Source-linked explanations
Every answer links to Cisco’s own DCID exam material, so you can verify design choices — including the new AI/ML networking content — against the source.
Score by weighted domain
Results break down across the four weighted domains so you can see whether it’s network, compute, storage, or automation design that needs more work.
Sample 300-610 practice questions
Ten free questions across the 300-610 weighted domains, with full explanations and source links to Cisco’s exam material. The complete bank is available with the 24-hour trial.
In a VXLAN BGP EVPN fabric, what is the primary role of the EVPN control plane?
- It advertises MAC and IP reachability so VTEPs learn endpoints without relying on data-plane flooding
- It physically cables the spine switches
- It replaces the need for any IP addressing
- It powers the servers
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A. In VXLAN BGP EVPN, the EVPN control plane distributes MAC/IP reachability between VTEPs, reducing unknown-unicast flooding and enabling efficient, scalable Layer 2/3 overlays — a core network-design concept.
Why not the others: the control plane doesn’t cable hardware (B), addressing is still required (C), and it doesn’t power servers (D).
Source: Cisco — DCID: network design → Further reading: PowerKram — DCACI (300-620) →For an AI/ML training cluster on lossless Ethernet, which combination is used to build a lossless fabric for RoCEv2?
- STP and VTP
- PFC, ECN, and DCQCN
- PoE and CDP
- NAT and DHCP
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — PFC, ECN, and DCQCN. Priority Flow Control (PFC), Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), and DCQCN together create the lossless, low-latency Ethernet fabric RoCEv2 needs for AI/ML training traffic — new v1.2 content.
Why not the others: STP/VTP (A), PoE/CDP (C), and NAT/DHCP (D) are unrelated to building a lossless RoCEv2 fabric.
Source: Cisco — DCID: AI/ML networking → Further reading: PowerKram — CCNA (200-301) →What is the main benefit of using UCS service profiles in a compute design?
- They increase the physical rack height
- They abstract server identity and configuration so it can be applied or moved across hardware
- They replace the need for any network
- They eliminate power requirements
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. A UCS service profile abstracts a server’s identity (UUID, MAC, WWN), firmware, and configuration into a policy object that can be applied to or moved between physical blades/nodes — central to stateless, portable compute design.
Why not the others: service profiles don’t change rack height (A), remove networking (C), or eliminate power needs (D).
Source: Cisco — DCID: compute design → Further reading: PowerKram — DCIT (300-615) →When a Fabric Interconnect runs in end-host mode (rather than switch mode), what is a key design advantage?
- It participates fully in spanning tree with the upstream network
- It disables all uplinks
- It avoids running spanning tree toward the upstream LAN, simplifying integration and avoiding loops
- It converts the fabric to storage-only
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. In end-host mode the Fabric Interconnect presents server-facing ports like host vNICs and does not run spanning tree toward the upstream LAN, simplifying integration and avoiding Layer 2 loops — a common compute-design choice.
Why not the others: that’s the opposite of switch-mode STP participation (A), it doesn’t disable uplinks (B), and it isn’t a storage-only conversion (D).
Source: Cisco — DCID: Fabric Interconnect modes →In a Fibre Channel SAN design, what is the purpose of a VSAN?
- To logically partition a physical SAN into isolated virtual fabrics
- To increase the monitor resolution
- To provide Power over Ethernet
- To replace all IP routing
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A. A VSAN logically segments a physical Fibre Channel SAN into isolated virtual fabrics, each with its own fabric services — improving scalability, isolation, and fault containment in storage design.
Why not the others: VSANs have nothing to do with monitor resolution (B), PoE (C), or replacing IP routing (D).
Source: Cisco — DCID: storage network design →Which Cisco platform provides cloud-based, policy-driven management and automation for UCS and Nexus infrastructure?
- Cisco Webex
- Cisco AnyConnect
- Cisco Jabber
- Cisco Intersight
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D — Cisco Intersight. Intersight is Cisco’s cloud-operations platform for policy-driven management, automation, and orchestration of UCS and Nexus infrastructure — central to automation design.
Why not the others: Webex (A), AnyConnect (B), and Jabber (C) are collaboration/VPN tools, not infrastructure automation platforms.
Source: Cisco — DCID: automation design →What does NX-API provide on Cisco Nexus switches?
- A physical console cable
- A programmatic (HTTP/HTTPS) interface to configure and query the switch
- A replacement power supply
- An optical transceiver
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. NX-API exposes a programmatic HTTP/HTTPS interface to NX-OS, letting tools and scripts configure and query Nexus switches — a building block for model-driven automation design.
Why not the others: NX-API is not a console cable (A), a power supply (C), or a transceiver (D).
Source: Cisco — DCID: model-driven programmability →What problem does a virtual Port Channel (vPC) primarily solve in a data-center access/aggregation design?
- It encrypts all storage traffic
- It provides wireless roaming
- It lets a device connect to two switches with one logical port channel while avoiding spanning-tree-blocked links
- It powers IP phones
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. vPC lets a downstream device form a single logical port channel across two upstream Nexus switches, using all links actively without spanning-tree blocking — improving bandwidth and resilience.
Why not the others: vPC doesn’t encrypt storage (A), provide wireless roaming (B), or power phones (D).
Source: Cisco — DCID: Layer 2 design & vPC → Further reading: PowerKram — DCACI (300-620) →Why is multipathing important in an iSCSI storage design?
- It increases the display brightness
- It disables the storage array
- It converts iSCSI to analog
- It provides redundant paths between initiator and target for availability and load distribution
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D. Multipathing provides multiple independent paths between the iSCSI initiator and target, so a link or component failure doesn’t interrupt storage access, and I/O can be distributed — a key storage-availability design.
Why not the others: multipathing doesn’t affect brightness (A), disable the array (B), or make iSCSI analog (C).
Source: Cisco — DCID: iSCSI & multipathing →Which technology is commonly used to extend Layer 2 connectivity between two data centers (DCI)?
- A screensaver
- A spreadsheet macro
- VXLAN (with BGP EVPN) or OTV
- A USB hub
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. Data-center interconnect commonly uses VXLAN with BGP EVPN (or, in older designs, OTV) to extend Layer 2 across sites while keeping failure domains contained — a standard DCI design pattern.
Why not the others: a screensaver (A), a spreadsheet macro (B), and a USB hub (D) are not DCI technologies.
Source: Cisco — DCID: data-center interconnect →Keep going: Learning & Career resources
DCID is the design concentration in the CCNP Data Center track. Two PowerKram hubs back this exam.
Deep dive: the AI-workloads refresh, the CCNP path, and study strategy
What the v1.2 refresh changed
The v1.2 update reshaped DCID for both traditional and AI/ML workloads. The most significant additions land in Network Design (35%): designing lossless Ethernet fabrics for RoCEv2 (PFC, ECN, DCQCN) versus InfiniBand, and understanding why AI/ML training clusters need non-blocking, low-latency fabrics. Make sure your study materials reflect the AI-workloads name and v1.2 topics. See DCACI (300-620) →
How DCID fits CCNP Data Center
CCNP Data Center requires two exams: the DCCOR 350-601 core plus one concentration. DCID is the design concentration; troubleshooting (DCIT 300-615) and ACI implementation (DCACI 300-620) are alternatives. Passing DCID alone also earns Cisco Certified Specialist – Data Center Design. Choose the concentration that matches your day-to-day focus. See DCIT (300-615) →
Realistic study path
Weight your time toward Network Design, then Compute. Be able to compare design options and justify trade-offs — VXLAN BGP EVPN vs traditional Layer 2, Fabric Interconnect switch vs end-host mode, Fibre Channel vs FCoE vs iSCSI, and the new AI/ML fabric choices. Finish with objective-mapped practice questions and at least one timed 90-minute run. Confirm the current blueprint on Cisco’s exam topics. See CCNA (200-301) →
Frequently asked questions
What is the current name of the 300-610 exam?
Is 300-610 a CCNP exam by itself?
What are the exam domains and weights?
How long is the exam?
What experience is recommended?
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