It’s official – I passed the ONF Certified SDN Associate exam. I’m OCSA #SDN10356!
If you’re interested in obtaining this certificate, I recommend you read through my short blog series covering the resources necessary on the blueprint.
ONF Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) – Part 1
ONF Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) – Part 2
ONF Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) – Part 3
ONF Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) – Part 4
ONF Certified SDN Associate (OCSA) – Part 5
And check out my blog post discussing some OpenFlow concepts and theory.
OpenFlow – Basic Concepts and Theory
I know I mention this a few times in the other blogs but definitely read through the OpenFlow documentation and resources available on the ONF site. If you’re looking for video instruction, I highly recommend the GNS3 SDN course by David Bombal. If you’re looking for ONF-approved training, check out Criterion Networks online course, which includes a virtual lab.
When you’re ready to take the test, you’ll need to buy a voucher through one of the ONF-approved partners. I chose Criterion Networks. The test will be delivered via ITpreneurs over the web. They’ll need your webcam and mic turned on, and you’ll need the ability to rotate around with your laptop to make sure there are no cheating materials anywhere. You’ll share your desktop and then start the exam. You have 60 minutes to complete it.
This is an associate-level exam, so it’s not terribly difficult, nor is it extraordinarily technical. I would say 70% of the content was worthwhile. The rest of the curriculum just isn’t too appealing to me (ecosystems, organizations, old projects, etc.), but it’s still interesting to see how expanse the open networking world really is.
All in all, I had fun studying for this, and I’m proud of it. If you’re going for the OCSA, I wish you the best of luck on the adventure!
David, thanks a lot for this brief summary of the exam and topic, I also started this and was looking forward for someone to put his/her thoughts on the subject, though I subscribed to the Criterion networks course but its not worth the money, so digging out some books and videos on safari and online documentation, you will be definitely the first guy with whom I want to share my success story , thanks again.
Hi David,
Thank you for this post. I am preparing for my Cisco ICND2 exam and i was reading about the SDN and Network Programmability chapter and got interested in knowing more about it and i bumped into the OCSA and eventually at your site.
I want to know what is scope of OCSA. Is it really worth it to have it on the resume.
Or should i just take it as learning a new technology and getting certified.
Regards,
Ruchit Patel.
CCNA has more clout in the industry, so stick with that for now. Having a CCNA and some Python and Ansible skills is more valuable than an OCSA. However, the beauty of studying for OCSA or SDN, in general, is the doorways it opens to worlds of amazing technologies. Staying up with the evolution of networking is always a good thing, and an OCSA is a great conversation cert to have on a resume.
Hi, I have recently given OCSA exam but failed. i was wondering if anyone else also is preparing for it so that we can do joint study and give exam again and thus overcome the areas in which am lagging behind.
Hi Azee,
I am also preparing for this for around 3 months. I would like to know your exam experience. I am preparing by self.
Thanks David for this blog, It was really helpful in self preparing me for the OCSA exam. I have recently passed the exam. I did CCNA as well before attempting OCSA.