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ENCOR Simulation Labs

Twelve original configure-and-verify labs written against the ENCOR 350-401 v1.2 exam topics. Each one is shaped like a simulation item: a small topology, a device that is partly configured, a list of tasks with constraints, and a clock. None of them reproduce real exam content.

How simulation items work on the exam

ENCOR mixes multiple choice and drag-and-drop items with lab items. A lab item gives you a topology diagram, a task list and console access to one or more simulated devices. You type configuration into a CLI and the item is graded on the resulting state of the devices.

Keep these points in mind:

  • The CLI is a simulator. It supports the commands the item needs, but not everything a real router supports. Context help (?) and show commands usually work. If a command you expected is rejected, look for another valid way to reach the same result before you assume the task is broken.
  • Read every constraint. Lines such as "do not use static routes" or "use the interface-level command" are part of the grading. A working network built the forbidden way can still lose the points.
  • Do not break what is already working. Items often state that some configuration is already in place. Change only what the tasks require.
  • Verify before you click Next. You cannot return to an item once you leave it. Cisco does not publish how lab items are scored, so treat every task as if it is checked individually and prove each one with a show command.
  • Save if you are told to. If a task says to save the configuration, run copy running-config startup-config on every device you touched.
  • Budget time. The whole exam is 120 minutes. A lab item that takes 25 minutes costs you several multiple-choice questions. The time targets below are what you should aim for once you have done each lab twice.

How to use these labs

  1. Build the topology in Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) using the node types listed on each page. See Lab Setup for images, RAM and the addressing convention used everywhere in this course.
  2. Paste the Starting configuration into each device. That is the "pre-configured state" the exam would hand you.
  3. Start a timer and work through the tasks without opening the solution. Type the commands; there is no copy and paste on the exam.
  4. Run the commands in the Verification block and compare the key lines.
  5. Only then open the Solution and compare it with yours. There is often more than one valid answer; the solution shows one that meets every constraint.
  6. Repeat the lab a week later from a clean start. Aim to beat the time target.

Interface names in CML

IOSv routers use GigabitEthernet0/0 to 0/3. IOSvL2 switches use GigabitEthernet0/0 to 0/3, then 1/0 to 1/3, and so on. Catalyst 8000v uses GigabitEthernet1, GigabitEthernet2 and so on. If your CML lab wires different ports, adjust the configs to match the diagram.

Ready-made lab files

Every lab page has a Download the lab box with a CML lab file and an EVE-NG lab file that bring up the topology and starting configs in one import. All labs fit the 5-node limit of CML-Free except ENCOR Sim 10 (8 nodes).

The twelve labs

Sim Title Blueprint Nodes Difficulty Time target
01 EtherChannel LACP and trunk troubleshooting 3.1.a, 3.1.b 3 x IOSvL2 Medium 15 min
02 MST regions and instances 3.1.c 3 x IOSvL2 Medium 15 min
03 OSPFv2 multi-area, summarization and filtering 3.2.b 4 x IOSv Medium 20 min
04 OSPFv3 dual-stack with address families 3.2.b 3 x IOSv Hard 20 min
05 eBGP neighbors and best-path influence 3.2.c 4 x IOSv Medium 20 min
06 HSRPv2 with object tracking 3.3.c, 1.1 2 x IOSvL2, 1 x IOSv, 1 host Medium 15 min
07 NAT and PAT 3.3.b 1 x IOSv router, 1 x IOSv ISP, 2 hosts Easy 12 min
08 GRE over IPsec (IKEv2) in a VRF 2.2 2 x C8000v, 1 x IOSv Hard 25 min
09 Flexible NetFlow and IP SLA tracking 4.2, 4.4 1 x C8000v, 2 x IOSv, 2 hosts Medium 20 min
10 SPAN, ERSPAN, syslog and SNMPv3 4.1, 4.3 1 x IOSvL2, 2 x C8000v, hosts Medium 20 min
11 AAA with local fallback, CoPP and a VTY ACL 5.1, 5.2 1 x C8000v, 2 hosts Hard 20 min
12 NETCONF, RESTCONF and an EEM applet 4.6, 5.3, 6.2, 6.5, 6.6 1 x C8000v, 1 Ubuntu host Medium 15 min

Difficulty reflects the number of moving parts and how easy it is to make a mistake that still "looks" right, not how obscure the commands are.

Exam trap

The most common way to lose points on a sim is to finish the configuration and skip verification. A missing no shutdown, a mismatched key or a route-map that was never applied all leave a config that reads correctly but does nothing. Every lab here ends with the show commands that prove the result.