Acme Packet Technical Certification Study Guide Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600)

certification@acmepacket.com

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Contents
1. About this Guide................................................................................................................................3 2. Technical Certification Program Architecture......................................................................................3 3. Test Administration............................................................................................................................4 3.1 Registration.........................................................................................................................................4 3.2 Security...............................................................................................................................................5 3.3 Test Passing Standards and Retries...................................................................................................5 3.4 Results................................................................................................................................................6 3.5 Appeal Process...................................................................................................................................6 4. Certification Program Fees:................................................................................................................7 4.1 Payment Procedure............................................................................................................................7 4.2 Cancellation Policy..............................................................................................................................7 5. Exam Information...............................................................................................................................8 5.1 Competency Tasks.............................................................................................................................8 5.2 Exam Topics & Objectives..................................................................................................................9 5.3 What is the Difference?.....................................................................................................................12 5.4 Hints on Taking the Exam.................................................................................................................12 6. Resources for Preparing for the Exam..............................................................................................13

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1. About this Guide

This Guide provides important preparation information about: The Acme Packet Certification program The Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600) Certification Exam, including a breakdown of the test sections References to study materials that will help you prepare for the Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 Certification Exam (ACP-S/2600) Acme Packet reserves the right to change the content of this document and the structure of this Certification Program without notification. Acme Packet is not responsible for errors or omissions herein. If you have any questions about the content in this package, please email certification@acmepacket.com. Thank you for your interest in this Acme Packet Certification program.

2. Technical Certification Program Architecture

Purpose: Acme Packets Technical Certification program sets standards for accrediting session border control knowledge and skills. The certification program allows Acme Packet to validate the abilities that candidates have acquired from their network expertise, training, documentation, and on-the-job experience. Audience: The program allows qualified individuals who use the Net-Net 2600 and NNOS-E family of products Acme Packet distribution and technology partners, service provider customers and systems integratorsto distinguish themselves by demonstrating a thorough knowledge of supporting complex VoIP networks and session border control. The Certification Exam program is open to current Acme Packet employees, customers, and partners only. Value: Partners and customers with Acme Packet Certified Professionals (ACP) will benefit by employing proven subject matter experts who can perform to a high standard and acquiring valuable service level benefits from Acme Packet. Certifications: We certify skills for two different (but often overlapping) job titles: Support Engineer and Network Engineer. Consult the Acme Packet Certification web site for related study guides and the interest form: www.acmepacket.com/certification .

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3. Test Administration
The Governance Board oversees that the rights of candidates are protected in all stages of the certification process. The Board consists of the Vice President of Professional Services, the Vice President of Systems Engineering, the Director of Technical Assistance, the Director of Technical Training, and the Certification Program Manager. The Board ensures that candidates are treated fairly and with equal opportunity. The Board also rules on disputes. Successful completion of the Certification Exam grants the right for certified individuals to display the Acme Packet Certification logo on their business documentation. The Certification Logos and Usage Guidelines are sent upon successful completion of the exam. All certifications are valid for three years. All exams are written in English. Candidates take the exams online, through our Testing Partner. Candidates can also take the exams at our Bedford, MA, USA training center.

3.1 Registration
You register for all exams the same way: Follow these steps to register for an exam

1. Visit the Certification web page at http://www.acmepacket.com/certification for background

information and the free Study Guides which detail everything you need to know about the exams and certification program. 2. If you are interested in taking an exam, submit the online form. One form for each exam.

3. Register with our online testing server at https://ibt.prometric.com/acmepacket by completing the

First-time Registration. This User Account will set you up for current and future Acme Packet exams. Be sure to include all the mailing address information. 4. After we receive the online form, we will contact you with the testing date, testing time, and related information. Exam timeframes are strictly controlled and limited to the designated testing window.

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3.2 Security
Candidates who take Acme Packet exams must agree that they have read and will abide by the terms and conditions of the Acme Packet Test Confidentiality Agreement (replicated below for your preparation) before beginning any certification exam. The agreement applies to all exams. Adherence to this agreement is required to be officially certified and to maintain valid certification. Selecting Begin Test indicates that you have read and agreed to the Confidentiality Agreement: Test Confidentiality Electronic devices, course materials, Study Guides, or any other supplementary materials will not be available to certification candidates during any exams. All content, including questions, answers, screen captures, illustrations, and diagrams of the certification exams are the proprietary and confidential property of Acme Packet, Inc. They may not be copied, reproduced, modified, published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without the express authorization of Acme Packet, Inc. Candidates who sit for Acme Packet exams must agree they have read and will abide by the terms and conditions of the Acme Packet Test Confidentiality Agreement above before beginning the certification exam. The agreement applies to all exams. Adherence to this agreement is required to be officially certified and to maintain valid certification. Candidates must take no action to compromise the integrity or confidentiality of any Acme Packet certification exam or certification program. Penalties for violating the policy can include a lifetime ban on all future exams and the nullification of all previous certifications. Selecting Begin Test indicates you fully agree with this confidentiality statement.

Candidates must take no action to compromise the integrity or confidentiality of any Acme Packet certification exam or certification program. Penalties for violating the policy can include a lifetime ban on all future exams and the nullification of all previous certifications.

3.3 Test Passing Standards and Retries

Each exam has a limited time for completion. The time varies with the exam. In general, you have two hours running time to complete the exam, inside your five-hour test window. That is, we will arrange a five hour timeframe during which the exam is made available to you. Once you start the exam, the exam clock does not stop! You cannot pause the exam. The exam consists of 75 questions randomly pulled from our large item pool. They are all 5-option multiple choice; all options are randomized. Cut-score for passing the Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600) exam is 70%. You are limited to one re-try every 24 hours. There is no limit to the number of re-tries.

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3.4 Results
Upon completing the exam, candidates receive either a Pass or Fail grade, and a percentage score. Performance on each section of the exam is also reported as a number of questions correct out of the total number of questions in that section. Candidates also receive a pass/fail/percentage email. Be sure to keep the Examination Score Report provided upon test completion, as your record of taking the test. A candidates status remains active for any level of certification as long as recertification timelines are met. If recertification guidelines are not met, the status of the individual is changed to inactive. Inactive status strips the individual of all certification benefits.

3.5 Appeal Process

Candidates disputing the results of the exams can discuss their concerns with Barry Smith, Certification Program Manager. Contact Barry at BSmith@AcmePacket.com, or +1-781-328-2520.

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4. Certification Program Fees:

Product Number Product Name Acme Packet Certified Professional Network Engineer (ACP-N) Certification Exam Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer (ACP-S) Certification Exam Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600) Certification Exam Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/OS-E(ACPS/OS-E) Certification Exam Acme Packet Certification Program Study Package (For the ACPN and/or ACP-S only) This study package consists of the Student Guides for the Net-Net 3000/4000 Configuration Basics course (CAB-C) and the Net-Net 3000/4000 Troubleshooting (TS1) course. Note: this Study Package is an excellent supplement for those who have previously taken the prescribed training courses in the past. The Study Package is NOT a replacement for attending the training. Acme Packet Certification Program Study Package (For the ACPS/2600 and ACP-S/OS-E only) This study package consists of the Student Guides for the NetNet 2600 Configuration Basics course (CAB-E) and the Net-Net 2600 Troubleshooting (TS-E) course. Note: this Study Package is an excellent supplement for those who have previously taken the prescribed training courses in the past. The Study Package is NOT a replacement for attending the training. Price EDU-CAB-EXM EDU-CTB-EXM EDU-CB2-EXM EDU-CBE-EXM $135.00 $135.00 $135.00 $135.00

EDU-STUDY-PKG

$350.00

EDU-STUDY-PKGE

$350.00

4.1 Payment Procedure

Fees for the online exam are processed by our online Testing Partner, and are payable at the time of taking the exam. You do not pay Acme Packet. You can pay with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. You pay the exam fee just before starting the exam Purchase the Study Packages through the Acme Packet Training web site at www.acmepacket.com/training .

4.2 Cancellation Policy

Contact Barry Smith via email at BSmith@AcmePacket.com, or phone (781) 328-2520 if you need to cancel your test window and arrange another one.

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5. Exam Information
Customers, partners, and employees worldwide can earn the Acme Certified Professional level of certification for the Support Engineer specialization/2600 (ACP-S/2600) by taking the online exam. This exam validates knowledge gained from Acme Packet's Net-Net 2600 Configuration Basics (CABE) course, Net-Net 2600 Troubleshooting course, Solutions and Products Overview WBT, Triage Using the Support Portal WBT, and relevant Support Troubleshooting Guides. Several months of hands-on experience is also recommended. See Section 6 for further details. While attendance in Acme Packet training courses is not mandatory for certification, it is strongly recommended to ensure successful results. A list of recommended courses for the Support Engineer Exam is in the section Resources for Preparing for the Exam

5.1 Competency Tasks

The Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600) Certification Exam assesses the skills of Support Engineers, Support Technicians, Level 1 & Level 2 Support, and Tier 1 and Tier 2 Technical Assistance. Note that the exam addresses BOTH Tier 1 and Tier 2 skills. Level1/Tier 1 activities include monitoring, maintaining, administering and troubleshooting issues that occur with the Acme Packet system. Acme Packet-trained Customer personnel should be on site to provide Tier 1 diagnostics, maintenance and administration. Tier 1 tasks also include: Operate the Session Border Controller on a 7x24 basis Perform system administration, including adds, changes and other updates to the Licensed Software configuration that are recommended by Acme Packet Perform system backup and restore, including creating local system backups of the Licensed Software on various media as required Monitor system alarms Perform system diagnostics and take corrective action as necessary. Use network monitoring test equipment for packet analysis Maintain various maintenance logs Troubleshoot system issues (Equipment and Licensed Software) Escalate issues to Tier 2 as necessary Perform routine maintenance: view system logs to ensure system performance Perform removal and replacement procedures for Equipment subassemblies when required and as specified in Acme Packet user documentation, including Methods of Procedure Follow the RMA process. Ship Defective Covered Products to Acme Packet authorized repair center Maintain spares inventory Tier 2/Level 2 tasks pick up when there are technical issues with the network infrastructure and SBC operation. Certified Service Partners Troubleshoot and isolate all complex issues as escalated from Tier 1 personnel. Perform these initial triage, and technical information management tasks Utilize advanced analysis tools and procedures, such as Wireshark, PuTTY, and similar tools Analyze log files Perform file uploads for analysis. Apply new software releases Use the Acme Packet Support Portal to download documentation, reference information _____________________________________________________________________________ 94812623.doc 8|Page

 Use the Acme Packet Support Portal to submit and track trouble tickets Follow the prescribed procedures for escalating to Acme Packet TAC

5.2 Exam Topics & Objectives

Following are the topics and objectives assessed by the Acme Packet Certified Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600) certification exam. Note that the sections below are related to the sections of the training materials. Section ISBC Introduction to the Session Border Controller Describe the basic functions of a SBC State OS platform State Application software requirements Describe the hardware layout Locate the hardware interfaces on the Net-Net 2600 Section INITC: Initial Configuration Compare the NNOS-E Command Line (CLI) and Web interfaces Identify the structure of the NNOS-E configuration Resolve issues by using commands to obtain status information Perform action commands Access and navigate the Web and Command Line Interfaces Configure interfaces to handle signaling and media traffic Configure management protocols Configure basic system services, including event logging Configure administrator accounts and permissions Use status commands to verify correct system operation Section CFGA: Configuration Administration Use configuration and backup files Differentiate between the types of configuration and backup files Configuration Menu Explain the uses of Upload vs Download Configuration Files Backup your last configuration Restore system configurations Examine Configuration Menu Download Saved Configuration Compare Configuration files Section: ISIP: Introduction to the Net-Net Session Initiation Protocol on the SBC Identify the basics of a SIP session with particular relevance to calls and licensing Describe the Parts of SIP message Identify the sequence of a SIP Call Flow Explain the role of SIP Servers Describe the Role of Net-Net Session Director in SIP signaling Place PC to PC SIP calls Register a SIP Phone Identify the components of the Net-Net OS-E

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Section: OSEC: Net-Net OS-E Concepts Identify key SIP architectures within the Session Director Media services Explain how SIP Trunking works within the NNOS-E architecture Describe the role of a cluster Explain and configure a VSP Identify specified parameters of a Session Config; create a session config Create a Dial Plan Create a Registration Plan Explain Normalization, establish normalization Describe Signaling and Media Encryption Identify the role of Media Transcoding and how to configure Explain and configure Codec Profiling Create a single, complete configuration that supports signaling Section: SIPTR - SIP Trunking Explain Best Current Practice trunking models Describe Pre-configuration tasks State the steps to configure a working SIP Trunking environment Section CFHA Configuring High Availability (VRRP and Clusters) Explain High Availability Operation Recognize the Net-Net SD Node States Configure High Availability Initiate a Manual Switchover Recognize and Respond to a System Switchover Section IWFC Interworking Function Explain the principles of the Interworking Function (IWF) environment Differentiate IWF call flows and recognize the elements necessary for proper operation Distinguish between the IWF deployments applicable to the Net-Net 2600 Recognize the Net-Net 2600 capabilities for DTMF translation Section TTAM: Troubleshooting Tools and Methodologies Explain troubleshooting interfaces Identify and use tools for System monitoring Describe SNMP configuration; generate SNMP traps Identify the role and use of MIBS, browse MIBS Obtain QoS information from CDRs Identify and respond to Fault notification Explain the role of SNMP traps; configure SNMP traps Explain the use of iSyslog Identify and use Status commands Configure and interpret Event logs Configure and interpret The Call Log Configure CDRs Configure syslog Investigate the status commands Take traces

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Section TSST - Troubleshooting SIP Trunking Diagnose call failures Diagnose poor call quality Explain Diagnostic approaches and tools Troubleshoot call routing Troubleshoot one-way audio Section TSHA - Troubleshooting High Availability Explain Cluster design considerations Detect failover events and investigate their causes Upgrade an HA cluster Section APHM: Acme Packet Please Help Me! Explain how to prepare for and perform Net-Net SD troubleshooting Explain the Acme Packet support process, procedures, and problem severity definitions Describe the information gathering procedure prior to calling the TAC Explain how to access and what is available from the Acme Packet Worldwide Support Customer Portal Explain how to submit and monitor tickets and monitor progress on trouble tickets Collect the appropriate information prior to contacting Acme Packet TAC, including: Network diagram, Support Info, Appropriate process logs for a given issue, sipmsg.log, and packet capture Section SGEN- Customer Support Portal Access the customer portal Identify how to download documentation and software updates Given a topic, identify how to search the Support Tool on-line knowledge base Section STICK- Support Tickets Check existing tickets Apply best practice when describing issues Identify compulsory fields when submitting tickets Describe how to transfer large files to TAC Section S2600- NNOS-E/2600 Support Tickets Identify software and patch versions Save Call Logs Save a copy of the configuration Review an example ticket

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5.3 What is the Difference?

We now offer two exams that are closely aligned in their topics and objectives: 1. Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/2600 (ACP-S/2600) and 2. Acme Packet Certified Professional Support Engineer/OS-E (ACP-S/OS-E) Whats the difference? The ACP-S/2600 exam includes questions on the Net-Net 2600 hardware platform and how to work with the Acme Packet Customer Support Portal The ACP-S/OS-E exam does NOT include questions on the Net-Net 2600 platform and does NOT include questions on the Customer Support Portal. Which exam should you take? If you work with the Net-Net 2600 hardware, take the ACP-S/2600 exam. If you do NOT work with the Net-Net 2600 hardware (as with an OEM such as Avaya), take the ACP-S/OS-E exam.

Not sure? Contact Barry Smith via email at BSmith@AcmePacket.com, or phone (781) 328-2520

5.4 Hints on Taking the Exam

All questions are multiple choice, 5 options. Options are randomly scrambled. Some questions ask for more than one correct answer. You need to get all answers correct to get credit for a question. There is no partial credit. Hint: carefully read the question and try to derive the answer in your mind before looking at your choices. Take your time. Do not rush. Hint: Read the question and answer options over several times. Of course, this is a good practice for any exercise involving complex environments. Hint: You are alerted when some questions ask for more than one correct answer. In some cases, the number of answers will correspond to the number of blanks in the question. For example, the question below requires two answers: A REGISTER message contains zero or more bindings which are associations between a/an __________________ and the ________________. Hint: For these multiple-answer questions, you need to choose all required options to get the answer correct. For example, the question below has two correct answers: Which two of the following conditions would cause a highly available node to fail over to its peer? Hint: If the question is asking you if something is TRUE or FALSE, the argument will be capitalized. Every part of a TRUE sentence must be true. Hint: If an ACLI command is referenced in a question, it will be written in courier new font. For example, the question below has two answers that are TRUE and includes a reference command: Which two of the following are TRUE about the save-config ACLI command on the Net- Net 4000? _____________________________________________________________________________ 94812623.doc 12 | P a g e

6. Resources for Preparing for the Exam

The exam focuses on the Net-Net 2600/OS-E platforms. The exam also addresses more recent releases of the Net-Net OS, from version 3 and up. Training and documentation provide the information needed to prepare for the exam. However, experience has shown that several months of hands-on practice is also valuable for a successful exam experience. Acme Packet technical documentation You will need authorized access to the Support web site. Log in to the Acme Packet Support web site and download the following: Under Documentation, Net-Net SBC: Hardware Installation Guide Under Documentation, Net-Net SBC, Software: Object Reference Guide System Administration Guide Management tools Troubleshooting Guide Session Services Configuration Guide Under Troubleshooting Guides: Technical Support Quick Reference Guide Relevant RFCs, we do not question specifics of any RFC. The required background information is provided by the training courses and reference documentation. Training: Ideal preparation for the ACP-S/2600 Certification Exam is: 1. Net-Net Solutions and Product Overview free WBT course (EDU-SPO-WBT) 2. Triage Procedures on the Support Portal free WBT course (EDU-SUP-WBT) 3. Net-Net 2600 Configuration Basics classroom course (EDU-CAB-E-OE) 4. Net-Net 2600 Troubleshooting classroom course (EDU-TS1-OE4) Visit the Acme Packet Training web site at http://www.acmepacket.com/training for course and registration information.

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