Book excerpt: Cisco has announced big changes to its certification program. As of February 24, 2020, all current certifications will be retired, and Cisco will begin offering new certification programs. The good news is if you’re working toward any current CCNA certification, keep going. You have until February 24, 2020 to complete your current CCNA. If you already have CCENT/ICND1 certification and would like to earn CCNA, you have until February 23, 2020 to complete your CCNA certification in the current program. Likewise, if you’re thinking of completing the current CCENT/ICND1, ICND2, or CCNA Routing and Switching certification, you can still complete them between now and February 23, 2020. A must-have study guide for exam 640-911 on Cisco's Unified Data Center The Cisco Certified Network Associate Data Center certification is Cisco's newest certification, covering the Cisco Unified Data Center technologies. Written by unparalleled author and Cisco authority Todd Lammle, and CCIE John Swartz, this comprehensive study guide is essential reading for anyone preparing to take the 640-911 exam (Introducing Cisco Data Center Networking), providing in-depth coverage of all the exam's objectives. In addition, it offers expanded coverage on key topics reflected on the exam. Addresses understanding basic networking and ethernet technologies Reviews the OSI and DoD model and TCP/IP Transport Layer Covers basic IP routing technologies, layer 2 switching technologies, and routing principles Provides an introduction to Nexus switch as well as how to configure it CCNA Data Center Study Guide offers you access to additional study tools, including bonus practice exams, electronic flashcards, a searchable PDF of a glossary of terms. Plus, you will be able to use the free nexus simulator to perform all the hands-on labs in the book.