Name: Nicolas MICHEL
Date: July 2025
Achieve the CCIE Service Provider certification (v5.1) by February 2026 and be ready to take on senior-level Service Provider architecture and design responsibilities by mid-2026.
This includes:
- Mastering the full CCIE SP blueprint with deep hands-on experience and automation skills.
- Demonstrating the ability to plan, design, implement, operate, and optimize dual-stack (IPv4/IPv6) SP networks.
- Becoming proficient in MPLS, Segment Routing, QoS, multicast VPN, network slicing, and cloud-native BNGs.
- Leading initiatives in SP automation using NSO, model-driven telemetry, Ansible, and Python.
- Being capable of driving network modernization through secure, scalable architectures (RON, SRv6, and disaggregated infrastructure).
- Preparing to contribute to strategic SP transformation projects within an organization or as a consultant.
By achieving this, I aim to position myself as a trusted technical leader in the Service Provider domain, capable of influencing roadmap decisions and mentoring others in advanced SP technologies.
| Domain | Key Areas | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Core Routing (25%) | IS-IS, OSPFv3, BGP, MPLS, Segment Routing, Multicast | July–September 2025 |
| 2. Architectures & Services | L2VPN/L3VPN, EVPN, QoS, Mobile + Optical Architecture, Internet Services | September–November 2025 |
| 3. Access Connectivity (10%) | BNG, Layer 2 Access, MC-LAG | October 2025 |
| 4. HA & Fast Convergence (10%) | NSF, GR, BFD, LFA, TI-LFA, TE-FRR | November 2025 |
| 5. Security (10%) | CoPP, RPKI, MACsec, Infra Security, BGP Flowspec | December 2025 |
| 6. Automation & Assurance | NSO, Ansible, Python, XR App Hosting, Telemetry | December 2025 – January 2026 |
| Specific Actions | Time Commitment | Due Date | Status | Measurable Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep-dive IS-IS, OSPFv3, BGP using video courses & RFCs | 40 hours | Aug 2025 | In progress | Able to design/debug large-scale IGP/BGP labs |
| Study MPLS, RSVP-TE, Segment Routing (SR-MPLS, SRv6) | 40 hours | Sept 2025 | Not started | Complete end-to-end SR and MPLS TE config |
| Read Cisco Press on Carrier Ethernet, L2VPN, EVPN | 15 hours | Oct 2025 | Not started | Build VPLS & EVPN-VPWS labs |
| Learn automation basics (Ansible, Python, NSO) | 30 hours | Dec 2025 | Not started | Write working playbooks/scripts for config |
| Study NSO + telemetry with gNMI/gRPC | 15 hours | Jan 2026 | Not started | Deploy telemetry pipeline to collector |
| Specific Actions | Time Commitment | Due Date | Status | Measurable Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Join CCIE SP study group & forums (Cisco, Reddit, Discord) | 2 hours/week | Ongoing | In progress | Weekly discussions + Q&A answered |
| Identify & connect with a recent CCIE SP for mentorship | 1 hour/month | Aug 2025 | In progress | 3+ mentor calls by exam time |
| Attend at least 3 Cisco or community-led SP webinars | 3 hours total | Oct 2025 | Not started | Document insights from sessions |
| Conduct a peer mock lab with review/feedback | 1 session/month | Oct–Jan | Planned | Simulate 3 lab sections before exam |
| Specific Actions | Time Commitment | Due Date | Status | Measurable Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build IS-IS + BGP + MPLS backbone in Containerlab | 20 hours | Sept 2025 | In progress | Working MPLS VPN services |
| Implement full EVPN + L2/L3 VPN service chain | 15 hours | Oct 2025 | Not started | Validate service chaining w/ inter-AS |
| Simulate failures (BFD, PIC, LFA, TI-LFA) and test recovery | 10 hours | Nov 2025 | Not started | Document convergence metrics |
| Automate basic XR device config with NSO + Ansible | 15 hours | Dec 2025 | Not started | Push templates to test topology |
| Host Python or XR container app for telemetry export | 10 hours | Jan 2026 | Not started | Successfully collect streaming telemetry |
| Take and review at least 2 full-scale mock labs | 8 hours/lab | Jan 2026 | Not started | Reach 80% score in mock labs |
- Training https://ccie-sp.gitbook.io/ccie-spv5.1-labs by https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewohanian/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/ccie/comments/1k0wbat/full_ccie_spv51_workbook_100_free/)
- Training https://github.com/lukasz-bromirski/netdesign.zone?tab=readme-ov-file by https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukaszbromirski/
- Mentors: Bruce McDougall, Rob Murphy, Dave Smith
- Books: CCIE SP Ultimate Guide on Leanpub
- Tools: Containerlab, GitHub, DevNet Sandbox
- Communities: r/ccie, Cisco DevNet, LinkedIn SP Professionals