Cisco 500-220 Meraki Solutions Specialist Tests with Labs

To prepare for the Cisco Meraki Solutions Specialist (CMSS) certification, you need to cover a wide range of topics that encompass design, implementation, and monitoring and troubleshooting of Meraki products. Here's a comprehensive study guide based on the areas of knowledge you mentioned:

Design

1. Scalable Meraki Auto VPN architectures: Understand how to design and implement Auto VPN topologies that are scalable and meet the organization's requirements for connectivity across multiple sites.

2. Deployment considerations for vMX: Know the best practices for deploying virtual Multiprotocol Label Switching (vMX) devices, including hardware selection, capacity planning, and integration with other network components.

3. Dynamic path selection policies: Learn how to configure policies for dynamic routing protocols like BGP, OSPF, or EIGRP that support path selection based on metrics such as bandwidth, latency, and reliability.

4. Stable, secure, and scalable routing deployments: Design routing strategies that ensure stability, security, and scalability, including redundancy and failover mechanisms.

5. Enterprise network services: Understand the requirements for deploying services such as voice, video, and data across a Meraki network.

6. Redundant networks and high availability: Design network architectures that ensure continuous operation in case of hardware or software failures.

7. QoS strategy for voice and video: Implement Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize critical services like voice and video to ensure optimal performance.

8. Applying security at layer 2: Design Layer 2 security measures, including VLANs, private VLANs, and MAC address filtering.

9. Firewall and IPS rules on MX and MR: Understand how to configure firewall rules, intrusion prevention system (IPS) policies, and other security settings on Meraki MX security appliances and MR access points.

10. Network access control solutions: Implement network segmentation and access control using features like Layer 3 routing, VLANs, and Access Control Lists (ACLs).

11. Design Enterprise wireless services: Plan for the deployment of Meraki wireless networks to support Enterprise needs, including considerations for capacity planning, coverage, and performance.

12. High density wireless deployments: Understand how to optimize wireless environments for high-density user scenarios, such as in large venues or offices.

13. MR wireless networks for Enterprise and guest access: Design separate networks for employees and guests, ensuring compliance with security policies and regulatory standards.

14. Endpoint device and application management methods: Learn about the different methods of managing devices and applications within a Meraki network, including supervised and device owner enrollment.

15. Device enrollment such as supervised and device owner: Understand the process and benefits of enrolling devices under different ownership models, like BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).

16. Application deployment: Deploy and manage applications within a Meraki network, understanding the implications of different deployment methods.

Implementation

1. Configuring MX security appliances: Set up security policies, threat protection, content filtering, and traffic shaping on MX appliances.

2. SVI, dynamic routing, and static routes: Configure Switched Virtual Interfaces (SVIs), dynamically advertised routes (e.g., OSPF, BGP), and static routes as needed in a Meraki network.

3. Auto VPN: Implement Auto VPN connectivity between sites using Meraki's cloud-based management.

4. Traffic shaping and SD-WAN: Configure Quality of Service (QoS) policies and Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) features to optimize network performance.

5. Threat protection and content filtering rules: Implement security measures to protect the network from external threats and manage content access based on organizational policies.

6. Access policies and 802.1X: Set up network access control using 802.1X authentication for secure device access.

Monitoring and Troubleshooting

1. Interpret information from monitoring and reporting tools: Utilize dashboards, logs, and alerts to monitor the health and performance of the network.

2. Alerts with Dashboard, SNMP, Syslog, or email notifications: Configure alerting mechanisms for real-time notifications of network issues.

3. Using analytics for insights: Analyze data collected by Meraki devices to gain insights into network performance and user behavior.

4. Troubleshoot network issues: Learn how to diagnose and resolve common network problems, including connectivity issues, device failures, and performance bottlenecks.

5. Update configurations as needed: Keep the network infrastructure up-to-date with the latest firmware and feature releases.

6. Documentation and compliance: Ensure that all designs, implementations, and operations are compliant with relevant standards and best practices, and properly documented.

By covering these topics and practicing hands-on configurations in a lab environment or through live deployments, you'll be well-prepared for the CMSS certification exam. Remember to use official Cisco Meraki documentation and resources to guide your study and practice. Good luck with your preparation!