ACE Campus Engineering Specialist

Representing a significant advancement in the Arista certification path, the Specialist level recognizes in-depth expertise in campus network engineering and design. It validates a professional’s ability to plan, architect, and implement wired and wireless campus networks, demonstrating a strong command of Arista technologies, CloudVision, and best practices for modern enterprise network environments.
Remote Hands-On Exam
4 Hours

EXAM OVERVIEW

Arista Certified Engineer (ACE) Campus Engineering Specialist – Level 3
This certification is a required milestone toward achieving the ACE Campus Professional – Level 5, validating your ability to plan, design, and implement wired and wireless campus networks with a strong emphasis on hands-on engineering using Arista CloudVision and CUE. Candidates gain practical experience in network architecture, configuration, and deployment, demonstrating best practices for modern campus network environments.

Introducing the All-New ACE Self-Service Certification Exams!
Take your Arista certification on your terms. All ACE exams are now remote, hands-on, and fully practical, with a strong focus on real-world CLI-based configuration and operational validation. Open book? Absolutely. Use your lab guides, notes, and configuration references just as you would in a production environment. Flexible, self-paced, and designed to assess real engineering skills—not memorization.

Exam Blue Print

Arista Campus Architecture

Arista Cognitive Campus Solution

  • Arista Cognitive Campus Overview

Arista campus architecture overview

  • Traditional campus architecture overview
  • Arista Universal cloud network architecture
  • Campus fabric architecture

Arista Campus Design

  • Campus network design options
  • Design 1- L2LS with external gateway
  • Design 2- L2LS
  • Design 3- L2LS with VXLAN-EVPN
  • Design 4- L3LS
  • Design 5- L3LS with Border leafs
  • Design 6- L3LS with VXLAN-EVPN
  • Design 7- L3LS with VXLAN-EVPN and Border leafs

Resiliency solutions

  • Cognitive PoE
  • Stateful Switchover (SSO)
  • Smart System Upgrades (SSU)

Arista stacking

  • SWAG Overview
  • SWAG Architecture
  • MLAG vs SWAG
  • SWAG Provisioning

Building a L2 Wired Campus Network

VLANs and Inter-VLAN routing

  • VLAN Overview
  • Configuring Access and Trunk Ports
  • Introduction to Inter-VLAN Routing
  • Configuring Sub Interfaces
  • Configuring SVIs
  • Troubleshooting VLANs

Spanning Tree 

  • Spanning Tree Overview
  • STP Enhancements
  • Configuring STP on an Arista Switch
  • Troubleshooting STP on an Arista Switch

LACP

  • LACP Overview
  • Configuring LACP
  • Troubleshooting LACP

MLAG 

  • MLAG Overview
  • Configuring MLAG
  • Troubleshooting MLAG

First Hop Redundancy Protocol 

  • FHRP Overview
  • Configuring VRRP
  • Configuring VARP

Build L2LS Campus network using CLI 

  • Configuring L2LS Campus with CLI

Build L2LS Campus network using CVP configlets

  • L2LS Campus design and topology overview
  • Configure L2LS campus with CVP configlets

Build L2LS Campus network using CVP Studios

  • Onboarding devices to Studios
  • Configure L2LS network using Studios
  • Configure access interfaces
  • Submit workspace and execute change control
  • Configure L2LS Campus w/ext gateway using Studios

Building a L3 Wired Campus Network

L2LS Review 

  • L2LS Design Review
  • L2LS Example

L3LS Design

  • Introduction to L3LS Design
  • VXLAN and EVPN Importance in L3LS Design
  • Why BGP Underlay in L3LS Design

Introduction to BGP 

  • Introduction to BGP and Routing
  • BGP Functions and Facts
  • BGP Operation
  • BGP Route Advertisement

eBGP Underlay configuration

  • L3LS eBGP underlay configuration
  • eBGP load balancing configuration
  • eBGP configuration enhancements

BGP underlay deployment options 

  • BGP with MLAG
  • Variations of BGP in L3LS

VXLAN Overview 

  • Introduction to VXLAN
  • VXLAN load balancing with ECMP

VXLAN Control plane options

  • ARP refresher
  • VXLAN Multicast control plane
  • VXLAN HER control plane
  • Configuring VXLAN HER
  • VXLAN VCS control plane
  • VXLAN EVPN control plane

VXLAN with MLAG 

  • Introduction to VXLAN with MLAG
  • Configuring VXLAN with MLAG

VXLAN best practices 

  • MTU and Jumbo frames
  • DF Bit, VTEP, MLAG, and Timers

EVPN Fundamentals 

  • Introduction to EVPN
  • EVPN terminology
  • VRF Operations
  • MP-BGP control plane
  • Configuring MP-eBGP for EVPN
  • EVPN route type 2 (MAC-IP)
  • EVPN route type 5 (IP Prefix)
  • EVPN route type 3 (IMET)

EVPN advanced concepts

  • VLAN based service interface
  • VLAN aware bundle service interface
  • Introduction to IRB
  • Symmetric IRB vs asymmetric IRB
  • Symmetric IRB deep dive
  • Configuring symmetric IRB
  • Configuring asymmetric IRB

EVPN design best practices 

  • iBGP between MLAG pairs and eBGP multihop command
  • eBGP for underlay and overlay

Build L3LS Campus network using CVP Studios 

  • Configuring L3LS Campus with CVP Studios
  • Configuring L3LS Campus with VXLAN and EVPN using Studios

Wireless

Wireless signalling basics 

  • Introduction to radio frequency waves and signals
  • Radio frequency wave properties
  • Radio frequency wave propagation

Measuring wireless signals

  • Measuring signal strength
  • Antennas
  • Radiated power measurement

Representing data in radio frequency waves 

  • Modulation
  • DSSS vs OFDM
  • OFDMA

Wi-Fi standards 

  • Radio frequency channels
  • 802.11 standards

WLAN Communications 

  • 802.11 frames
  • Wireless client association
  • Wireless frame transmission
  • Wireless client roaming

802.11 Standards enhancements 

  • 802.11i MAC security
  • 802.11k Radio resource measurement
  • 802.11r Fast BSS transition
  • 802.11v Wireless network management
  • 802.11w Protected management frames
  • 802.11e QOS

Deploying Campus Wireless Networks

Campus wireless architecture

  • Traditional Campus wireless architecture
  • Arista Campus wireless architecture

Arista CV-CUE 

  • CV-CUE overview
  • Deploying CV-CUE
  • Navigating CV-CUE
  • Using checkpoints in CV-CUE

Deploying access points in campus

  • Onboarding access points to CV-CUE
  • Assigning APs to locations and AP groups

Managing Aps in CV-CUE

  • Configuring APs devices settings
  • Connecting APs using LAG
  • Configuring APs radio settings

Configuring network profiles 

  • Configuring port profiles
  • Configuring radius servers
  • Configuring role profiles
  • Configuring tunnel interfaces

Configuring basic enterprise SSID settings

  • Understanding mandatory SSID settings
  • Understanding types of SSID security
  • Understanding SSID network types
  • Configuring a WLAN with PSK/GPSK
  • Configuring a WLAN with 802.1x

Configuring advanced enterprise SSID settings

  • Enabling access control for clients
  • Optimizing RF settings
  • Enabling traffic shaping & QOS

Configuring WIPS

  • WIPS overview
  • Configuring WIPS settings

Securing the Campus Network

Zero Trust overview

  • Why Zero Trust security
  • Zero Trust model
  • Zero trust stages
  • Challenges with Zero Trust implementation
  • Arista Zero Trust solutions

Security basics 

  • Security basics overview
  • ACL overview
  • IP Locking
  • IP source guard
  • Private VLANs
  • AAA overview
  • RADsec and RADsec proxy
  • Encryption and PKI
  • EAP overview

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1. I currently hold Arista Certified Engineer (ACE) L3 Cloud Journey man. Willl this automatically converted to a new Arista Certification?

Your ACE L3 will be convereted to a new certification Arista Certified Engineer (ACE) Data Center Specialist as the old courses and certification were more focused on Data Center technologies. 

You must pass both the Operations Specialist exam and the Engineering Specialist exam within the same track (e.g., Data Center, Campus, Routing, Automation). Once both are completed, the Level 5 Professional certification is automatically awarded—there is no separate exam.

Yes. Arista lets you attempt Specialist or higher-level exams aligned with your experience. However, those exams will test knowledge from the foundational levels upward

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