Arista Certified Engineer (ACE) Associate
EXAM OVERVIEW
Arista Certified Engineer (ACE) – Associate Level 1
The entry-level credential designed for engineers beginning their journey with Arista technologies. It validates foundational knowledge of data center networking concepts, campus networking, automation, and software-defined networking (SDN)—building the core skills needed to progress toward advanced Arista certifications.
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 validation. Open book? Absolutely. Use your lab guides, notes, and configuration references just as you would in a real production environment. Flexible, self-paced, and designed to measure real engineering capability—not memorization.
Exam Blue Print
Network Engineering Fundamentals
Network Introduction
- Introduction to Networks
- Introduction to Network Models
- OSI in Action
- Wireshark and TCP/IP
Physical Layer
- Copper and PoE
- Fiber & Wireless
Data Link Layer
- Ethernet and MAC addressing
- L2 Devices Learning and Forwarding
Network layer
- Introduction to IPv4
- What is a subnet mask?
- IPv4 classes
- Default gateways
- Subnetting
Network Protocols
- DHCP, ICMP, DNS, ARP, NTP
Transport and Application Layer
- Transport layer responsibilities
- TCP vs UDP
Arista EOS Fundamentals
EOS Overview
- Consistent Networking with EOS
- Introduction to Arista EOS
- What is SysDB
- Introduction to Network Database (NetDB)
- EOS Network DataLake (NetDL)
- Arista cEOS
- The Secret Sauce of Arista EOS Quality
Getting started with EOS
- Connect to network devices
- EOS booting process
- CLI configuration modes
- CLI basic config
- Interfaces and ports
- Configuration checkpoints
- Configuration sessions
Layer 2 Switching Fundamentals
Neighbor Discovery
- Introduction to Neighbor Discovery
- Creating a Network Diagram using LLDP
Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
- Introduction to VLANs
- Introduction to trunking protocols 802.1q
- Configuring VLANs on a single switch
- Configuring VLANs between switches
- Inter VLAN routing
- Configuring a “router on a stick”
- Configuring inter-VLAN routing with SVIs
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
- Introduction to spanning tree
- STP operations
- STP port states
- STP modes
Link Aggregation Protocols
- Introduction to Link Aggregation
- Configuring link aggregation
- Introduction to MLAG
Layer 3 Routing Fundamentals
Introduction to Routers
- Network Design with routers
Routing
- Why routing
- Static routing
- Dynamic routing
- Classful vs classless routing protocols
- Metric and Admin distance
- Distance vector protocols (RIP)
- RIPv1 vs RIPv2
- Link state routing
Internet and WAN
- Wide Area Network
- Network Address Translation (NAT)
Advanced Networking Concepts
Security
- Introduction to access lists
- ACL types
- Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA)
- DHCP Snooping
- IP Source guard and ARP inspection
Quality of Service
- Introduction to QOS
- Classification and marking
- Congestion management
- Policing and Shaping
IPv6
- Introduction to IPv6
- IPv6 Address types
CloudVision
- Why automation
- How to automate your network
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.
Q2. How do you earn an ACE Professional Level certification (ACE-Level 5)
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.
Q2. Can I enter the ACE program at a higher level?
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