Brocade Certifications

UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNAPosts: 4,065Mod Mod
in Storage Certifications
My manager wants me to start getting certified on Brocade switches.


So from Brocade website, I figured I'd start with BCFA ( Brocade Certified Fabric Administrator)

Certification Exam Information

Anybody knows anything about these exams ?

Looks like the available material is for BCFP not for BCFA...so I will use that only. BCFP in a nutshell study guide...I hope it's enough !!
Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • Brocade CertificationBrocade Certification Posts: 6Member ■□□□□□□□□□
    There will be a BCFA in Nutshell study guide in the next week. That is what you want to prepare for the exam. The existing BCFP in a Nutshell is about to be replaced with the newer version, that is commensurate with the just-released 143-070 BCFP 2010 exam.
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    Brocade Certification wrote: »
    There will be a BCFA in Nutshell study guide in the next week. That is what you want to prepare for the exam. The existing BCFP in a Nutshell is about to be replaced with the newer version, that is commensurate with the just-released 143-070 BCFP 2010 exam.

    Hey there...are you really from Brocade then ?? cool.

    Thanks for telling me that, I'll pass that to my boss. I'm frustrated with BCFA, no material !!
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • veritas_libertasveritas_libertas CISSP, GIAC x5, CompTIA x5 Greenville, SC USAPosts: 5,735Member ■■■■■■■■■■
    Never heard of this company till now.
    Currently working on: Linux and Python
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  • astorrsastorrs Posts: 3,139Member ■■■■■■□□□□
    veritas_libertas wrote: »
    Never heard of this company till now.
    LOL then you obviously haven't worked with a lot of SANs. :)

    Brocade is the largest manufacturer of Fiber-channel switches/directors in the world (something like 3/4 of all ports ever sold are Brocade). With all the acquisitions over the last few years it really comes down to Brocade, Cisco and to a (much) lesser degree QLogic for FCP fabrics. They also picked up Foundry Networks a few years ago for IP switching.

    UnixGuy, let me know how you find the exam and study material (once it gets released). I'd be up for taking this later in the year.
    twitter: @astorrs
    profile: linkedin.com/in/astorrs
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    looks like management wants me to do both exams BCFP and BCFA...and I'm gonna start with BCFP because the material is available.

    @Astors : I'll share my experience :)


    @veritas: no you should learn about SAN Storage, there's a great future and development in this area. Datacenters are getting bigger, and the need to centralize storage will be more crucial in the future.
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • TheShadowTheShadow Posts: 1,057Member ■■■■■■□□□□
    veritas_libertas wrote: »
    Never heard of this company till now.

    quote from this weeks Network World if you believe this kind of stuff
    Brocade BCNE most valuable cert?
    Brad Reese: Scrappy data center networking vendor Brocade appears to be offering networking gurus the most valuable cert on earth, the Brocade Certified Network Engineer (BCNE). BCNEs earn an average salary of $146,250, at least according to the rankings of the 2009 Certification Magazine Salary Survey. Read More
    Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of technology?... The Shadow DO
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    TheShadow wrote: »
    quote from this weeks Network World if you believe this kind of stuff

    a simple search for SAN admins positions or SAN architecs on job boards will give you great deal of information about salary ranges.
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    ok here's my update, I'm not doing any brocade certifications anytime soon.

    reading through the BCFP guide, I think I don't have the necessary experience and knowledge of Brocade products. I worked on them, but not enough to know the needed details, so I'm gonna wait till I get the opportunity to get more hands on, or maybe trainings.


    Right now, I'll go for SNIA certifications :)
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    Update:

    I'm reading this book to brush up on the concepts, and I'm loving it. It's better than anything I've read so far:
    Amazon.com: Storage Networks Explained: Basics and Application of Fibre Channel SAN, NAS, iSCSI,InfiniBand and FCoE (9780470741436): Ulf Troppens, Rainer Erkens, Wolfgang Mueller-Friedt, Rainer Wolafka, Nils Haustein: Books
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • astorrsastorrs Posts: 3,139Member ■■■■■■□□□□
    Here's another one I have at home if you're interested in something with a Brocade flavour: Amazon.com: Principles of SAN Design: Updated for 2007 (9780741428240): Josh Judd: Books
    twitter: @astorrs
    profile: linkedin.com/in/astorrs
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    astorrs wrote: »
    Here's another one I have at home if you're interested in something with a Brocade flavour: Amazon.com: Principles of SAN Design: Updated for 2007 (9780741428240): Josh Judd: Books

    sounds interesting. I'm skimming right now, I'll focus on the iSCSI and FCIP and these protocols....let's see how it goes. So far so good.
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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  • Dave88LXDave88LX Posts: 47Member ■■□□□□□□□□
    veritas_libertas wrote: »
    Never heard of this company till now.
    Used to be called Foundry. That one ring a bell?

    We use Cisco for routing, but Brocade for switches. Not my call, just what we do. Have to remember which box I'm in because there is some variation in the commands. :)
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  • tierstentiersten Posts: 4,505Member
    Dave88LX wrote: »
    Used to be called Foundry. That one ring a bell?
    Brocade bought Foundry.
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  • TurgonTurgon Posts: 6,313Banned
    veritas_libertas wrote: »
    Never heard of this company till now.

    Many companies looking at Brocade as cheaper alternative to Cisco. Think Foundry. People are still hung up on SAN solutions when they think of Brocade. They do routers and switches too.
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  • Dave88LXDave88LX Posts: 47Member ■■□□□□□□□□
    Is it really that much cheaper than a comparable Cisco equivalent? I see the pricing in our system for the Brocade stuff, but it's a Gov't system so I don't know if it's been marked up or what, I'm sure it has. I don't know what the stuff actually costs. I just know what our 'cost' used for them in paperwork is, and it's not very cheap at all.

    I don't know though.
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  • DorsottDorsott Posts: 1Registered Users ■□□□□□□□□□
    Turgon wrote: »
    Many companies looking at Brocade as cheaper alternative to Cisco. Think Foundry. People are still hung up on SAN solutions when they think of Brocade. They do routers and switches too.

    Always thought it’s the other way, cisco is alternative to Brocade, considering how long B has been industry leader. We have cisco nexuses in our Dev, 5k and 2ks, performance wise they are worse so it never went into PROD. And it seems to be a general opinion within my circles, cisco are not performing as per the blueprint. I can see that they are trying to expand, but it all seems very much like their involvement in server business...

    As far as the cert itself, well I personally have been working with various SAN vendors for 15+ years now, did not even know that Brocade do their own certification. It all comes down to first getting the job, then expanding knowledge. If you need to back it up by a cert, go for it, all the power to you.

    Salary-wise, if you are like me in UK and contracting, then the numbers are significantly higher than those posted.

    Best of luck
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  • it_consultantit_consultant Posts: 1,903Member
    Turgon was talking about Brocade's ethernet line of switches, which are about 40% less expensive year over year than Cisco. Not only is outright purchase less expensive through brocade, their support is nowhere near as pricey as smart net.
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  • bhavesh2177bhavesh2177 Posts: 2Registered Users ■□□□□□□□□□
    Hi UnixGuy,

    I am Linux admin and i have basic theoretical knoweldge on SAN. Have you done BCFA, if yes can you provide me guidelines. I want to be SAN admin, but due to lack of practical knoweldge i cannot.
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  • UnixGuyUnixGuy SABSA, GCFA, GPEN, CISM, RHCE, Security+, Server+, eJPT, CCNA Posts: 4,065Mod Mod
    I didn't take any Brocade exam, and not planning to.

    Best way to become a SAN admin is by working as a server admin/support or storage support/installation where you get a chance to work with storage. Vendor certs will not help you now, maybe you can look into SNIA SCSP, it's a vendor neutral cert
    Goal: MBA, Jan 2021
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