Whassup people. Chronic Cert Collector here! Long story short, I recently got the Huawei Certified ICT Associate (HCIA) Datacom. Honestly, it was a refresh of CCNA topics, however, there are a few extra topics that is emphasised in HCIA Datacom but not CCNA, which I will get into later.
General Tips
- The information in Huawei ICT Academy is sufficient to pass the exam.
- A lab is not needed to pass (in my opinion), however, I highly recommend having labs because hands-on experience is absolutely invaluable. I hate memorizing commands.
- For those that come from Cisco background, familiarize yourself with the terms and commands used. Not everything is 1-to-1 with Cisco.
- Some interesting differences include:
| CCNA | HCIA |
|---|---|
| Default administrative distance of internal OSPF is higher than static route | Default preference of internal OSPF is lower than that of static route |
| No concept of “hybrid” ports. (At least at the CCNA level) | Hybrid ports are taught, basically switchports that can forward more than one vlans untagged. |
| PPP and PPPOE theory and configuration not emphasised. | PPP and PPPOE theory and configuration are emphasised. |
| WLAN not very emphasised. | WLAN is very emphasised. |
| Python Automation is not touched on. | A bit of Python Automation. |
Conclusion
Overall, I think this is an OK exam. However, would I have taken it if it wasn’t sponsored by my university? No. I think CCNA is better as it emphasised (a bit) more on practical skills and requires deeper knowledge.
P.S. I love my prof in UM <3