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Juniper · Data Center & Virtualization · Expert

Juniper JNCIE-DC exam guide

Exam JPR-981

JNCIE-DC is Juniper's expert-level data center credential, earned in a hands-on lab that has you build IP fabrics, EVPN-VXLAN overlays and data center interconnects, both controllerless and managed with Juniper Apstra. EVPN-VXLAN fabrics underpin modern and AI data centers, so the skills are directly marketable in 2026.

QuestionsSee official page
Time limit360 minutes
Passing scoreSee official page
Exam fee$1,600 USD
Valid for3 years
DeliveryHands-on lab exam delivered and proctored by Juniper Networks; seats are scheduled through Juniper's certification program

Format: Hands-on lab on virtual QFX/EX switches, vMX/vSRX and Apstra. Fee note: Juniper lists JNCIE exams at $1,600 plus applicable taxes.

Who it's for

Data center network engineers holding JNCIP-DC who build or operate EVPN-VXLAN fabrics on QFX/EX switches and Apstra.

What the exam covers

Layer 3 Underlay (controllerless and Apstra-managed IP fabrics)—
Overlay EVPN-VXLAN (multihoming, L2/L3 tenants, inter-tenant routing, multicast)—
Data Center Interconnect (Type 2/Type 5 DCI, VXLAN stitching)—
Security (infrastructure protection, storm and STP controls)—
Class of Service for server traffic—
Operations and monitoring (Apstra probes and configlets, BFD, syslog, telemetry, SNMP)—

A dash means the vendor does not publish a weight for that domain.

Eligibility & prerequisites

Required: Active JNCIP-DC certification.

Recommended: Hands-on experience deploying EVPN-VXLAN fabrics with Junos and Juniper Apstra; Juniper's JNCIE-DC bootcamp is the recommended course.

Keeping it active

Valid 3 years from the date earned or recertified. Recertify before expiry by passing a qualifying exam listed on Juniper's recertification page; recertifying resets the 3-year clock. An expired certification cannot be recertified and the track must be restarted.

Skills & careers

Skills it validates

  • Building eBGP IP fabric underlays
  • EVPN-VXLAN overlay design with ESI multihoming
  • Multi-tenant L3 routing with Type 5 routes
  • DCI with VXLAN stitching
  • Juniper Apstra blueprints, tags, probes and configlets
  • BFD, telemetry and CoS on leaf switches

Job roles

Senior Data Center Network EngineerData Center Network ArchitectAI Fabric Network EngineerCloud Infrastructure EngineerNetwork Automation Engineer

Where it fits in your path

Planning a degree too? See how this cert earns college credit in the College Credit Navigator.

Build my study plan

  1. Weeks 1-3: Build eBGP and iBGP underlays by hand on vJunos-switch/vQFX; automate the base config so you can rebuild in minutes.
  2. Weeks 4-6: EVPN-VXLAN: bridged and edge-routed overlays, ESI-LAG multihoming, multiple VRFs and inter-tenant routing.
  3. Weeks 7-8: Apstra: blueprints, rack types, virtual networks, tags, IBA probes and custom configlets on the exam's Apstra version.
  4. Weeks 9-10: DCI with Type 2/Type 5 and VXLAN stitching, plus security, CoS, BFD, syslog and telemetry tasks.
  5. Weeks 11-13: Full timed mock labs mixing controllerless and Apstra-managed pods.

Make it yours: pick your exam date and weekly hours. We'll split your time by domain weight and give you a printable plan.

Exam-day tips

  • Check the software versions Juniper lists for the lab (Apstra and vJunos-switch versions changed in 2025) and practise on those exact versions.
  • In Apstra tasks, make every change through Apstra; out-of-band CLI edits on managed devices create anomalies and can cost points.
  • Verify EVPN with show evpn database and show route table bgp.evpn.0 rather than ping alone.
  • Know where Type 2 vs Type 5 routes are required for DCI; the task wording usually dictates which.
  • Budget time for Apstra commits, which take longer than CLI commits.

Key terms for this exam

All 4 terms Study with thinQcards™

Frequently asked questions

How much does JNCIE-DC cost?

Juniper lists JNCIE exams at $1,600 plus applicable taxes.

Does the JNCIE-DC lab include Apstra?

Yes. The objectives cover both controllerless fabrics and Apstra-managed fabrics, including probes, tags and configlets.

How long is the exam?

Juniper's exam details list 6 hours.

Is JNCIE-DC useful for AI data center jobs?

Yes. EVPN-VXLAN and IP fabric skills transfer directly to AI cluster front-end and storage networks; pair it with NVIDIA networking certs for InfiniBand and Spectrum-X.

What do I need before JNCIE-DC?

An active JNCIP-DC certification.

Official page: www.juniper.net. Reviewed November 2026. Vendors change fees and objectives, so confirm with the vendor before you book. Spot something out of date? Tell us.