Table of contents
- What the guide is and what the publisher lists
- Which eBook formats and access details are listed?
- What the 31-day ENCOR preparation plan covers
What the guide is and what the publisher lists
Publisher-listed bibliographic details
The title is 31 Days Before Your CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core Exam by Patrick Gargano. Cisco Press is identified as the publisher, with a publication date of October 28, 2020. The listed edition is the first edition, and the book has 736 pages. The eBook listing gives ISBN-10 0-13-696516-4 and ISBN-13 978-0-13-696516-9.
These details provide a practical purchase check. Compare the title and author first, then verify the publisher, publication date, edition, page count, and ISBN information against the listing you intend to buy. This helps distinguish the guide from other CCNP Enterprise study materials that may use similar certification terms in their titles.
The title itself identifies the guide as a preparation resource for the CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core Exam. The publisher describes it as a way to understand the CCNP and CCIE Enterprise certification process, commit to taking the ENCOR 350-401 exam, and finish preparation with primary and supplemental study resources.
Stated preparation purpose
The guide is presented as a structured preparation resource rather than as an unidentified general networking reference. Its stated purpose combines the ENCOR 350-401 exam with a day-by-day plan and additional study resources. That makes the title relevant to a reader who wants a defined preparation framework, provided that the title, edition, and other bibliographic details match the intended purchase.
The publisher also describes several planning features. A visual tear-card calendar summarizes each day's study topic. A checklist offers advice about preparation activities leading up to the exam. Descriptions of exam organization and sign-up processes address practical preparation steps, while other listed strategies concern mental, organizational, and physical preparation. The guide is described as having a conversational tone.
The publisher further states that the guide was thoroughly updated for the current exam and offers a complete day-by-day plan for what and how to study. Those statements describe the guide's intended purpose and organization. They do not establish exam results, independent quality ratings, or suitability for a particular learner's previous experience.
Before buying, compare the complete product listing with your target: title, author, publication date, edition, page count, and ISBNs. Then decide whether a 31-day ENCOR plan, daily topic summaries, and linked study resources fit the way you intend to prepare.
Which eBook formats and access details are listed?
EPUB and PDF availability
The listed eBook price is $38.39 against a list price of $47.99. The format description states that the purchase includes EPUB and PDF. The product page also indicates that the book is available in other formats, so confirm that the selected product is the EPUB-and-PDF eBook before completing a purchase.
The EPUB is described as an open industry format with reflowable content and usability on supported mobile devices. Reflowable content can be useful when a reader wants text to adapt to a supported screen instead of remaining tied to a fixed page layout. The format description does not establish compatibility with every device or reading application, however. If your study workflow depends on a particular reader, tablet, or application, check that it supports the selected format.
The PDF provides the other listed eBook format. The available information identifies the format as included in the eBook purchase, but it does not describe compatibility with every PDF application or device. Comparing both included formats with your preferred reading setup is therefore a sensible step before relying on the eBook for study.
Purchase access and personalization
The included EPUB and PDF formats are described as accessible from the purchaser's Account page after purchase. This identifies where the purchased formats can be found and gives the reader an account-based access point to check.
The eBook is also discreetly watermarked with the purchaser's name. The watermark personalizes the digital copy as part of the publisher's stated eBook process. Consider that condition alongside the available formats and account access when deciding whether the publisher's eBook matches your intended study workflow.
The listing's price is tied to the specific product information described here. Confirm the price shown at the time of purchase rather than assuming that the listed amount remains current.
Reading requirement
The listing states that the eBook requires no passwords or activation to read. The format details separately state that the purchased EPUB and PDF files are accessed through the purchaser's Account page. These statements distinguish the reading requirement from the access location: the listing does not describe a password or activation step for reading, while it does identify the purchaser's account as the place where the formats become available.
A practical pre-purchase check has three parts. First, verify that the selected eBook includes both EPUB and PDF if you want both formats. Second, confirm that the formats will be available through the relevant Account page after purchase. Third, check that your intended reading application supports the format you plan to use, particularly if you want the reflowable EPUB experience.
The listed information identifies publisher-provided eBook access and does not identify an unofficial download source. Use the product listing and the account access described there when evaluating the purchase. The format description also does not establish support for every device or application.
What the 31-day ENCOR preparation plan covers
The guide describes a day-by-day preparation structure for ENCOR 350-401. Each day breaks down an exam topic into a short, easy-to-review summary and provides Daily Study Resource quick-references pointing to deeper treatments elsewhere. The plan therefore connects a daily review unit with additional study-resource references.
The topic sequence spans enterprise architecture, switching and forwarding, LAN connectivity, routing protocols, first-hop redundancy, network services, VPN technologies, overlays, software-defined networking, multicast, QoS, network assurance, wireless, security, virtualization, programmability, APIs, and automation. The sequence is useful as a scope check, but it does not establish official exam weighting, a personalized priority order, or a required study-time commitment.
Start with architecture, forwarding, and campus connectivity
The opening topics include enterprise network architecture and packet switching and forwarding. Enterprise architecture includes the hierarchical LAN design model and enterprise network architecture options. Packet switching and forwarding includes Layer 2 switch operation, Layer 3 switch operation, and forwarding mechanisms.
The plan then addresses LAN connectivity. Listed areas include VLAN overview, access ports, 802.1Q trunk ports, Dynamic Trunking Protocol, VLAN Trunking Protocol, and inter-VLAN routing. Spanning Tree Protocol coverage includes IEEE 802.1D STP, Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol, synchronization, topology change, configuration and verification, stability mechanisms, and Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol.
Port aggregation is represented through EtherChannel topics, including the need for EtherChannel, mode interactions, configuration guidelines, load-balancing options, and configuration and verification. Together, these areas give the reader a way to check whether the plan addresses architecture, forwarding, switching, campus connectivity, loop prevention, and link aggregation.
Use this group as a foundation-scope comparison. It can show whether the named areas match the infrastructure subjects you intend to review, but the listed order does not establish which subjects have official priority or which will require the most time for you.
Continue through routing, redundancy, and network services
The routing portion includes EIGRP, OSPFv2, OSPFv3, and BGP. EIGRP topics include reliable transport, neighbor adjacency, metrics, path selection, and load balancing and sharing. OSPF topics include neighbor adjacencies, link-state database building, filtering options, OSPFv3, and OSPFv3 configuration.
BGP coverage includes interdomain routing, multihoming, operations, neighbor states and relationships, path selection, path attributes, and configuration. This gives the reader a way to distinguish the different routing areas represented in the preparation structure instead of treating routing as a single topic.
The plan also includes first-hop redundancy protocols, including VRRP. Network services include Network Address Translation and Network Time Protocol. GRE and IPsec are represented through Generic Routing Encapsulation, IP Security, IKE, and IPsec site-to-site VPN configuration.
This grouping connects routing protocols with gateway redundancy, network services, and VPN technologies. It shows that the described preparation scope includes multiple routing and connectivity subjects. It does not provide a learner-specific sequence for revisiting them or predict which subjects will require the most preparation time.
Include overlays, SD networking, multicast, and QoS
The plan identifies LISP and VXLAN, including Locator/ID Separation Protocol and Virtual Extensible LAN. It also includes Software-Defined Access, with topics covering the Cisco SD-Access fabric data plane and control plane, policy plane, fabric components, and shared services. SD-WAN is represented through a Cisco SD-WAN solution example and Cisco SD-WAN routing.
Other listed areas are multicast and Quality of Service. Multicast topics include Multicast Overview, Internet Group Management Protocol, multicast distribution trees, and IP multicast routing. QoS topics include Quality of Service, QoS models, and QoS mechanisms overview.
This group matters when comparing the guide with a preparation need that extends beyond conventional campus switching and routing. The named areas include overlays, software-defined networking, multicast, and traffic-treatment concepts. They show the breadth of the plan without establishing that completing the plan guarantees mastery of those subjects.
Review assurance, wireless, and security
Network assurance topics include troubleshooting concepts, network diagnostic tools, Cisco IOS IP Service Level Agreements, and Switched Port Analyzer. Additional assurance subjects include logging services, Syslog, Simple Network Management Protocol, and NetFlow.
Wireless topics include wireless standards, wireless deployment, wireless access point operation, antenna characteristics, wireless roaming, wireless location services, and wireless client authentication. Security topics include the network security threatscape, network security components, endpoint security, firewall concepts, TrustSec, MACsec, identity management, secure access control, access control lists, and Control Plane Policing.
This group helps a reader check whether the stated preparation scope includes assurance, wireless, and security alongside infrastructure subjects. The listed topics describe the plan's stated coverage; they do not independently validate the coverage or establish a particular exam outcome.
Finish with virtualization, programmability, APIs, and automation
Later topics include virtualization, Network Function Virtualization, and network path isolation. Network programmability includes Python concepts, device management, and network programmability. The REST API section lists application programming interfaces, southbound and northbound APIs, REST API response codes and results, REST APIs in Cisco DNA Center, REST APIs in Cisco vManage, and the Cisco SD-WAN API library and documentation.
Network automation is represented through configuration management tools. The broader ENCOR technology scope also identifies dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 architecture, virtualization, infrastructure, network assurance, security, and automation.
This final group is useful when deciding whether the guide reaches automation-oriented ENCOR areas as well as traditional networking. The plan combines short daily topic summaries with references to deeper study resources, allowing the reader to use the listed subjects as a scope checklist and then consult the associated resources for additional treatment.
Overall, compare the guide's identity and edition first. Verify the EPUB and PDF formats, account-based access, watermarking, and reading conditions next. Finally, compare the listed topic groups with your ENCOR preparation needs. The publisher-described structure combines a 31-day plan, daily topic summaries, and additional study-resource references; the available information does not establish a personalized schedule, official topic weighting, guaranteed mastery, or a guaranteed exam result.
Related reading: ccnp and ccie enterprise core encor 350-401