810-01

The Riverbed 810-01 exam, covering Riverbed SteelHead WAN Optimization, focuses on several key areas. The main points can be grouped into these categories:

• SteelHead Architecture and Functionality: This is a core component. You need to understand the SteelHead appliance's role in WAN optimization, its various components (e.g., WAN optimization modules), and how it integrates into a network. This includes understanding concepts like TCP optimization, application acceleration, and data reduction techniques.

• Deployment and Configuration: Expect questions on how to deploy SteelHead appliances in various network topologies (e.g., hub-and-spoke, mesh). You should be familiar with the SteelHead management console, configuration options (e.g., policies, rules), and troubleshooting basic deployment issues.

• Optimization Technologies: A significant portion of the exam covers the specifics of Riverbed's optimization techniques. This includes:

  • TCP Optimization: Understanding how SteelHead improves TCP performance over high-latency WAN links (e.g., through features like forward error correction).
  • Data Reduction: Knowledge of compression, deduplication, and other data reduction methods used by SteelHead to reduce bandwidth consumption.
  • Application Acceleration: How SteelHead optimizes specific applications (e.g., Citrix, Microsoft applications) for better performance over WAN.

• Monitoring and Troubleshooting: Understanding how to monitor SteelHead performance, identify bottlenecks, and troubleshoot common issues using the management console and available tools is crucial. This includes analyzing performance metrics and logs.

• Security: Although not the primary focus, understanding basic security aspects related to SteelHead deployment, such as authentication and access control, is important.

• High Availability and Scalability: You should be familiar with concepts related to ensuring high availability and scalability of SteelHead deployments, potentially including clustering and failover mechanisms.

In summary, the exam tests your understanding of SteelHead's role in optimizing WAN performance, its key features and technologies, and how to deploy, configure, and manage it effectively. It's less about memorizing specific commands and more about grasping the underlying principles and problem-solving related to WAN optimization. Focusing on the how and why behind the technology is more effective than rote memorization.