The ArcOS Fundamentals Training Course provides participants with a foundational understanding of Arrcus ArcOS, a modern, programmable, microservices-based Network Operating System (NOS) designed for scalable networking across data center, edge, service-provider, and cloud environments. ArcOS supports physical, virtual, and container-based deployment models and provides standards-based programmability through technologies such as OpenConfig, YANG, NETCONF, RESTCONF, and automation frameworks.
The course introduces participants to ArcOS architecture, system access and management, interface configuration, Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, IPv4/IPv6 routing, routing protocols, network monitoring, telemetry, security fundamentals, troubleshooting, and introductory network automation. Participants will also gain familiarity with ArcOS capabilities such as BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, VXLAN, MPLS, Segment Routing, and EVPN.
The training is intended to establish the practical foundation required for network engineers and administrators who will deploy, operate, monitor, or support ArcOS-based network environments.
Duration 3 Days – 21 hrs.
Objectives
- Explain the purpose, architecture, and major capabilities of ArcOS.
- Describe the role of ArcOS as a modern Network Operating System.
- Identify the major components of the ArcOS architecture.
- Understand physical, virtual, and container-based ArcOS deployments.
- Navigate and use the ArcOS command-line interface.
- Perform basic system configuration and management.
- Configure and verify network interfaces.
- Understand VLANs, Layer 2 switching, and link aggregation concepts.
- Configure basic IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity.
- Understand static and dynamic routing in ArcOS.
- Explain the fundamentals of OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP.
- Understand the purpose of EVPN, VXLAN, MPLS, and Segment Routing.
- Perform basic route verification and troubleshooting.
- Understand ArcOS management, monitoring, and telemetry capabilities.
- Explain the fundamentals of YANG and OpenConfig models.
- Understand how NETCONF, RESTCONF, APIs, Python, and Ansible can support network automation.
- Apply basic ArcOS security and administrative practices.
- Perform fundamental troubleshooting and operational verification tasks.
Target Audience
- Network Engineers
- Network Administrators
- Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineers
- Network Support Engineers
- Infrastructure Engineers
- Data Center Engineers
- Cloud Network Engineers
- Systems Engineers
- Telecommunications Engineers
- Service Provider Network Engineers
- Network Architects requiring an introduction to ArcOS
- DevOps and Network Automation Engineers
- Technical Support Personnel responsible for ArcOS environments
- IT professionals transitioning from traditional network operating systems to open and programmable networking platforms
Prerequisites
- Basic knowledge of computer networking.
- Familiarity with the TCP/IP protocol suite.
- Basic understanding of IPv4 addressing and subnetting.
- Basic knowledge of Ethernet, switches, and routers.
- Familiarity with VLAN concepts.
- Basic understanding of static and dynamic routing.
- Basic command-line interface experience.
Course Outline
Day 1 – ArcOS Architecture, System Fundamentals, and Basic Network Configuration
Module 1: Introduction to ArcOS and Modern Network Operating Systems
- Evolution of traditional and open networking
- Introduction to Arrcus and ArcOS
- What is a Network Operating System?
- ArcOS use cases
- Data center, edge, service-provider, and cloud networking
- Hardware-independent networking concepts
- Physical, virtual, and container deployments
- ArcOS capabilities and supported networking technologies
Module 2: Understanding the ArcOS Architecture
- ArcOS architectural overview
- Microservices-based architecture
- Control plane and data plane concepts
- ArcOS Fabric
- Data Plane Adaptation Layer (DPAL)
- Hardware abstraction concepts
- Process isolation and resiliency
- Modular networking services
- Open Network Linux concepts
- Programmability and automation architecture
Module 3: ArcOS System Access and CLI Fundamentals
- Accessing an ArcOS device
- Command-line interface overview
- Operational and configuration concepts
- Understanding command hierarchy
- CLI navigation
- Viewing system information
- Configuration management fundamentals
- Saving and validating configurations
- Basic operational commands
Module 4: Interface and Basic System Configuration
- Understanding network interfaces
- Interface identification and status
- Configuring interface parameters
- Interface descriptions
- Enabling and disabling interfaces
- IP address configuration
- IPv4 and IPv6 interface concepts
- Loopback interfaces
- Interface verification
- Basic connectivity testing
Module 5: Layer 2 Networking Fundamentals
- Ethernet switching concepts
- VLAN fundamentals
- VLAN configuration concepts
- Access and trunk interfaces
- MAC address learning
- Link aggregation
- LACP fundamentals
- Spanning Tree concepts
- Layer 2 verification and troubleshooting
Day 2 – IP Routing and Routing Protocol Fundamentals
Module 6: Layer 3 and IP Routing Fundamentals
- Review of IPv4 and IPv6
- Routing table fundamentals
- Connected routes
- Static routing
- Default routes
- Route preference and selection concepts
- Routing Information Base (RIB)
- Forwarding Information Base (FIB)
- Route verification
- Basic routing troubleshooting
Module 7: OSPF Fundamentals
- Introduction to Interior Gateway Protocols
- OSPF concepts and terminology
- OSPF neighbors and adjacencies
- OSPF areas
- Link-state advertisements
- Basic OSPF configuration concepts
- Route advertisement
- OSPF verification
- Common OSPF troubleshooting techniques
Module 8: IS-IS Fundamentals
- Introduction to IS-IS
- IS-IS architecture
- Level 1 and Level 2 concepts
- IS-IS neighbors
- Link-state database
- Basic IS-IS configuration concepts
- Route advertisement
- IS-IS verification and troubleshooting
Module 9: BGP Fundamentals
- Introduction to Border Gateway Protocol
- Internal and External BGP
- Autonomous Systems
- BGP peers and sessions
- BGP route advertisements
- BGP path selection fundamentals
- Basic routing policies
- BGP configuration concepts
- BGP verification
- Common BGP troubleshooting techniques
Module 10: Introduction to Advanced ArcOS Networking Technologies
- MPLS fundamentals
- Segment Routing concepts
- SR-MPLS overview
- SRv6 overview
- VXLAN fundamentals
- EVPN concepts
- BGP EVPN overview
- IP Clos architecture
- Spine-and-leaf networking
- Data center networking use cases
- Service-provider routing use cases
Day 3 – Management, Security, Telemetry, Automation, and Troubleshooting
Module 11: ArcOS System Management and Operations
- System management fundamentals
- User and administrative access
- Configuration management
- Software and image management concepts
- Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP)
- System events and notifications
- Logging fundamentals
- Operational status monitoring
- System health verification
- Software upgrade concepts
Module 12: ArcOS Security Fundamentals
- Network operating system security considerations
- User authentication and authorization
- Local and remote users
- AAA fundamentals
- TACACS+ and RADIUS concepts
- Role-based access
- Secure management interfaces
- Control plane protection
- Software image signing and verification
- Security monitoring and auditing
- Configuration security best practices
Module 13: Monitoring, Telemetry, and Network Visibility
- Traditional network monitoring
- ArcOS telemetry architecture
- Streaming telemetry concepts
- Network state and operational data
- YANG-based data models
- OpenConfig overview
- gNMI concepts
- Events and notifications
- Performance monitoring
- Fault and health monitoring
- Introduction to ArcIQ and analytics
Module 14: ArcOS Programmability and Network Automation Fundamentals
- Introduction to programmable networking
- ArcOS APIs
- YANG fundamentals
- OpenConfig models
- NETCONF overview
- RESTCONF overview
- CLI versus API-based configuration
- Introduction to Python for ArcOS
- Introduction to Go integration
- Introduction to Ansible automation
- Zero Touch Provisioning and automated deployment
- Automation use cases for network operations
Module 15: ArcOS Troubleshooting Fundamentals
- Structured network troubleshooting approach
- Checking system and interface status
- Troubleshooting interface connectivity
- VLAN troubleshooting
- IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity troubleshooting
- Routing table verification
- OSPF troubleshooting
- IS-IS troubleshooting
- BGP troubleshooting
- Log and event analysis
- Telemetry-assisted troubleshooting
- Identifying configuration problems
- Common operational issues
- Configuration validation and recovery concepts
Module 16: ArcOS Fundamentals Review and Operational Best Practices
- ArcOS architecture review
- Configuration workflow review
- Layer 2 and Layer 3 review
- Routing protocol review
- Security considerations
- Monitoring and telemetry considerations
- Automation opportunities
- Operational best practices
- Preparing an ArcOS environment for production operations
