- How the Nokia SRA Certification Is Built
- Why the Six Content Areas Are Unweighted
- Domain 1: BGP for Internet Routing (4A0-102)
- Domain 2: Virtual Private LAN Services (4A0-105)
- Domain 3: Virtual Private Routed Networks (4A0-106)
- Domain 4: Quality of Service (4A0-107)
- Domain 5: Ethernet VPN Services (4A0-115)
- Domain 6: SRA Practical Lab (ASRA4A0)
- Sequencing the Domains in Your Preparation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- SRA is multi-exam: written exams 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, 4A0-107 and 4A0-115, then the 7-hour ASRA4A0 practical lab.
- The six content areas are unweighted preparation groups, not one weighted blueprint with topic percentages.
- The optional 4A0-C02 composite replaces only 4A0-102/105/106/107; it never replaces 4A0-115 or the lab.
- The lab is two independent 3.5-hour sections where topics must be configured and verified, not recognized from answer choices.
How the Nokia SRA Certification Is Built
The first thing to settle about the Nokia Service Routing Architect credential is that it is not a single exam with a single blueprint. It is a multi-exam certification, distinct from NRS I and NRS II. Under the program update effective September 8, 2026, the current route requires five written exams followed by a practical lab:
- 4A0-102: BGP for Internet Routing
- 4A0-105: Virtual Private LAN Services
- 4A0-106: Virtual Private Routed Networks
- 4A0-107: Quality of Service
- 4A0-115: Ethernet VPN Services
- ASRA4A0: the 7-hour SRA Practical Lab
Those six items map directly to the six content areas used throughout this guide. If you are still orienting yourself, our primer on what SRA certification is covers the basics, and SRA requirements and eligibility goes deeper on how to qualify.
The 4A0-C02 composite shortcut and its limits
Nokia also offers an optional composite exam, 4A0-C02. It substitutes for only four of the written exams: 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106 and 4A0-107. It does not replace 4A0-115 (Ethernet VPN Services), and it does not replace the practical lab. If you take the composite route, you still owe the EVPN exam and the ASRA4A0 lab.
What changed with the 2026 update
The September 8, 2026 update simplified the written prerequisites. Separate IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS and Services Architecture exams are no longer required, although that knowledge remains very useful as background for the service chapters. Multicast 4A0-108 is retired and is not a current SRA requirement. One quirk to watch: the lab page still displays superseded prerequisite exams, so for current eligibility rely on the dated program update and the current certification table. Previously lab-eligible candidates retain that eligibility under the announced transition.
Why the Six Content Areas Are Unweighted
Many certification guides present a neat pie chart of domain percentages. For Nokia SRA, that would be invented. The six groups organize issuer-linked written-exam preparation topics together with the separately published practical-lab scope. They are unweighted preparation groups rather than a single weighted exam blueprint, and no topic percentages or exhaustive-coverage claims are established.
What this means practically:
- Do not budget study time by percentages you read elsewhere; there are none to rely on for the credential as a whole.
- Treat each written exam as its own preparation project with its own topic list.
- Treat the lab as a separate skill test that draws on all of the service domains at once.
For a sense of how demanding the full path is, see how hard the SRA exam is. For the overall preparation plan that these domains slot into, start with the SRA study guide.
Domain 1: BGP for Internet Routing (4A0-102)
This domain is about running BGP the way a service provider does, on Nokia SR OS. It begins with the big picture and works down to configuration and troubleshooting.
Domain 1: BGP for Internet Routing (4A0-102)
Candidates must connect Internet inter-domain architecture to hands-on SR OS configuration and fault diagnosis.
- Internet inter-domain architecture and service-provider BGP roles
- BGP mechanisms, attributes and how BGP interacts with the IGP
- SR OS peer-network design, configuration, monitoring and fault diagnosis
- Routing-policy configuration, verification and troubleshooting
- iBGP scalability through confederations and route reflectors
- Advertise-external, add-paths and fast-reroute operation, configuration and verification
Where candidates tend to need depth
Two themes deserve extra attention. First, routing policy is not just about writing it; the exam scope includes verifying and troubleshooting it, so you need to predict which routes a policy will accept, reject or modify. Second, iBGP scalability (route reflectors and confederations) and the advertise-external, add-paths and fast-reroute features go beyond textbook BGP into convergence and path-diversity design. Understand not only how each feature is configured but what problem it solves.
This domain also reappears in the lab, where the practical BGP scope covers AS peering, messages and attributes, reflectors and confederations, advertisement and redistribution, selection and policy including regular expressions, advertise-external, add-paths and FRR.
Domain 2: Virtual Private LAN Services (4A0-105)
VPLS is where Ethernet and MPLS meet. The scope runs from the building blocks to large-scale resilience design.
Domain 2: Virtual Private LAN Services (4A0-105)
Candidates must build, diagnose and scale multipoint Layer-2 services over MPLS.
- Ethernet/MPLS foundations, SAPs and SDPs
- Basic VPLS creation and configuration
- Distributed-service MTU implications and FDB maintenance
- Operations, misconfiguration diagnosis, repair and policy-based forwarding
- RSTP loop prevention and M-VPLS with STP for redundancy and load distribution
- LAG, MC-LAG and active/standby pseudowire resilience
- Deployment scale, H-VPLS hierarchy and PBB control of excessive MAC learning
The scaling story is the heart of this domain
Early topics (SAPs, SDPs, basic VPLS configuration) are approachable. The harder material is what happens when a VPLS grows: the forwarding database (FDB) can balloon, loops become dangerous, and redundancy designs multiply. H-VPLS hierarchy and PBB exist specifically to control excessive MAC learning, and M-VPLS with STP plus MC-LAG and active/standby pseudowires give you different redundancy options with different trade-offs. Know when each is appropriate.
The lab's VPLS scope mirrors this closely: SAP encapsulation and forwarding, MTU, FDB size and alarms, MAC aging, learning and discard, protection and OAM, BGP autodiscovery, BGP VPLS and LDP VPLS with autodiscovery, STP/M-VPLS-RSTP, MC-LAG, pseudowire resilience, ring and full-mesh designs, H-VPLS and PBB scale.
Domain 3: Virtual Private Routed Networks (4A0-106)
VPRN is the MPLS Layer-3 VPN domain. It builds on BGP knowledge from Domain 1, so many candidates find it easier to study after BGP.
Domain 3: Virtual Private Routed Networks (4A0-106)
Candidates must configure and troubleshoot Layer-3 VPNs from a single PE to inter-AS and carrier-grade designs.
- VPRN architecture, MPLS Layer-3 VPN configuration and PE route distribution through MP-BGP
- BGP loop causes and prevention
- Configuration, validation, monitoring and troubleshooting
- Advanced full-mesh, hub/spoke and extranet arrangements and Internet access options
- Inter-AS models A, B and C: operation, configuration, verification and diagnosis
- Carrier-supporting-carrier VPN architecture, route exchanges, forwarding paths, configuration and troubleshooting
Topologies and inter-AS are the differentiators
The vocabulary of route distinguishers, route targets and VRF import/export is foundational, and the lab scope names it explicitly alongside label signaling and route selection. What separates strong candidates is fluency with topology design: full-mesh versus hub/spoke versus extranet, plus Internet access options. Then comes inter-AS, where models A, B and C each distribute VPN routes and labels differently. Carrier-supporting-carrier adds yet another layer, with its own route exchanges and forwarding paths. Be able to trace a packet and its labels through each model, not just recite definitions.
Domain 4: Quality of Service (4A0-107)
The QoS domain has the longest and most granular topic list of the written exams. It covers both the theory of traffic management and the specific mechanics of the 7750 SR.
Domain 4: Quality of Service (4A0-107)
Candidates must understand how traffic is classified, metered, queued, scheduled and marked on Nokia platforms.
- Traffic demands, business drivers, IntServ/DiffServ models, customer rate limits and 7750 SR processing
- Classification using packet headers at SAP and network ingress and egress, match precedence and default network policy
- Token-bucket metering, queue shaping versus policing, default scheduling and fair-information-rate priorities
- SAP-ingress, SAP-egress and network queues; priority/profile modes; hardware versus service queues
- Ingress/egress policers, profile-capped operation and access, network and hybrid buffer allocation
- WRED congestion avoidance and slope-policy configuration and application
- Queue groups, redirection of SAP or network traffic, and CFHP for SAP and queue-group policers
- Hierarchical scheduling for SAP queues/policers and queue groups, plus egress-port scheduling
- Customer-header versus encapsulation-header marking and remarking across Layer-2, VPRN and IES services
A table of the distinctions that trip people up
| Concept pair | What to be able to explain |
|---|---|
| Shaping vs. policing | How queues smooth traffic versus how policers act on excess, and when each is applied |
| Hardware vs. service queues | Where each sits in processing and why the difference matters for resource planning |
| Customer-header vs. encapsulation-header marking | Which field is marked or remarked in Layer-2, VPRN and IES services |
| Queues vs. policers | How each is created, assigned and buffered, including profile-capped operation |
The practical lab revisits this scope with classification, queues and buffers, policing and shaping, scheduling, rate limits and resources, hierarchical and egress scheduling, CFHP, marking, and application to Layer-2 and Layer-3 services. Because QoS has so many interlocking pieces, many candidates find it the most memorization-heavy written exam; our SRA cheat sheet is a handy place to consolidate the key distinctions.
Domain 5: Ethernet VPN Services (4A0-115)
EVPN is the newest written component and the one that does not fall under the composite. It modernizes Layer-2 and Layer-3 services using a BGP control plane.
Domain 5: Ethernet VPN Services (4A0-115)
Candidates must understand EVPN operation, route types, multihoming and interworking with traditional MPLS services.
- EVPN concepts, operation, benefits and data-plane choices across Layer-2, Layer-3 and data-center services
- ELAN route types: IMET flooding, MAC-route FDB learning and proxy-ARP
- MPLS and VXLAN configuration and interconnection
- IRB architecture and routing-table population: asymmetric, symmetric interface-less, and numbered/unnumbered interface-ful forwarding
- Ethernet segments, multihoming routes and designated-forwarder election using default or preference methods
- BUM split-horizon protection, aliasing and all-active load distribution, single-active behavior and segment failure
- ELINE VPWS: identification by local/remote circuits, route types, single-homed and all-active/single-active operation
- VPWS, VPLS and IRB connectivity spanning EVPN and traditional MPLS networks, plus Layer-2/Layer-3 verification
Multihoming and IRB deserve the most time
Basic EVPN-ELAN concepts (IMET for flooding, MAC routes for FDB learning) are a natural step up if you know VPLS. The steeper curve comes from multihoming (Ethernet segments, designated-forwarder election, split-horizon, aliasing, single-active versus all-active behavior) and from IRB, where the asymmetric and symmetric models populate routing tables differently. The interworking material, connecting EVPN with traditional MPLS VPLS and VPWS, tests whether you understand both worlds well enough to bridge them.
Note that the EVPN exam is separate from the lab in the issuer's structure, and the lab page's practical scope listing does not enumerate an EVPN section the way it does for BGP, QoS, VPLS and VPRN. Still, confirm the latest lab scope on the issuer's published page before you assume what will or will not appear.
Domain 6: SRA Practical Lab (ASRA4A0)
The lab is the capstone, and it is a different kind of assessment altogether. You are not choosing answers; you are designing, implementing, interoperating, diagnosing performance and resolving faults on live 7750 SR service networks, using either classic CLI or MD-CLI.
What the lab scope covers
- BGP: AS peering, messages and attributes, reflectors and confederations, advertisement and redistribution, selection and policy with regular expressions, advertise-external, add-paths and FRR.
- QoS: classification, queues and buffers, policing and shaping, scheduling, rate limits and resources, hierarchical and egress scheduling, CFHP, marking, and application to Layer-2 and Layer-3 services.
- VPLS: SAP encapsulation, forwarding and MTU; FDB size and alarms; MAC aging, learning and discard; protection and OAM; BGP autodiscovery, BGP VPLS and LDP VPLS; STP/M-VPLS-RSTP, MC-LAG and pseudowire resilience; ring and full-mesh, H-VPLS and PBB scale.
- VPRN: MPLS/MP-BGP label signaling, RD/RT, VRF import/export, route selection, full-mesh, hub-spoke, extranet and Internet topologies, static/OSPF/BGP PE-CE routing, and inter-AS A/B/C.
Why the lab rewards integrated skill
A written exam can be passed domain by domain. The lab asks you to combine them: a VPRN that must also carry the right QoS markings, riding over a BGP design that must converge correctly. Speed with the CLI and the discipline to verify every configuration matter as much as conceptual knowledge. The knowledge from separate IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS and Services Architecture courses is no longer examined as standalone exams, but it can still support your preparation for the lab's underlying plumbing.
For the scheduling side, see SRA exam dates and scheduling, and for how success is measured, our pages on the SRA passing score and SRA pass rate explain what is and is not publicly established.
Sequencing the Domains in Your Preparation
Generic study technique matters less here than ordering the domains sensibly, because the content builds on itself. One reasonable sequence follows the dependencies:
BGP first
- Master 4A0-102 topics: attributes, policy, route reflectors, confederations
- BGP underpins VPRN, EVPN and much of the lab, so early depth pays off repeatedly
The two service families
- VPLS (4A0-105) for Layer-2 services, then VPRN (4A0-106) for Layer-3
- Practice SAP/SDP configuration and RD/RT logic until it is automatic
QoS and EVPN
- Work through 4A0-107's queue, policer and scheduling mechanics with a configuration mindset
- Study 4A0-115 after VPLS and VPRN, since EVPN reuses and extends both
Lab integration
- Build combined scenarios across BGP, VPLS, VPRN and QoS
- Practice verifying every change, since the lab requires configure-and-verify
Key Takeaway
Order your study by dependency, not by exam number: BGP, then VPLS and VPRN, then QoS and EVPN, then integrated lab scenarios. Course prerequisites are recommendations, not additional examination requirements, and training is not mandatory to attempt the exams.
Original supplemental practice can help you test recall across these domains; you can explore our practice tests for study material that is independent of the issuer and does not reproduce actual exam questions. For more on structured planning, read our SRA study guide, and if you are weighing the investment, our analyses of SRA certification cost and whether the SRA is worth it put the effort in context. Questions about career outcomes are addressed in the SRA salary guide and SRA jobs overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The six groups are unweighted preparation groups that organize written-exam topics and the practical-lab scope. They are not a single weighted exam blueprint, and no topic percentages are established.
The optional 4A0-C02 composite substitutes only for 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106 and 4A0-107. It does not replace 4A0-115 (Ethernet VPN Services) or the ASRA4A0 practical lab.
It is a 7-hour practical assessment made up of two independent 3.5-hour sections, excluding a 1-hour lunch. Topics must be configured and verified using classic CLI or MD-CLI, though not every topic necessarily appears.
No. Multicast 4A0-108 is retired and is not a current SRA requirement. Separate IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS and Services Architecture exams are also no longer required under the September 8, 2026 update.
No. Course prerequisites are preparation recommendations, not additional SRA examination requirements, and training is not mandatory to attempt the examinations. See our SRA requirements guide for eligibility details.