- The Short Answer: What SRA Means
- Why SRA Is Not a Single Exam
- The Six Content Groups Behind the Name
- The Route to Certification, Step by Step
- What the Practical Lab Actually Tests
- SRA vs. NRS I and NRS II
- Who Pursues SRA and Where It Fits
- Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Domains
- Frequently Asked Questions
- SRA means Nokia Service Routing Architect, a multi-exam credential rather than a single test.
- From September 8, 2026, the route is written exams 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, 4A0-107 and 4A0-115, then the practical lab.
- The ASRA4A0 practical lab runs two independent 3.5-hour sections, with a 1-hour lunch excluded.
- The optional 4A0-C02 composite substitutes only for 4A0-102, 105, 106 and 107, never for 4A0-115 or the lab.
The Short Answer: What SRA Means
On this site, SRA stands for Nokia Service Routing Architect. It is a Nokia certification aimed at engineers who design, build, and troubleshoot service-provider networks running Nokia 7750 Service Router platforms and the SR OS operating system. The "architect" label signals the level: this is not an entry-level credential but a demonstration that you can combine routing, services, and quality of service into a working design and then prove it in a live lab.
The acronym is shared by several unrelated credentials in other industries, which is a common source of confusion when you search for it. Everything here refers only to the Nokia program. If you want shorter explainers on the naming itself, see our pages on what SRA stands for, what SRA is, and the meaning of SRA.
Why SRA Is Not a Single Exam
The most important thing to understand about this certification is its structure. SRA is a multi-exam certification. It is distinct from NRS I and NRS II, and it is earned by completing several written exams followed by a hands-on practical lab. That means there is no single question count, single time limit, or single fee that describes "the SRA exam." Anyone quoting one number for the whole certification is oversimplifying.
For a deeper look at how demanding each stage is, our guide on how hard the SRA exam is breaks down where candidates typically struggle. The general point for now: because the credential combines separate written exams and a lab, preparation is a project spread across multiple topic areas, not a single cram session.
The Six Content Groups Behind the Name
The SRA program organizes its preparation material into six groups: five written-exam subjects and one practical lab. These are unweighted preparation groups, not a single weighted blueprint, so you should not assume any group carries a particular percentage of the whole. Our full walkthrough of all six SRA content areas goes further; here is the overview.
Domain 1: BGP for Internet Routing (4A0-102)
Covers Internet inter-domain architecture and the roles service-provider BGP plays within it.
- BGP mechanisms, attributes, and interaction with the IGP
- Peer-network design, configuration, monitoring, and fault diagnosis on SR OS
- Routing-policy configuration, verification, and troubleshooting
- iBGP scalability with confederations and route reflectors
- Advertise-external, add-paths, and fast-reroute operation and verification
Domain 2: Virtual Private LAN Services (4A0-105)
Focuses on delivering multipoint Layer-2 services across an MPLS core.
- Ethernet/MPLS foundations, SAPs, and SDPs
- Basic VPLS creation, distributed-service MTU implications, and FDB maintenance
- 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
Domain 3: Virtual Private Routed Networks (4A0-106)
Addresses MPLS Layer-3 VPNs and how routes are distributed between provider edge routers.
- VPRN architecture and PE route distribution through MP-BGP
- BGP loop causes and prevention
- Full-mesh, hub/spoke, and extranet arrangements plus Internet access options
- Inter-AS models A, B, and C
- Carrier-supporting-carrier VPN architecture and troubleshooting
Domain 4: Quality of Service (4A0-107)
Examines how traffic is classified, metered, queued, scheduled, and marked on the 7750 SR.
- IntServ and DiffServ models, customer rate limits, and 7750 SR processing
- Classification at SAP and network ingress and egress, token-bucket metering, shaping versus policing
- SAP-ingress, SAP-egress, and network queues; policers; buffer allocation
- WRED and slope policies, queue groups, and CFHP
- Hierarchical and egress-port scheduling, plus marking and remarking in Layer-2, VPRN, and IES services
Domain 5: Ethernet VPN Services (4A0-115)
Covers EVPN concepts and operation 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, including asymmetric and symmetric forwarding models
- Ethernet segments, multihoming, and designated-forwarder election
- ELINE VPWS and interworking between EVPN and traditional MPLS networks
Domain 6: SRA Practical Lab (ASRA4A0)
A hands-on assessment in which you design, implement, interoperate, diagnose, and repair live 7750 SR service networks.
- Work in classic CLI or MD-CLI
- Practical scope spans BGP, QoS, VPLS, and VPRN topics
- Configuration and verification both matter
The Route to Certification, Step by Step
Effective September 8, 2026, the current route requires the written exams 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, 4A0-107, and 4A0-115, followed by the 7-hour practical ASRA4A0 lab. Candidates who were previously lab-eligible retain that eligibility under the announced transition.
| Stage | Component | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 4A0-102 | BGP for Internet Routing |
| Written | 4A0-105 | Virtual Private LAN Services |
| Written | 4A0-106 | Virtual Private Routed Networks |
| Written | 4A0-107 | Quality of Service |
| Written | 4A0-115 | Ethernet VPN Services |
| Practical | ASRA4A0 | 7-hour hands-on lab |
The Optional Composite Exam
Nokia also offers an optional composite, 4A0-C02, which substitutes for only 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, and 4A0-107. It does not replace 4A0-115, and it does not replace the practical lab. If you take the composite route, you still need the EVPN written exam and the lab.
Eligibility details, including how the transition affects existing candidates, are covered in our guide to SRA requirements and prerequisites. Course prerequisites listed by Nokia are preparation recommendations rather than additional examination requirements, and training is not mandatory to attempt the exams. See also our overview of SRA training options.
What the Practical Lab Actually Tests
The ASRA4A0 lab is the capstone, and it is a practical assessment rather than a multiple-choice item count. It consists of two independent 3.5-hour sections, excluding a 1-hour lunch. Nokia states the lab content is unchanged by the 2026 program update. Topics must be both configured and verified, although not every topic necessarily appears on any given attempt.
Practical Scope by Area
- 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 and forwarding, MTU, FDB size and alarms, MAC aging, learning, and discard, protection and OAM, BGP autodiscovery, BGP VPLS, LDP VPLS with autodiscovery, STP and M-VPLS-RSTP, MC-LAG, pseudowire resilience, ring and full-mesh designs, H-VPLS, and PBB scale.
- VPRN: MPLS and MP-BGP label signaling, RD and RT, VRF import and export, route selection, full-mesh, hub-spoke, extranet, and Internet topologies, static, OSPF, and BGP PE-CE routing, and inter-AS A, B, and C.
Key Takeaway
The lab rewards fault-finding as much as building. Practice verifying every configuration with show commands and deliberately breaking and repairing your own designs, in whichever CLI flavor you plan to use on exam day.
For a consolidated checklist of facts worth memorizing before sitting any stage, our SRA cheat sheet is a useful companion, and the SRA study guide lays out a full preparation approach.
SRA vs. NRS I and NRS II
Candidates often ask how SRA relates to Nokia's other routing credentials. The key distinction is that SRA is a separate, multi-exam certification, distinct from NRS I and NRS II. Where those credentials establish foundational and intermediate routing knowledge, SRA is the architect-level track built on service technologies and a practical lab.
| Aspect | SRA |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Nokia |
| Format | Five written exams plus a 7-hour practical lab |
| Relation to NRS I / NRS II | Distinct certification, not the same program |
| Optional shortcut | 4A0-C02 composite covers four of the five written exams |
| Retired item | Multicast 4A0-108 is not a current requirement |
One caution: changes Nokia has announced for NRS I should not be assumed to apply to the SRA scope described here. Keep the two programs separate when planning.
Who Pursues SRA and Where It Fits
The certification maps to roles that design and operate service-provider and large enterprise networks built on Nokia IP/MPLS platforms: network architects, senior network engineers, and operations specialists responsible for VPN and Ethernet service delivery. The domain list reads like a job description for that work, from BGP policy and route reflection to VPRN and EVPN service design to QoS on the 7750 SR.
If you are weighing the investment, our analyses of whether the SRA certification is worth it, the SRA salary guide, and the listings overview on SRA jobs discuss career impact qualitatively. Note that there is no single overall exam fee for the whole certification, since it spans several exams and a lab; our SRA certification cost guide explains how to think about budgeting across stages.
Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Domains
Because the written exams build toward the lab, order matters more than raw study hours. A sensible sequence follows how the technologies depend on each other:
BGP first (4A0-102)
- BGP underpins VPRN signaling and EVPN, so route policy, reflectors, and confederations pay off repeatedly
- Practice advertise-external, add-paths, and FRR in the lab early
Layer-2 and Layer-3 services (4A0-105, 4A0-106)
- Build VPLS, then H-VPLS and resilience features
- Move to VPRN, MP-BGP route distribution, and inter-AS models A, B, and C
QoS (4A0-107)
- Apply queues, policers, and scheduling to the services you already built
- Practice marking and remarking across Layer-2, VPRN, and IES
EVPN, then lab rehearsal (4A0-115, ASRA4A0)
- Tie EVPN multihoming and IRB back to the BGP and VPLS concepts
- Run timed, two-section lab-style sessions with verification
You can check your written-exam readiness along the way with the practice questions on our main SRA practice test site. These are original supplemental study materials, not actual exam questions, and they carry no endorsement from Nokia or any guarantee of results. For exam timing and scheduling, see SRA exam dates, and for scoring details, see SRA passing score. A candid look at outcomes is in our SRA pass rate article; note that no verified pass rate is established here.
Frequently Asked Questions
SRA means Service Routing Architect. It is Nokia's architect-level certification for engineers who design, implement, and troubleshoot service networks on the 7750 SR platform, and it is earned through multiple written exams followed by a practical lab.
Several. The current route requires written exams 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, 4A0-107, and 4A0-115, followed by the 7-hour ASRA4A0 practical lab. No single question count or duration describes the whole certification.
No. The optional 4A0-C02 composite substitutes only for 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, and 4A0-107. You still need 4A0-115 and the practical lab.
The lab is seven hours, delivered as two independent 3.5-hour sections with a 1-hour lunch excluded. You configure and verify services in classic CLI or MD-CLI, and not every listed topic necessarily appears.
No. Course prerequisites are preparation recommendations, not additional examination requirements, and training is not mandatory to attempt the exams. Prior IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS, and services knowledge remains helpful but those separate exams are no longer required.
For related background, you can also read what SRA certification is, what a SRA is, and what SRA means from other angles, or return to the overview at SRA certification.