- SRA here means Nokia Service Routing Architect, a multi-exam track separate from NRS I and NRS II.
- 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 7 hours in two independent 3.5-hour sections, excluding a 1-hour lunch.
- The optional 4A0-C02 composite replaces only 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106 and 4A0-107, never 4A0-115 or the lab.
What SRA Means: Nokia Service Routing Architect
In this context, SRA stands for Nokia Service Routing Architect. It is a professional-level credential governed by Nokia that validates your ability to design, implement, verify and troubleshoot service provider networks built on the Nokia 7750 Service Router platform and its SR OS operating system. The acronym is shared with unrelated credentials from other bodies, so make sure any fee, date or syllabus you read refers to Nokia's program before you rely on it. If you are still sorting out the terminology, our explainers on what SRA stands for and the meaning of SRA cover the naming question directly.
Unlike entry-level credentials, SRA is not a single sitting. It is a multi-exam certification that sits above and is distinct from the NRS I and NRS II levels. You earn it by clearing a series of written exams, each focused on one technology area, and then proving hands-on skill in a long practical lab. That structure is the most important thing to grasp early, because it changes how you plan, budget and measure progress. For a broader overview of the credential itself, see What Is SRA Certification?
How the Certification Path Is Built
Nokia published a program update effective September 8, 2026 that defines the current route. Under it, a candidate must pass these written exams:
- 4A0-102 - BGP for Internet Routing
- 4A0-105 - Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS)
- 4A0-106 - Virtual Private Routed Networks (VPRN)
- 4A0-107 - Quality of Service
- 4A0-115 - Ethernet VPN Services (EVPN)
After the written exams comes the 7-hour practical ASRA4A0 lab. The written exams test conceptual understanding and configuration knowledge; the lab tests whether you can actually build and repair live networks under time pressure.
| Component | Focus | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 4A0-102 | BGP for Internet Routing | Written exam |
| 4A0-105 | Virtual Private LAN Services | Written exam |
| 4A0-106 | Virtual Private Routed Networks | Written exam |
| 4A0-107 | Quality of Service | Written exam |
| 4A0-115 | Ethernet VPN Services | Written exam |
| ASRA4A0 | Live 7750 SR configuration, interoperation and fault resolution | 7-hour practical lab |
What changed with the 2026 update
Earlier versions of the track required separate exams covering IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS and services architecture. Under the current table, those separate exams are no longer required. Their subject matter still underpins everything else, so it remains useful preparation, but you do not sit them. Multicast exam 4A0-108 is retired and is not a current SRA requirement. Candidates who were already lab-eligible under the earlier rules retain that eligibility under the announced transition.
Course prerequisites listed by Nokia are preparation recommendations rather than additional examination requirements, and training is not mandatory to attempt the exams. Many candidates still choose structured learning; see our overview of SRA training for how to think about that decision.
The Six Preparation Groups in Detail
The five written exams plus the lab give six natural groupings of content. These are best understood as unweighted preparation groups, not a single weighted blueprint. No topic percentages are established for the program as a whole, so do not plan around imagined weightings. Below is what each group asks of you. For a longer walk-through, our complete guide to the six SRA content areas expands on each one.
Domain 1: BGP for Internet Routing (4A0-102)
This group covers how service providers use BGP between and within autonomous systems on SR OS.
- Internet inter-domain architecture and the roles service-provider networks play in it
- BGP mechanisms, path attributes and the interaction between BGP and the IGP
- SR OS peer-network design, configuration, monitoring and fault diagnosis
- Routing-policy configuration, verification and troubleshooting
- iBGP scalability using confederations and route reflectors
- Advertise-external, add-paths and fast-reroute operation, configuration and verification
Domain 2: Virtual Private LAN Services (4A0-105)
VPLS is about delivering multipoint Ethernet services over an MPLS core.
- Ethernet and MPLS foundations, including SAPs and SDPs
- Basic VPLS creation and configuration
- Distributed-service MTU implications and forwarding database (FDB) maintenance
- Operations, misconfiguration diagnosis, repair and policy-based forwarding
- RSTP for 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)
VPRN is the MPLS Layer 3 VPN service, and it is where BGP knowledge pays off.
- VPRN architecture, MPLS Layer 3 VPN configuration and PE route distribution through MP-BGP
- Causes of BGP loops and how to prevent them
- Configuration, validation, monitoring and troubleshooting
- Advanced full-mesh, hub-and-spoke and extranet arrangements, plus Internet access options
- Inter-AS models A, B and C: operation, configuration, verification and diagnosis
- Carrier-supporting-carrier VPN architecture, route exchanges, forwarding paths and troubleshooting
Domain 4: Quality of Service (4A0-107)
QoS is the most mechanism-dense group, with many interlocking policy objects.
- Traffic demands, business drivers, IntServ and DiffServ models, customer rate limits and 7750 SR processing
- Classification from packet headers at SAP and network ingress and egress, match precedence and the 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 and profile modes; hardware versus service queues
- Ingress and egress policers, profile-capped operation and access, network and hybrid buffer allocation
- WRED congestion avoidance and slope-policy configuration and application
- Queue groups and redirection of SAP or network traffic; CFHP for SAP and queue-group policers
- Hierarchical scheduling and egress-port scheduling for queues, policers and queue groups
- Customer-header versus encapsulation-header marking and remarking across Layer 2, VPRN and IES services
Domain 5: Ethernet VPN Services (4A0-115)
EVPN is the modern control-plane approach to Layer 2 and Layer 3 services, including data-center use cases.
- 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 or 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: local and remote circuit identification, route types, single-homed and multihomed operation
- VPWS, VPLS and IRB connectivity spanning EVPN and traditional MPLS networks, plus Layer 2 and Layer 3 verification
Domain 6: SRA Practical Lab (ASRA4A0)
The lab pulls the other five groups into live, hands-on tasks. Its scope is published separately from the written exams.
- Designing and implementing live 7750 SR service networks, interoperating, diagnosing performance and resolving faults
- Working in either classic CLI or MD-CLI
- Practical scope spanning BGP, QoS, VPLS and VPRN topics
The 4A0-C02 Composite Option
Nokia offers an optional composite exam, 4A0-C02, as an alternative route through part of the written sequence. The critical detail is its limited reach: the composite substitutes for only 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106 and 4A0-107. It does not replace 4A0-115 (EVPN), and it does not replace the practical lab. If you take the composite, you still sit 4A0-115 and the ASRA4A0 lab.
| Route | Written coverage | Still required |
|---|---|---|
| Individual exams | 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, 4A0-107 and 4A0-115 taken separately | Practical lab |
| Composite route | 4A0-C02 in place of 4A0-102, 105, 106 and 107 | 4A0-115 and the practical lab |
Which route suits you depends on how you prefer to be assessed and how confident you are across all four topics at once. Because no single overall exam fee is established for the program, check current pricing and delivery details with the issuer before committing; our certification cost breakdown explains how to think about budgeting across a multi-exam path.
Inside the 7-Hour Practical Lab
The ASRA4A0 lab is the defining feature of SRA and the main reason it carries weight with employers. It is a practical assessment, not a multiple-choice test, so there is no item count to memorize around. Nokia states that the lab content is unchanged by the 2026 update.
Format and pacing
The lab consists of two independent 3.5-hour sections, with a 1-hour lunch that is not counted toward the 7 hours. Topics must be both configured and verified, which means a configuration that you cannot prove works earns little. Not every published topic necessarily appears in a given sitting, so broad readiness matters more than guessing what will show up.
Practical scope you should rehearse
- BGP: AS peering, messages and attributes, route reflectors and confederations, advertisement and redistribution, route selection, policy and 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 and LDP VPLS with autodiscovery, STP and M-VPLS with 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-and-spoke, extranet and Internet topologies, static, OSPF and BGP PE-CE routing, and inter-AS models A, B and C
Key Takeaway
The lab rewards verification discipline. Build a habit of confirming every configured feature with show commands and end-to-end tests, and practice in both classic CLI and MD-CLI so that the tool is never the obstacle.
Because the lab is hands-on, difficulty feels different from the written exams. If you want a candid read on that gap, see how hard the SRA exam is. Note that no current pass rate or scored-versus-unscored item split is established for this program, so be cautious about any figure you see quoted elsewhere; our pass rate discussion and passing score article explain what can and cannot be said responsibly.
Who Should Pursue SRA and Where It Is Used
SRA targets engineers who work with Nokia IP and service routing platforms. Typical environments include service provider and carrier networks that deliver Internet access, Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs, and Ethernet services over MPLS, along with data-center interconnect where EVPN is used. Roles that tend to value the credential include:
- Network engineers and architects designing or operating 7750 SR deployments
- Service-delivery and operations engineers responsible for VPLS, VPRN or EVPN services
- Engineers at vendors, integrators and managed-service providers supporting Nokia-based networks
- Candidates moving up from NRS-level knowledge who want to demonstrate architect-level depth
Employers care about SRA because the practical lab is hard to fake: it shows you can configure, verify and fix real service networks, not just recall facts. To explore how this translates into the job market, read about SRA jobs, then weigh compensation and return in the SRA salary guide and the worth-it analysis. We deliberately avoid quoting specific salary numbers here, since no verified figure is established for this program.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Generic study habits matter less than ordering the topics sensibly, because the SRA domains build on one another. A workable sequence respects those dependencies:
BGP first
- Master attributes, route reflectors, confederations and policy before anything else
- VPRN's MP-BGP and inter-AS models lean heavily on this foundation
VPRN and VPLS
- Study VPRN right after BGP while the route-distribution logic is fresh
- Move to VPLS for SAP and SDP behavior, MTU, FDB handling and resilience
QoS
- Give it dedicated time: classification, queues, policers, scheduling and marking interact in many ways
- Apply policies to Layer 2, VPRN and IES services to see the differences
EVPN, then lab practice
- Learn EVPN route types, multihoming and IRB once VPLS and VPRN concepts are solid
- Shift to timed, configure-and-verify drills across all domains, in both CLI styles
For a fuller plan, including resources and checkpoints, use our SRA study guide, and keep the SRA cheat sheet handy for last-minute review. You can also reinforce written-exam readiness with timed questions on the SRA Exam Prep practice test site. Our practice material is original, supplemental study content; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nokia and does not contain actual exam questions or guarantee results. Scheduling details live in the exam dates guide, and the main practice platform is the place to drill each domain between lab sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
It stands for Nokia Service Routing Architect, a multi-exam certification governed by Nokia that validates design, implementation and troubleshooting skills on the 7750 SR platform. It is distinct from NRS I and NRS II.
Effective September 8, 2026, the written exams are 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106, 4A0-107 and 4A0-115, followed by the 7-hour practical ASRA4A0 lab. Separate IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS and services architecture exams are no longer required, and multicast 4A0-108 is retired.
No. It substitutes only for 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106 and 4A0-107. You must still pass 4A0-115 and the practical lab.
It runs 7 hours as two independent 3.5-hour sections, excluding a 1-hour lunch. Topics must be configured and verified, though not every published topic necessarily appears, and it is a practical assessment rather than a multiple-choice test.
No. Course prerequisites are preparation recommendations, not additional examination requirements, and training is not mandatory to attempt the exams. Many candidates still use structured courses and hands-on practice to prepare.