Certification

Program
Expertise Center
for Channel Partner
User Guide v2.4
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General Information
D-Link Expertise Center is now ready to invite partners to participate in its Certification
Program and use its material and training tools.

This document provides an overview of DCS/DCP application and a step-by-step guide to help
user through the entire process of registering to completing the examination.

D-Link Certification Program – Expertise Center

The D-Link Expertise Center is an on-line system that makes up the key component of the D-
Link Certification Program. Those who wish to participate are required to register before they
can access any of the program’s valuable resources and/or apply for a test.

D-Link Channel Partner Portal and Expertise Center

D-Link Channel Partner Portal is created with the objective to provide an effective
communication framework between Partner and D-Link to serve as the partner portal within

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

each region. This portal also provides a complete education platform for D-Link Certification
Program – Expertise Center.

Channel Partner in Expertise Center

Partners who wish to access the Expertise Center must first be registered as a member at D-
Link Channel Partner Portal.

For more information about partner registration and access to Expertise Center, please
contact D-Link Account Sales. Information on D-Link Certification Program will be described in
the following pages. If you have questions or suggestions about the Certification Program –
Expertise Center, please feel free to contact us at Expertise_Admin@dlink.com.tw.

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Application Flow in Brief

Register to
Login to Partner
become a user of Apply for DCS
Portal and access
D-Link Partner in written test
Expertise Center
local Partner

Attend DCS DCS written test Exam application

written test scheduling approved

DCP written test Exam application

application approved

Attend DCP DCP written test

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

written test scheduling

DCP Lab Test

application

DCP Lab Test Attend DCP

schedule Lab Test
arrangement

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What do you want to know?

The following are some commonly asked questions regarding DCS/DCP examination.

Q. How do I begin?
A. Begin by first registering with D-Link Channel Partner Portal to become a user.

Q. Where can I find the way to Expertise Center?

A. Look for an embedded link or section entitled D-Link Certification Program. If you have any
difficulty finding the way to Expertise Center, please contact the D-Link Account Sales for
assistance.

Q. How do I apply for DCS examinations?

A. In the menu bar, select the section ‘Certification Program' and follow its instruction to complete
the process for examination application.

Q. Where can I obtain the DCS reading material?

A. In the menu bar, select the section ’Knowledge Base’ to download the respective DCS materials
for reference.

Q. How soon can I schedule to take an examination?

A. You can schedule to take your examination any time after 24 hours from the time of application.

Q. Can I reschedule my examination?

A. Yes, you can. Please go to the section ‘Certification Program’ to select the link to your original

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

scheduled examination and at the ‘Examination Time,’ change the time accordingly and click the
Submit button.

Q. What if I want to cancel a scheduled examination?

A. You can cancel a scheduled examination, but the same examination will only be available for re-
application after THREE days.

Q. Can I close my browser during the examination? What if my Internet connection goes
down?
A. DO NOT close your browser while your examination is in progress or when it has exceeded the
scheduled time slot. In case of Internet connection failure, if you are still taking the examination
within the scheduled time slot, please reconnect to the Internet and continue your examination
by refreshing your browser, otherwise, the examination session will be closed.

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Q. Will I be able to finish my examination if I started it nearly at the end of the scheduled
time?
A. Yes, but you MUST NOT close your browser or disconnect from Expertise Center.

Q. How do I know my examination result?

A. Your examination result will be analyzed and shown after the question sheet has been
submitted.

Q. Where can I find my profile?

A. The user profile is maintained at each D-Link Channel Partner Portal. No user profile is
maintained at the Expertise Center.

Q. What is DTID? How can I get one of it?

A. DTID stands for D-Link Test Identification which is a unique ID for the person who has passed
any of the DCS examination.

Q. Can I directly login to Expertise Center?

A. No, users who are partners must login to Expertise Center through the D-Link Channel Partner
Portal.

Q. What is the examination rules and regulation?

A. The rules and regulations are as follows:

Condition Rules & Regulations

Reschedule an Complete this action 24 hours before the scheduled date. No

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

examination limit to number of times
Cancel an Complete this action 24 hours before the scheduled date, and
examination re-application available after three days
Absent for an Same examination module for re-application only available after
examination seven days
Failed an Same examination module for re-application only available after
examination three days

If you wish to find out more details regarding the examination application, please
refer to the following description in this document.

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Examination Application Step by Step

Preparation

Before applying for the DCS/DCP examinations, you must first be registered in the D-Link
Channel Partner Portal as a partner.

As a partner, you will see an embedded link ‘Expertise Center’ which will guide you to the
D-Link Certification Program web site. Please contact D-Link Account Sales should you be
unable to find the related information.

The following screen capture is an example of D-Link International’s Channel Partner

Portal showing where to find the Expertise Center after successful login. Please note that
the Partner Portal interface may differ for different regions.

Channel Partner Portal

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How to Apply for an Examination

The application process for the online written examination is the same for DCS and DCP.
Application for DCP Lab Test however is slightly different.

If you are already a registered partner, please follow the following steps for examination
application.

DCS/DCP Online Written Test

1. Access ‘Expertise Center’ from your D-Link Channel Partner Portal and you will
automatically be redirected to the Expertise Center.

NOTE: The Expertise Center is a real time online program for D-Link certification
examinations. This expertise system provides the necessary information to help you
through the examination.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

You will find some of the following information at the information corner of the
Expertise Center home page:

User Name

Registered location time**

DST check box**

** Location Time and DST check box are based on the user profile. The DST check box will ONLY affect the Location Time

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2. Select ‘Certification Program’ from the menu bar after successful login and you will see
a list of all the available examinations for your selection.

3. Click on the ‘Apply’ link to see details of the examination application.

The following information will be displayed.

4. Click the ‘Submit’ button to proceed.

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The following information will be displayed.

5. Once you have decided to go ahead with the registration for the examination, please
complete the application by clicking the ‘Submit’ button.

6. The examination application process is now completed and the system will do an auto-

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

approve for the first two applications and guide you to the Examination Scheduling
page.

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The following information will be displayed.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

7. Select from the date and time you wish to take your written test and click the ‘Submit’
button.

NOTE: The online examination is based on worldwide GMT time setting only. You will
therefore need to select the ‘Daylight Saving Time’ check box if your selected
examination date is in the DST duration.

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The following acknowledgement will be displayed.

8. Click on the ‘OK’ button to exit.

The following information will be displayed.

9. The Action/Status for the written test applied will now indicate ‘Scheduled’.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

Description of Action/Status:

 Apply: Examination is available for user to apply

 Wait for Approval: Examination application is still pending approval

 Processing: Examination application is in process and wait for scheduling

 Scheduled: Examination is ready to be taken as scheduled

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NOTE: Remark in RED appended to the examination subject as shown below indicates
the latest status of an action taken that relates to the examination applied, such as a
cancellation, failure or other activities.

This means if a specific examination has been completed successfully, the entry will not
be shown at this page within the certified valid duration. For more information on
certified valid duration, please refer to the section ‘Certificates’ in this document.

DCP Lab Test

The DCP Lab Test is only available when you have passed the DCP written test for the
same examination module.

1. Click on the ‘Apply’ link for the DCP Lab Test application.

The following will be displayed.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

2. Click the ‘Submit’ button to proceed.

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The following page with detailed description of the examination will be displayed.

3. Complete the application by clicking the ‘Submit’ button.

NOTE: The schedule for DCP Lab Test will be arranged by D-Link which will be based on
the amount of people who have requested for DCP Lab Test in one examination subject.

How to Schedule an Examination with ‘Processing’ Action/Status

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

For the first two examination applications, you will automatically be directed to the
‘Examination Schedule’ page after your application. For the third examination application,
you will only be allowed to do the examination scheduling after your application has been
approved.

1. Go to the ‘Certification Program’ page and click the ‘Processing’ link next to the
examination name.

You will be directed to the ‘Examination Information’ page where you will then be able
to specify the schedule by selecting the Examination Time, Date and Hour.

NOTE: The online examination is based on worldwide GMT time setting only. You will
therefore need to select the ‘Daylight Saving Time’ check box if your selected
examination date is in the DST duration.
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2. Click the ‘Submit’ button to complete the examination scheduling.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

How to Cancel an Examination

If you wish to cancel a scheduled examination, you can do so by following the steps
stated below.

NOTE: Cancellation must be completed within 24 hours before the examination

scheduled time. Once the examination has been cancelled, the same examination will
only be available for re-application after three days.

1. Select ‘Certification Program’ in the menu bar and click on the ‘Scheduled’ link to
access the examination details.

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2. At the Examination Time, click on the ‘Cancel’ button and confirm your wish to cancel
the scheduled examination.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

NOTE: Once the examination has been cancelled, the examination status will be
changed and extended information will be remarked in RED to notify you of next
application available date.

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How to Reschedule an Examination

In order to reschedule an examination, you must complete the following process

within 24 hours before the scheduled examination.

1. Select ‘Certification Program’ in the menu bar and click on the ‘Scheduled’ link to
access the examination details.
2. Change the Date and Time accordingly and click the ‘Update Examination Time’ button
to complete the reschedule process.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

Examination Absented
If you absent yourself from a scheduled examination, the score will be marked as ‘Failed’,
and the same examination will be available for re-application again after seven
days.

Examination Failure
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examination will be available for re-application after three days.

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How to Attend an Examination

Access to Expertise Center before the scheduled time and be ready to begin the online
written test.
Each time slot is two hours, and you should begin your scheduled examination within this
two-hour time slot. This means you can login to take the examination any time within the
time slot.

For example:

1700 1800 1900 2000

Time Line

b c

The scheduled time slot is ‘a’. You login and start the examination at nearly the end of
scheduled time (b). The examination duration remains 90 mins (b+c), but you MUST not
log off or close the browser after the scheduled time has been exceeded (c).

DCS/DCP Online Written Test

Follow the steps below to take the examination.

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

1. Select ‘Certification Program’ in the menu bar and click on the ‘Scheduled’ link to
access the examination details.
2. The following screen will be displayed.

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3. Once ready, click the ‘Start’ button to begin your examination.

4. The DCS/DCP online written test provides an easy-to-use interface for taking the
examination.
You should however take note of several points in the demo page below.
a. There are TWO questions in each page
b. There is NO backward option during the examination, so please check your
answer carefully
c. The User Name and Time Reminder is at the upper right corner and the
Examination Name and questionnaire are in the middle as shown below

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

Lastname, Firstname

5. You can also leave your comment in the feedback box appended to the question, but
please note that time taken for giving the feedback will be counted in the
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6. Once you have finished answering all the questions, click the ‘Submit’ button to hand-
in the answer sheet and you will have the examination results immediately shown on
the web page.

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DCP Lab Test

You must finish the DCP written test in order to apply for DCP Lab Test.

The DCP Lab Test will be held at designated location by D-Link, and this is based on
availability of D-Link Lab. For more information, please contact D-Link Account Sales.

Receiving the Transcript

After completing the On-line Written examination, you will receive a notification with a
transcript summary of your score for individual topic category. You will also be able to
view and print your transcript from the Examination History at Expertise Center.

NOTE: The examination result is based on the understanding of product integrity,

therefore if three or more categories have the result of 0%, the examination will show a
Fail, and the score will NOT be displayed.

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Certificates

DCS/DCP Certificates

Once you have successfully passed the certification examinations and are qualified for
DCS or DCP, a printed certificate will be authorized by D-Link to be sent to you. This
process will take approximately three months.

D-Link Test Identification (DTID)

D-Link Test ID is a unique ID for the one who has passed the examination at DCS or DCP
level. This ID may also be used as a basis for certificate tracking.

Valid Duration

Certification for DCS/DCP is valid for a period of 2 years to ensure the certification holder
is kept up to date with current trends in networking technology.

Recertification is required upon the expiry of certification validity. If no new version is

available for recertification after the expiry of certification validity, automatic validity

Certification Program: Expertise Center User Guide for Channel Partner

extension will be granted for another 1 year. However, once the new version is released,
registration for recertification will be available.

Missing or Reprint

In the event any of your certificates is lost or requires reprinting, please send email to
D-Link Account Sales and explain the situation in details. D-Link will then take further
action based on the email.

D-Link, D-Link logo, D-Link sub brand logos, D-Link certification logos, and D-Link product trademarks are trademarks or

registered trademarks of D-Link Corporation and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective

manufacturers and owners. Copyright © 2009 D-Link Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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