For Channel Partner User Guide v2.4
General Information D-Link Academy 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 Academy Certification Program The D-Link Academy 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 programs valuable resources and/or apply for a test. D-Link Channel Partner Portal and D-Link Academy 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 each region. This portal also provides a complete education platform for D-Link Certification Program. Channel Partner in D - L i n k Academy Partners who wish to access the D-Link Academy must first be registered as a member at D- Link Channel Partner Portal. For more information about partner registration and access to the D-Link Academy, 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- D-Link Academy, please feel free to contact us at Expertise_Admin@dlink.com.tw. - 2 -
Application Flow in Brief Register to become a user of D-Link Partner in local Partner Login to Partner Portal and access D-Link Academy Apply for DCS written test Attend DCS written test DCS written test scheduling Exam application approved DCP written test application Exam application approved Attend DCP written test DCP written test scheduling DCP Lab Test application DCP Lab Test schedule arrangement Attend DCP Lab Test - 3 -
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 t h e D - L i n k Academy? A. Look for an embedded link or section entitled D-Link Certification Program. If you have any difficulty finding the way to the D-Link Academy, 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' and click on the Current Examinations, and follow its instruction to complete the process for examination application. Q. Where can I obtain the DCS reading material? A. On the home page, 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 and click on the Current Examinations to select the link to your original 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. - 4 -
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 the D-Link Academy. 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 D-Link Academy. Q. What is a DTID? A. DTID stands for D-Link Test Identification which is a unique ID for the individual who has passed any examination. Q. Can I directly login to the D-Link Academy? A. No, users who are partners must login to the D-Link Academy through the D-Link Channel Partner Portal. Q. What is the examination rules and regulation? A. The rules and regulations are as follows: Condition Reschedule an examination Cancel an examination Absent for an examination Failed an examination Rules & Regulations Complete this action 24 hours before the scheduled date. No limit to number of times Complete this action 24 hours before the scheduled date, and re-application available after three days Same examination module for re-application only available after three days Same examination module for re-application only available after one days If you wish to find out more details regarding the examination application, please refer to the following description in this document. - 5 -
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 D-Link Academy 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 D-Link Academy after successful login. Please note that the Partner Portal interface may differ for different regions. Channel Partner Portal - 6 -
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 the D-Link Academy from your D-Link Channel Partner Portal and you will automatically be redirected to the Expertise Center. NOTE: The D-Link Academy is a real time online program for D-Link certification examinations. This academy system provides the necessary information to help you through the examination. You will find some of the following information at 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 shown in the front page. Please note that the usage for this clock is ONLY to call user s attention to the examination time. - 7 -
2. Select Certification from the menu bar after successful login, and select the Current Examination 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. - 8 -
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 autoapprove for the first two applications and guide you to the Examination Scheduling page. - 9 -
The following information will be displayed. 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. - 10 -
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. Description of Action/Status: Apply: Examination is available for users to apply Wait for Approval: Examination application is still waiting for an approval Scheduled: Examination is ready to be taken as it is scheduled - 11 -
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. 2. Click the Submit button to proceed. - 12 -
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 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 Current Examinations page and click the Processing link next to the examination name. - 13 -
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. - 14 -
2. Click the Submit button to complete the examination scheduling. Doc Version 2.4 July 2010 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 Current Examinations page and click on the Scheduled link to access the examination details. - 15 -
2. At the Examination Time, click on the Cancel button and confirm your wish to cancel the scheduled examination. 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. - 16 -
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 Current Examinations page 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. - 17 -
Examination Absented If you are absent 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 If an examination is failed because of the score falling below average, the same examination will be available for re-application after three days. - 18 -
How to Attend an Examination? Access to the D-Link Academy 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 T ime Line b c a 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. 1. Select the Current Examination page and click on the Scheduled link to access the examination details. 2. The following screen will be displayed. - 19 -
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 - 20 -
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 examination total time. 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. - 21 -
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 the D-Link Academy. 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. - 22 -
Certificates DCS/DCP Certificates Once you have successfully passed the certification examinations and are qualified for DCS or DCP, then candidates will receive their certificates enclosed in the notification email of their test results. Candidates can also download their certificates from the D- Link Academy, select the Resource from the menu bar and then go to the Certification Verification category. And candidates who wish to print their certificates should note the following recommended specification: Paper Size : 297 x 210 mm (A4) Paper Profile : 230 g/m2 with coated ivory board ( 銅西卡 in Chinese) on one side 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 extension will be granted for another 1 year. However, once the new version is released, registration for recertification will be available. 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 2011 D-Link Corporation. All Rights Reserved. - 23 -
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