Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations

Individuals looking to gain the knowledge and skills required for an entry level role in a Cisco Data Center environment.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Describe the foundations of data center networking
• Describe Cisco Nexus products and explain the basic Cisco NX-OS functionalities and tools
• Describe Layer 3 first-hop redundancy
• Describe Cisco Fabric Extender (FEX) connectivity
• Describe Ethernet port channels and virtual port channel (VPCs)
• Introduce switch virtualization, machine virtualization, and network virtualization
• Compare storage connectivity options in the data center
• Describe Fibre Channel communication between the initiator server and the target storage
• Describe Fibre Channel zone types and their uses
• Describe N-Port Virtualization (NPV) and N-Port Identifier Virtualization (NPIV)
• Describe data center Ethernet enhancements that provide a lossless fabric
• Describe Fibre Channel over EthernetFCoE
• Describe data center server connectivity
• Describe Cisco UCS Manager
• Describe the purpose and advantages of APIs
• Describe Cisco ACI
• Describe the basic concepts of cloud computing

Describing the Data Center Network Architectures

• Cisco Data Center Architecture Overview
• Three-Tier Network: Core, Aggregation, and Access
• Spine-and-Leaf Network
• Storage Area Network
• Hypoconverged Storage Systems

Describing the Cisco Nexus Family and Cisco NX-OS Software

• Cisco Nexus Data Center Product Overview
• Cisco FEX Overview
• Cisco NX-OS Software Architecture
• Cisco NX-OS Software CLI Tools
• Cisco NX-OS Virtual Routing and Forwarding

Describing Layer 3 First-Hop Redundancy

• Default Gateway Redundancy
• Hot Standby Router Protocol
• Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
• Gateway Load Balancing Protocol

Describing Port Channels and vPCs

• Ethernet Port Channels
• Virtual Port Channels

Describing Switch Virtualization

• Cisco Nexus Switch Basic Components
• Virtual Routing and Forwarding
• Cisco Nexus 7000 Virtual Device Contexts (VDCs)
• VDC Types
• VDC Resource Allocation
• VDC Management

Describing Machine Virtualization

• Virtual Machines
• Hypervisor
• VM Manager

Describing Network Virtualization

• Overlay Network Protocols
• Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) Overlay
• VXLAN Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Ethernet VPN (EVPN) Control Plane
• VXLAN Data Plane
• Cisco Nexus 1000VE Series Virtual Switch
• VMware vSphere Virtual Switches

Introducing Basic Data Center Storage Concepts

• Storage Connectivity Options in the Data Center
• Fibre Channel Storage Networking
• Virtual Storage Area Network (VSAN) Configuration and Verification

Describing Fibre Channel Communication Between the Initiator Server and the Target Storage

• Fibre Channel Layered Model
• Fabric Login (FLOGI) Process
• Fibre Channel Flow Control

Describing Fibre Channel Zone Types and Their Uses

• Fibre Channel Zoning
• Zoning Configuration
• Zoning Management

Describing Cisco NPV Mode and NPIV

• Cisco NPV Mode
• NPIV Mode

Describing Data Center Ethernet Enhancements

• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Data Center Bridging
• Priority Flow Control
• Enhanced Transmission Selection
• Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBX) Protocol
• Congestion Notification

Describing FCoE

• Cisco Unified Fabric
• FCoE Architecture
• FCoE Initialization Protocol
• FCoE Adapters

Describing Cisco UCS Components

• Physical Cisco UCS Components
• Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform
• Cisco Fabric Interconnect Product Overview
• Cisco I/O Module (IOM) Product Overview
• Cisco UCS Mini
• Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor
• Cisco Intersight™

Describing Cisco UCS Manager

• Cisco UCS Manager Overview
• Identity and Resource Pools for Hardware Abstraction
• Service Profiles and Service Profile Templates
• Cisco UCS Central Overview

Automating the Data Center

• Automation Basics
• Choosing the Automation Toolset
• Management and Orchestration Systems

Describing Cisco ACI

• Cisco ACI Overview
• Cisco ACI Topology and Hardware
• Cisco ACI Policy Model
• Cisco ACI External Connectivity Options
• Cisco ACI and VMM Integration
• Cisco ACI and Layer4-Layer 7 Integration
• Cisco ACI Management and Automation
• Cisco ACI Anywhere

Describing Cloud Computing

• Cloud Computing Overview
• Cloud Deployment Models
• Cloud Computing Services

Labs

• Explore the Cisco NX-OS CLI
• Explore Topology Discovery
• Configure Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP)
• Configure VPCs
• Configure Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF)
• Explore the Virtual Device Contexts (VDC) Elements
• Install VMware ESXi and vCenter
• Configure VSANs
• Validate FLOGI and FCNS
• Configure Zoning
• Configure Unified Ports on a Cisco Nexus Switch and Implement FCoE
• Explore the Cisco UCS Server Environment
• Configure a Cisco UCS Server Profile
• Configure Cisco NX-OS with APIs
• Explore the Cisco UCS Manager XML API Management Information Tree
• Explore Cisco ACI

Attendees should meet the following prerequisites:

• Good understanding of networking protocols
• Good understanding of the VMware environment
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Windows operating systems

• CCNA - Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions

Recommended as preparation for the following exams:

• There are no exams currently aligned to this course

The following courses are recommended for further study:

• DCCOR - Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies

• DCACI - Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure
• DCCOR - Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies
• DCID - Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure
• DCIT - Troubleshooting Cisco Data Center Infrastructure