The Policy Driven Data Center with ACI


Book Description

Use policies and Cisco® ACI to make data centers more flexible and configurable--and deliver far more business value Using the policy driven data center approach, networking professionals can accelerate and simplify changes to the data center, construction of cloud infrastructure, and delivery of new applications. As you improve data center flexibility, agility, and portability, you can deliver far more business value, far more rapidly. In this guide, Cisco data center experts Lucien Avramov and Maurizio Portolani show how to achieve all these benefits with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and technologies such as python, REST, and OpenStack. The authors explain the advantages, architecture, theory, concepts, and methodology of the policy driven data center. Next, they demonstrate the use of python scripts and REST to automate network management and simplify customization in ACI environments. Drawing on experience deploying ACI in enterprise data centers, the authors review design considerations and implementation methodologies. You will find design considerations for virtualized datacenters, high performance computing, ultra-low latency environments, and large-scale data centers. The authors walk through building multi-hypervisor and bare-metal infrastructures, demonstrate service integration, and introduce advanced telemetry capabilities for troubleshooting. Leverage the architectural and management innovations built into Cisco® Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Understand the policy driven data center model Use policies to meet the network performance and design requirements of modern data center and cloud environments Quickly map hardware and software capabilities to application deployments using graphical tools--or programmatically, via the Cisco APIC API Increase application velocity: reduce the time needed to move applications into production Define workload connectivity instead of (or along with) subnets, VLAN stitching, and ACLs Use Python scripts and REST to automate policy changes, parsing, customization, and self-service Design policy-driven data centers that support hypervisors Integrate OpenStack via the Cisco ACI APIC OpenStack driver architecture Master all facets of building and operating multipurpose cloud architectures with ACI Configure ACI fabric topology as an infrastructure or tenant administrator Insert Layer 4-Layer 7 functions using service graphs Leverage centralized telemetry to optimize performance; find and resolve problems Understand and familiarize yourself with the paradigms of programmable policy driven networks




Deploying ACI


Book Description

Use ACI fabrics to drive unprecedented value from your data center environment With the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) software-defined networking platform, you can achieve dramatic improvements in data center performance, redundancy, security, visibility, efficiency, and agility. In Deploying ACI, three leading Cisco experts introduce this breakthrough platform, and walk network professionals through all facets of design, deployment, and operation. The authors demonstrate how ACI changes data center networking, security, and management; and offer multiple field-proven configurations. Deploying ACI is organized to follow the key decision points associated with implementing data center network fabrics. After a practical introduction to ACI concepts and design, the authors show how to bring your fabric online, integrate virtualization and external connections, and efficiently manage your ACI network. You’ll master new techniques for improving visibility, control, and availability; managing multitenancy; and seamlessly inserting service devices into application data flows. The authors conclude with expert advice for troubleshooting and automation, helping you deliver data center services with unprecedented efficiency. Understand the problems ACI solves,and how it solves them Design your ACI fabric, build it, and interface with devices to bring it to life Integrate virtualization technologieswith your ACI fabric Perform networking within an ACI fabric (and understand how ACI changes data center networking) Connect external networks and devices at Layer 2/Layer 3 levels Coherently manage unified ACI networks with tenants and application policies Migrate to granular policies based on applications and their functions Establish multitenancy, and evolve networking, security, and services to support it Integrate L4–7 services: device types, design scenarios, and implementation Use multisite designs to meet rigorous requirements for redundancy and business continuity Troubleshoot and monitor ACI fabrics Improve operational efficiency through automation and programmability




CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide


Book Description

This is the eBook version of the print title. Note that the eBook does not provide access to the practice test software that accompanies the print book. Access to the personal video mentoring is available through product registration at Cisco Press; or see the instructions in the back pages of your eBook. Learn, prepare, and practice for CCNP/CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 exam success with this Cert Guide from Cisco Press, a leader in IT certification learning and the only self-study resource approved by Cisco. · Master CCNP/CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 exam topics · Assess your knowledge with chapter-ending quizzes · Review key concepts with exam preparation tasks · Learn from more than two hours of video mentoring CCNP and CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 Official Cert Guide is a best-of-breed exam study guide. Expert authors Somit Maloo and Firas Ahmed share preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics. The book presents you with an organized test-preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. Exam topic lists make referencing easy. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks help you drill on key concepts you must know thoroughly. Review questions help you assess your knowledge, and a final preparation chapter guides you through tools and resources to help you craft your final study plan. The book also contains more than two hours of personal video mentoring from the Pearson IT Certification Complete Video Course. Go to the back pages of your eBook for instructions on how to access the personal video mentoring content. Well regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging review questions and exercises, this study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will help you succeed on the exam the first time. This official study guide helps you master all the topics on the CCNP/CCIE Data Center Core DCCOR 350-601 exam, including · Network · Compute · Storage Network · Automation · Security




CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure 300-620 DCACI Official Cert Guide


Book Description

Trust the best-selling Official Cert Guide series from Cisco Press to help you learn, prepare, and practice for exam success. They are built with the objective of providing assessment, review, and practice to help ensure you are fully prepared for your certification exam. * Master CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure DCACI 300-620 exam topics * Assess your knowledge with chapter-opening quizzes * Review key concepts with exam preparation tasks This is the eBook edition of the CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure DCACI 300-620 Official Cert Guide. This eBook does not include access to the companion website with practice exam that comes with the print edition. CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure DCACI 300-620 Official Cert Guide presents you with an organized test-preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. “Do I Know This Already?” quizzes open each chapter and enable you to decide how much time you need to spend on each section. Exam topic lists make referencing easy. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks help you drill on key concepts you must know thoroughly. CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure DCACI 300-620 Official Cert Guide focuses specifically on the objectives for the CCNP Data Center DCACI exam. Leading Cisco data center technology expert Ammar Ahmadi shares preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics. Well regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, comprehensive design scenarios, and challenging review questions and exercises, this official study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the exam the first time. This official study guide helps you master all the topics on the CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure DCACI 300-620 exam. It tests your knowledge of Cisco switches in ACI mode, including • ACI fabric infrastructure • ACI packet forwarding • External network connectivity • Integrations • ACI management • ACI Anywhere CCNP Data Center Application Centric Infrastructure DCACI 300-620 Official Cert Guide is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/index.html




Data Center Fundamentals


Book Description

Master the basics of data centers to build server farms that enhance your Web site performance Learn design guidelines that show how to deploy server farms in highly available and scalable environments Plan site performance capacity with discussions of server farm architectures and their real-life applications to determine your system needs Today's market demands that businesses have an Internet presence through which they can perform e-commerce and customer support, and establish a presence that can attract and increase their customer base. Underestimated hit ratios, compromised credit card records, perceived slow Web site access, or the infamous "Object Not Found" alerts make the difference between a successful online presence and one that is bound to fail. These challenges can be solved in part with the use of data center technology. Data centers switch traffic based on information at the Network, Transport, or Application layers. Content switches perform the "best server" selection process to direct users' requests for a specific service to a server in a server farm. The best server selection process takes into account both server load and availability, and the existence and consistency of the requested content. Data Center Fundamentals helps you understand the basic concepts behind the design and scaling of server farms using data center and content switching technologies. It addresses the principles and concepts needed to take on the most common challenges encountered during planning, implementing, and managing Internet and intranet IP-based server farms. An in-depth analysis of the data center technology with real-life scenarios make Data Center Fundamentals an ideal reference for understanding, planning, and designing Web hosting and e-commerce environments.




ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting


Book Description

ACI Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting provides a solid conceptual foundation and in-depth technical knowledge for monitoring and troubleshooting virtually any problem encountered during testing, deployment, or operation of Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) infrastructure. Authored by leading ACI support experts at Cisco, it covers all you'll need to keep your ACI deployment working optimally. Coverage includes: Core ACI concepts and components, including Nexus 9000 Series platforms, APIC controllers, and protocols In-depth insight into ACI's policy model ACI fabric design options: single and multiple data centers, stretched vs. multiple fabrics, and multi-pod/multi-site Automation, orchestration, and the cloud in ACI environments ACI topology and hardware/software specifications End host and network connectivity VMM integration Network management configuration, including SNMP, AAA, and SPAN Monitoring ACI fabrics and health Getting immediate results through the NX-OS command line interface Troubleshooting use cases: fabric discovery, APIC, management access, contracts, external connectivity, leaf/spine connectivity, end-host connectivity, VMM problems, ACI multi-pod/multi-site problems, and more




Building Data Centers with VXLAN BGP EVPN


Book Description

The complete guide to building and managing next-generation data center network fabrics with VXLAN and BGP EVPN This is the only comprehensive guide and deployment reference for building flexible data center network fabrics with VXLAN and BGP EVPN technologies. Writing for experienced network professionals, three leading Cisco experts address everything from standards and protocols to functions, configurations, and operations. The authors first explain why and how data center fabrics are evolving, and introduce Cisco’s fabric journey. Next, they review key switch roles, essential data center network fabric terminology, and core concepts such as network attributes, control plane details, and the associated data plane encapsulation. Building on this foundation, they provide a deep dive into fabric semantics, efficient creation and addressing of the underlay, multi-tenancy, control and data plane interaction, forwarding flows, external interconnectivity, and service appliance deployments. You’ll find detailed tutorials, descriptions, and packet flows that can easily be adapted to accommodate customized deployments. This guide concludes with a full section on fabric management, introducing multiple opportunities to simplify, automate, and orchestrate data center network fabrics. Learn how changing data center requirements have driven the evolution to overlays, evolved control planes, and VXLAN BGP EVPN spine-leaf fabrics Discover why VXLAN BGP EVPN fabrics are so scalable, resilient, and elastic Implement enhanced unicast and multicast forwarding of tenant traffic over the VXLAN BGP EVPN fabric Build fabric underlays to efficiently transport uni- and multi-destination traffic Connect the fabric externally via Layer 3 (VRF-Lite, LISP, MPLS L3VPN) and Layer 2 (VPC) Choose your most appropriate Multi-POD, multifabric, and Data Center Interconnect (DCI) options Integrate Layer 4-7 services into the fabric, including load balancers and firewalls Manage fabrics with POAP-based day-0 provisioning, incremental day 0.5 configuration, overlay day-1 configuration, or day-2 operations




Hyperconverged Infrastructure Data Centers


Book Description

Improve Manageability, Flexibility, Scalability, and Control with Hyperconverged Infrastructure Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) combines storage, compute, and networking in one unified system, managed locally or from the cloud. With HCI, you can leverage the cloud’s simplicity, flexibility, and scalability without losing control or compromising your ability to scale. In Hyperconverged Infrastructure Data Centers, best-selling author Sam Halabi demystifies HCI technology, outlines its use cases, and compares solutions from a vendor-neutral perspective. He guides you through evaluation, planning, implementation, and management, helping you decide where HCI makes sense, and how to migrate legacy data centers without disrupting production systems. The author brings together all the HCI knowledge technical professionals and IT managers need, whether their background is in storage, compute, virtualization, switching/routing, automation, or public cloud platforms. He explores leading solutions including the Cisco HyperFlex platform, VMware vSAN, Nutanix Enterprise Cloud, Cisco Application-Centric Infrastructure (ACI), VMware’s NSX, the open source OpenStack and Open vSwitch (OVS) / Open Virtual Network (OVN), and Cisco CloudCenter for multicloud management. As you explore discussions of automation, policy management, and other key HCI capabilities, you’ll discover powerful new opportunities to improve control, security, agility, and performance. Understand and overcome key limits of traditional data center designs Discover improvements made possible by advances in compute, bus interconnect, virtualization, and software-defined storage Simplify rollouts, management, and integration with converged infrastructure (CI) based on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Explore HCI functionality, advanced capabilities, and benefits Evaluate key HCI applications, including DevOps, virtual desktops, ROBO, edge computing, Tier 1 enterprise applications, backup, and disaster recovery Simplify application deployment and policy setting by implementing a new model for provisioning, deployment, and management Plan, integrate, deploy, provision, manage, and optimize the Cisco HyperFlex hyperconverged infrastructure platform Assess alternatives such as VMware vSAN, Nutanix, open source OpenStack, and OVS/OVN, and compare architectural differences with HyperFlex Compare Cisco ACI (Application- Centric Infrastructure) and VMware NSX approaches to network automation, policies, and security This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.




Designing for Cisco Network Service Architectures (ARCH) Foundation Learning Guide


Book Description

Designing for Cisco Network Service Architectures (ARCH) Foundation Learning Guide, Fourth Edition · Learn about the Cisco modular enterprise architecture · Create highly available enterprise network designs · Develop optimum Layer 3 designs · Examine advanced WAN services design considerations · Evaluate data center design considerations · Design effective modern WAN and data center designs · Develop effective migration approaches to IPv6 · Design resilient IP multicast networks · Create effective network security designs Designing for Cisco Network Service Architectures (ARCH) Foundation Learning Guide, Fourth Edition, is a Cisco-authorized, self-paced learning tool for CCDP foundation learning. This book provides you with the knowledge needed to perform the conceptual, intermediate, and detailed design of a network infrastructure that supports desired network solutions over intelligent network services to achieve effective performance, scalability, and availability. This book presents concepts and examples necessary to design converged enterprise networks. You learn additional aspects of modular campus design, advanced routing designs, WAN service designs, enterprise data center design, IP multicast design, and security design. Advanced and modern network infrastructure solutions, such as virtual private networks (VPN), Cisco Intelligent WAN (IWAN), and Cisco Application-Centric Infrastructure (ACI), are also covered. Chapter-ending review questions illustrate and help solidify the concepts presented in the book. Whether you are preparing for CCDP certification or CCDE certification, or simply want to gain a better understanding of designing scalable and reliable network architectures, you will benefit from the foundation information presented in this book. Designing for Cisco Network Service Architectures (ARCH) Foundation Learning Guide, Fourth Edition, is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit https://learningnetwork.cisco.com. Category: Cisco Certification Covers: CCDP ARCH 300-320




Programming and Automating Cisco Networks


Book Description

Improve operations and agility in any data center, campus, LAN, or WAN Today, the best way to stay in control of your network is to address devices programmatically and automate network interactions. In this book, Cisco experts Ryan Tischer and Jason Gooley show you how to do just that. You’ll learn how to use programmability and automation to solve business problems, reduce costs, promote agility and innovation, handle accelerating complexity, and add value in any data center, campus, LAN, or WAN. The authors show you how to create production solutions that run on or interact with Nexus NX-OS-based switches, Cisco ACI, Campus, and WAN technologies.You’ll learn how to use advanced Cisco tools together with industry-standard languages and platforms, including Python, JSON, and Linux. The authors demonstrate how to support dynamic application environments, tighten links between apps and infrastructure, and make DevOps work better. This book will be an indispensable resource for network and cloud designers, architects, DevOps engineers, security specialists, and every professional who wants to build or operate high-efficiency networks. Drive more value through programmability and automation, freeing resources for high-value innovation Move beyond error-prone, box-by-box network management Bridge management gaps arising from current operational models Write NX-OS software to run on, access, or extend your Nexus switch Master Cisco’s powerful on-box automation and operation tools Manage complex WANs with NetConf/Yang, ConfD, and Cisco SDN Controller Interact with and enhance Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) Build self-service catalogs to accelerate application delivery Find resources for deepening your expertise in network automation