Courses Detailed

Upon completing this course, the learner will be able to meet these overall objectives:

• Describe the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch ACI
• Describe the ACI fabric
• Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch hardware
• Configure the ACI controller (APIC)
• Configure ACI L4L7 service integration
• Integrate the APIC hypervisor
• Understand the programmability and orchestration of the ACI network
• Discuss ACI connectivity to outside networks
• Implement ACI management
• Describe migration options with ACI

The primary audience for this course is as follows:

• Network, data center cloud systems architects, as well as server administrators

The secondary audience for this course is as follows:

• Application developers and Security engineers as well as virtualization administrators.

The knowledge and skills that a learner should have before attending this course are as follows:

• Good understanding of networking protocols
  • Recommend CCNA Certification or equivalent knowledge
• Good understanding of the VMware environment
  • Recommend attendance of the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage class or equivalent knowledge

Course Outline

Module 1: Cisco Application Infrastructure Overview

• Lesson 1: Describing the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch in ACI Mode
  • Review ACI concepts and principles
  • Describe policy and the ACI policy model in particular
  • Differentiate between the policy and the network
  • Define application logic through policy
  • Describe provider and consumer relationships
  • Understand how to automate infrastructure through policy
  • Review policy instantiation
  • List the advantages of policy-driven data center design
  
  Lesson 2: Describing the ACI Fabric
  • Describe spine/leaf single-site topology
  • Describe ACI management networks
  • Describe fabric initialization and discovery using LLDP
  • Describe extended VXLAN
  • Describe integrated overlay with host/32 routing
  • Describe unicast forwarding
  • Describe multicast forwarding
  • Describe distributed Layer 3 gateway
  • Describe ACI as a gateway
  • Describe flowlet dynamic load-balancing
  
  Lesson 3: Describing the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch Hardware
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series chassis
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series supervisor modules
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series system controllers
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series fabric modules
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series line card modules
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series fans and power supplies
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series packet forwarding
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switches
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series FEX support in the ACI
  • Describe 40 Gigabit Ethernet and 100 Gigabit Ethernet networking in the data center
  • Describe the optics supported by the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches in ACI mode
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series performance for ACI
  
  Lesson 4: Configuring the APIC
  • Explain the APIC
  • Configure endpoint groups
  • Configure application profiles
  • Configure contracts
  • Configure subjects and filters
  • Configure taboos
  • Configure contexts
  • Configure bridge domains
  • Configure tenants

Module 2: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Configuration and Orchestration

• Lesson 1: Configuring Layer 4 through Layer 7 Services
  • Describe service insertion and redirection
  • Implement service graphs
  • Configure application profiles specific to Layer 4 to Layer 7 services
  • Configure ACI programmability of Layer 4 to Layer 7 services
  • Describe device packages
  • Describe OpFlex
  
  Lesson 2: Configuring APIC Hypervisor Integration
  • Describe policy coordination with VM managers
  • Describe management networks
  • Configure ACI integration with VMware
  • Configure ACI integration with Microsoft SCVMM
  • Describe ACI integration with RedHat
  
  Lesson 3: Demonstrating ACI Network Programmability and Orchestration
  • Describe the need for Programming
  • Describe the JSON and XML encoding formats
  • Configure ACI programmability using the REST API
  • Implement the API Inspector
  • Configure ACI programmability using Python
  • Describe OpFlex
  • Describe OpenStack orchestration
  • Describe OpenDaylight, an open-source SDN controller

Module 3: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure External Connectivity, Management and Migration

• Lesson 1: Configuring ACI Connectivity to Outside networks
  • Review inside and outside network policies
  • Configure a Layer 3 connection outside the network
  • Configure a Layer 2 connection outside the network
  
  Lesson 2: Implementing ACI Management
  • Configure security domains, and local and remote users
  • Describe how to repurpose standalone to ACI
  • Describe managing ACI software
  • Demonstrate health scores
  • View faults and events
  • Configure log retention policy, diagnostics, and forensic abilities
  
  Lesson 3: Describing Migration Options with the ACI
  • Discuss methods of interconnecting existing data center network pods to the ACI fabric for migration
  • Discuss options for migrating Cisco Nexus 5500 Series Switches and fabric extenders to Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switches
  • Discuss options for migrating fabric extenders to Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switches
  • Discuss connecting an existing Layer 2 vPC from networks to the ACI border leaf
  • Discuss connecting existing Layer 3 networks to the ACI border leaf

Lab Outline

Lab 1: Initiate ACI Fabric Discovery (Instructor Demo)

• Task 1: Login to the APIC Controller (Instructor Demo)
  Task 2: Register the Cisco Nexus 9000 Switches to APIC-1 (Instructor Demo)
  Task 3: Navigate Through the APIC GUI to Familiarize Yourself with the Fabric


 

Lab 2: Configure Basic Network Constructs

• Task 1: Create a Tenant
  Task 2: Create a Context
  Task 3: Create a Bridge Domain


 

Lab 3: Configure Policy Filters and Contracts

• Task 1: Create Filters
  Task 2: Create Contracts


 

Lab 4: Deploy a 3-Tier Application Profile

• Task 1: Create Application Profile


 

Lab 5: Register a VMM Domain with ACI

• Task 1: Register VMware vCenter to APIC by creating a vCenter Domain
  Task 2: Create vCenter Credentials and Server Object
  Task 3: Verifying APIC Connection to vCenter Server


 

Lab 6: Configure VMware ESXi Hosts to use the APIC DVS

• Task 1: Add ESXi Hosts to APIC DVS


 

Lab 7: Associate an EPG to a VMware vCenter Domain

• Task 1: Associate vCenter Domain to App_EPG
  Task 2: Associate vCenter Domain to DB_EPG
  Task 3: Associate vCenter Domain to Web_EPG


 

Lab 8: Associate a VM to an EPG Port Group

• Task 1: Connect to your vCenter Server using the vSphere Client
  Task 2: Edit Web-Server Settings
  Task 3: Edit App-Server Settings
  Task 4: Edit DB-Server Settings


 

Lab 9: Deploy a Service Graph with Application Profile

• Task 1: Import Device Packages (Instructor Demo)
  Task 2: Create Device Cluster for the ASA
  Task 3: Create Service Graph
  Task 4: Create a Bridge Domain for the ASA
  Task 5: Create Logical Device Context for ASA


 

Lab 10: Configure APIC using the REST API

• Task 1: Open the Postman Plugin for Google Chrome
  Task 2: Create an Application Profile using the REST API


 

Lab 11: Configure APIC to Communicate to an External Layer 3 Network

• Task 1: Configure MP-BGP Route Reflectors (Instructor Demo)
  Task 2: Configure External L3 network
  Task 3: Create Application Profile to Propagate Internal Public Routes
  Task 4: Associate an L3 Outside Connection to a Bridge Domain
  Task 5: Verify the Leaf is Learning OSPF Routes
  Task 6: Configure Contract Between the External EPG and Internal EPG


 

Lab 12: Configure APIC to Communicate to an External Layer 2 Network

• Task 1: Create an External Bridged Network
  Task 2: Configure an Attachable Entity Profile to Selectively Allow VLAN Traffic


 

Lab 13: Configure APIC RBAC for Local and Remote Users

• Task 1: Create a Security Domain and Map to your Tenant
  Task 2: Configure Local Users and Roles for your Tenant Security Domain
  Task 3: Create a RADIUS Security Domain and Map to your Tenant
  Task 4: Create a AAA Login Domain for RADIUS Authentication
  Task 5: Test RADIUS Authentication and Authorization


 

Lab 14: Monitor and Troubleshoot ACI

• Task 1: View Faults Using the APIC GUI
  Task 2: View Events using the APIC GUI
  Task 3: Using the API Inspector
  Task 4: Using the Managed Object Browser (Visore)
  Task 5: Configuring Syslog Monitoring


 

Lab 15: Configure APIC for Bare Metal to Bare Metal Communications

• Task 1: Configure APIC Fabric for bare metal communications
  Task 2: Configure Tenant for bare metal communications
  Task 3: Verify bare metal communications

Course Outline

Module 1: Cisco Application Infrastructure Overview

• Lesson 1: Describing the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch in ACI Mode
  • Review ACI concepts and principles
  • Describe policy and the ACI policy model in particular
  • Differentiate between the policy and the network
  • Define application logic through policy
  • Describe provider and consumer relationships
  • Understand how to automate infrastructure through policy
  • Review policy instantiation
  • List the advantages of policy-driven data center design
  
  Lesson 2: Describing the ACI Fabric
  • Describe spine/leaf single-site topology
  • Describe ACI management networks
  • Describe fabric initialization and discovery using LLDP
  • Describe extended VXLAN
  • Describe integrated overlay with host/32 routing
  • Describe unicast forwarding
  • Describe multicast forwarding
  • Describe distributed Layer 3 gateway
  • Describe ACI as a gateway
  • Describe flowlet dynamic load-balancing
  
  Lesson 3: Describing the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch Hardware
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series chassis
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series supervisor modules
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series system controllers
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series fabric modules
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series line card modules
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series fans and power supplies
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9500 Series packet forwarding
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switches
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series FEX support in the ACI
  • Describe 40 Gigabit Ethernet and 100 Gigabit Ethernet networking in the data center
  • Describe the optics supported by the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches in ACI mode
  • Describe Cisco Nexus 9000 Series performance for ACI
  
  Lesson 4: Configuring the APIC
  • Explain the APIC
  • Configure endpoint groups
  • Configure application profiles
  • Configure contracts
  • Configure subjects and filters
  • Configure taboos
  • Configure contexts
  • Configure bridge domains
  • Configure tenants

Module 2: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Configuration and Orchestration

• Lesson 1: Configuring Layer 4 through Layer 7 Services
  • Describe service insertion and redirection
  • Implement service graphs
  • Configure application profiles specific to Layer 4 to Layer 7 services
  • Configure ACI programmability of Layer 4 to Layer 7 services
  • Describe device packages
  • Describe OpFlex
  
  Lesson 2: Configuring APIC Hypervisor Integration
  • Describe policy coordination with VM managers
  • Describe management networks
  • Configure ACI integration with VMware
  • Configure ACI integration with Microsoft SCVMM
  • Describe ACI integration with RedHat
  
  Lesson 3: Demonstrating ACI Network Programmability and Orchestration
  • Describe the need for Programming
  • Describe the JSON and XML encoding formats
  • Configure ACI programmability using the REST API
  • Implement the API Inspector
  • Configure ACI programmability using Python
  • Describe OpFlex
  • Describe OpenStack orchestration
  • Describe OpenDaylight, an open-source SDN controller

Module 3: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure External Connectivity, Management and Migration

• Lesson 1: Configuring ACI Connectivity to Outside networks
  • Review inside and outside network policies
  • Configure a Layer 3 connection outside the network
  • Configure a Layer 2 connection outside the network
  
  Lesson 2: Implementing ACI Management
  • Configure security domains, and local and remote users
  • Describe how to repurpose standalone to ACI
  • Describe managing ACI software
  • Demonstrate health scores
  • View faults and events
  • Configure log retention policy, diagnostics, and forensic abilities
  
  Lesson 3: Describing Migration Options with the ACI
  • Discuss methods of interconnecting existing data center network pods to the ACI fabric for migration
  • Discuss options for migrating Cisco Nexus 5500 Series Switches and fabric extenders to Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switches
  • Discuss options for migrating fabric extenders to Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switches
  • Discuss connecting an existing Layer 2 vPC from networks to the ACI border leaf
  • Discuss connecting existing Layer 3 networks to the ACI border leaf

Lab Outline

Lab 1: Initiate ACI Fabric Discovery (Instructor Demo)

• Task 1: Login to the APIC Controller (Instructor Demo)
  Task 2: Register the Cisco Nexus 9000 Switches to APIC-1 (Instructor Demo)
  Task 3: Navigate Through the APIC GUI to Familiarize Yourself with the Fabric


 

Lab 2: Configure Basic Network Constructs

• Task 1: Create a Tenant
  Task 2: Create a Context
  Task 3: Create a Bridge Domain


 

Lab 3: Configure Policy Filters and Contracts

• Task 1: Create Filters
  Task 2: Create Contracts


 

Lab 4: Deploy a 3-Tier Application Profile

• Task 1: Create Application Profile


 

Lab 5: Register a VMM Domain with ACI

• Task 1: Register VMware vCenter to APIC by creating a vCenter Domain
  Task 2: Create vCenter Credentials and Server Object
  Task 3: Verifying APIC Connection to vCenter Server


 

Lab 6: Configure VMware ESXi Hosts to use the APIC DVS

• Task 1: Add ESXi Hosts to APIC DVS


 

Lab 7: Associate an EPG to a VMware vCenter Domain

• Task 1: Associate vCenter Domain to App_EPG
  Task 2: Associate vCenter Domain to DB_EPG
  Task 3: Associate vCenter Domain to Web_EPG


 

Lab 8: Associate a VM to an EPG Port Group

• Task 1: Connect to your vCenter Server using the vSphere Client
  Task 2: Edit Web-Server Settings
  Task 3: Edit App-Server Settings
  Task 4: Edit DB-Server Settings


 

Lab 9: Deploy a Service Graph with Application Profile

• Task 1: Import Device Packages (Instructor Demo)
  Task 2: Create Device Cluster for the ASA
  Task 3: Create Service Graph
  Task 4: Create a Bridge Domain for the ASA
  Task 5: Create Logical Device Context for ASA


 

Lab 10: Configure APIC using the REST API

• Task 1: Open the Postman Plugin for Google Chrome
  Task 2: Create an Application Profile using the REST API


 

Lab 11: Configure APIC to Communicate to an External Layer 3 Network

• Task 1: Configure MP-BGP Route Reflectors (Instructor Demo)
  Task 2: Configure External L3 network
  Task 3: Create Application Profile to Propagate Internal Public Routes
  Task 4: Associate an L3 Outside Connection to a Bridge Domain
  Task 5: Verify the Leaf is Learning OSPF Routes
  Task 6: Configure Contract Between the External EPG and Internal EPG


 

Lab 12: Configure APIC to Communicate to an External Layer 2 Network

• Task 1: Create an External Bridged Network
  Task 2: Configure an Attachable Entity Profile to Selectively Allow VLAN Traffic


 

Lab 13: Configure APIC RBAC for Local and Remote Users

• Task 1: Create a Security Domain and Map to your Tenant
  Task 2: Configure Local Users and Roles for your Tenant Security Domain
  Task 3: Create a RADIUS Security Domain and Map to your Tenant
  Task 4: Create a AAA Login Domain for RADIUS Authentication
  Task 5: Test RADIUS Authentication and Authorization


 

Lab 14: Monitor and Troubleshoot ACI

• Task 1: View Faults Using the APIC GUI
  Task 2: View Events using the APIC GUI
  Task 3: Using the API Inspector
  Task 4: Using the Managed Object Browser (Visore)
  Task 5: Configuring Syslog Monitoring


 

Lab 15: Configure APIC for Bare Metal to Bare Metal Communications

• Task 1: Configure APIC Fabric for bare metal communications
  Task 2: Configure Tenant for bare metal communications
  Task 3: Verify bare metal communications

DCAC9K is a 5-day ILT training program that is designed for systems and field engineers who install and implement the Cisco Nexus 9000 Switches in ACI mode. The course covers the key components and procedures you need to know to understand, configure, manage Cisco Nexus 9000 Switches in ACI mode, and how to connect the ACI Fabric to external networks and services.