Cisco Data Center Fundamentals

Cisco Data Center Fundamentals

by Somit Maloo, Iskren Nikolov
Released September 2022
Publisher(s): Cisco Press
ISBN: 9780137638208

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Book description

Thousands of network engineers and other technology professionals need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamentals of modern data center technologies. Today, one of the best ways to demonstrate this understanding is to earn Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Data Center certification. Earning the CCNP Data Center credential is an especially valuable next step for many professionals who hold entry-level CCNA certification. Cisco Data Center Fundamentals is the complete guide for CCNA holders and other early-career network professionals who want to fill their knowledge gaps, earn their CCNP DC certifications, and succeed with Cisco data center technologies. Authored by two long-time experts in operating Cisco data center environments and developing official Learning@Cisco training content for them, this guide covers each relevant product and solution, including:

  • Networking: Data center network architectures, Cisco Nexus switches, Cisco NX-OS software, virtualization, Cisco ACI, cloud computing, and more

  • Storage: Core concepts, Fibre Channel, virtualization, Ethernet enhancements, and FCoE

  • Compute: Cisco UCS components and abstraction

  • Automation: to make Cisco data center environments more productive and agile, including the use of Cisco's APIs

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Pearson’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  5. About the Authors
  6. About the Technical Reviewers
  7. Dedications
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Contents at a Glance
  10. Reader Services
  11. Contents
  12. Icons Used in This Book
  13. Command Syntax Conventions
  14. Introduction
    1. Goals and Methods
    2. Who Should Read This Book?
    3. How This Book Is Organized
  15. Part I: Networking
    1. Chapter 1. Data Center Architectures
      1. Data Center Basics
      2. Cisco Unified Data Center Platform
      3. Data Center Network Infrastructure
      4. Data Center Storage Infrastructure
      5. Data Center Computing Infrastructure
      6. Summary
      7. References
    2. Chapter 2. Describing the Cisco Nexus Family and Cisco NX-OS Software
      1. Cisco Nexus Data Center Product Overview
      2. Cisco FEX Overview
      3. Cisco NX-OS Software Architecture
      4. Exploring Cisco NX-OS CLI
      5. Summary
      6. References
    3. Chapter 3. Describing Layer 3 First-Hop Redundancy
      1. Default Gateway Redundancy
      2. Hot Standby Router Protocol
      3. Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
      4. Gateway Load Balancing Protocol
      5. Summary
      6. References
    4. Chapter 4. Port Channels and vPCs
      1. Ethernet Port Channels
      2. Virtual Port Channels
      3. Summary
      4. References
    5. Chapter 5. Switch Virtualization
      1. Cisco Nexus Switch Functional Planes
      2. Cisco Nexus Switch Process Separation and Restartability
      3. Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF)
      4. Cisco Nexus 7000 VDCs
      5. Summary
      6. References
    6. Chapter 6. Nexus Switch Routing
      1. Routing Fundamentals
      2. RIPv2 on NX-OS
      3. EIGRP on NX-OS
      4. OSPFv2 on NX-OS
      5. Multicast Fundamentals
      6. Multicast Configuration on NX-OS
      7. Summary
      8. References
    7. Chapter 7. Network Virtualization
      1. Overlay Network Protocols
      2. Network Interface Virtualization Using FEX
      3. VMware vSphere Virtual Switches
      4. Summary
      5. References
    8. Chapter 8. Describing Cisco ACI
      1. Cisco ACI Overview
      2. Cisco ACI Building Blocks
      3. Cisco ACI Deployment Models
      4. Cisco ACI Hardware
      5. ACI Startup Discovery
      6. Cisco ACI Policy Model
      7. Packet Forwarding within the ACI Fabric
      8. Summary
      9. References
    9. Chapter 9. Operating Cisco ACI
      1. Cisco ACI External Connectivity Options
      2. Cisco ACI and VMM Integration
      3. Cisco ACI and L4–L7 Integration
      4. Cisco ACI Management and Automation
      5. Cisco ACI Anywhere
      6. Cisco Nexus Dashboard
      7. Summary
      8. References
  16. Part II: Storage
    1. Chapter 10. Data Center Storage Concepts
      1. Storage Connectivity Options in the Data Center
      2. Storage Protocols
      3. Fibre Channel Storage Networking
      4. Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI)
      5. NVM Express and NVM Express over Fabrics
      6. Cisco MDS Product Overview
      7. Cisco MDS 9000 Series 16Gbps Fabric Switches
      8. Summary
      9. References
    2. Chapter 11. Fibre Channel Protocol Fundamentals
      1. Fibre Channel Layered Model
      2. Building the Switched Fabric
      3. Fibre Channel Flow Control
      4. Fabric Shortest Path First
      5. Summary
      6. References
    3. Chapter 12. Describing Fibre Channel Zone Types and Their Uses
      1. VSAN Overview
      2. VSAN Configuration
      3. Fibre Channel Zoning
      4. Zoning Configuration
      5. Zoning Management
      6. Summary
      7. References
    4. Chapter 13. Storage Virtualization
      1. Cisco Fibre Channel NPIV Feature
      2. Cisco Fibre Channel NPV Mode
      3. Summary
      4. References
    5. Chapter 14. Describing Data Center Ethernet Enhancements
      1. IEEE Data Center Bridging
      2. Priority Flow Control
      3. Enhanced Transmission Selection
      4. DCBX Protocol
      5. Summary
      6. References
    6. Chapter 15. Describing FCoE
      1. Cisco Unified Fabric
      2. FCoE Architecture
      3. FCoE Initialization Protocol
      4. FCoE Configuration
      5. Summary
      6. References
  17. Part III: Compute
    1. Chapter 16. Describing Cisco UCS Components
      1. Cisco UCS Components
      2. Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect Product Overview
      3. Cisco UCS Blade Chassis
      4. Cisco IOM Product Overview
      5. Cisco UCS B-Series Servers
      6. Cisco UCS C-Series Servers and the Cisco IMC Supervisor
      7. Cisco UCS S-Series Storage Server
      8. Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform
      9. Cisco UCS X-Series Modular System
      10. Summary
      11. References
    2. Chapter 17. Describing Cisco UCS Abstraction
      1. Cisco UCS Manager Overview
      2. Exploring the Cisco UCS Server Environment
      3. Identity and Resource Pools for Hardware Abstraction
      4. Service Profiles and Service Profile Templates
      5. Cisco UCS Polices for Use in Service Profiles
      6. Cisco UCS Service Profile Configuration
      7. Cisco UCS Central Overview
      8. Summary
      9. References
    3. Chapter 18. Server Virtualization
      1. Virtual Machine
      2. Hypervisor
      3. Virtual Switch
      4. VMware vSphere
      5. VMware ESXi Installation
      6. VMware vCenter Installation
      7. Summary
      8. References
  18. Part IV: Automation
    1. Chapter 19. Using APIs
      1. Common Programmability Protocols and Methods
      2. Configuring Cisco NX-OS with APIs
      3. Exploring the Cisco UCS Manager XML API Management Information Tree
      4. Summary
      5. References
    2. Chapter 20. Automating the Data Center
      1. Automation Basics
      2. Automation and Orchestration Technologies
      3. Choosing the Automation Toolset
      4. Summary
      5. References
  19. Part V: Cloud
    1. Chapter 21. Cloud Computing
      1. Cloud Computing Overview
      2. Cloud Computing Services
      3. Cloud Deployment Models
      4. Cisco Intersight
      5. Summary
      6. References

Product information

  • Title: Cisco Data Center Fundamentals
  • Author(s): Somit Maloo, Iskren Nikolov
  • Release date: September 2022
  • Publisher(s): Cisco Press
  • ISBN: 9780137638208