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Course Overview
The Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU) v1.1 course helps you prepare for entry-level data center roles. In this course, you will learn the foundational knowledge and skills you need to configure Cisco® data center technologies including networking, virtualization, storage area networking, and unified computing. You will get an introduction to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI), automation and cloud computing. You will get hands-on experience configuring features on Cisco Nexus Operating System (Cisco NX-OS) and Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS). This course also earns you 30 Continuing Education (CE) credits towards recertification.
This course does not lead directly to a certification exam, but it does cover foundational knowledge that can help you prepare for several CCNP and other professional-level data center courses and exams.
Who Should Attend
- Data center administrators
- Data center engineers
- Systems engineers
- Server administrators
- Network managers
- Cisco integrators and partners
Course Objectives
- 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 Ethernet FCoE
- 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
Course Outline
1 - Describing the Data Center Network Architectures
- Cisco Data Center Architecture Overview
- Three-Tier Network: Core, Aggregation, and Access
- Spine-and-Leaf Network
- Two-Tier Storage Network
2 - Describing the Cisco Nexus Family and Cisco NX-OS Software
- Cisco Nexus Data Center Product Overview
- Cisco NX-OS Software Architecture
- Cisco NX-OS Software CLI Tools
- Cisco NX-OS Virtual Routing and Forwarding
3 - Describing Layer 3 First-Hop Redundancy
- Default Gateway Redundancy
- Hot Standby Router Protocol
- Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
- Gateway Load Balancing Protocol
4 - Describing Cisco FEX
- Server Deployment Models
- Cisco FEX Technology
- Cisco FEX Traffic Forwarding
- Cisco Adapter FEX
5 - Describing Port Channels and VPCs
- Ethernet Port Channels
- Virtual Port Channels
- Supported VPC Topologies
6 - 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
7 - Describing Machine Virtualization
- Virtual Machines
- Hypervisor
- VM Manager
8 - 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
9 - 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
10 - Describing Fibre Channel Communication Between the Initiator Server and the Target Storage
- Fibre Channel Layered Model
- Fabric Login (FLOGI) Process
- Fibre Channel Flow Control
11 - Describing Fibre Channel Zone Types and Their Uses
- Fibre Channel Zoning
- Zoning Configuration
- Zoning Management
12 - Describing Cisco NPV Mode and NPIV
13 - 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
14 - Describing FCoE
- Cisco Unified Fabric
- FCoE Architecture
- FCoE Initialization Protocol
- FCoE Adapters
15 - Describing Cisco UCS Components
- Physical Cisco UCS Components
- Cisco Fabric Interconnect Product Overview
- Cisco I/O Module (IOM) Product Overview
- Cisco UCS Mini
- Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor
- Cisco Intersight™
16 - 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
- Cisco HyperFlex™ Overview
17 - Using APIs
- Common Programmability Protocols and Methods
- How to Choose Models and Processes
18 - Describing Cisco ACI
- Cisco ACI Overview
- Multitier Applications in Cisco ACI
- Cisco ACI Features
- VXLAN in Cisco ACI
- Unicast Traffic in Cisco ACI
- Multicast Traffic in Cisco ACI
- Cisco ACI Programmability
- Common Programming Tools and Orchestration Options
19 - Describing Cloud Computing
- Cloud Computing Overview
- Cloud Deployment Models
- Cloud Computing Services
20 - Lab Outline
- Explore the Cisco NX-OS CLI
- Explore Topology Discovery
- Configure Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP)
- Configure the Cisco Nexus 2000 FEX
- Configure VPCs
- Configure VPCs with Cisco FEX
- Configure Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF)
- Explore the Virtual Device Contexts (VDC) Elements
- Install VMware Elastic Sky X Integrated (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