Learning path

Cisco ACI

Skill Level
Fundamentals
Duration 12 hours 10 minutes
Updated Jun 13, 2023

About this learning path

Cisco ACI is a policy-driven CLOS or Spine/Leaf based switching fabric utilizing layer 3 ECMP routing in the underlay and VXLAN encapsulation in the overlay to transport layer two and layer three traffic East/West across the fabric and North/South in and out of the fabric. ACI consists of the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC), a centralized controller that manages all aspects of the ACI fabric. The leaf switches are ToR switches that provide connectivity between servers and external networks, and the spine switches are Layer 3 switches that provide ECMP high-bandwidth connectivity between leaf switches. An ACI fabric can be expanded East/West by adding leafs, cabling to the spines, and registering them. ACI was designed to operate as "One Big Switch" (like a chassis-based NEXUS 7K) with the controllers acting like the Supervisors, the spines as fabric modules, and leafs acting as blades. We can decouple these elements from the chassis and place them anywhere in the data center by taking this approach. The leafs (blades) can be placed anywhere in the data center, so you are not limited to a chassis.

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Prerequisites

  1. Basic networking concepts including VLANs, IP address, and discovery protocols
  2. Basic understanding of navigation through VMware vSphere
  3. Use of SFTP for backup and restore

What you'll learn

  1. Tutorial on VXLAN 101 and ACI 101 basics
  2. ACI fundamentals
  3. Initial configuration of the APIC 6.0 controller via APIC console using the APIC simulator
  4. APIC 6.0 switch Fabric Discovery via the registration process
  5. APIC 6.0 GUI Discovery self-discovery of the APIC sections
  6. Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) Networking to connect a Vsphere 7 vcenter to ACI and create a new ACI 6.0 created DVS in vCenter
  7. ACI Contracts
  8. Policy Filter and Contracts
  9. Deploying a 3-Tier App Profile
  10. L2/L3 and micro-segmentation

Technologies

Learning path
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Cisco ACI
  1. 1. Data Center Networking Fundamentals
    1. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentDay 2 Operations and Visibility in the Modern Data Center
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    2. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentData Center Networking Past Present and Future
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    3. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentMP-BGP EVPN for the Beginner
      Article
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    4. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentMP-BGP EVPN VXLAN for the beginner
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  2. 2. Cisco ACI Overview
    1. Enroll in this learning path to view locked content6 Steps to Understanding Cisco ACI
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    2. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentThe Vision and Reality of ACI Anywhere
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  3. 3. Building an ACI Fabric
    1. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI 5.0 Virtual Simulator Lab 1 - Initial APIC Setup
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    2. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI 5.0 Virtual Simulator Lab 2 - ACI Fabric Discovery
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    3. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI 5.0 Virtual Simulator Lab 3 - APIC GUI Discovery
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    4. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI 5.0 Virtual Simulator Lab 4 - VMM Networking
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    5. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Fundamentals Lab Part 1
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  4. 4. Configuring Basic ACI Constructs
    1. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Self Service Training Lab 5 - ACI Constructs
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    2. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Self Service Training Lab 6 - Policy Filters and Contracts
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    3. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Self Service Training Lab 7 - Deploying a 3-Tier App Profile
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    4. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Self Service Training Lab 8 - Layer-2 Connectivity
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    5. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Self Service Training Lab 9 - Layer-3 Connectivity
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    6. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Self Service Training Lab 10 - Micro-Segmentation
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    7. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentCisco ACI Fundamentals Lab Part 2
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  5. 5. Conclusion
    1. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentQuiz
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    2. Enroll in this learning path to view locked contentLearning Path Complete
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