Cisco Data Center Networking

Achieve simplicity, visibility, and sustainability with Cisco Data Center Networking and WWT

Data centers now must accommodate highly distributed conventional and AI/ML workloads, intensifying communications across a disparate environment. Cisco data center solutions with WWT deliver modernized networks with operational excellence, networking for AI/ML, and sustainability, enabling you to manage your networks with ease.

Keep your data, workloads, and apps connected and secure for exceptional efficiency across your global on-premises and cloud data center infrastructure with data center networking.

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Data Center Networking

Cisco NEXUS Dashboard

Previously, the Cisco day 2 operations suite of MSO, NAE, NIR, and NIA ran separately on computing as a .ova in vSphere or on the APIC as an application. The architecture never allowed for sharing data between the apps or correlations with errors and telemetry views of packet loss. With the roadmap moving, we had applications and a shared data lake for all applications to draw from and correlate between application errors, changes to the policy, and deep flow telemetry, all visual as an epoch. For all the applications to run and have sharable databases, Cisco NEXUS Dashboard (ND) was created. The ND platform allows all the Cisco Day 2 apps and third-party applications to run on a single appliance. Secondly, the ND has to be an expandable CPU and storage-intensive platform; today, the platform can scale with 3 master nodes and 4 worker nodes with the apps and their data residing on the ND cluster. As ND matures, more ND servers can join the cluster, and they can be separated regionally if within TTL requirements to distribute applications and provide DR strategies.

Learning Path

Data Center Networking

Cisco ACI

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.

Learning Path

Data Center Networking

Cisco DCNM and NDFC

Data Center Network Manager (DCNM), now superseded by Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC), is Cisco's version of an EVPN fabric controller. DCNM, or NDFC, has three essential primary components. Spines that act like physical aggregation points for all of the leaves. Leaves provide endpoint aggregation and link to the spine. The last essential component is the controller, which in the case of DCNM is a single device or HA pair, and for NDFC, it is a Nexus Dashboard cluster with a loaded NDFC application. In most cases, DCNM or NDFC will utilize OSPF for the underlay and VXLAN EVPN with MP-BGP as the overlay on Nexus 9000 switches. These fabric controllers are easier to use than similar fabric technologies on smaller to medium size networks, as most variables work out of the box without needing to change them. To what is known in the industry as a point and click your way to happiness.

Learning Path

WWT's experts and the Advanced Technology Center (ATC) support the latest in Cisco Data Center Networking solutions, including:

Cisco Nexus Dashboard
Configure, operate, and analyze from one place across your data center and cloud networks. Cisco and WWT can help simplify your network operations with Cisco Nexus Dashboard.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches
Help meet modern architecture, data growth, and sustainability priorities with Cisco Nexus 1G to 800G data center switches and a complete line of optics from Cisco and WWT. Cisco Nexus data center switches offer high-density performance and can usher your network to high-density 800G deployments. Modernize your aging infrastructure today.

Cisco ACI
Cisco ACI simplifies, secures, and automates network management and deployments through a single point of configuration.

Meet our experts

Rita Younger

Practice Lead Data Center Networking

Eric Fairfield

Technical Solutions Architect

Justin van Schaik

Technical Solutions Architect

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