Deploying ACI

Book excerpt: Use ACI fabrics to drive unprecedented value from your data center environment With the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) software-defined networking platform, you can achieve dramatic improvements in data center performance, redundancy, security, visibility, efficiency, and agility. In Deploying ACI, three leading Cisco experts introduce this breakthrough platform, and walk network professionals through all facets of design, deployment, and operation. The authors demonstrate how ACI changes data center networking, security, and management; and offer multiple field-proven configurations. Deploying ACI is organized to follow the key decision points associated with implementing data center network fabrics. After a practical introduction to ACI concepts and design, the authors show how to bring your fabric online, integrate virtualization and external connections, and efficiently manage your ACI network. You’ll master new techniques for improving visibility, control, and availability; managing multitenancy; and seamlessly inserting service devices into application data flows. The authors conclude with expert advice for troubleshooting and automation, helping you deliver data center services with unprecedented efficiency. Understand the problems ACI solves,and how it solves them Design your ACI fabric, build it, and interface with devices to bring it to life Integrate virtualization technologieswith your ACI fabric Perform networking within an ACI fabric (and understand how ACI changes data center networking) Connect external networks and devices at Layer 2/Layer 3 levels Coherently manage unified ACI networks with tenants and application policies Migrate to granular policies based on applications and their functions Establish multitenancy, and evolve networking, security, and services to support it Integrate L4–7 services: device types, design scenarios, and implementation Use multisite designs to meet rigorous requirements for redundancy and business continuity Troubleshoot and monitor ACI fabrics Improve operational efficiency through automation and programmability