Scribd
Upload
433 views12 pages

Cisco ACI: SDN for Data Centers

Cisco ACI is a software-defined networking technology for data center networking that uses a spine-leaf architecture and network programmability. It provides a single point of provisioning via a GUI or REST API, hypervisor integration without additional software, ease and speed of deployment, network slicing for multitenancy, and hardware-based security. Cisco ACI uses VXLAN for network segmentation and tunneling to stretch VLANs across the data center. Key ACI components include Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) controllers, Nexus 9K series spine and leaf switches, and virtual machine managers.

Uploaded by

vipulsehgal36
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
433 views12 pages

Cisco ACI: SDN for Data Centers

Cisco ACI is a software-defined networking technology for data center networking that uses a spine-leaf architecture and network programmability. It provides a single point of provisioning via a GUI or REST API, hypervisor integration without additional software, ease and speed of deployment, network slicing for multitenancy, and hardware-based security. Cisco ACI uses VXLAN for network segmentation and tunneling to stretch VLANs across the data center. Key ACI components include Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) controllers, Nexus 9K series spine and leaf switches, and virtual machine managers.

Uploaded by

vipulsehgal36
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Cisco ACI:

What is Cisco ACI

It’s an approach to network management that enables dynamic, programmatically efficient


network configuration in order to improve network performance and monitoring making it
more like cloud computing than traditional network management.

- Cisco ACI is SDN technology designed for Data Center

- A new approach called as a spine leaf architecture. network devices take on the role of either the
spine or the leaf

ACI Benefits

• Single point of provisioning either via GUI or via REST API

• Hypervisors compatibility and integration without the need to add software to the
hypervisor

• Ease (and speed) of deployment

• Simplicity of automation

• Multitenancy (network slicing)

• Capability to create portable configuration templates

• Hardware-based security

• Elimination of flooding from the fabric

• Capability to insert and automate firewall, load balancers and other L4-7 services
2 Tier vs 3 Tier

Cisco ACI Hardware Platform

Spine

• Nexus 9336PQ, Nexus 9364C, Nexus 9332C

• Nexus 9504, Nexus 9508, Nexus 9516

APIC :-

• UCS M3/ L3

Leaf:

ACI Fabric Connectivity

Cisco Nexus 93180 YC-EX


VXLAN

VXLAN is an encapsulation protocol that provides data center connectivity using tunneling to stretch
Layer 2 connections over an underlying Layer 3 network

What Problem Does VXLAN Solve?

Data centers have rapidly increased their server virtualization over the past decade, resulting in
dramatic increases in agility and flexibility. Virtualization of the network and decoupling the virtual
network from the physical network makes it easier to manage, automate, and orchestrate.

VXLAN is a technology that allows you to segment your networks (as VLANs do) but also solves the
scaling limitation of VLANs and provides benefits that VLANs cannot

VXLAN Packet Header


VXLAN Packet Flow

VXLAN Control Plane

• VXLAN Flood and Learn Multicast-Based Control Plane

• VXLAN MPBGP EVPN Control Plane


VXLAN in Cisco ACI

COOP Database

Cisco ACI GUI


Cisco ACI Commonly used Features

• VMM integration

Cisco ACI virtual machine (VM) networking supports hypervisors from multiple vendors. It provides
the hypervisors programmable and automated access to high-performance scalable virtualized data
center infrastructure
Cisco ACI Commonly used Features

L4-L7 Services/ PBR

This approach differs from the traditional operation model of service insertion. Prior to Cisco ACI,
the fabric configuration consisted only of connectivity for firewalls and load balancers. With Cisco
ACI and the service graph, it can include the configuration of firewalls and load balancers.

‘
Two Node PBR

Cisco ACI deployment options


Multipod Design

Multipod Design scenario


Multisite Design

Multisite with Cloud integration

Multisite with Multipod combination


Hello, my name is Rakesh, and I’m a Senior Network Engineer based in Bangalore, India. As I
continue to advance my job in technology, I enjoy spending a lot of time understanding new
technologies. I developed these posts to assist and share all of the knowledge I’ve obtained as a
holder of certifications and a high level of understanding in Cloud, routing, automation, security, and
more. I hope you find success in your profession in IT while reading through my posts.

Happy learning…

Thanks

Rakesh

You might also like