DCID - Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure v8.0

The Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure (DCID) course focuses on data center design based on Cisco solutions and technologies. The training includes theoretical content and design-oriented case studies that are in the form of activities. The training includes information on designing data centers with Cisco components and technologies. It covers network designs with virtualization, Layer 2 and Layer 3 technologies and routing protocols, and data center interconnect design options. Also covered are device virtualization technologies such as virtualized network devices with virtual appliances, including virtual switches, virtual routers, and virtual firewalls. Storage and SAN design is covered, including an explanation of Fibre Channel networks. Design practices for the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) solution based on Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers, Cisco UCS-X are covered. Management and orchestration topics feature Cisco UCS Manager, Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC), and Cisco Intersight, with additional emphasis on automation solutions such as programmability, Ansible, and Terraform. The training also addresses the integration of artificial intelligence, real-world use cases, and the design of AI-ready infrastructure.

This training prepares you for the 300-610 DCID v1.2 exam. If passed, you earn the Cisco Certified Specialist Data Center Design certification and satisfy the concentration exam requirement for the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Data Center certification

This training also earns you 40 Continuing Education (CE) credits toward recertification.

Section 1: Data Center Topologies

• Data Center Traffic Flows
• SANs
• Access Layer
• Aggregation Layer
• Core Layer
• Spine-and-Leaf Topology
• Data Center Network Hardware
• Practice Activity: Design a Data Center Topology for a Customer

Section 2: Layer 1 C

• Layer I Connectivity
• Direct-Connect vs. Distributed Cabling
• EoR vs. MoR vs. ToR
• Optical and Copper Cabling
• Ethernet Cables
• InfiniBand Cables
• Organizing Data Center Cabling

Section 3: Data Center Redundancy

• Redundancy Options
• Hardware-Based High Availability
• DC Ethernet Extensions over Optical Connections
• Ethernet Extensions over MPLS
• Ethernet Extensions over IP

Section 4: Layer 2 Connectivity

• Loop Prevention Mechanisms
• Lossless Fabric Design
• Layer 2 High Availability
• Practice Activity: Design vPCs

Section 5: Layer 3 Connectivity

• Layer 3 Redundancy
• Exchanging Layer 3 Information
• Layer 3 Scalability and Robustness
• Practice Activity: Design FHRP
• Practice Activity: Design Routing Protocols

Section 6: Virtual Resources

• Virtual Infrastructure
• Device Virtualization
• Server Virtualization Defined
• Virtual Machine
• Hypervisor
• Container Engine
• Virtual Networks
• Virtual Infrastructure Deployment Options

Section 7: Overlay Networks

• Types of Overlays
• Layer 2 and Layer 3 VXLAN Overlay
• VXLAN Overlay
• VXLAN MP-BGP EVPN Control Plane
• VXLAN Data Plane
• VXLAN EVPN Multisite
• Cisco ACI Architecture
• Overlay Network Design
• Practice Activity: Design Your VXLAN Network

Section 8: Fabric Interconnect Connectivity

• Fabric Interconnect Interfaces
• Southbound Connections
• Northbound Connections
• Practice Activity: Design a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect Network and Storage Connectivity

Section 9: Cisco Unified Computing System Server Options

• Cisco UCS Server Platforms
• Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers
• Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers
• Cisco UCS X-Series Modular Systems
• Practice Activity: Design a Cisco UCS-X Direct Solution

Section 10: Cisco UCS Network Design

• Virtual Network Overview
• LAN Connectivity Controls
• Fabric Selection and Failover
• SAN Connectivity Controls
• Virtual Access Layer
• Cisco UCS Traffic Management
• Practice Activity: Design Network-Specific Adapters and Policies in a Cisco UCS Solution

Section 11: Cisco Unified Computing System Server Design

• Cisco UCS Hardware Abstraction
• Cisco UCS Server Management
• Cisco UCS Server Centralized Management
• Practice Activity: Design a Cisco UCS C-Series Server Implementation

Section 12: Cisco Unified Computing System Configuration

• UCS Pool Concepts
• Practice Activity: Design Pools for Service Profiles in a Cisco UCS Solution
• Cisco UCS Policies

Section 13: Storage Options and Design

• Direct Attached Storage
• Network-Attached Storage
• SAN Storage
• Hyperconverged Storage
• S3-Compatible Storage
• Storage Technology Design

Section 14: Fibre Channel Networks

• Fibre Channel Connections, Layers, and Addresses
• Fibre Channel Concepts
• Fibre Channel Communication
• FSPF Routing

Section 15: Storage Virtualization

• Virtualization in Fibre Channel SAN
• NPV Mode and Fibre Channel Switching Mode Comparison
• Storage SAN Virtualization
• Storage Trunking and Fibre Channel Port Channels

Section 16: Fibre Channel Topologies

• SAN Topologies
• Fibre Channel Oversubscription
• Fibre Channel Core-Edge Design
• Fibre Channel Collapsed Core-Edge Design
• Fibre Channel Edge-Core-Edge Design
• Fibre Channel Design Solutions
• Fibre Channel SAN Extension Solutions
• Scale Numbers on Cisco MDS Series Switches
• Practice Activity: Design a Fibre Channel Network

Section 17: Hyperconverged and Integrated Systems

• Hyperconverged and Integrated Systems Overview
• Converged and Hyperconverged Systems Storage Design
• Cisco Integrated Systems
• Cisco Hyperconverged Systems
• Describe Considerations for designing Cisco hyperconverged system

Section 18: Basic Data Center Security

• Threat Mitigation
• Attack and Countermeasure Examples
• Management Plane Security
• Control Plane Protection
• Cisco Nexus RBAC and AAA
• Alternative Authentication Methods
• Two-Factor Authentication

Section 19: Advanced Data Center Security

• Cisco TrustSec Overview
• Cisco TrustSec Operation
• Firewalls
• Positioning the Firewall Within Data Center Networks
• Cisco Secure Firewall Portfolio
• Firewall Virtualization
• Threat Mitigation Design

Section 20: Storage Security

• Common SAN Security Features
• Zones
• SAN Security Enhancements
• Cryptography in SAN
• Practice Activity: Design a Secure SAN

Section 21: Cisco Unified Computing System Role-Based Access Control

• Cisco UCS AAA
• Cisco Intersight Organizational Structure
• Cisco Intersight Users and Identity Providers
• Cisco Intersight RBAC
• Practice Activity: Design an LDAP Integration with a Cisco Intersight PVA

Section 22: Fundamentals of Al

• Traditional AI
• Traditional AI Process Flow
• Traditional AI Challenges
• Modern Applications of Traditional AI
• Machine Leaming vs. Deep Learning
• ML vs. DL Techniques and Methodologies
• ML vs. DL Applications and Use Cases

Section 23: Generative Al

• Generative AI
• Generative Adversarial Frameworks
• GenAI Use Cases
• Generative AI Inference Challenges
• GenAI Challenges and Limitations
• GenAI Bias and Fairness
• GenAI Resource Optimization

Section 24: Al Use Cases

• Analytics
• Network Optimization
• Network Automation and Self-Healing Networks
• Capacity Planning and Forecasting
• Cybersecurity
• Predictive Risk Management
• Threat Detection
• Incident Response
• Collaboration and Communication
• Internet of Things (IoT)

Section 25: Al-Enabling Hardware

• CPUs, GPUs, and DPUs
• GPU Overview
• NVIDIA GPUs for AI/ML
• Intel GPUs for AI/ML
• DPU Overview
• SmartNIC Overview
• Cisco Nexus SmartNIC Family
• NVIDIA BlueField SuperNIC

Section 26: Key Network Challenges and Requirements for Al Workloads

• Bandwidth and Latency Considerations
• Scalability Considerations
• Nonblocking Lossless Fabric
• Congestion Management Considerations

Section 27: Application-Level Protocols

• RDMA Fundamentals
• RDMA Architecture
• RDMA Operations
• RDMA over Converged Ethernet > NEW title RoCE/RoCEv2

Section 28: Al Transport

• Ethernet Connectivity
• InfiniBand Connectivity
• Hybrid Connectivity

Section 29: Al Compute Resources

• Compute Hardware Overview
• GPU Sharing
• Total Cost of Ownership
• AI/ML Clustering

Section 30: Al Sustainability

• Green AI vs. Red AI
• Cost Optimization
• AI Accelerators
• Power and Cooling

Section 31: Network and License Management

• Management Design
• License Management

Section 32: Compute Management and Orchestration

• Cisco Intersight
• Cisco Intersight Editions
• Cisco Intersight Licensing
• Cisco Intersight Automation

Section 33: Network Orchestration

• Introduction to Cisco Nexus Dashboard Platform
• Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller
• Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights
• Cisco Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator

Section 34: Data Center Programmability and Automation

• Model-Driven Programmability Overview
• NETCONF and RESTCONF Protocols
• Cisco NX-API Overview
• Programmability Using Python
• Cisco Intersight Programmability

Section 35: Infrastructure as Code Automation

• Ansible Orchestration
• Terraform Orchestration
• Utilization of Terraform

There are no prerequisites for this training. However, the knowledge and skills you are recommended to have before attending this training are:

• Implement data center networking, including Local Area Network (LAN) and Storage Area Network (SAN)
• Describe data center storage
• Implement data center virtualization
• Implement Cisco Unified Computing System
• Implement data center automation and orchestration with the focus on Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Cisco Nexus Dashboard, and Cisco Intersight
• Describe products in the Cisco Data Center Nexus and Multilayer Director Switch (MDS) families

These skills can be found in the following Cisco Learning Offerings:

• Network Designers
• Network Administrators
• Network Engineers
• Systems Engineers
• Data Center Engineers
• Consulting Systems Engineers
• Technical Solutions Architects
• Cisco Integrators and Partners
• Server Administrators
• Network Managers
• Storage Administrators
• Program Managers
• Project Managers