Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure

The Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure (DCID) course provides in-depth training on designing modern data centers using Cisco technologies. Participants will explore network design with virtualisation technologies, Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, routing protocols, and data center interconnect solutions.

The course covers design practices for Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) solutions, including Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers, Cisco UCS Manager, and Cisco Unified Fabric. Learners will also gain experience with Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) and Cisco UCS Director.

This course awards 40 Continuing Education (CE) credits for Cisco recertification and supports preparation for the 300-610 DCID certification exam.

• Describe the Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding options and protocols used in a data center
• Describe the rack design options, traffic patterns, and data center switching layer access, aggregation, and core
• Describe the Cisco Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) technology that is used to interconnect data centers
• Describe Locator/ID separation protocol
• Design a solution that uses Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) for traffic forwarding
• Describe hardware redundancy options; how to virtualize the network, compute, and storage functions; and virtual networking in the data center
• Describe solutions that use fabric extenders and compare Cisco Adapter Fabric Extender (FEX) with single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV)
• Describe security threats and solutions in the data center
• Describe advanced data center security technologies and best practices
• Describe device management and orchestration in the data center
• Describe the storage options for compute function and different Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) levels from a high-availability and performance perspective
• Describe Fibre Channel concepts, topologies, architecture, and industry terms
• Describe Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
• Describe security options in the storage network
• Describe management and automation options for storage networking infrastructure
• Describe Cisco UCS servers and use cases for various Cisco UCS platforms
• Explain the connectivity options for fabric interconnects for southbound and northbound connections
• Describe the hyperconverged solution and integrated systems
• Describe the systemwide parameters for setting up a Cisco UCS domain
• Describe role-based access control (RBAC) and integration with directory servers to control access rights on Cisco UCS Manager
• Describe the pools that may be used in service profiles or service profile templates on Cisco UCS Manager
• Describe the different policies in the service profile
• Describe the Ethernet and Fibre Channel interface policies and additional network technologies
• Describe the advantages of templates and the difference between initial and updated templates
• Describe data center automation tools

To fully benefit from this course, participants should have:

• Experience with data center networking, including LAN and SAN
• Knowledge of data center storage concepts
• Familiarity with data center virtualisation technologies
• Understanding of Cisco UCS implementation
• Experience with data center automation and orchestration using Cisco ACI and Cisco UCS Director
• Awareness of Cisco Nexus and MDS product families

Recommended Cisco courses:

• Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU)
• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR)

Target audience

This course is designed for IT professionals with five to eight years of experience, including:

• Data center engineers
• Network designers
• Network administrators
• Network engineers
• Systems engineers
• Consulting systems engineers
• Technical solutions architects
• Server administrators
• Network managers
• Cisco integrators and partners

Describing High Availability on Layer 2

• Redundancy models for Layer 2 networks
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and alternative solutions
• Virtual Port Channel (vPC) architecture

Designing Layer 3 Connectivity

• Routing protocol design for data centers
• Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
• Route summarisation and policy-based routing

Designing Data Center Topologies

• Spine-and-leaf architecture
• Data center switching layers: access, aggregation, and core
• Traffic flow patterns in a data center

Designing Data Center Interconnects with Cisco OTV

• Overview of Cisco Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)
• Data center extension solutions
• OTV deployment models and use cases

Describing Locator/ID Separation Protocol

• Introduction to LISP
• LISP for multihomed data centers
• Traffic engineering using LISP

Describing VXLAN Overlay Networks

• Overview of VXLAN and its benefits
• VXLAN control plane options
• VXLAN implementation best practices

Describing Hardware and Device Virtualisation

• Server virtualisation technologies
• Hypervisors and their impact on data center design
• Network virtualisation and software-defined networking (SDN)

Describing Cisco FEX Options

• Introduction to Cisco Fabric Extenders (FEX)
• Deployment options and use cases
• Cisco Adapter FEX and its advantages

Describing Basic Data Center Security

• Common security threats in data centers
• Network segmentation and microsegmentation
• Security best practices for data center infrastructure

Describing Advanced Data Center Security

• Advanced security solutions for data centers
• Cisco TrustSec and MACsec implementation
• Secure multitenancy in data centers

Describing Management and Orchestration

• Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM)
• Cisco UCS Manager and Cisco UCS Director
• Network automation and telemetry

Describing Storage and RAID Options

• Storage architectures in data centers
• RAID levels and performance considerations
• Storage redundancy and fault tolerance

Describing Fibre Channel Concepts

• Overview of Fibre Channel technology
• Fibre Channel topologies and terms
• Zoning and Logical Unit Number (LUN) management

Describing Fibre Channel Topologies

• Single fabric vs. dual fabric designs
• Fibre Channel redundancy options
• Path selection in Fibre Channel networks

Describing FCoE

• Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) fundamentals
• Lossless Ethernet for FCoE
• Deployment considerations for FCoE networks

Describing Storage Security

• Storage encryption techniques
• Access control in storage environments
• Secure SAN design considerations

Describing SAN Management and Orchestration

• SAN monitoring and troubleshooting
• Automation tools for SAN management
• Best practices for SAN deployment

Describing Cisco UCS Servers and Use Cases

• Overview of Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers
• Workload optimisation strategies
• Cisco UCS deployment models

Describing Fabric Interconnect Connectivity

• Southbound and northbound connectivity options
• Integration with storage and networking components
• High availability and failover configurations

Describing Hyperconverged and Integrated Systems

• Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) concepts
• Cisco HyperFlex overview
• Converged infrastructure vs. HCI

Describing Cisco UCS Manager Systemwide Parameters

• Global policies and configurations
• Best practices for UCS domain setup
• UCS firmware and upgrade strategies

Describing Cisco UCS RBAC

• Role-Based Access Control in Cisco UCS
• Integrating UCS Manager with directory services
• Custom role creation and privilege assignment

Describing Pools for Service Profiles

• Server, MAC, and WWPN pool configurations
• Resource allocation using service profiles
• Service profile template best practices

Describing Policies for Service Profiles

• Policy-based management in UCS
• Network, storage, and BIOS policies
• Maintenance and firmware policies

Describing Network-Specific Adapters and Policies

• Cisco UCS network adapter options
• Ethernet and Fibre Channel interface policies
• QoS and traffic shaping configurations

Describing Templates in Cisco UCS Manager

• Benefits of using templates
• Initial templates vs. updated templates
• UCS Manager template best practices

Designing Data Center Automation

• Automation tools for data center management
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for data centers
• Cisco ACI and network automation frameworks

Exams and assessments

This course prepares learners for the 300-610 DCID exam but does not include a formal exam. Interactive labs and knowledge assessments reinforce key learning objectives.

The cost of the exam is not included with this course. Please speak to your account manager to add it to your order.

Hands-on learning

This course includes:

• Interactive labs on Cisco UCS, Nexus, and storage technologies
• Real-world network design scenarios and case studies
• Practical exercises for implementing automation and orchestration