Cisco data center

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04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTER

04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTERCisco UCS ArchitectureThe Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), when inserted into the data center, actually

consolidates many of these separate elements into a single environment. In the next section, all of the various threads presented thus far blend together into a new architecture with substantial benefits for all aspects of a business enterprise

04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

Cisco UCS Data Center Topology

Unified FabricComparing the diagram above (Figure 9) with the previous data center diagram (Figure

8), you can see several components combined in the UCS environment. One of the first points of consolidation is the elimination of a separate Fiber Channel network, through the use of Converged Network Adapters (CNAs) that replace the HBA in the server platform. In addition, the Cisco 6120/40-XP Fabric Interconnects effectively transport Fiber Channel traffic using Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCOE), eliminating the need for a separate infrastructure. While the important technical details are beyond the scope of this particular discussion, it does allow for transport over a single network, in a manner similar to voice and data not long ago.

Unified Management (UCS Manager)Embedded into the 6120/40-XP Fabric Interconnects is the UCS Manager, a web-based

management software that allows for all management functions of the physical UCS infrastructure as well as interconnection with V-Center (the VMware virtualization management software). In addition, a separate management network is also eliminated, further consolidating the infrastructure.

Service Profiles (Stateless Computing)The specific hardware configuration elements of the blades in the server are defined in a

construct termed a service profile. This profile, defined in the UCS Manager GUI, is pushed to the individual blades at run time. In addition, templates can be created to populate service profiles of differing types. Various configurations can be changed on the blades, allowing for rapid reconfiguration

04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTER

Role-Based Access

Many IT organizations maintain separate personnel management structures, which may include the following.

• Network: Switches, Routers, and Infrastructure• Storage: SAN device administration• Server: Deployment of physical servers and associated applicationsIn many ways the consolidation of disparate network elements simplifies

operational matters, but it can have the unfortunate side effect of creating proverbial “turf wars” with no simple solutions. One of the features built into the UCS Manager software is the concept of roles, or role-based access. In addition, a number of predefined roles already exist that can help manage access to the various aspects of the computing environment.

Some of these include:• Administrator (super user access)• Network Administrator (network asset access)• Server Administrator (server access)• Storage Administrator (storage access)Additional roles can be defined as needed to meet business needs.

04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTER

THE CISCO DATA CENTER NETWORK ARCHITECTUREThe Cisco Data Center Network Architecture provides a scalable foundation that

allows data center host a variety of legacy and emerging systems and technologies. Among these technologies are the following:

• N-tier Applications—Secure network zones support two, three, or n-tier application environments with techniques that optimize application availability and server and storage utilization.

• Web Applications—Application Acceleration and Server Optimization technologies including HTML provide improved scalability and delivery of web applications to end-users, wherever they are.

• Blade Servers—The Data Center Network Architecture helps reduce risks associated with blade server deployment by providing an intelligent network foundation, integrated Ethernet and Infinite band switching technology, and deployment guidance that help optimize their availability, security, and performance.

• Clustering, High-Performance Computing and Grid—Cisco’s high-performance data, server, and storage switching solutions, whether Ethernet, Infinite band or Fibre Channel based enable the deployment of data and I/O intensive applications that make use of these distributed compute and storage architectures.

• SOA and Web Services—Cisco’s Data Center Network Architecture facilitates the reliable, secure and rapid deployment of a SOA, by enabling dynamic deployment and scaling of secure infrastructures and by enhancing application integration with message-based services.

04/08/23

Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTER

ELEMENTS OF THE CISCO DATA CENTER NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

Based on SONA, the Cisco Data Center Network Architecture (Figure 2) comprises the following layers:

• Networked Infrastructure Layer—Meets all the bandwidth, latency and protocol requirements for user to server, server to server and server to storage connectivity and communications.

• Interactive Services Layer—Provides the Infrastructure Enhancing Services which ensure the fast and secure alignment of resources with application requirements and Application Networking Services that optimize application integration and the delivery of applications to end users. These services are integrated into the Cisco networking platforms that comprise the Networked Infrastructure Layer for enhanced, scalability,

manageability and transparency

04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTER

04/08/23Instructional Design-Computer Networking - Bridges Educational Group

CISCO DATA CENTER