DCUCD – Designing Cisco Data Center Unified Computing

Prerequisites

The knowledge and skills recommended are as follows:

• CCNA Data Center certification
• Knowledge that is covered in the Cisco Nexus product family courses
• Knowledge that is covered in the Designing Cisco Data Center Unified Fabric (DCUFD) course
• Knowledge that is covered in the Cisco MDS product family courses
• Knowledge of server and desktop virtualization (for example, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, and so on)
• Operating system administration familiarity (for example, Linux and Windows)

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, the learner will be able to meet these overall objectives:

• Evaluate the data center solution design and design process in regards to contemporary data center challenges, data center solution architecture, and components
• Assess the requirements and performance characteristics of the data center computing solutions
• Employ design steps to size the Cisco UCS solution for given data center requirements
• Evaluate and design Cisco UCS solution LAN, SAN, and virtual access layer connectivity
• Recognize and design Cisco UCS solution server deployment
• Identify the Cisco UCS solution for Unified Communications and Hadoop distributed computing applications with their specifics, and Cisco UCS options that fit the application needs

Module 1: Cisco Data Center Solution Architecture and Components

Lesson 1: Identifying Data Center Solutions

• Recognize the elements of data center computing solutions
• Identify consolidation as a relevant data center trend
• Identify virtualization as a relevant data center trend
• Evaluate the business challenges of the contemporary data center solutions
• Evaluate the environmental challenges of the contemporary data center solutions
• Describe the technical challenges of the contemporary data center solutions

Lesson 2: Identifying Data Center Applications

• Describe common data center applications
• Describe server virtualization characteristics
• Describe desktop virtualization characteristics

Lesson 3: Identifying Cloud Computing

• Evaluate the cloud computing solution, terms, and general characteristics
• Recognize cloud computing deployment models
• Compare cloud computing service delivery categories, the responsibilities demarcation, and their applicability
• Recognize the aspects of cloud computing services and solutions

Lesson 4: Identifying Cisco Data Center Architecture and Components

• Describe the Cisco Data Center architectural framework
• Describe the Cisco Data Center architectural framework unified fabric component
• Describe the Cisco Data Center network equipment
• Describe the Cisco Data Center architectural framework compute component
• Describe Cisco Validated Designs

Module 2: Assess Data Center Computing Requirements

Lesson 1: Defining a Cisco Unified Computing System Solution Design

• Describe the design process for the Cisco UCS solution
• Evaluate the design process phases for the Cisco UCS solution
• Assess the deliverables of the Cisco UCS solution

Lesson 2: Analyzing Computing Solutions Characteristics

• Identify performance characteristics
• Assess server virtualization performance characteristics
• Assess desktop virtualization performance characteristics
• Assess small VMware vSphere deployment requirements
• Assess small Hyper-V deployment requirements
• Assess VMware VDI deployment requirements

Lesson 3: Employing Data Center Analysis Tools

• Evaluate reconnaissance and analysis tools
• Discuss general steps of running an analysis with the selected tool
• Perform existing computing solution analysis with VMware Capacity Planner
• Perform VMware vSphere analysis with VMware CapacityIQ
• Perform existing computing solution analysis with Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit
• Evaluate the Cisco UCS TCO/ROI Advisor tool

Module 3: Size Cisco Unified Computing Solutions

Lesson 1: Sizing the Cisco UCS C-Series Server Solution

• Recognize general steps for Cisco UCS C-Series server selection
• Identify the requirements of Cisco UCS C-Series integration with Cisco UCS Manager
• Select proper Cisco UCS C-Series server hardware based on the requirements for a given small VMware vSphere environment
• Select proper Cisco UCS C-Series server hardware based on the requirements for a given small Hyper-V vSphere environment

Lesson 2: Sizing the Cisco UCS B-Series Server Solution

• Recognize the general Cisco UCS B-Series server hardware sizing aspects
• Describe an example of gathering requirements for a given VMware View desktop virtualization solution

Lesson 3: Planning Unified Computing Deployment

• Recognize the Cisco Power Calculator tool
• Propose a physical deployment plan

Module 4: Design Cisco Unified Computing Solutions

Lesson 1: Designing the Unified Computing Network

• Recognize the network operational modes of the Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
• Understand Cisco UCS network connectivity
• Recognize Layer 2 disjoint domain concepts and implications
• Define the network high-availability mechanisms for Cisco UCS network connectivity
• Define the VM-FEX requirements for the Cisco UCS B- and C-Series

Lesson 2: Designing Unified Computing Storage

• Recognize SAN operational modes of Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
• Understand SAN connectivity design aspects
• Define the SAN high-availability mechanisms for Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects

Lesson 3: Designing the Virtual Access Layer

• Identify and describe the Cisco Nexus 1000V
• Identify and describe Cisco Nexus 1000V integration with VMware vCenter

Module 5: Design Cisco Unified Computing Solutions Server Deployment

Lesson 1: Designing Cisco UCS Server Deployment

• Identify the aspects of the server deployment
• Define the common naming convention for given solutions
• Define the UUID addressing for given solutions
• Define the MAC addressing for given solutions
• Define the WWN addressing for given solutions
• Define the common policies for hosts of a given solution

Lesson 2: Designing Unified Computing Management

• Define the Cisco UCS management access
• Define the organizational hierarchy within Cisco UCS configuration
• Define the remote management connectivity characteristics

Module 6: Cisco Unified Computing Solution Applications

Lesson 1: Designing Cisco Unified Communications on Cisco UCS

• Recognize Cisco Unified Communications solutions
• Assess Cisco Unified Communications characteristics
• Describe the two options for deploying Cisco Unified Communications on Cisco UCS

Lesson 2: Designing Distributed Computing on Cisco UCS

• Recognize distributed computing solutions and applications
• Understand general Hadoop architecture
• Assess general Hadoop performance characteristics
• Design Cisco UCS for the Greenplum MR Hadoop solution

Appendix A: Creating Cisco UCS Solution BOM 

Lesson 1: Creating Cisco UCS Solution BOM

• Create a Cisco UCS C-Series server solution BOM with Online Configurator
• Create a Cisco UCS C-Series server solution BOM with Netformx DesignXpert
• Create a Cisco UCS B-Series server solution BOM with Netformx DesignXpert

Lab Outline

Lab 2-1: Analyze the Existing Computing Solution
Lab 3-1: Size the Cisco UCS C-Series Solution
Lab 3-2: Size the Cisco UCS B-Series Solution
Lab 3-3: Plan the Physical Deployment
Lab 4-1: Design Microsoft Hyper-V R2 Deployment on Cisco UCS
Lab 4-2: Design VMware vSphere Deployment and Integration with Cisco UCS
Lab 5-1: Design VMware vSphere Deployment on Cisco UCS and Cisco Nexus 1000V

• Data Center Designers
• Data Center Administrators
• System Engineers
• Program Managers
• Data Center Engineers
• Data Center Managers