Duration: 5 Days
In this course, you will learn to rack installations, provision server hardware, and direct operating systems or hypervisor installations. Significant content is devoted to management, maintenance, and troubleshooting. You will review Cisco data center virtualization solutions and how to execute a virtualization solution based on a detailed implementation plan.
The course follows an actual implementation workflow providing hands-on practice by configuring the most recent Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) solutions, including Cisco UCS B-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series, VMware's vSphere and Cisco Nexus 1000V product families.
This newly updated course designed the hands-on labs around UCS Manager v2.0, vSphere v5.0 and v5.1, and VM-FEX and VM-FEX with Pass-Thru Switching. Current and prospective data center administrators will gain a better understanding of Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series components, including systems architecture, installation, and administration. You will focus on the individual components of a complete solution and the installation, configuration, and maintenance of a Cisco UCS installation in various types of environments. Hands-on configuration labs throughout the course will reinforce the information given in lecture as you build a complete solution.
What You Will Learn
- Address key management challenges in data center server environments with Cisco UCS
- Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series system architectures, hardware components, and field-installable options
- Connect to and manage Cisco UCS components
- Configure Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers with Cisco UCS Manager
- Configure Cisco UCS C-Series blade servers with Cisco IMC (CIMC)
- Connectivity requirements for the Cisco UCS platform
- Configure server profiles to allocate physical resources
- Configure maintenance tasks such as Syslog, Local Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
- Configure high availability at the LAN, SAN, and server NIC level
- Common deployment scenarios for small and large scale environments
- Implement service profiles and blade configuration for VMware ESXi v4.1, 5 and 5.1
- Troubleshoot common LAN and SAN connectivity issues and service profile issues
- Configure Cisco Nexus 1000V in a VMware vSphere v4.1, v5, or v5.1 environment
- Configure Cisco UCS Manager and VMware vSphere Integration
- Configure, compare, and contrast Cisco VM-FEX and VM-FEX with Pass-Thru Switching
Audience
- System engineers and technicians who implement Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers and Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers
- Data center (LAN, SAN, Server) administrators, managers, designers, and engineers
Prerequistes
- CCNA and DCUFI knowledge and experience up to CCNA Data Center
- CCNA DC equivalent knowledge and experience
- Familiarity with server operating systems, hypervisor, and virtualization
- Implementing Cisco Storage Networking Solutions (ICSNS)
- Familiarity with ethernet and TCP/IP networking, SANs, Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), and hypervisor technologies (VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Xen)
Recommended:
Course Outline
1. Installation of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers
- Updating Firmware Components
- Installing Cisco UCS C-Series Servers in a Cisco R-Series Rack Enclosure
2. Cisco IMC Configuration
- Provisioning Server Hardware with Cisco IMC
3. Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware and Management
- Hardware Components
- Assembling B-Series Architecture and Features
- Installing Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware
4. Cisco UCS Connectivity Configuration and Management
- Configuring Cisco UCS B-Series Physical Connectivity
- Exploring the Cisco UCS B-Series User Interfaces
- Configuring Compute Node LAN and SAN
5. Server Resources Implementation
- Creating Identity and Resource Pools
- Creating Service Profiles and Service Profile Templates
- Cloning and Managing Service Profiles
6. Virtual Server Networking
- Evaluating the Cisco Nexus 1000V
- Working with VMware Ethernet Networking
- Characterizing Cisco Nexus 1000V Architecture
- Installing and Configuring the Cisco Nexus 1000V Switch
- Configuring Basic Cisco Nexus 1000V Networking
- Configuring Cisco UCS Manager for VMware PTS
7. Cisco UCS Management and Maintenance
- Implementing Startup and Shutdown Procedures
- Configuring Role-Based Access Control
- Backing Up and Restoring the Cisco UCS Manager Database
- Managing High Availability
- Monitoring System Events
- Managing and Upgrading Cisco UCS B-Series Firmware
Course Labs
Lab 1: Initial Cisco UCS C-Series Configuration
Lab 2: Verify LAN and SAN Physical Connections
Lab 3: Configure Identity and Resource Pools
Lab 4: Create Logical Service Profiles from Updating Templates
Lab 5: Build a vSphere Data Center
Lab 6: Exclusive - Install a Cisco Nexus 1000V VSM
Lab 7: Exclusive - Configure Port Profiles
Lab 8: Cisco UCS Manager and VMware vSphere Integration
Lab 9: Configure VM-FEX and VM-FEX with Pass-Thru Switching
Lab 10: Configure RBAC
Lab 11: Back Up and Import Cisco UCS Manager Configuration Data
Lab 12: Reporting in the Cisco UCS
Appendix A: Resolutions to Real World Problems (Optional)
Appendix B: C-Series Host Upgrade Utility and VMware vSphere v4.1 Deployment Options
