• 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 Locator/ID separation protocol
• Design a solution that uses Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) for traffic forwarding
• Describe the 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 the compute function and the different Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) levels from a high-availability and performance perspective
• Describe Fibre Channel concepts and architecture
• Describe Fibre Channel topologies and industry terms
• Describe Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
• Describe security options in the storage network
• Describe the management and automation options for the 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

IT professionals with five to eight years of experience in these roles:

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

Before taking this offering, you should be able to:

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

Associated Certification: CCNP Data Center

Associated Exam: 300-610 DCID