Introduction

The install guide covers the installation of the Cisco Managed Service Accelerator (MSX) Platform and the MSX Service Packs. Cisco MSX has been validated on multiple infrastructure solutions such as Cisco NFVI, OpenStack, and Amazon Web Services. This guide assumes that OpenStack, AWS, or NFVI is pre-installed in your environment, and does not cover the installation of those infrastructures. For information on installing Cisco NFVI, AWS, or OpenStack, see their respective documentation.

This chapter contains the following topics:

MSX Overview

Cisco MSX provides a complete self-service user experience that allows you to select, create, customize, and activate cloud services, on-demand, in minutes, from a single portal.

The MSX platform and solution can orchestrate both physical and virtual network devices or functions and can automate end-to-end provisioning for different use-cases and service topologies.

Each release of the MSX solution provides pre-packaged software to orchestrate specific use-cases. These are called service packs. These service packs fully automate end-to-end service creation, which includes ordering, service chaining, orchestration, service assurance, and all the necessary virtualized network functions (VNFs) on the MSX platform. With these fully validated service packs, you can quickly turn on, control, and assure cloud-based managed services offered by the Service Providers.

For more information on the MSX solution, see the Cisco Managed Services Accelerator (MSX) Solutions Overview Guide.


Note

During its development stages, Cisco Managed Services Accelerator (MSX) has undergone a name change from vMS (Virtual Managed Services). The older vMS acronym may still appear in configuration files, console output, and other locations. For all intents and purposes, please consider vMS and MSX the same product.

Audience

This guide is designed for administrators who will be installing the Cisco MSX Platform and Service Packs.

What’s New in Cisco MSX 4.0.0 Install

Table 1. What’s New in Cisco MSX 4.0.0 Install

Feature

Description

Milestone 4

Cleaning Old AWS IAM Roles

An upgrade-only utility has been added to clean up older AWS IAM roles after the names have automatically been transitioned to the vms_subdomain.vms_domain prefix naming convention. This convention ensures unique IAM role names, which enforce correct deployment access. For more information, see the Cleaning Up AWS IAM Roles.

Installation Flow

The table below shows the high-level flow necessary to complete an MSX installation. The table is a general guide and your installation sequence might vary, depending on your requirements and the specifics of your environment.

Table 2. MSX Installation Flow

Step

Decision

Flow

1

Does the server on which you will install MSX meet the requirements specified in MSX Installation Requirements.

Yes: Go to Step 2.

No: Do not continue until all specified requirements are met.

2

 Have you prepared your server for installation?

Yes: Go to Step 3

No: Complete the procedures in Pre-Installation Tasks.

3

Is this a new installation?

Yes: Complete the appropriate procedures in the Installation Tasks.

No: Upgrade from a previous MSX release. Complete the procedures in Upgrade Tasks.

4

Are you installing a standalone MSX environment without a dual data center?

Yes: Complete the procedures in Installing the Platform in Standalone Mode.

No: Complete the procedures in Installing the Platform in Dual Data Center Mode.

5

After installation:

  • Create a new Google Maps API key for using Google Maps with MSX.

  • Make a backup of the 4.0.0 deployment for disaster recovery purposes.

  • Review and perform any required Post-Installation Tasks.

Installation is complete.