POAP

POAP is a Cisco automation feature designed to simplify the initial deployment of Cisco Nexus switches and other supported devices. It automates the process of upgrading software images and installing configuration files on devices that are being deployed in the network for the first time.

For information on POAP, see Using PowerOn Auto Provisioning.

SLP

SLP is an enhanced version of Smart Licensing, the objective of which is to provide a licensing solution that does not interrupt the operations of your network and to enable a compliance relationship to account for the hardware and software licenses you purchase and use.

For information on SLP, see Smart Licensing Using Policy.

Telemetry

Telemetry is a modern network monitoring approach that enables continuous, automated data collection for analyzing and troubleshooting network health. Traditional mechanisms like SNMP, CLI, and Syslog use a pull model, where data requests originate from clients. This pull model has limitations in scalability and automation, especially when multiple network management stations (NMS) are involved, as it requires continual manual intervention and only sends data upon request.

Telemetry overcomes these limitations by using a push model that continuously streams data from network devices to clients, providing near-real-time access to monitoring data. This push model enhances automation, scalability, and efficiency in network monitoring.

For information on telemetry, see Telemetry.

Packet Tracer

The Packet Tracer is a troubleshooting tool that allows a packet to be captured from the Network Processor. Similar to the ELAM tool available on Cisco Nexus 9000 Cloud Scale switches, this tool provides information to understand how the ASIC forwarded the captured packet. This information is useful to troubleshoot packet flow.

While various tools like SPAN, ERSPAN, Ethanalyzer exist to debug packet flow issues, Packet Tracer allows troubleshooting within the forwarding pipeline of an ASIC without any performance penalty or disruption to the environment.

For information on packet tracer, see Troubleshooting Packet Flow Issues.