Implementing Automation for Cisco Data Center Solutions (DCAUI)

How you'll benefit

This training will help you:

• Learn the tools and the benefits of leveraging programmability and automation in the Cisco-powered Data Center
• Examine platforms include Cisco ACI (the controller-based Data Center environment), Cisco NX-OS on all Cisco Nexus platforms for device-centric automation, and Cisco UCS for Data Center compute
• Inspect the current ecosystem of APIs, software development toolkits, and relevant workflows in detail together with open industry standards, tools, and APIs, such as Python, Ansible, Git, JSON/YAML, NETCONF/RESTCONF, and YANG

Who should enroll

• Channel and Customer Engineers including Network Engineers, System Engineers, Wireless Engineers, Consulting Systems Engineers, Technical Solutions Architects, Network Administrators, Wireless Design Engineers, Network Managers, Site Reliability Engineers, and Deployment Engineers
• Channel Sales Engineers
• Channel Account Managers

Technology areas

• Data Center
• Network Automation

Objectives

After taking this course, you should be able to:

• Review Cisco ACI fundamental concepts, GUI workflows, and create the case for implementing automation
• Introduce the Cisco ACI REST API, the tools already available on the Cisco APIC, and understand basic API interaction using Postman
• Understand the functionality provided by the Python ACI libraries and write scripts that apply configuration and verify state on the Cisco ACI fabric
• Understand Cisco ACI Ansible modules, build playbooks that apply Infrastructure-as-Code concepts to Cisco ACI tenant configuration, and generate a health report using Ansible
• Understand Cisco ACI Apps Center integration and the benefits of integrating Kubernetes infrastructure with Cisco ACI
• Understand the API types and capabilities available on Cisco Nexus product family
• Understand Day 0 operations and how ZTP, POAP, and iPXE fulfill these goals with their respective tooling
• Understand functionality provided by the on-box tooling on the Cisco Nexus series switches and implement simple solutions to improve daily operations
• Use Python and Ansible to leverage the NX-API to implement and verify configuration state using modern workflows
• Understand the paradigm shift of Model-Driven Telemetry and explore a fully set up pipeline for data collection and analysis
• Understand the Cisco UCS developer tools and implement management workflows leveraging Cisco UCS APIs, Python, and Ansible modules
• Review Cisco NDFC product capabilities and understand how its API can be leveraged to automate the Cisco Data Center
• Understand the advantages of using Cisco Intersight and how to implement automation tasks using its REST APIs via Python and Ansible
• Describe Terraform plans for Cisco ACI deployments

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this training. However, the knowledge and skills you are recommended to have before attending this training are:

• Basic knowledge of programming language concepts
• Basic understanding of virtualization and VMware
• Ability to use Linux and CLI tools, such as SSH and bash
• Foundational understanding of Cisco ACI

These skills can be found in the following Cisco Learning Offerings:

• Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (CCNA)
• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR)
• Introducing Automation for Cisco Solutions (CSAU)

Course outline

• Describing the Cisco ACI Policy Model
• Describing the Cisco APIC REST API
• Using Python to Interact with the Cisco ACI REST API
• Using Ansible to Automate Cisco ACI
• Introducing Cisco NX-OS Programmability
• Describing Day-Zero Provisioning with Cisco NX-OS
• Implementing On-Box Programmability and Automation with Cisco NX-OS
• Implementing Off-Box Programmability and Automation with Cisco NX-OS
• Automating Cisco UCS Using Developer Tools
• Describing Cisco Intersight

Lab outline

• Use Cisco APCI Web GUI
• Discover the Cisco APIC REST API
• Use Postman with the APIC REST API
• Use Python with Cisco APIC REST API
• Configure and Verify Cisco ACI Using Acitoolkit
• Use Cobra and Arya to Recreate a Tenant
• Manage Configuration Using Ansible
• Set Up a New Tenant the NetDevOps Way
• Create an Infrastructure Health Report
• Set Up Power On Auto Provisioning on the Cisco Nexus 9000
• Use Bash and Guest Shell on Cisco NX-OS
• Use Python to Enhance CLI Commands
• Trigger a Python Script Using EEM
• Configure and Verify Using NX-API and Python
• Configure and Verify Using NETCONF and YANG
• Use Ansible with Cisco NX-OS
• Connect, Query, and Modify Cisco UCS Manager Objects Using Cisco UCS PowerTool
• Connect, Query, and Modify Cisco UCS IMC Objects Using Cisco UCS PowerTool
• Utilize Cisco UCS Python SDK
• Utilize Cisco IMC Python SDK
• Implement Ansible Playbooks to Modify and Verify the Configuration of Cisco UCS Manager