Duration

5 days

Course Description

The Cisco data center field is one of the most rapidly changing fields at the moment. And since many new devices, modules, and software with new features have been launched in the past year the previous version of the DCUCI course needed a refreshment. The updated content should provide the customers and their engineers with the latest changes in the Cisco UCS field. Fast Lane has enhanced the course with a lab guide based UCS code version 2.0.

Who should attend

This course is intended for:

Data center technicians
Data center administrators
Systems engineers
Other individuals who would find this course useful include:
Data center designers and managers
Program and project managers

Prerequisites

The following prerequisite skills and knowledge are recommended before attending this course:

DCUCI Online Pre-Learning
Understanding of server system design and architecture
Familiarity with Ethernet and TCP/IP networking
Familiarity with storage area networks
Familiarity with Fibre Channel protocol
Understanding of Cisco enterprise data center architecture
Familiarity with hypervisor technologies (vSphere, Hyper-V, Xen)

Attendance of the following Cisco learning offerings is recommended to fully benefit from this course:

Data Center Network Implementation 2 (DCNI-2)
Implementing Cisco Storage Networking Solutions (ICSNS)

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

Demonstrate the proper rack-installation procedures for Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) B-Series blade servers and C-Series rack servers
Identify the main chassis and field-replaceable units (FRUs) of Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers and C-Series rack servers
Configure common management task including user access control, log management, backup and restore, and system firmware updates in the appropriate user interfaces for Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers and C-Series rack servers
Configure role-based access control (RBAC)
Configure policies, identity and resource pools, and correctly use them as building blocks to create service policies and service policy templates
Configure servers for SAN boot and install and boot VMware ESXi from SAN
Configure a virtual data center in VMware vCenter server
Install and configure Cisco Nexus 1000V distributed virtual switch (DVS)
Install and configure VMware Pass-Through Switching (PTS)

Course Content

Now Featuring UCS Manager Code 2.0!

Data Center Unified Computing Implementation (DCUCI) is designed to serve the needs of engineers and technicians implementing Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers and Cisco UCS C-Series rack servers.

DCUCI v4.0 updates and replaces DCUCI v3.0 and guides you through rack installation, and provisioning of server hardware, operating systems /hypervisors and applications. There is significant content devoted to management, maintenance and troubleshooting. DCUCI v4.0 articulates Cisco data center virtualization solutions and explains how to execute a virtualization solution based on a detailed implementation plan.

Because of the rapid development pace of new product features, approximately 50% or more of theDCUCI v3.0 course content will be modified or replaced by this update.

Course Outline

Now Featuring UCS Manager Code v2.0!

Module 1: Brief Survey of Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Implementation E-Learning

Validate that you have the knowledge provided in the self-paced e-Learning content.

Module 2: Installation of the Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series

Install and configure Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series hardware, software components, and management.

Lesson 1: Upgrading Firmware Components in the Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series

Locate C-Series firmware on Cisco.com
Download C-Series firmware from Cisco.com
Update Cisco IMC firmware
Update the BIOS firmware

Lesson 2: References to Additional Installation Topics in E-Learning

Describe the content of Installation of Cisco Unified Computing C-Series E-Learning Module.
Understand the process of accessing and using e-learning content

Module 3: Configure Cisco Integrated Management Controller

Use the Cisco Server Integrated Management Controller to provision server hardware to load an operating system or hypervisor.

Lesson 1: Configuring Cisco Server Integrated Management Controller

Configure Cisco IMC with an IP address to enable in-band management access
Access the server BIOS
Export tech support data to TFTP server
Reboot the Cisco IMC
Recover from a corrupt BIOS image
Monitor sensor and log data in Cisco IMC

Lesson 2: Provision Server Hardware with Cisco Integrated Management Controller

Configure local user accounts to restrict access to Cisco IMC
Configure external IPMI access.
Configure external access to SoL
Access to KVM over IP
Access virtual media to perform operating system or hypervisor load
Describe the requirements to use PXE to perform operating system or hypervisor provisioning
Locate operating system-specific C-Series drivers from Cisco.com
Download operating system-specific C-Series drivers from Cisco.com

Module 4: Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series Hardware and Management

Assemble the hardware, software components, and management architecture of the Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series.

Lesson 1: Describing Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware Components

List the Cisco UCS 6100 Series fabric interconnect licensing requirements
Differentiate between the three fault tolerant configurations of the Cisco UCS B-Series power supplies

Lesson 2: Assembling B-Series Architecture and Features

Describe high availability cluster requirements and processes of the 6100 Fabric Interconnect
Describe fault detection and correction using Cisco UCSM and the CLI

Lesson 3: Installing Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware

Define the physical and environmental requirements for Cisco UCS B-Series servers including dimensions, weight, and floor loading considerations
List the steps for opening the case of B-200, B-210, and B-250 blade servers
List the steps for installation and removal of CPU, RAM, and mezzanine cards in B-Series blades
List the steps for physical of installation and removal of local hard drives
List the steps for physical installation of I/O modules and power supplies in the Cisco UCS 5108 chassis
List the steps for physical installation and removal of fan units
List the steps for physical installation of B200 and B250 blade servers
List the steps for physical installation and removal of SFP+ copper twinax and optical modules
List the steps for physical installation of rack-mount slides in the enclosure and on the 5108 chassis

Module 5: Cisco Unified Computing System Connectivity Configuration and Management

Configure the connectivity options of the Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series in Cisco UCS Manager.

Lesson 1: Configuring Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series Physical Connectivity

Describe I/O module architecture including CMC, Redwood I/O MUX and CMS
Describe the BMC management component of the B-Series blades
Describe the relationship between I/O uplinks and bandwidth oversubscription
Describe the difference between port personalities in the Fabric Interconnect
Describe the discovery process and how to monitor using Finite State Machine output

Lesson 2: Exploring the Unified Computing System B-Series User Interfaces

Navigate the layout of the Cisco UCS Manager GUI
Describe what features are available in the six tabs of the navigation window
Access the Cisco UCS Manager Command Line Interface
Access the local management, SMASH CLP, adapter, BMC, IOM and NX-OS command line interfaces
List the main features available in the local management, SMASH CLP, adapter, BMC, IOM and NX-OS command line interfaces

Lesson 3: Configuring Compute Node LAN Connectivity

Differentiate between the three port personality states of 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces on the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect
Describe the requirements and configuration of port channels from the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect to a northbound switch
Describe end-host mode and its importance in forwarding over multiple Layer 2 links and maintaining a loop-free topology
Differentiate end-Host Mode with switched mode
Describe the requirements to configure VLANs in Cisco UCS Manager
Describe the role of Virtual NICs (vNIC) to abstract MAC addresses into a service profile
Describe the automatic pinning process and recovery from failure
Describe the configuration of manual pinning and recovery from failure

Lesson 4: Distinguishing Compute Node SAN Connectivity

Describe Fibre Channel switching
Describe N_Port Virtualization
Differentiate between benefits and drawbacks Fibre Channel Switching and N_Port Virtualization (NPV)
Describe how N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) allows a single N_Port to be associated with multiple FC_IDs
Describe the requirements and configuration of VSANs in Cisco UCS Manager
Describe the role of the Virtual HBAs (vHBA) to abstract WWNNs and WWPNs into a service profile
Describe the automatic pinning process and recovery from failure
Describe the configuration of manual pinning and recovery from failure

Module 6: Server Resources Implementation

Configure physical server resources through logical server profiles.

Lesson 1: Creating Identity and Resource Pools

Articulate the rationale for creating identity and resource pools
Configure UUID pools
Configure MAC pools
Configure WWNN pools
Configure WWPN pools
Configure Server pools
Configure the processes to automate server pool membership based on a qualification policy
Demonstrate the importance of creating pools in the correct Organization

Lesson 2: Creating Service Profiles

Describe the need for, and benefits of creating service profiles
Configure a BIOS policy to enable virtualization features
Configure an adapter policy to enable RSS and set the failback timer for fabric failover
Create a QoS system class and allow all Ethernet traffic to use jumbo frames up to an MTU of 9216
Configure IPMI and SoL policies
Configure a scrub policy for local disks and BIOS
Differentiate between the feature available in the simple service profile wizard and the expert wizard
Start the service profile expert wizard
Configure the service profile to take its UUID from a pool
Configure a vHBA for both fabrics and have the service profile take its assignment of WWNN and WWPNs from a pool
Configure a vNIC for both fabrics and have the service profile take its assignment of MAC addresses from a pool
Configure the binding of a vHBA to a Fibre Channel boot target
Server assignment
Differentiate between required versus optional components of the service profile definition

Lesson 3: Creating Service Profile Templates and Cloning Service Profiles

Create a service profile template and describe the need for pooled resources and identities
Describe the reasons to create differentiated service profile templates to allow variations of policy
Automate the creation of a server farm using service profile templates
Describe the hidden pitfalls when using updating templates
Unbind a service profile from its template
Clone a service profile and demonstrate understanding of cloning requirements

Lesson 4: Managing Service Profiles

Use Cisco UCS Manager to associate and disassociate a service profile to a server blade
Describe what changes to a service profile trigger a Cisco UCS utility update (and outage to a server)
Describe the importance of planning the Org where a service profile is created
Use Cisco UCS Manager to move a service profile to a new server blade in the event of hardware failure

Module 7: Networking in a Virtual Server Environment

Use the Cisco Nexus 1000V fits in a VMware server virtualization environment.

Lesson 1: Introducing the Cisco Nexus 1000V

Describe Cisco virtual switching solution for DVS
Describe the features of Cisco Nexus 1000V switching components

Lesson 2: Introducing VMware Ethernet Networking

Describe how Cisco Nexus 1000V fits into VMware Distributed Switching (vDS)
Describe Cisco virtual switching solution for vDS
Describe the unique features of Cisco Nexus 1000V switching components including SPAN, NetFlow, and ERSPAN
Differentiate between the capabilities of the M81KR/P81E versus the Nexus 1000V

Lesson 3: Characterizing Cisco Nexus 1000V Architecture

Describe the Cisco Nexus 1000V
Describe the Cisco Nexus 1000V network architecture

Lesson 4: Installing and Configuring the Cisco Nexus 1000V

Configure the VSM vSwitch network
Install VSM on to a VM
Run setup after the VSM is installed
Configure certificate exchange and connection from VSM to vCenter
Describe the need for redundant VSM configuration
Describe the Nexus 1010 VSM Appliance
Differentiate between the capabilities of the Nexus 1010 VSM Appliance and the software VSM

Lesson 5: Configuring Basic Cisco Nexus 1000V Networking

Configure port profiles in the VSM
Configure VLANs in the VSM and assign to port profiles
Configure Private VLANs
Configure uplink profiles
Configure vEthernet profiles
Configure Nexus 1000V port channels
Configure adding Virtual Ethernet Modules (VEM) to the VSM
Configure backup of VSM configuration to a TFTP server
Configure vMotion of hosts and Nexus 1000V port profile mobility

Lesson 6: Configuring the M81KR Virtualization Adapter for VMware Pass-Thru Switching

Install Cisco UCS Manager Extension in vCenter
Configure Cisco UCS Manager to connect to vCenter
Configure VLANs in the VM tab of Cisco UCS Manager and assign to port profiles
Configure uplink profiles
Configure vEthernet profiles
Configure service profile with Dynamic NICs
Configure vMotion of hosts and M81-KR port profile mobility

Module 8: Cisco Unified Computing System Management and Maintenance

Configure system management, maintenance, and high availability processes in a Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series.

Lesson 1: Implementing Cisco Unified Computing System Startup and Shutdown Procedures

Implement startup and shutdown procedures for the Cisco UCS 6100 Series fabric interconnect
Describe the effects of shutting down or rebooting a Cisco UCS 6100 Series fabric interconnect on the high availability cluster

Lesson 2: Characterizing Role-Based Access Control

Articulate the overall framework of RBAC in Cisco UCS B-Series
Configure local users, roles, and privileges
Configure organizations and locales
Demonstrate understanding the effective rights of a user as an intersection of roles and locales mapped to a user
Configure LDAP/Active Directory as External Authentication and Authorization Service
Demonstrate How to Map Cisco UCS Roles LDAP/Active Directory Attributes

Lesson 3: Backing-up and Restoring the Cisco UCS Manager Database

Differentiate between the supported backup types and what functions they map to in the Cisco UCS Manager database
Differentiate between an import operation and a disaster recover restore operation
Configure a backup job
Configure the backup job to preserve abstracted identities
Verify the backup is created and executed
Configure an import job to restore the AAA user database
Verify the AAA user database is restored
Configure the 6100 Series fabric interconnect for disaster recovery restore

Lesson 4: Managing High Availability

Describe high availability cluster connection requirements for Cisco UCS B-Series
Describe inter-cluster communications and Cisco UCS Manager database synchronization
Describe how the Cisco UCS 5108 Chassis SEEPROM resolves the split-brain issue in the high availability cluster
Differentiate between cluster “partition in time” and “partition in space” conditions
Modify cluster IP addressing

Lesson 5: Monitoring System Events

Describe the fault management system and evaluate fault severity levels
Use the audit log to track administrative changes to the Cisco UCS Manager database
Differentiate areas of operation subject to Finite State Machine validation and how to interpret the FSM output
Differentiate the configuration and validation of logging options including local buffer, console and external Syslog servers
Configure the Smart Call Home feature
Validate the Smart Call Home feature
Configure Settings for logs, events, and faults

Lesson 6: Managing and Upgrading Cisco UCS B-Series Firmware

Describe where to find Cisco UCS C-Series firmware packages on Cisco.com
Update the Cisco UCS B-Series firmware
Direct upgrade of mezzanine adapter, Cisco IMC, and IOM firmware
Describe software update on the fabric interconnect
Firmware updates via service profile (BIOS MUST update this way)
List the differences between the firmware processes of Cisco UCS 61x0 fabric interconnect and IOM/Cisco IMC/Adapter

Lab Excercises:

Lab 3-1: Initial C-Series Configuration
Lab 5-1: Configure LAN and SAN Physical Connections
Lab 6-1: Configure Identity and Resource Pools
Lab 6-2: Create Mobile Service Profiles from Updating Templates
Lab 7-1: Create Data Center Cluster in VMware vCenter
Lab 7-2: Install a Nexus 1000V VSM
Lab 7-3: Create Port Profiles
Lab 8-1: Configure Role-Based Access Control
Lab 8-2: Back up and Import Cisco UCS Manager Configuration Data
Lab 8-3: Reporting in the Cisco Unified Computing System

Programme scope, delivery arrangements and suitability are confirmed during enquiry.

DCUCI - Data Center Unified Computing Implementation