Implementing and Configuring the Cisco Nexus 5000 and 7000

Course description
In this 5-day course, you will learn how to implement an enterprise Data Center routing and switching infrastructure with the next-generation Cisco Nexus 5000 and Nexus 7000 platforms. This course provides a technical overview of the Nexus platform architecture, design guidelines, deployment and operations, including Fibre Channel over Ethernet, Virtual Device Contexts, Layer 2 and Layer 3 features, QoS, and security.

You will explore the features of NX-OS and the Nexus platform by performing hands-on labs.


Learning objectives
After you complete this course, you will be able to:

• Describe the features of the Nexus 7010 chassis, Supervisor Engine, and line cards
• Describe the architecture of NX-OS
• Describe the Connectivity Management Processor
• Configure switch management features like Call Home, AAA, and RBAC
• Use configuration checkpoints and rollbacks
• Configure Virtual Device Contexts
• Configure Layer 2 and Layer 3 services
• Configure Process and Supervisor Recovery
• Configure Quality of Service
• Configure traffic integrity features and Control Plane Protection
• Configure LinkSec encryption
• Use SPAN and Ethanalyzer to monitor traffic
• Describe how FCoE operates within SAN and LAN environments
• Describe the ASIC-level architecture of the Nexus 5000 switch and CNAs
• Configure the Nexus 5000 in switch mode and NPV mode

Who should attend
This course is designed for experienced Network Field Engineers who are already capable of implementing Layer 2 and Layer 3 services using Cisco IOS and the Cisco Catalyst switching platform.


Recommended prerequisites

• Ability to configure advanced Layer 2 Ethernet services
• Ability to configure Layer 3 routing services
• Basic working knowledge of Fibre Channel and Storage Networking
• Understanding of Cisco data center architecture

Course outline
Module 1: Deploying the Nexus 7000
Lesson 1: Overview of the Nexus 7000

• Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Chassis Overview
• Introducing Supervisor Engine and Line Cards
• Introducing Power Supplies and Cooling
• Connectivity Management Processor
• Introducing NX-OS
• Introducing NX-OS Supervisor Redundancy

Lesson 2: Introduction to Virtual Device Contexts

• Introducing Virtualization
• VDC Configuration
• High Availability

Lesson 3: Managing the Nexus 7000

• SNMP and XML
• Generic OnLine Diagnosis
• Embedded Event Manager
• SMART Call Home
• Data Center Network Manager
• System Message Logging
• AAA
• Role-Based Access Control
• Configuration Rollback

Lesson 4: Layer 2 Protocols and Features

• Nexus 7000/NX-OS Layer 2 Overview
• VLANs and PVLANs
• Spanning-Tree Protocols
• EtherChannels
• IGMP Snooping
• Uni-Directional Link Detection

Lesson 5: Layer 3 Protocols and Features

• Layer 3 Unicast Routing Overview
• Virtualizing Routing
• First-Hop Routing Protocols
• Routing Protocols
• Policy Routing
• Equal Cost Multipathing
• Tunnels
• Layer 3 Multicast

Lesson 6: Nexus 7000 Fabric Switching

• Introduction to the Nexus 7000 Fabric Modules
• Virtual Output Queuing Overview
• VOQ Operation

Lesson 7: Quality of Service

• Nexus 7000 Series QoS Overview
• Port QoS
• Forwarding Engine QoS
• Modular QoS CLI Overview
• Class Map
• Policy Map
• Service Policy

Lesson 8: Security

• Introduction to Nexus/NX-OS Security
• Traffic Integrity
• Control Plane Protection
• Access Control
• Admission Control
• Data Confidentiality

Lesson 9: Troubleshooting

• Ethanalyzer (WireShark in NX-OS)
• SPAN and RSPAN

Module 2: Nexus 5000 Overview
Lesson 1: Overview of the Nexus 5000

• I/O Consolidation
• Nexus 5000 Switch Products
• Network Design
• FCoE Adapters and Software
• Nexus 5000 Switch Management Tools

Lesson 2: Understanding Fibre Channel

• Fibre Channel Networks
• Fibre Channel Frames
• Fibre Channel Flow Control
• Fabric Login
• Process Login
• FSPF
• N_Port Identifier Virtualization (NPIV)
• N_Port Virtualizer (NPV)
• The RSCN Process
• Standard Fabric Services

Lesson 3: Understanding the FCoE Protocol

• Current FCOE Architecture
• FCOE Enode MAC Addresses
• FCOE Initialization Protocol (FIP)
• FCOE Work in Progress

Lesson 4: Nexus 5000 System Architecture

• System Architecture
• Switch Fabric Data Path
• Traffic Forwarding
• Multicast

Lesson 5: Ethernet Enhancements

• Priority Flow Control
• Delayed Drop
• Congestion Management
• Enhanced Transmission Selection
• Data Center Bridging Exchange

Module 3: Implementing and Configuring the Nexus 5000
Lesson 1: Configuring FCoE Server Connectivity

• Converged Network Adapters
• Host-Based Failover
• QLogic CNAs
• Emulex CNAs
• The FCoE Software Stack
• Managing the FCoE Software Stack
• Configuring the FCoE Software Stack

Lesson 2: Configuring a Nexus 5000 Switch in Switch Mode

• Switch Configuration Overview
• Configuring Administrative Access
• Configuring Virtual Interface Groups
• Configuring the Server-Facing Interfaces
• Configuring the Network-Facing Interfaces
• Verifying the Configuration

Lesson 3: Managing Nexus 5000 Switches with Cisco Device Manager and Cisco Fabric Manager

• Monitoring a Nexus 5000 Switch with Cisco Device Manager
• Monitoring an FCoE Network with Cisco Fabric Manager

Lesson 4: Configuring Nexus 5000 Switches in NPV Mode

• Understanding NPV Mode
• Configuring NPV Mode
• Verifying Switch Configuration in NPV Mode

Lesson 5: Managing Traffic Flow

• Understanding QoS Policy Management
• Configuring Qos Policy
• Tuning the MTU Value
• Configuring Priority Flow Control
• Understanding Multicasts

Lesson 6: Configuring High Availability

• High Availability in an FCoE Network
• Configuring High Availability
• Configuring Server-Side HA
• Validating HA Configuration
• Understanding PortChannels
• Configuring Ethernet PortChannels
• Configuring FC PortChannels

Lesson 7: Securing the Switch

• Private VLANs
• Configuring Private VLANs
• Understanding Access Control Lists
• Configuring Access Control Lists
• TCAM Implementation of ACLs
• Configuring Zoning on a Nexus 5000 Switch

Lesson 8: Monitoring and Troubleshooting

• Diagnostics and Monitoring
• SPAN and ERSPAN
• Ethanalyzer
• Configuring SPAN
• Troubleshooting Physical Port Errors
• Troubleshooting Logical Interface Errors

Lesson 9: FCoE Roadmap
Course labs
Lab 1: Nexus 7000: Managing System Configuration
Lab 2: Nexus 7000: Layer 2 Switching
Lab 3: Nexus 7000: First-Hop Redundancy Protocols
Lab 4: Nexus 7000: Configuring Routing Protocols
Lab 5: Nexus 5000: Analyzing FCoE Packet Traces
Lab 6: Nexus 5000: Configuring the Switch for Administrative Access
Lab 7: Nexus 5000: Configuring the Nexus 5000 for FCoE Connectivity
Lab 8: Nexus 5000: Configuring the Nexus 5000 in NPV Mode
Lab 9: Nexus 5000: Tuning and Optimizing FCoE Switch and Network Performance
Lab 10: Nexus 5000: Configuring a High Availability Environment
Lab 11: Nexus 5000: Configuring and Monitoring Security Features
Lab 12: Nexus 5000: Troubleshooting FCoE Issues on the Nexus 5000 Switch